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Our continuing weekly email -- celebrating 20 years of MLB

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Dear %%First Name%%,

This week's special--gets bigger and better

This week we launch a new Weekly Special--For Kids that will feature a childrens book, anything from a picture book to a young adult novel, that you can get at a 20% savings.

This week's Special for Kids is an outstanding young adult novel that will equally appeal to adults and especially to bookclubs. Please take a look at our new feature.

Meanwhile, the regular, old Weekly Special is still here

Our regular Weekly Special is the second in a charming series that features a PI and his dog. The twist is that the pooch narrates the books and does so in a very convincing way. Save 20% and get free shipping on This Week's Special.

Check out both our Weekly Specials and save some bucks this week.

Did you know...

Did you know that at Mystery Lovers Bookshop we are happy to order any book for you whether it is a mystery or not. Our name and specialty lead many folks to assume that we only deal in mystery but that's just not the case.

You can call or email or use our Book Search Form to tell us what you're looking for and we'll be happy to get it. That includes British publications which we can often get from our UK distributor.

You'll find a link to the Book Search Form on the right side of the web site under Special Order Books.

Just sayin'.

Agatha nominees feature many old friends

The nominees for the 2010 Agatha Awards (for books published in 2009) have just been announced by the Malice Domestic organizing committee.

We were happy to see so many past and coming Festival visitors on the list:

All these folks will be at the Festival of Mystery on May 3.

Among authors who have previously visited the store, we have the following nominees:

Also nominated was Alan Bradley's debut The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. This charming and unique mystery was a huge hit at independent mystery book stores and introduced twelve-year old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious sleuth combined with the setting of England in the Fifties captivated readers and its nomination is no surprise.

You can find the complete list of Agatha 2010 Nominees on the website.

WDUQ needs your help

When we opened Mystery Lovers Bookshop on Halloween of 1990, we announced it through underwriting on WDUQ--Pittsburgh’s NPR station. In the 20 years since that auspicious occasion, we have often stretched the PR budget here to give WDUQ more underwriting monies. As many of you know, the station is our media co-sponsor when we hold our annual Mystery Lovers Festival of Mystery--this year’s MAY 3 EVENT is the 15th and they are with us again.

Mary Alice has a special connection to the station for she was sitting in Canevin Cafe at Duquesne University waiting for French class when the WDUQ kids hurried over to tell us all about the assassination of President Kennedy. They have always been there with news and NPR.

You may have missed the latest news, but this pledge period will help determine if we will continue to have an independent station here in Pittsburgh as Duquesne, which owns the license, is selling the station. There is a plan which has worked in other areas of the country to set up a separate nonprofit and have the station operated by existing staff, include jazz and NPR and be independently funded. Pittsburgh Foundation and Public Radio Capital are working with management, according to Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

We ask you to call or e-mail your support now and tell them we sent you…or not…just join today. The best in News Jazz and NPR are yours to keep in Pittsburgh.

https://secure.wduq.org/pledge/

24-Hour Membership Hotline 412.396.2000

Thanks.

Publication party for Heather Terrell Saturday night

Local writer Heather Terrell celebrates publication of her third novel, Brigid of Kildare, with a party on Saturday, Feb. 27 starting at 5 pm. Note: this is a change from the previously announced time.

Here's what Mary Alice had to say about Heather's new book:

For all who love a richly detailed historical puzzle, you will be spellbound by Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell. For those who think all Irish women are goddesses, you can add bishop to that title held by the brave and strong female who is the very foundation of the church of Ireland. In a present puzzle about the origin of holy manuscripts that could rewrite church history and back to the anger of Rome over this pagan influenced Christianity defying them, weaves a tale totally absorbing.

Brigid of Kildare is available now as a trade paperback original ($15) and would make a terrific choice for your book club.

Please join us at the party if you can.

Nancy Martin on March 5

Local author Nancy Martin launches a new series and it's set in Pittsburgh.

Yes, Nancy takes off the white gloves of the Blackbird Sisters and gets down with Pittsburgh girl Roxy Abruzzo in Our Lady of Immaculate Deception.

Here's what Mary Alice had to say about Nancy's latest:

Our Lady of Immaculate Deception lets mystery writer Nancy Martin toss the white gloves of the Mainline Blackbird Sisters into the junkyard when she brings sexy Pittsburgh girl Roxy Abruzzo on to the mystery scene. She is a single mom with a business in architectural salvage and an instinct for bad boys. Here’s a tough cookie with Mafia connections and possession of a hot statue from a burned Pittsburgh mansion where the wealthy philanderer of the family is found dead. Martin introduces the family in mourning and Roxy’s extended family in colorful and complicated twists to this debut caper. This one’s fun for every mystery lover but Pittsburghers will definitely be along for the whole ride. Not to be missed!

We'll be celebrating publication with a party on Friday, March 5 at 7 pm. Please join us if you can.

If you can't make it to the party we'll still be happy to get you a signed copy of Our Lady of Immaculate Decption. We're happy to have Nancy personalize signed books if you get us the order on or before March 4.

Joanne Fluke on March 6

We're thrilled to welcome back Joanne Fluke for a talk and signing on Saturday, March 6 at 10 am of Apple Turnover Murder.

