Kristen Barenthaler
Bio
Curious adventurer. Crazed reader. Librarian. Archery instructor. True crime addict.
Instagram: @kristenbarenthaler
Facebook: @kbarenthaler
Stories (361)
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Hobby-Themed Mysteries: Swimming
Bones under the Beach Hut by Simon Brett The affluent seaside resort of Smalting is unaccustomed to crime. So when human remains are found beneath the floorboards of one of its beach huts, the community is awash with suspicion and fear.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Hobby-Themed Mysteries: Wine Tastings
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. After inviting the "Los Angeles Times" to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world-class wine heist. Enter Sam Levitt, former corporate, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur, who follows his leads as he tracks down the source of a multimillion dollar wine heist--a trail that leads him to Bordeaux and its magnificent vineyards, and to Provence to meet an eccentric billionaire collector who might possibly have an interest in the stolen wines.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Hobby-Themed Mysteries: Reading
The Burglar in the Library by Lawrence Block Bookseller and burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr travels to New England to spend a weekend in a mansion where he hopes to steal a rare book. But his scheme is sidetracked by the murder of one of the guests and the burglar turns sleuth.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Hobby-Themed Mysteries: Bird Watching
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and when Spade's partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby's trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him?
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Hobby-Themed Mysteries: Gardening
Pushing Up Daisies by M. C. Beaton When Lord Bellington, a wealthy land developer who had been planning to turn a community garden into a housing estate, winds up dead, Agatha Raisin is hired by Damian, the victim's accused son, to clear him of suspicion and identify the real killer.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
I Don't Remember the Name, But the Cover was Red...
Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham In this stunningly original book, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham argues that "cooking" created the human race. At the heart of "Catching Fire" lies an explosive new idea: The habit of eating cooked rather than raw food permitted the digestive tract to shrink and the human brain to grow, helped structure human society, and created the male-female division of labor.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Mystery Book Club Picks
Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. Small towns are like families: Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets. Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet's thirty-something postmistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. When Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back. Intent on protecting their human friend, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker begin to scent out clues. Meanwhile, Harry is conducting her own investigation, unaware her pets are one step ahead of her. If only Mrs. Murphy could alert her somehow, Harry could uncover the culprit before the murder occurs--and before Harry finds herself on the killer's mailing list.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Horror Novels: Murders
Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard Sean Suh is done with killing. After serving three years in a psychiatric prison, he's determined to stay away from temptation. But he can't resist Annabelle--beautiful, confident, incandescent Annabelle--who alone can see past the monster to the man inside. The man he's desperately trying to be. Then Annabelle disappears. Sean is sure she's been kidnapped--he witnessed her being taken firsthand--but the police are convinced that Sean himself is at the center of this crime. And he must admit, his illness has caused him to "lose time" before. What if there's more to what happened than he's able to remember? Though haunted by the fear that it might be better for Annabelle if he never finds her, Sean can't bring himself to let go of her without a fight. To save her, he'll have to do more than confront his own demons ... He'll have to let them loose.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Horror Novels: Psychological
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out—with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes—to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There’s Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Horror Novels: Home Invasions
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess In Anthony Burgess's influential nightmare vision of the future, criminals take over after dark. Teen gang leader Alex narrates in fantastically inventive slang that echoes the violent intensity of youth rebelling against society. Dazzling and transgressive, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil and the meaning of human freedom.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
Hygge Books
The Atlas of Happiness by Helen Russell A round the world trip through 33 international happiness concepts, from the bestselling author of The Year of Living Danishly, Helen Russell. Feeling terrified of that upcoming job interview? Take inspiration from the Icelanders and get some Þetta reddast, the unwavering belief that everything will work out in the end. Lost your way in life? Make like the Chinese and find your xingfu, or the thing that gives you real purpose. Too much on your plate? The Italians can help you learn the fine art of dolce far niente, aka the sweetness of doing nothing at all. - Overwhelmed by busyness and disconnected from nature? The Swedish have a solution - just find your smultronställe, or 'wild strawberry patch', your perfect escape from the rest of the world. From Australia to Wales, via Bhutan, Ireland, Finland, Turkey, Syria, Japan, and many more besides, The Atlas of Happiness uncovers the global secrets to happiness, and how they can change our lives.
By Kristen Barenthaler8 months ago in BookClub
