SurfWriter Girls Holiday Books 2024

 

Series Greetings!

 

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

 

What's better than an exciting new book to read? An exciting new book series!

Think of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's inscrutable detective Sherlock Holmes (56 short stories; 4 novels). Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot using his "little grey cells" to solve crimes (33 novels) and ever-observant Miss Marple finding unexpected murders blooming in British gardens (12 novels; 20 short stories).

Part of the fun and adventure of reading about these fictional characters is following them on new exploits. So, in the spirit of the holidays, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel wish you "Series Greetings!" with these book series we found for you. 

Aimee Leduc Investigations series (21 novels) by Cara Black follows the Paris private investigator as she solves murders from the Marais district to the Bastille. Booklist calls Aimee “a delightfully unbuttoned Audrey Hepburn for the twenty-first century." A former pre-med student, she runs her father's detective agency from an apartment near the exclusive Champs Elysees. Fashionable in designer clothes she finds in second-hand shops, Aimee specializes in computer security, criminal investigation and espionage, solving mysteries with Parisian charm and panache.   

 

The Cat Who series (29 novels) by Lilian Jackson Braun features Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum and newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran who keep coming across murders in this bestselling series. Started in 1966, the early titles have a sixties vibe, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, The Cat Who Turned On and Off. The author herself was a mystery. The New York Times named her "The new detective writer of the year." Two years later, Jackson Braun stopped writing suddenly and disappeared from the book scene – only to reappear 18 years later! With a fourth Cat Who book...and go on to write 25 more.  

Heist Society series (3 novels) by Ally Carter is technically a young adult series, but why let the groms have all the fun? The main characters, headed by Kat Bishop, are an international band of teenage thieves…who steal from the bad guys. Witty, Intelligent and stylish, these thieves travel in private planes to London, Monaco, Belgium, stay in the best hotels, and plot impossible thefts – an impenetrable mansion, a museum with the latest security system, the casino at Monte Carlo. With high tech skills, fearlessness and charm, these are definitely the cool kids!   

 

Jack Reacher bestselling series (29 novels) by Lee and Andrew Child focuses on former Army military police major Jack Reacher, a loner who keeps winding up in bad situations he’s going to set right. A drifter, Reacher is trained in investigation and combat techniques, skills he puts to good use. In the latest book, In Too Deep, Reacher wakes up in a dark room, shackled to a bed, with no memory how he got there…only the knowledge his captors are going to regret it! Publishers Weekly calls Reacher “a wandering folk hero…with Robin Hood-like integrity.”

Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch series (6 novels) by bestselling author Michael Connelly pairs up two of Connelly’s most interesting characters, LAPD Detective Ballard, who grew up on the beaches of Hawaii and paddleboards at Venice Beach to clear her head, and former homicide detective-turned private investigator Bosch, who typically is at odds with authority. In the latest book, The Waiting, the duo are on the trail of a serial rapist/murderer who terrorized the city two decades earlier. With a web of secrets and legal hurdles to get past, heating up this cold case won’t be easy.

A Tea Shop Mystery Series (29 novels) by Laura Childs shows that drinking tea isn't for the faint hearted when murder is on the menu. Fortunately, tea shop owner Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley have a knack for solving crimes while hosting delicious tea parties. Recipes are included in this series. So, you can sit back and enjoy a "cuppa" and nibble on a treat while savoring the different mysteries.

   

Theodore series (5 novels) by J.S. Ellis is narrated by Theodore, a black-and-white Tuxedo cat who understands human speech. In the first book, The Neighbour’s Cat, Theodore explains that he has a problem: his owner, Dean Carter, “is a serial killer.” He kills women and has his eye on another victim, Jane. How can Theodore stop him? “I can’t exactly call for help.” Somehow, Theodore must warn Jane. Set on the island of Malta, the books draw you into Theodore’s world and have you following close on the paws of this resourceful feline detective.      

 

We hope these book series give you thrills and chills and many companionable hours with literary characters who continue to intrigue and entertain you. 

 

 SurfWriter Girls

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Circle of Kindness Brightens Holidays

 

A Holiday Gift to be Thankful for

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

When you're kind to others it spreads beyond them and ultimately back to you – creating a circle of kindness that enriches, energizes and restores. It's a circle not just for the holidays, but all year long.

 

Just like recycling gives new life and purpose to the things we have, so do acts of kindness give new dimension and meaning to our own existence.

 

The holiday cards, personal notes, and gifts that you take the time to send can put a smile on someone's face as they are sorting through the bills and advertising notices.

 

Stopping by a neighbor's house to leave a piece of pie or homemade cookies on a doorstep can make their day.

 

Offering to pick up something at the store for someone who can't get out can provide sustenance and relieve anxiety.

 

Phoning to say Hello or texting messages and photos to friends and loved ones keeps them included.

 

Picking up trash when you're walking on the beach or in the park makes it safer and prettier for the next person.

 

However you build your circle of kindness, now is the perfect time to do it during the holidays when everyone needs something to feel good about.

 

In the end – when your kindness comes full-circle from other people's actions – you will find that one of those who benefits the most is you.

 

 

 SurfWriter Girls

 

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

 

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.