Mystery
(Courtesy of Barry Trott, author of Read On Crime Fiction)

- Five must-know classic mystery authors: Dorothy Sayers, Robert B. Parker, P.D. James, Walter Mosley, Anne Perry. 
- Five up-and-coming mystery authors: Ariana Franklin, Louise Penny, Michael Genelin, Charles Todd, Colin Cotterill. 
- Five must-know mystery books: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Indemnity Only by Sarah Paretsky, A Morbid Taste for Bones by P.D. James. 
- Five trends/subgenres in mystery: paranormal crime fiction, historical mysteries, contemporary cozies, hobby mysteries, police procedurals.

Fantasy
(Courtesy of Neil Hollands, author of Read On Fantasy Fiction)

- Five must-know classic fantasy authors: Lois McMaster Bujold, Neil Gaiman, Robin Hobb, Guy Gavriel Kay, Terry Pratchett. In terms of sheer popularity, an alternate top five would be: Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, Mercedes Lackey, R.A. Salvatore. 
- Five up-and-coming fantasy authors: Joe Abercrombie, David Anthony Durham, K.J. Parker, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks. 
- Five fantasy series you need to know: Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. 
- Five trends in fantasy: paranormal, cross-genre/interstitial work, YA fantasy, darker epic fantasy, series launches (publishers are waiting until an author has three books, then launching the whole series at once or in short succession).

Humor
(Courtesy of David Wright)

- Five must-know classic humorous authors: Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse, Dorothy Parker, Bill Bryson, David Sedaris. 
- Five up-and-coming humorous authors: Sam Lipsyte, Lisa Lutz, John Hodgman, Jess Walter, Jonathan Tropper. 
- Five trends in humor: my hilarious, horrible life- cringe-worthy tales of dysfunctional delight; mass comedia- the NPR and Comedy Central effect; blog to book- can Twitter novels be far behind?; the lighter side of genres- "But are they funny vampires?"; timeless mirth- reprints and retreads and lost treasures found. 
- Five must-know humor titles: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford, Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.

Horror
(Courtesy of Kaite Mediatore Stover)

- Five must-know classic horror authors: Stephen King, John Saul, Dean R. Koontz, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe. 
- Five "everlasting horrormeisters" (many of the writers who became popular in the 1970s and 1980s are still popular today and still writing): Bentley Little, Robert McCammon, Clive Barker, William Peter Blatty, Whitley Striebar. 
- Five must-know horror books: Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, Pet Sematary by Stephen King, Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. 
- Five trends in horror: comic horror- dark and dry wit, comic mash-ups; women as evil protagonists; less focus on paranormal elements; horror in end of the world scenarios (apocalyptic, pandemics, technology gone rogue); crossover into thrillers/mysteries/literary.

Women's Fiction
(Courtesy of Rebecca Vnuk)

- Five must-know women's fiction authors: Danielle Steel, Barbara Delinsky, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Jennifer Weiner, Maeve Binchy. 
- Five up-and-coming authors: Katherine Center, Emily Griffin, Allison Winn Scotch, Laura Moriarty, Hester Browne. 
- Five books that will get you up to speed on what women's fiction is all about: Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes, Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky, Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston, Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly. 
- Five trends in women's fiction: Crafty women, humor, chick lit grows up, issue-driven women's fiction; ensemble fiction.

 

For more information, contact:

Kristie Kirkpatrick at 509-397-4366

For a complete list of events and programs happening in all fourteen Whitman County Library branches, visit the Whitman County Library website or the library's events calendar or call the library at 397-4366 or 877-733-3375 toll-free.