A recent survey has shown that children choosing their own books to read are choosing ones that are way below their grade level. Reading has been pushed in schools for years, but it looks like it is falling by the wayside as computers take its place. For more on the study and the growing alarm read Alison Flood’s articles for The Guardian.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/07/alarm-secondary-school-reading-habits

Alan Bradley is a success story all in itself as he didn’t publish his first book until he was in his 60s. The popular series is about an almost 11-year-old sleuth who solves mysteries. A recent interview with Alan Bradley by Noreen O’Donnell for Yahoo Voices reveals what Bradley thinks of the young crime solver and television series.

Source: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/book-talk-alan-bradley-young-sleuths-tv-series-142742270.html

For this cycle of Booksfree we discussed everything from Oak Grove winning the Battle of the Books to who the best cozy mystery writers are for us mystery lovers. Join us and tell us who your favorite authors are.

• Oak Grove Middle School has won the Battle of the Books for its first year. Read all about the competition in Deneesha Edwards article for The Dispatch.com.
• What will happen to books as the digital age is fast approaching and seems to be surpassing the era when print books were the only option? Dan Gilmor gives us his opinion on the subject for The Guardian.
• Cozy mysteries have become one of the most popular type of books in the mystery genre. Read about why and who in Sharon Saye’s article for The Bridgeport News.
• The Valentine’s holiday recently made itself known in mysteries that featured murder on Valentine’s Day. Candace of Beth Fish Reads reports on these heart throbbing mysteries for She Knows.
• Christian bestselling books for 2012 were varied and by a number of authors. Find out who they were and what they wrote in the article in the Galley Cat here.
• Finally, we discussed just what cozy mysteries are and how anyone who loves mystery but is tired of violence and gore will love them. Joanne Fluke is one cozy author that everyone should try. Who is your favorite cozy mystery writer?

If you are like most people, when you think of reading a mystery the first thing that comes to mind is a bloody murder on a stormy night during a power outage. Believe it or not, those are not the only kind of mysteries that are available to the masses. If you love mysteries but not the dark violence that is the mainstream of many of them today, then let me introduce you to the cozy mystery. I decided to enlighten the mystery world after reading Sharon Saye’s article for The Bridgeport News entitled, “Some Readers Prefer to Curl Up with A “Cozy” Mystery.”

I quickly found myself thinking “oh how true that is,” as I sat down with a cup of coffee and the newest food mystery by Joanne Fluke. Cozy mysteries have murder and they have a whodunit for sure. What they don’t have is bloody violence and a dark atmosphere. Take Joanne Fluke’s books for instance – the mystery is there as Hannah Swensen tries to solve the murders that constantly seem to plague Lake Eden. However, not only does she solve murders, she also runs Lake Edens most popular bakery. The book has mystery and mouthwatering recipes that you can’t wait to try when the book is done. If you like a little home baking with your mysteries then Joanne Fluke and Hannah Swensen are the mysteries for you.

Christian novels have gotten quite a following in recent years. It is always refreshing to read a book that you know will be lighthearted, with no profanity, and no sexual encounters or bloody knives. 2012 saw many bestselling Christian books hit the shelves from authors like Sarah Young and Gary Chapman. Jason Boog reports on the top books for 2012 for the Galley Cat.

Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/bestselling-christian-books-of-the-year_b64277

February is always a time for romance and love, of course. However, in the mystery world, Mardi Gras and Valentine’s murders reigned instead. For some of the best cozy authors, around February was certainly a time for heating up, it’s just that the heating up happened in the mystery department – not the romance one. Candace of Beth Fish Reads reports on the holiday mystery roundup for She Knows.

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/984091/holiday-mystery-books-february-roundup

When you think of reading a mystery many of us think of a dark and violent book. This is true in some cases but not all. Enter the “cozy” mystery which appeals to many more mystery readers than you might think. Names like Joanne Fluke, Julie Hyzys, and Diane Davidson Mott come to mind when you think of cozy’s. Sharon Saye reports for The Bridgeport News.

Source: http://www.exponent-telegram.com/bridgeportnews/news/article_433a9bc4-761d-11e2-af4b-0019bb2963f4.html

With the advent of the Internet, e-books, and even audio books, many book lovers are wondering what is going to happen to the old-fashioned book that you hold in your hand in this new digital age. Sales of e-books have recently topped print books by quite a bit. Where does that leave avid readers who would prefer to smell the ink of the book in their hands? Dan Gilmor reports for The Guardian on what he thinks of books and the digital age.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/22/uncertain-future-for-books-in-the-digital-age

Although Oak Groves was a new school in the battle of the books competition, they weren’t bothered at all. They strived to do their best and the result was the school winning the competition. They beat out six other middle schools for the honor and every child on the panel loves reading. Deneesha Edwards reports for The Dispatch.com.

Source: http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20130228/NEWS/302289974/1005/news?Title=Oak-Grove-wins-Battle-of-the-Books-in-first-year&tc=ar