Three Bibliomysteries That Are Perfect for the Autumn Season

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iller, yet those that are available tend to be of considerably higher quality. Perhaps because they are about books, bibliomysteries tend to fall most often into the literary fiction category, though you will also find a large number in the cozy mystery genre.One of my favorites is one that does not make this list because it is a summer book: John Dunning’s 1992 novel Booked to Die (which I reviewed <a href="https://readmedium.com/booked-to-die-still-the-perfect-bibliomystery-nearly-30-years-later-1edc3dba7d32">here</a>). Also excluded are the hilarious Tuesday Next series by Jasper Fforde (which started with The Eyre Affair) and the Haunted Bookshop series by Alice Kimberly, neither of which really fit the autumn theme. But enough of what I’m not recommending; let’s get to the three that will make long, blustery nights something you look forward to.1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I would wager that several of you knew this superb novel would be here as soon as you saw the title of the article. As with Jesus and Springsteen, I am an unapologetic evangelist for this book. This novel has everything a book lover could possibly want: a mysterious, disfigured author attempting to destroy every last copy of his published works; a hidden library of unfathomable proportions where rescued books are preserved for just the right reader to find; a gothic Barcelona in the 1940s and 1950s that emerges as a character in itself; a little romance, but not too much; and Fermin Romero de Torres, one of the greatest literary characters ever created. It’s a book you literally cannot put down. I finished the last 300 pages in one sitting.2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This one of the few times t

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he publisher’s blurb told the complete truth: The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading. Still, when I first read the synopsis, I thought there was no way Setterfield could jam all of it into one novel and make it work: mystery and history, romance and danger, books and an old house and a fire, two heroines, and feral twins. Just typing it out made me tired, yet Setterfield weaves it all into a stunning mystery you definitely won’t guess the ending midway through. I didn’t have to add that last part though, did I? I had you at feral twins.3. The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl. Pearl specializes in historical bibliomysteries, and while better known for The Dante Club, I think The Poe Shadow and The Last Dickens are his best two novels. For an autumn read, The Poe Shadow gets the nod; it’s more of a fall book and Poe always fits nicely with Halloween. The mystery part is compelling: a Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark witnesses the funeral of the famed writer on October 8, 1849, and sets out to prove that Poe’s death was not a simple case of a man who drank himself to death. What he finds as he investigates will either save Poe’s reputation or destroy his own.Don’t be deterred by the length of these three novels (487, 432, and 400 pages, respectively); all are incredibly fast reads you won’t be able to put down. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, all three have fantastic narrators. And always remember what Zafon wrote in The Shadow of the Wind: every book has a soul.If you enjoyed this story, you can support my writing directly by leaving a tip below using the small (and kind of weird) hand icon (you tip waiters and bartenders, so why not writers?).</article></body>

Light the fire and pull up a cozy chair

After a brutally hot summer, there is finally a chill in the air. This is true even here in Texas (and shame on those of you who immediately thought “Hell is finally freezing over”), which means it’s time to break out a few books that fit this time of year perfectly. Books have a season just like everything else, and while you can read A Christmas Carol in July or a novel set during Spring Break in January, it’s just not the same as immersing yourself in a book where the weather outside matches the tale inside.

If you have read my ramblings for any length of time, you won’t be surprised that I am recommending three bibliomysteries for the fall season; as a book lover, these draw me in like no other genre. I have written about the bibliomystery before, but it’s been a while, so for those who have not heard the term before, a bibliomystery is one in which a book or manuscript is central to the plot of the novel. It can also include mystery novels in which bookstores, booksellers, libraries, librarians, and/or authors play a key role in the story.

There are obviously fewer of these published than the ubiquitous legal thriller, yet those that are available tend to be of considerably higher quality. Perhaps because they are about books, bibliomysteries tend to fall most often into the literary fiction category, though you will also find a large number in the cozy mystery genre.

One of my favorites is one that does not make this list because it is a summer book: John Dunning’s 1992 novel Booked to Die (which I reviewed here). Also excluded are the hilarious Tuesday Next series by Jasper Fforde (which started with The Eyre Affair) and the Haunted Bookshop series by Alice Kimberly, neither of which really fit the autumn theme. But enough of what I’m not recommending; let’s get to the three that will make long, blustery nights something you look forward to.

1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I would wager that several of you knew this superb novel would be here as soon as you saw the title of the article. As with Jesus and Springsteen, I am an unapologetic evangelist for this book. This novel has everything a book lover could possibly want: a mysterious, disfigured author attempting to destroy every last copy of his published works; a hidden library of unfathomable proportions where rescued books are preserved for just the right reader to find; a gothic Barcelona in the 1940s and 1950s that emerges as a character in itself; a little romance, but not too much; and Fermin Romero de Torres, one of the greatest literary characters ever created. It’s a book you literally cannot put down. I finished the last 300 pages in one sitting.

2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This one of the few times the publisher’s blurb told the complete truth: The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading. Still, when I first read the synopsis, I thought there was no way Setterfield could jam all of it into one novel and make it work: mystery and history, romance and danger, books and an old house and a fire, two heroines, and feral twins. Just typing it out made me tired, yet Setterfield weaves it all into a stunning mystery you definitely won’t guess the ending midway through. I didn’t have to add that last part though, did I? I had you at feral twins.

3. The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl. Pearl specializes in historical bibliomysteries, and while better known for The Dante Club, I think The Poe Shadow and The Last Dickens are his best two novels. For an autumn read, The Poe Shadow gets the nod; it’s more of a fall book and Poe always fits nicely with Halloween. The mystery part is compelling: a Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark witnesses the funeral of the famed writer on October 8, 1849, and sets out to prove that Poe’s death was not a simple case of a man who drank himself to death. What he finds as he investigates will either save Poe’s reputation or destroy his own.

Don’t be deterred by the length of these three novels (487, 432, and 400 pages, respectively); all are incredibly fast reads you won’t be able to put down. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, all three have fantastic narrators. And always remember what Zafon wrote in The Shadow of the Wind: every book has a soul.

If you enjoyed this story, you can support my writing directly by leaving a tip below using the small (and kind of weird) hand icon (you tip waiters and bartenders, so why not writers?).