Welcome to the Reader's Nook!
Welcome Readers
This is our new Reader's Page. Please explore, enjoy, and suggest new features! This page is intended to serve the Sisters in Crime reader in all of us. After all, without you, the writers have no audience for their work! Check back for regular updates and book discussions and events for both local and global reading fans.
Mystery Subgenres
Mysteries come in many varieties. Most of us have already seen it just browsing the local bookstore or library. That broad category, “Mystery,” can be divided into subgenres based on the type of crime and how it is solved. Here are some of the main subgenres waiting for you to discover.
Top 100 Mysteries and Thrillers
TIME Magazine recently put together a panel of celebrated authors—Megan Abbott, Harlan Coben, S.A. Cosby, Gillian Flynn, Tana French, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Sujata Massey—to present “the most gripping, twist-filled, satisfying, and influential mystery and thriller books.” We'll feature a few of these every month for you.
A Reader's Links
Here are some useful local links for readers: the library system and nearby bookstores. Check them out!
Book of the Month
Check out this page once a month to see which novel we've chosen to be our Book of the Month!
Top 100 Mysteries and Thrillers
TIME Magazine recently put together a panel of celebrated authors—Megan Abbott, Harlan Coben, S.A. Cosby, Gillian Flynn, Tana French, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Sujata Massey—to present “the most gripping, twist-filled, satisfying, and influential mystery and thriller books.” We’ll feature a few of these every month for you.
Ira Levin’s 1953 debut novel won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1954 and inspired not one, but two film adaptations (in 1956 and 1991). Levin may have been best remembered for his horror novel Rosemary’s Baby, but A Kiss Before Dying remains a modern crime classic.
Time Magazine says “Graham Greene’s 1955 novel The Quiet American fuses a murder mystery with a scathing critique of U.S. involvement in 1950’s Vietnamese politics in the midst of French occupation.”
This chilling story by Margaret Millar “touches on themes of class, isolation, and sexual orientation while fleshing out each of its characters–and it ends with a bang.” Beast in View won the 1956 Edgar Award for Best Novel and was adapted for TV’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
1953’s The Long Goodbye isn’t iconic noir detective Phillip Marlowe’s first appearance, but it is probably his most important, solidifying Raymond Chandler as “one of the essential stylists of mid-century American fiction writing.”
Mystery Subgenres
There are roughly 15 basic subgenres in the Mystery category of fiction. Are you familiar with all of them? Do you have a favorite?
Click the button to explore more mystery subgenres.
Local Links for Readers
2nd and Charles (Greenville)
Angel’s Bookshoppe (Greenville)
As the Page Turns (Travelers Rest)
Barnes and Noble (chain)
Fiction Addiction (Greenville)
Hub City Bookshop (Spartanburg)
M. Judson Books (Greenville)
Mr. K’s Used Books (Greenville)
Pages on Pine (Spartanburg)
Book of the Month
The Book of the Month for May is:
The Body by the Sea
by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Here’s what The Washington Post has to say: “Commissaire Georges Dupin’s holiday plans are rudely interrupted when someone pushes a noted doctor out of a top-floor window in the French harbor city of Concarneau. As the cantankerous but brilliant Dupin searches for the killer, he uncovers hidden, cutthroat political and social rivalries that roil beneath the surface. In the end, it is Georges Simenon’s “The Yellow Dog,” a classic Maigret mystery set in Concarneae that helps Dupin solve the case.”
Jean-Luc Bannalec is a pseudonym. The author divides their time between Germany and the southerly region of the French department of Finistere.
Would you like to join us?
We would love to have you as a member of Sisters in Crime of Upstate SC. If you’d like to join a fun-loving, adventuresome chapter, contact Treasurer Rosa Seay at [email protected]!
Five Editing Tips
The thing to keep in mind about writing and editing is to keep them separated in your mind. When you’re writing, just write. When you’re editing, just edit. In this way, you’ll develop two different types of skills.
Quick Tips: Making A First Impression
Tired of digging for a business card? Ready to make a better first impression at the next in-person event? We have a tip for you.
Avoid Book Marketing Burnout
Book marketing got expensive, and it was a lot of work, but you’re still not making near the sales you know you should. There is a reason for that.
Top Ten Writing Tips for Productivity
Do you need a fresh start, or a better way to manage your writing schedule with real life? Most of us do, so don’t be too hard on yourself!
Finding the Perfect Character Name
How do you find the perfect name to match your character, the one that readers will remember? Contributing member, EJ Murray has a few ideas about that.
Welcome to Sisters in Crime Upstate SC!
Welcome! Sisters in Crime Upstate South Carolina is 25 years old. Based in Greenville, SC, but with members all over the US and Canada. Come join us, today!