Dec 01, 2021
That headline had you thinking we were going to start talking about gentle snow, holidays and reading by the fire, didn’t it? Wrong – this month we’re talking murder! Mostly the cozy kind though. This may sound odd to you if you’re not familiar with the cozy mystery genre but it’s a thing. Cozy mysteries have all the murder and sleuthing but without all the gruesome details.
This month check out the genre from one of OPLs digital offerings.
In eBook, try this first in a mystery series offered as “Always Available” until the end of the month, The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Bookstore owner Nora Pennington does more than sell books. A librarian-turned-bibliotherapist, she helps people solve their problems by prescribing particular titles, while her friend Hester creates comfort scones, based on the feelings she gets from each person. But before Nora can assist a visiting businessman, the stranger ends up dead, pushed in front of a train!
Staying with the book theme, a cozy mystery eAudio to try is Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliot. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, Addie has moved to a small New England town to start her own store. But there's trouble from day one. Addie's friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested-for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they've got the story in hand, but Addie is not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight.
In French this month, a little less cozy but still fantastic mysteries…
Pour un instant d’éternité by Gilles Legardinier. The author brings us to 1889 Paris where Vincent discreetly helps his rich clients with issues they do not want to come to light. Suddenly, Vincent and his team are targeted, and they have to find out why…the possibilities are endless.
And for eAudio in French, we recommend Tempêtes by Andrée A. Michaud. Two parallel stories are told, both taking place on Cold Mountain – one during a horrendous snowstorm, and one during a heatwave. Both characters have mysteries to solve, all while Mother Nature has her own plans.
Suggestions and Resources for a successful online Book Club
In order to have your Book Club take place online you can try creating Facebook groups, or using various social media channels to discuss books. Or you could try meeting live via online video conferencing tools. The following tools are free:
- Google Hangouts provides free video/chat/voice conferencing and does not have a time limit
- Jitsi is a free open source video conferencing tool
- In French, there is a platform built by Les libraires that allows book clubs to meet online! You can request to create your own club, or there are groups that are already running that you can join.
- All book clubs, including the current book club picks and comments, are visible to anyone accessing the site Le Regroupement des éditeurs franco-canadiens is offering a monthly book club called D’un océan à l’autre – here is more information (in French only), and the books available at OPL!
Finding eBooks and eAudiobooks for your Book Club
- Always Available eAudio from OverDrive – many great Book Club reads in this list
- Books with 100 simultaneous checkouts -- this new format offered by publishers to libraries lets your whole book club borrow a book at once!
- Special Collection of Always Available eBooks and eAudio from Overdrive – a quality collection available until the end of 2021
- Always Available ebook Classics from Duke Publishing
- OPL streaming eBook and eAudio collections
- Some French publishers OPL purchases from through Cantook Station offer many loans of the same title at once. You can search the Cantook platform for these publishers and make your choice. Participating publishers include Gallimard, Actes Sud, Rivages, POL, Flammarion, and Payot
- Radio-Canada offers free “Always Available” French eAudio - stream from the ICI Première website or download the Radio-Canada OHdio app.
- D'un océan à l'autre | club de lecture 2021
Contact OPLs InfoService 613-580-2940 if you need help accessing these titles and resources
Hosting and Discussions
If you would like discussion questions for your book, here is a list of 40 Great Book Club Discussion Questions from Book Riot. They work for any book.
Here are some great tips about how to host an online book club from Bustle Magazine: 10 Tips For Hosting A Digital Book Club