ADULT FICTION
Braun, Lilian Jackson. The cat who brought down the house. NY: Jove (paperback) books, 2003.
…. The cat who went bananas. NY: G.P Putnam’s sons, 2004.
…. The cat who dropped a bombshell. NY: G.P Putnam’s sons, 2006.
…. The cat who had 60 whiskers. NY: G.P Putnam’s sons, 2007.
(the last book in that series. Short stories listed below)
…. The cat who had 14 tales, a fabulous collection of feline fiction from the
author of the acclaimed The Cat Who… series! NY: Doubleday/ Penguin, 1988.
(a collection of mysteries featuring cats)
…. Short & Tall Tales, Moose County legends collected by James Mackintosh Qwilleran.
GP Putnam and Sons, 2002. (more of the tales that are mentioned in the other books)
…. The private life of the cat who …, Tales of Koko and Yum Yum [from the journal of James
Mackintosh Qwilleran]. NY: G.P Putnam’s sons, 2003.
Clement, Blaise. Curiosity killed the cat sitter, the first Dixie Hemingway mystery.
NY: St. Martin & Minotaur Books, 2006.
…. Duplicity dogged the dachshund, the second Dixie Hemingway mystery, NY: St. Martin
& Minotaur Books, 2007.
…. Cat sitter on a hot tin roof, a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2008.
…. Even cat sitters get the blues, a Dixie Hemingway mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2008. (a Thorndike Press large type edition)
…. Raining cat sitters and dogs, a Dixie Hemingway mystery. NY: Minotaur Books, 2009.
…. Cat sitter among the pigeons, a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2011.
…. The cat sitter’s pajamas, , a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2012.
Clement, Blaize and John Clement. The Cat Sitter’s Cradle, a Dixie Hemingway Mystery.
NY: Minotaur Books/ St. Martins, 2013. (Co-wrote with her son after Blaize died)
…. The cat sitter’s nine lives. a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2014. (Co-wrote with her son after Blaize died)
…. The cat sitter’s whiskers, a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2015.
…. The Cat sitter and the Canary, a Dixie Hemingway Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books/
St. Martins, 2016.
(no fair. This is probably the last book in this series and he leaves us with a cliffhanger.)
Clinton, Bill and James Patterson. The president is missing. NY: Little Brown and Co/ Alfred A
Knopf, 2018. (Excellent. I read The first Gentleman before I read this one, and this one
Is much, much better than the 2025 book.)
…. The president’s daughter, a thriller. NY: Little Brown and Co/ Alfred A Knopf, 2021.
(also excellent with seat on the edge of your chair tension.)
…. The first gentleman: America has a powerful new president and her husband is on trial
for murder. NY: Little Brown and Co/ Alfred A Knopf, 2025.
(a bit choppy. Switches back and forth between viewpoints, but quite a few times you
don’t know whose thoughts we are reading.)
Crichton, Michael and James Patterson. Eruption. NY: Little Brown & Co., 2024. (when
Michael Crichton died, Patterson took over writing this and WOW – so suspenseful.)
Deveraux, Jude. Twin of Ice. NY: Pocket Books, 1985.
…. Twin of Fire. NY: Pocket Books, 1985. (good stories, but in the 80s she wrote explicit
sex scenes, so if that’s not your cup of tea.)
…. The Summerhouse. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
…. Return to Summerhouse. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2008.
…. The girl from Summer Hill. NY: Ballantine Books, 2016. (She takes the plot from Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and inserts a story around it of a group of actors doing
summer stock whose lives reflect that plot. Companion book to As You Wish and
Summerhouse series.)
…. As you wish. NY: Mira Books, 2018. (Companion book to The Girl from Summer Hill
and also the third volume in the “Summerhouse” series, deepening the background story
of some of the characters in The Girl from Summer Hill.)
…. Met her match. NY: Mira, 2019. (Another Summer Hill book, but seems to take place
before the time travel events of As You Wish.)
…. Lavender morning, book 1 in the exciting new Edilean Series. NY: Atria books/ Simon
& Schuster, 2009.
…. Scarlet Nights, sequel to Lavender morning. NY: Atria books/ Simon
& Schuster, 2010.
…. Heartwishes, an Edilean Novel. NY: Atria books/ Simon & Schuster, 2012.
…. Moonlight in the morning, a novel. NY: Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster, 2012.
(The first book in the moonlight series part of the long Edileon series.)
