#17 Rendezvous With A Writer - Christmas At The OutWest Book Shop

November 29, 2021

Welcome to this week's Rendezvous With A Writer OutWest featured book round-up. Find these books, and many more like them, on our separate book website OutWest Shop Book Shop, an affiliate of BookShop.org. We've curated book lists representing the complicated, compelling, and engaging culture, history and diversity of the American West. This week's featured book selections were posted on the OutWest Shop Facebook during the week of November 28, 2021. Featured titles include Christmas Fiction, Mysteries and More!

ARE YOU READY?? With less than 27 days to Christmas, now's the time to make that gift list, check it twice, and wrap it up! We've got something for EVERYONE....including YOU! Let's go SHOPPING!

I COULDN’T DECIDE which of these holiday books to read first, so I am reading them all at the same time! How could I not when they involve bookstores, bakeries, and a dog detective? Each would make a great gift for yourself or a friend.
 
THE CHRISTMAS BOOK SHOP by Jenny Colgan
Carmen has two months to save a dusty, failing store in THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP. Can she do it? Jenny Colgan creates quirky but believable characters and puts them into memorable settings; this time a romantic, snowy Edinburgh. Such fun! 

Perfect for the holidays! A brand-new heartwarming Christmas novel from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and Christmas at the Island Hotel.
 
THE HOLIDAY SWAP by Maggie Knox
Identical twins change places in THE HOLIDAY SWAP. Although both are talented bakers, Cass and Charlie find themselves facing hilarious complications (and new romantic possibilities) in Maggie Knox’s bright and charming novel.

The International Bestseller--A feel-good, holiday rom com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas--perfect for fans of Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze and Josie Silver's One Day in December.

IT'S A WONDERFUL WOOF by Spencer Quinn
IT’S A WONDERFUL WOOF is narrated by Chet, the canine partner of Bernie Little, private eye. Set “almost certainly in Arizona,” their search for a missing person leads to “whispers about a previously unknown art treasure, possibly buried for centuries.” A new discovery for me, there are twelve of these adventures to enjoy. 

Spencer Quinn's It's a Wonderful Woof presents a holiday adventure for Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in crime fiction" (Boston Globe), and his human partner, PI Bernie Little.

 
CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE MURDER by Joanne Fluke
CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE MURDER, recently out in paperback, would be a nifty stocking stuffer. Studded with recipes for cupcakes and cookies, this novel is a prequel to Joanne Fluke’s famous series featuring baker Hannah Swensen. 

As December turns Lake Eden, Minnesota, into the North Pole, the heat is on in Hannah Swensen's kitchen to honor two Christmas promises: baking irresistible holiday cupcakes and preventing an attempted murderer from succeeding the second time around! 
CLICK HERE TO FIND MORE GREAT BOOKS! 
--POST WRITTEN BY OUTWEST SHOP BOOK GUIDE WENDY

Brew your favorite cup of tea, coffee or cocoa and cozy up to the fire or get comfortable in your favorite spot and escape into one of these Christmas themed mysteries! 

SUGAR COOKIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke
The holidays are the icing on the cake for bakery owner Hannah Swensen. Surrounded by her loved ones, she has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas--until murder is added to the mix. . .

One reviewer wrote "A wonderful mystery...This book is as warm and cozy as a dozen Cinnamon Crisps! This series may remind some of another well-known series that includes recipes, but it is better!"

 
GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER
Short Stories by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meier 
In this merry collection of holiday mysteries, murder is making its own special delivery. . .Includes Over 10 Luscious Holiday Recipes

Gingerbread Cookie Murder By Joanne Fluke

When Hannah Swensen finds her neighbor Ernie Kusak with his head bashed in and sprawled on the floor of his condo next to an upended box of Hannah's Gingerbread Cookies, she discovers a flurry of murder suspects that's as long as her holiday shopping list.

The Dangers Of Gingerbread Cookies By Laura Levine

 Jaine Austen has been enlisted to help with her parents' retirement community's play The Gingerbread Cookie That Saved Christmas. Playboy Dr. Preston McCay is playing the role of the gingerbread cookie when he accidentally falls to his death during the final act. Now Jaine must figure out if one of the doctor's jealous lovers was capable of murder.

Gingerbread Cookies And Gunshots By Leslie Meier
When Lucy Stone discovers the body of Rick Juergens, whose five-year-old son Nemo disappeared, she senses foul play. Crumbs from a gingerbread cookie Lucy gave to Nemo are found in the back seat of Rick's car. With the hours quickly ticking till Christmas, Lucy races against the clock to find a killer before he strikes again.
 
CANDY SLAIN MURDER by Maddie Day
Christmas cheer has sent the griddle into overdrive at Robbie Jordan's popular country store and café. And this year, there's a new seasonal special to feast on: murder! Includes Recipes for You to Try!

As December sweeps through South Lick, Indiana, Robbie's life seems merry and bright like the string lights glistening around town. But strange happenings signal a bumpy ride into the holidays. First a man raises eyebrows at Pans 'N Pancakes when he claims to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie's assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Unavoidably intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who's harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?

I'm unable to decide which one to put on my "to me" gift list...Santa please deliver all three, please! 
---POST WRITTEN by OUTWEST SHOP BOOK GUIDE BOBBI JEAN

Who are we to be your guides? We are two sisters who grew up in a family that valued reading and encouraged an interest in history and the arts. Wendy spent her career with books. She worked as a children's librarian and as the buyer and manager of the children's department of an independent bookstore. A college major in literature introduced her to the classics of the American West.

Bobbi Jean and her husband, Jim, own OutWest Shop. She was the manager and buyer for a museum store before they started their own business. Bobbi Jean co-hosts The Writer's Block on LA Talk Radio, where she interviews authors of all types. The three other radio shows she hosts involve Western music and horses. Find podcasts of all her shows at OutWest Live!

We love sharing our book knowledge. You are not limited to the titles you find on our lists, though. Use the search box to rustle up any books that you want, and put them in your OutWest Book Shop cart!
                                    Happy Reading!
             Remember, It's Always A Great Day OutWest! 

---

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

---

Also in OutWest Scout