This latest in the Hannah Swenson series will delight fans who enjoy these clever mysteries set in a cookie bakery in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

The event will be held at the Oakmont Carnegie Library and cost is $5 or free if you purchase a copy of the new book, Apple Turnover Murder.

The return of Staff Picks

A number of customers have wondered what happened to Staff Picks. Well, to tell you the truth, after a strenuous year and a busy holiday season, Staff Picks was just pooped. He (or she) just didn't same to have that old pep, the old moxie. Just couldn't seem to get his (or her) act together for December or January. However, after a little R&R in Maui Staff Picks is completely back to normal and ready to take his (or her) place on the website.

Thus, we fondly announce the triumphant return of Staff Picks for February with a full assortment of interesting choices in mysteries picked by our staff. Thus the name. We hope that you'll get some good ideas for new authors in our Staff Picks for February.

As always, we wish to thank Judi, who is the real brains behind Staff Picks, for berating the staff into picking books for this popular feature. Also, thanks to the staff who pick.

MLB launches new morning book club

We're pleased to announce the formation of a new book club at MLB, the Wednesday A.M. Book Club. The group will meet at MLB on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10 am. The group will be reading and discussing books in a variety of genres including fiction, mystery, history, biography and others.

Our Wednesday A.M. Book Club was a victim of this weeks' snowstorm so the initial meeting was cancelled. A revised schedule of meetings is available on the website.

Please contact us via email or phone (412-828-4877) if you are interested in joining the group. Membership is open to any interested reader.

We sponsor seven book clubs at MLB. If you're interested please check our the complete listing on our website of bookclubs, schedules and books.

What our customers are reading - January MLB Best Sellers

Up on the webiste you'll find our January MLB Best Sellers along with the Best Sellers of 2009.

Our January Best Sellers reflected a nice combination of author events and popular authors. Local writer Kathleen George shot to the top of the hardcover list after receiving an Edgar Award nomination for The Odds. We have restocked and should have signed copies by the end of next week.

Sarah Graves and Alan Gordon were among authors who appeared on the January list after their appearances in the store. Joanne Dobson hit the list with two books even before she showed up.

Wendy Clinch's debut Double Black, about a grad student turned ski bum (and sleuth) became a best seller after being our Weekly Special one week.

Eggs were a popular theme in paperback best sellers with Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy and Eggs Benedict Arnold as number 1 and 2 on the list.

Paperback's in December featured two books with local connections: Names of Pittsburgh and Paris of Appalachia by Brian O'Neill. Sandwiched inbetween was The Trader Joe's Companion: a Portable Cookbook which we couldn't keep in stock all through the holidays. Christmas mysteries took their share of spots as well including Donna Andrews's Six Geese a Slaying and Rita Mae Brown's Santa Clawed.

For the year 2009, Lisa Scottoline was the undisputed champion of hardcover sales with Look Again. Lisa will be back at MLB on March 23 to work her magic at an event to be held at the Oakmont Carnegie Library. Former Pittsburgher Jeffrey Siger also took a spot on the list along with MLB favorite Diane Davidson.

Pittsburgher Kathy Haines got all three of her Rosie Winter books onto the list for trade paperbacks. Hank Phillippi Ryan also put all three of her Charlotte McNally books on the list through a virtual signing program that she marketed aggressively.

Several authors from the Festival of Mystery posted books on the Best Sellers of 2009 including Kimberly Frost, Lorna Barrett, Louise Penny, Judi McCoy and Elaine Viets.

Be sure to take a look at our Best Sellers for January as well as our Best Sellers for 2009. You're sure to find some interesting reading.

We're on Facebook, become a fan (476 already are)

Finally, we've put a profile up on Facebook for Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Nows the time for all you Facebook folks out there to demonstrate the power of social networking by becoming a fan of MLB. If you do, it will be another way for us to stay in touch.

We'll be using Facebook to notify fans about events in the store and perhaps to make special deals available only to fans.

All of our upcoming events are also listed and we would love for customers to post comments or photos about events that they attend.

A book club on Facebook?

A few folks have posted comments about a book club on Facebook, especially for customers who don't live in the greater Pittsburgh area.

If you are interested in this idea, please post a comment on our Facebook page to let us know.

I don't have the slightest idea how this would work so I'm open to suggestions.

New Arrivals

A small number of New Arrivals as the last of the February and first of the March books begin to make there way here. We've got some new titles by Earl Emerson, P.J. Parrish, Anne Perry's Execution Dock, Laura Lippman's Life Sentences, Randy Wayne White, J.D. Robb and others.

On the British front we've received a new Val McDermid title Fever in the Bone.

News books arrive every day check our New Arrivals page often for everything new at MLB.

What's on the website now

Here's what you can find at www.mysterylovers.com:

Upcoming Events

Feb. 27 - Heather Terrell
Mar. 5 - Nancy Martin
Mar. 6 - Joanne Fluke
Mar. 11 - Thomas Kaufman
Mar. 18 - Jo Nesbo

More events...

Start off the new year right--with a book
Richard, Mary Alice and the MLB Staff

Did we mention that we won a Raven Award?

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