…. Stranger in the moonlight, a novel. NY: Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster, 2012.
…. Moonlight Masquerade, a novel. NY: Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster, 2013.
…. True Love, a Nantucket Brides novel. NY: Ballantine books, 2013.
…. For all time, a Nantucket Brides novel. NY: Ballantine books, 2014.
…. Ever After, a Nantucket Brides novel. NY: Ballantine books, 2015.
…. Change of heart, an Edilean novel. NY: Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster, 2014.
…. A Willing Murder. NY: Mira Books, 2018. (The beginning of a new series, where it
takes 3 to solve the mystery – more of a mystery, less of her usual romance plot.)
…. A Justified murder, a Medlar mystery. NY: Mira, 2019.
…. A forgotten murder, a Medlar mystery. NY: Mira, 2020.
…. A relative murder, a Medlar mystery. NY: Mira, 2022.
…. An Unfinished murder, a Medlar mystery. NY: Mira, 2024. (the end of the series)
…. Meant to be. NY: Mira, 2021. (I was totally confused by this book the first time I read it,
but when I read it a second time I managed to keep the three time periods (and
generations) straight, which made it a better story. Cried at the end.)
…. My heart will find you. NY: Mira, 2024. (a time travel history mystery story)
…. Order of Swans. NY: Mira, 2025. The beginning of a Science Fantasy story that ends
with a cliffhanger. “This isn’t how Fairy Tales are supposed to end.” !!!! (which was the
last comment from the main character as well as what I thought.)
Durst, Sarah Beth. The Spellshop, it takes a village to open a heart, and just one man to steal it.
NY: Bramble/ Tor, 2024.
…. The enchanted greenhouse. NY: Bramble/ Tor, 2024.
(Sequel/ companion book to The Spellshop, being the adventures of the librarian who had
been turned into a wooden statue – mentioned in the first book - when she came back to
life and continued learning how to do spells.)
Evanovich, Janet The recovery Agent, a new adventure begins – Gabriela Rose. NY: Atria
books/Simon & Schuster, 2022.
…. Going Rogue, Rise and shine twenty-nine, a Stephanie Plum novel. NY: Atria
books/Simon & Schuster, 2022.
…. Dirty Thirty, a Stephanie Plum Novel. NY: Atria books/Simon & Schuster, 2023.
(hmmm. I had noticed that each chapter’s heading had piles of doughnuts in the previous
book, but it wasn’t until I read this second adventure in my pile of her books
that I realized that there were less and less doughnuts in those piles as the story
progressed – the characters had eaten them.)
…. Now or never thirty-one on the run, a Stephanie Plum novel. NY: Atria
books/Simon & Schuster, 2024. (Hmmm, the chapter heading now is an old fashioned
bomb with fuse attached and burning. – She finally choses who to marry at the end.)
Finney, Jack. Time and again. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1970
…. From time to time. NY: Simon and Schuster/ Scribner paperback, 1995. (sequel)
Lackey, Mercedes. The Oathbound, Book 1: vows and honor. NY: Daw books, 1988.
…. Oathbreakers, book II: Vows and honor. NY: Daw books, 1989.
…. By the Sword. NY: Daw books, 1991.
…. Winds of Fate Book 1 of the madge winds. NY: Daw books, 1991.
…. Winds of chance, Book 2 of the madge winds. NY: Daw books, 1992.
…. Winds of Fury, Book 3 of the madge winds. NY: Daw books, 1993.
…. Storm Warning, book one of the Madge Storms. NY: Daw books, 1994.
(continues the Winds story)
…. Storm Rising, book two of the Madge Storms. NY: Daw books, 1995.
…. Storm breaking, book three of the Madge Storms. NY: Daw books, 1996.
…. The Fairy Godmother, (five hundred Kingdoms) NY: Luna Books, 2004.
…. One Good knight, a tale set in the five hundred Kingdoms. NY: Luna Books, 2006.
…. Foundation, The Collegium Chronicles volume one. NY: DAW books, inc./Penguin,
2008.
…. Intrigues, Volume Two of The Collegium Chronicles. A novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW
books, inc./Penguin, 2010.
…. Changes, Volume Three of The Collegium Chronicles. A novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW
books, inc./Penguin, 2012.
…. Redoubt, Volume Four of The Collegium Chronicles. A novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW
books, inc./Penguin, 2012.
