Check out what's new at Mystery to Me!

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Thanks to the James Patterson grant we received last year and the creativity of locally owned Aesthetic Enterprises we opened our new children's section in January! First review from a six-year old: "Awesome." Next on the docket is to set up a schedule of story hours and readings for kids.

We continue to build up our selection of picture books, board books and more. If you haven't looked at picture books for awhile, it may be time to find your inner child. Some are just laugh out loud hysterical and others are simply beautiful. We have some fabulous mystery series for young readers. A store favorite is the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer. Enola is, of course, the little sister of Sherlock. What could be better than that from a mystery bookstore?! We also have a growing selection of middle school and young adult titles. One of our big sellers is the Wildwood Chronicles by Decemberist lead singer, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, the award-winning illustrator of many of the Lemony Snicket books.

Our New Releases shelves now play host to store book club reads, upcoming events, new trade, new mass market and new hardcover. Be sure to peruse these picks next time you're in the store. Right now you'll find hardcover books such as Unbecoming by Rebecca Sherm. If you like Kate Atkinson and Tana French you'll like this book. A new book by Sophie Hannah titled The Carrier which won the 2013 Crime Thriller of the Year in the UK. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a NYT bestseller. If you liked the Gone Girl, you'll like this book - maybe even better... Also getting a lot of attention these days is The Whites by Richard Price writing as Harry Brandt. Dennis Lehane says "Whether you call it a crime novel or a mystery novel or a giraffe with polka dots is largely irrelevant - The Whites is, simply put, a great American novel."

In trade paper we have the James Runcie book based on the PBS series Grantchester. The first in the series is called Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death. We also have a book titled Will Starling by debut author Ian Weir. The book takes place in London, 1816. Kirkus gave it a starred review noting "An extraordinary rendition of life in Regency-era London...Weir has written a mystery worthy of every word while adding historical tidbits..." By the way, Mr. Weir is interested in skyping with us! If you're an historical mystery lover, be sure to take a look at this book.

In mass market we have Bone Deep by Randy Wayne White, Identity by Ingrid Thoft, Missing You by Harlan Coben and a new Mrs. Jeffries mystery by Emily Brightwell...and there is more where these came from.

A Dangerous Place

The next Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear will be available March 17, 2015

Mystery to Me has ordered 20 signed copies of the new Maisie.

Pre-order your copy now!

What's New?

January and February have been big months for Mystery to Me. We've done quite a bit of rearranging, shelf cleaning and repricing. For sure check out our new Bargain shelf (and cart) for some great deals. And take a look at our front table. When not hosting book clubs and zentangle classes we are now using it as our "features" table. Currently we are featuring 2015 Edgar nominees. We are happy to report that several of the nominees visited our store this past year. Lori Rader Day, Allen Eskens and Stuart Neville. Great books!

In the middle of the store we now have a "staff favorites" table. Because we are all big readers this table is ever-changing. We'd be happy to talk with you about our selections.

For those of you who like mystery AND like to venture into other genres, we are carefully cultivating a space for new releases and old favorites in our "something other than mystery" section. Think literature, popular fiction, non-fiction best-sellers and even a few cookbooks.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, February 22
12:30 Sunday Scandinavians Book Club will be discussing Flately Enigma (Iceland) by Victor Arar Ingolfsson

Tuesday, February 24
6 - 8 pm
Another fun ZENTANGLE class taught by local zentanglist (made that word up), Julie Swanson.
The cost for the class and the necessary materials is $35.00. Please register in advance by calling the store (608)283-9332 or emailing Joanne.mysterytome@gmail.com. If you can stop by with cash or a check made payable to Julie Swanson, that will help us be better prepared. If you're unfamiliar with Zentangle, check out the website. It's a new way to practice mindfulness while creating something incredible.

Thursday, February 26
We're rescheduling the translation event that had been on the calendar for this date. We're looking at April. Stay tuned!

Friday, February 27
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Annelise Ryan (aka Beth Amos, aka Allyson K. Abbott) will be here to talk about her new book Stiff Penalty, a Mattie Winston mystery. And guess what? An earlier Winston mystery, Frozen Stiff just made the USA Today Bestseller list. Congrats to Annelise!
Deputy coroner Mattie Winston knows a thing or two about dead bodies. That's why she's on the case of Derrick Ames, a high school math teacher stabbed to death with a barbecue fork straight to the heart. Sure, she's turned up some motives and a few suspects, but nothing adds up. Especially when the evidence points to Ames's teenage son....

Saturday, February 28
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Have you ever thought you would like to write a mystery novel? Come hear what Barbara Gregorich has to say about it! Barbara is the author of Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel. The Midwest Book Review called Guide “an accessible primer for writers of all skill and experience levels . . . packed with tips, tricks, and techniques that any aspiring author will find invaluable . . . with numerous, illuminating examples.”

Saturday, March 7
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Welcome Chicago author JoAnn Fastoff!
JoAnn's website tells us that she was born to a mother of Creek Indian heritage and a Black father who migrated to Chicago from the Buckaloo Mountains of Alabama in 1927. JoAnn writes mystery novels and will be discussing her most recent book, The Smoke Ring. The Smoke Ring is a story about cigarette trafficking. For more info click on her name above for a link to her website. Come welcome JoAnn to Madison!

Wednesday, March 11
6:30 pm
The Armchair Detectives book club discusses Raven Black by Ann Cleeves.

Sunday, March 15
12:30 pm
Sunday Sleuths book club discusses The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey

Tuesday, March 17 - St. Paddy's Day!
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Join us for some rollicking good fun with local author Rex Owens. Murphy's Troubles is a novel about betrayal, love, friendship and atonement. It is set in Ireland during the era called THE TROUBLES. Join Rex Owens for a discussion, a reading, and perhaps share a bit of Irish whiskey and have a hooley on St. Patrick's Day.

Wednesday, March 18
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Join author David Whitehurst as he discusses the Tree Stand Murders.
This book is the true story that hit the news on November 21, 2004. A deer hunter shot eight and killed six other deer hunters including a young woman. In the Blue Hills east of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Chai Soua Vang caught trespassing on private property and occupying another hunter's tree stand became infuriated and exploded into a rampage after being tongue-lashed by the property owner.

Thursday, March 19
7:00 - 9:00 pm
t's another great poetry event at Mystery to Me! Join local poets Tim Walsh and Catherine Jagoe. Tim will be reading from his new Parallel Press chapbook The Book of Arabella. Catherine will be reading from her new Finishing Line Press collection titled News from the North.

Saturday, March 21
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Join us for an afternoon with local author Bill White. Bill will be discussing his book Little Oslo. This is a great opportunity to think spring and perhaps engage in a little baseball talk. Bill is a retired minister from Bethel Lutheran Church where he continued to hone the art of storytelling first learned as a child telling stories to his younger brother. Little Oslo takes place in 1952 when seventeen-year-old Jake finds himself starring on the Wahissa city baseball team and working at Little Oslo, where the local gather each day for breakfast, lunch, and the latest buzz. Unexpectedly he ends up in the middle of several mysterious, unsolved brutal beatings.

More March events are being scheduled!
April events already include Chris DeSmet's launch of Five Alarm Fudge. Chris will be here Saturday, April 11 at 2 pm. Poet and bookseller Andrea Potos will celebrate her new book An Ink Like Twilight on Friday, April 24 at 7 pm.

Saturday, May 2 is National Independent Bookstore Day!

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