Love Your Local Bookstore: Murder By The Book

Murder By The Book is one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery specialty bookstores, established in 1980 by Martha Farrington, and purchased by McKenna Jordan in 2009.  The store stocks over 25,000 books -- new & used, hardbacks & paperbacks, first editions, collectibles, gift items, mystery magazines, and more.  In 2011, we hosted over 200 of the hottest mystery, crime, and fantasy authors for book signing events.  We've had everyone from Dick Francis to P.D. James, Sue Grafton to Robert Crais, Michael Connelly to Patricia Cornwell, James Lee Burke to Daniel Silva.

Murder By The Book is located in Houston, Texas within five minutes of the Texas Medical Center & Rice University, and ten minutes from the Galleria.  Off U.S. 59, take the Greenbriar exit; head south on Greenbriar; one light from 59 is Bissonnet St; turn right on Bissonnet; we're ahead on the right (2342 Bissonnet), between Kirby and Greenbriar.  

For large events, additional street parking can be found on Morningside, and South Blvd.  Please do not park behind the store.  This area is for employees and authors. 

Store Hours:
Monday thru Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

We stay open late on nights when we host author events, so feel free to give us a call to see if we'll be open after 6.   

Be sure to check out their upcoming events...
December:  Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. 

They have 24 of our favorite paperbacks on sale for 20% off, and are reviewing one a day on the website for Advent! Make sure to stop by!

(All information was taken from their website)

Support Murder by the Book!

The Book Gifting Guide: The Fabulous Financialist

 

 

 

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

St. Nicholas Day has always been one of my favorite days of the year. Christmas season is in full swing, and it's my birthday (AND my husband's birthday, crazy I know). Woohoo! I'm not quite finished with this book, but wanted to make sure I at least put it up on the blog today... review coming soon!

Baylor Press provided me a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Brotherly Love

My incredibly talented younger brother, Levi Stack, recently wrote and self-published his first book. He is by far the most creative person I know and his writing shows it. I am so thankful that he gave me an inside look at how a book is compiled start to finish. He even let me do read-throughs of rough drafts and offer my opinion on the incredible illustration drafts for the cover art. Needless to say I enjoyed every minute! Levi's working on finishing Book #2 and I'm so excited to get to go through the process again! The Silent Deal also makes the perfect gift for the young adult in your life (or anyone who loves a good adventure and/or the Russian Empire). Note: The book gifting guide for the teenager is coming soon!

When Viktor and Romulus, two peasant boys, dig too deep into their town’s strange past, they awaken the wrath of a mysterious overlord. As the blood brothers struggle to survive, their search for answers takes them through gambling parlors, bare-knuckle boxing matches, and dark forests full of wild animals and men alike. But even with the help of their friends, can they escape the deathly experiments their foe is creating in Staryi Castle? Enter the bold lands of the Russian Empire where the colorful characters of The Card Game dwell, from the fortune-tellers and fire-jugglers of the Romani Gypsies, to the dangerous criminals that make up the Thieves World, the predecessor of the Russian Mafia. An explosive mixture of adventure and mystery, The Silent Deal is a young adult novel that will rip readers through the pages. A perilous journey awaits…

A look at the cover drafts by Owen William Weber...

 

 

BUY

Lord of the Mai-Tais

It's a Tasty Tuesday thanks to Tequila Mockingbird, the amazing cocktail book for the literary lover! When I first laid eyes upon this clever creation I just couldn't resist. Besides the faithful margarita, I think the only cocktail I've ever made at home is an appletini (really crazy I know). But thanks to this little gem, I can find some inspiration from my favorite literary masterpieces, like The Sound and the Slurry, or The Last of the Mojitos. Whatever your poison, Tim Federle has you covered in the most delightful way possible.

BUY

Monday's Must Read: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Simon & Schuster provided me a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own (lucky you).

The Short & Sweet of it: This novel is a complete and utter delight. A highly sensible, socially awkward, and extremely lovable genetics professor is on a mission to find the perfect life partner. A hilarious journey ensues resulting in a love story of an unconventional type that I promise you've never read before. 

I don't even know where to start other than to say I LOVE THIS BOOK. (It's not every day I break out all caps, so you know it's kind of a big deal.) I've always been a sucker for a good love story, but they tend to all start running together. So when I met Professor Tillman and Rosie I think I let out a little squeal of excitement and many lols, obviously. 

Don Tillman might just be my favorite character of the year ever. Set in his rigid schedules with every minute accounted for, he decides that thanks to his newly acquired, short skirted housecleaner (cleaning takes up quite a bit of time each week) he has some extra time available to spend looking for a wife. With lofty standards and a penchant for effectiveness, he devises the Wife Project, a crafty questionnaire designed to weed out all the undesirables (smokers, late arrivers, vegetarians, etc.) Along the way he meets the quirky Rosie who is searching for her biological father. Between the Wife Project and the Father Project, Don's time is occupied in a way he never would have predicted, with a result he probably wouldn't have imagined possible. Could the charmingly neurotic Professor Don Tillman actually be capable of love?

You really should read this book. Since the holidays are coming up and you're going to be spending extended time with your families, there really is no better time than this to buy some new books to bury your nose in. It would also make a great gift for almost anyone on your list, especially someone slightly obsessed with the one and only Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Swoon. 

BUY

The Book Gifting Guide: The Lovely Mother