…. Bastion, Volume Five of The Collegium Chronicles. A novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW
books, inc./Penguin, 2013.
…. Closer to home, the Herold Spy book 1. NY: DAW books, inc./Penguin, 2014.
(Continuation of the Collegium Chronicles characters as they grow into their adult roles
and get involved this time with a variation of a Romeo and Juliet story.)
…. Closer to the heart, the Herold Spy book 2. NY: DAW books, inc./Penguin, 2015.
… Closer to the chest, Book 3 of the herald Spy. NY: DAW books, inc./Penguin, 2017.
(This ends the series about Mags. Next up are three books about his children.)
…. The hills have spies, book one of Family Spies, a novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW books,
inc./Penguin, 2017. (featuring Mags and his oldest son, Perry, who inherited his mother’s
ability to talk with animals)
…. Eye Spy, book two of Family Spies, a novel of Valdemar. NY: DAW books, inc./Penguin,
2019. (featuring Mag’s daughter, Abidela whose ability is to sense the physical strains in
objects and thus becomes a Master Artificer instead of a Herald spy.)
…. The snow queen, (five hundred Kingdoms) NY: Luna Books, 2008.
…. The Sleeping Beauty (Five Hundred Kingdoms). NY: Luna Books, 2010.
…. Steadfast, an Elemental Masters Novel, book 8. NY: Daw books, 2013.
…. Briarheart. NY: Little Brown and Company, 2021. (retelling of Sleeping Beauty)
…. Miss Amelia’s List. An elemental masters novel, book 17. NY: Daw books. 2024.
(oh, I want more of her adventures. It is a mix of fantasy and Regency styles)
Leong, Julie. The teller of small fortunes. NY: Ace, 2024.
(watch out. You will be in tears near the end of the book. Happy tears. It was a real
Gushing, two-tissue tear-fest for me.)
Lynch, Christina. Pony confidential, one small pony, one big mystery. NY: Berkley, 2024.
(alternates between the pony’s view and Penny’s viewpoint.
McCaffrey, Anne. (Here are the Pern books listed in the order you probably should read them,
even though the prequel was written later.)
…. DragonsDawn. NY: DelRay, 1988. (how and why people landed on Pern and settled on
the southern continent.)
…. The chronicles of Pern: first Fall. NY: Del Ray/ Ballantine Books, 1993.
(a group of short stories expanding on what happened between DragonsDawn and
DragonsEye. Most seem to be original short stories except for “The Dolphin’s Bell,”
which takes a scene from DragonsDawn and expands on it. It might have originally been
part of DragonsDawn which she had to cut and condense, telling the full story of how
the settlers managed to flee from south Pern to the safety of the northern continent with
the help of the dolphins. Another in this series that was new to me.)
…. DragonsEye. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 1997. (I just discovered this
one. It takes place right before the Second recorded Fall when not everyone believes that
‘thread’ is going to return to attack the planet.)
…. Dragonflight. NY: DelRay, 1968. (the first book she wrote of this huge series.)
…. Dragonquest. Volume 2 of the Dragonriders of Pern. NY: DelRay, 1971. (more life in the
weyr with some view of the ordinary people they are protecting.)
…. Dragonsong. Volume 1 of the Harper Hall trilogy – showing the life of ordinary people
on Pern. NY: Atheneum,1976.
…. Dragonsinger. Volume 2 of the Harper Hall trilogy – Continuing the story of Menolly and
how she became a Harper. NY: Atheneum,1977.
…. Dragondrums. Volume 3 of the Harper Hall trilogy – focusing on a secondary character
from the other two books of this series; getting us back into the southern continent.
NY: Atheneum, 1979.
…. The White Dragon, Volume 3 of the Dragonriders of Pern. NY: DelRay, 1978. (Back to
a Dragon weyr where a young lord accidently impresses a dwarf dragon. This shows
the life of the ordinary people living in shelters they call Holds. Similar to Earth’s
medieval period of history.)
…. The Masterharper of Pern. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 1998.
(A biography of the Masterharper, mentioned in most of the above books with
appearances of a lot of the characters in the previous books.)
…. The renegades of Pern. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 1999.
(companion book to three books – The White Dragon, Dragondrums, and The
Masterharper of Pern. Covering the lives of groups of people who are not dragon riders.
Also this is where “the girl who heard dragons” is first mentioned whose life is
continued in The dolphins of Pern.)
…. All the Weyers of Pern. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine, 1991
…. The skies of Pern. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 2001.
(This is the end of this series of stories about the settlement of Pern and the
DragonRiders. The next books are stories about other aspects of Pern Life – varying
from the lives of ordinary people with books showing what was happening in the Weyers
during that same time. But when you get into the books that her son, Todd McCaffrey,
wrote after she died, you’ll really need to read them in series order to make sense of that
series of books.
…. Moreta: Drangonlady of Pern. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 1983.
(You probably remember in the Harper Hall Trilogy where they were singing about
Moreta’s historic ride to spread the cure for a pandemic. Well, here’s the story.)
…. Nerilka’s Story. NY: DelRay/ Ballantine Publishing group, 1986. (The companion story
to Moreta’s featuring the regular people on Pern during the pandemic.)
…. The dolphins of Pern. NY: DelRay, 1994. (Of course, you remembered that enhanced
dolphins came with the settlers. This tells how the latest generation on Pern rediscovered
how useful they are and recreated a Dolphin Hall to interact with them. Various
characters from other Pern books also show up here or are mentioned. For example – his
mother was The Girl Who Heard Dragons.)
…. A gift of Dragons, illustrated stories. NY: Del Ray/ Random House, 2002.
(a collection of short stories written and published at various times. This contains the
original story of The Girl Who Heard Dragons, which I have mentioned several times
above. It’s not a graphic novel, but is simply occasionally illustrated with page borders
of dragons along with some full page illustrations.)
Osman, Richard. The Thursday murder club, a novel. NY: Viking, 2020.
…. The man who died twice, a Thursday murder club mystery. NY:
Viking/Penguin/Random, 2021.
…. The bullet that missed, a Thursday murder club mystery. NY: Viking/Penguin/Random,
2022.
…. The last devil to die, a Thursday murder club mystery. NY: Viking/Penguin/Random,
2023.
…. We solve murders. (the beginning of a new series). NY: Viking/Penguin/Random,
2024.
Penny, Louise. The grey wolf. NY: Minotaur Books, 2024.
Stewart, George. Earth Abides. NY: Ballantine Books, 1949. (Pandemic kills most of
humanity. (now streaming. Won many awards including International Fantasy Award)
Thorogood, Robert. Death comes to Marlow, a Marlow murder club mystery. NY: Harper/
Poison Press, 2023. (now the series is streaming)
…. The queen of poisons, a novel - a Marlow murder club mystery. NY: Harper/
Poison Press, 2023.
ADULT NONFICTION
005.8 Richard, Laurent and Sandrine Riaud. Pegasus, how a spy in your pocket
threatens the end of privacy, dignity, and democracy – with introduction by Rachel
Maddow. NY: Henry Holt and Co., 2023.
327.1273 Weiner, Tim. The Mission – the CIA in the 21st Century. NY: Mariner Books/
HarperCollins, 2025. (Important reading if you want to know the background
information about the CIA and events most of us have lived through.)
741.5973 Lepore, Jill. The secret history of Wonder Woman. NY: Alfred Knopf, 2014.
(Written like a thesis that she handed in to a college professor, complete with parts that
will shock some readers, especially those who grew up loving Wonder Woman.)
782.14 Grease Grease, tell me more, tell me more, stories from the Broadway
phenomenon that started it all. Edited by Tom More, Adrienne Barbeau, Ken Waissman.
Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2022.
782.14 Idle, Eric. The Spamalot Diaries. NY: Crown, 2024.
(the background of how that famous Broadway show came to be – and a second version
of it will be on tour beginning in 2025, so we can get to see it again.)
942.0099 Mitchell, David. Unruly, the ridiculous history of England’s kings and queens –
a taste of power, glory, and gore from Arthur to Elizabeth I. NY: Crown/ Penguin
Random, 2023. (written by a comedian, so it’s casual and slightly disrespectful.)
971.8 Defede, Jim. The day the world came to town – 9/11 – in Gander,
Newfoundland. NY: HarperCollins, 2002.
(Interviews with a lot of the 7,000 passengers from the planes that landed in Gander and
the inhabitants who welcomed them. I have a feeling that the writers of the Broadway
Play “Come from Away” about this event may have used this book as one of their
sources.)
973.933 Heaphy, Timothy J. Harbingers, what January 6 and Charlottesville reveal about
rising threats to American Democracy. Lebanon, NH: Steerforth press, 2025.
(Lead investigator for the January 6 committee)
