Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews, 344 pages

I always enjoy these bird themed mysteries, they're light and funny. Because of the back story, I do recommend starting from the beginning.

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas by 406 pages

This book was reviewed on the Friday book page for Unshelved and it looked intriguing. Starting it, I was reminded a lot of the Starcrossed series by Elizabeth Bunce. Celaena was the top assassin before she was betrayed and sent to a prison camp to die. She's been given a chance to gain her freedom, a competition to become the King's Champion, if she survives and wins. But Celaena doesn't know who she can trust, not only with her friendship and life, but also her heart.

This book had a lot of fantasy, adventure, intrigue, and magic. I found it very hard to believe that it was the author's first book. I will be anxiously awaiting the next one. Well worth picking up.

Autobiography of a Fat Bride by Laurie Notaro, 257 pages

I found this book when a patron placed a hold on it. It looked entertaining so I gave it a whirl. The author wrote about getting married, and entering the world of grown-ups, at least somewhat. It was funny, but her and her husband seemed a little too immature at times for me to really enjoy it a lot.

Monster Nation by David Wellington, 285 pages

This is the sequel to Monster Island, and this was an interesting zombie book. I know it's been out for a while, but I'd never read it before. David Wellington did a great job laying the groundwork with multiple layers to the story, and I'm intrigued to see where he goes with the next book.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, 282 pages

This was the September book for the library book club "Readers without Borders" and I really enjoyed it. It's the letters of a woman who went out to the Wyoming Territory in 1909 to prove up a homestead claim. She always tried to keep a positive outlook and had some interesting adventures. This reminded me somewhat of the Little House books meet Little Women. I'm think I would have picked this up on my own, but I truly enjoyed this book.

Summon Up the Blood by R. N. Morris, 229 pages

This was set in 1914 London, and Jack the Ripper isn't that distant of a memory. A new killer is stalking the streets, but his victims are all "rent boys", making this crime not necessarily the highest on the police list. But due to outside influences, the case is assigned to Detective Inspector Quinn, who's motives might not be the cleanest.

This was very dark, covering a section of London, geographic and society-wise that I'd not read a lot of. Quinn is not a feel-good character, but this was a disturbing read that I couldn't put down. I'll be interested to see if there are more in this series.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee, 160 pages

This graphic novel was recommended in one of the Friday Unshelved Book Reviews. I always enjoy Robin Hood stories so I gave it a try. This was very dark, and a little depressing but a good read. If you like your Robin Hood grown-up, but as a graphic novel, you should read this.

Camp Nine by Vivienne Schiffer, 198 pages

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person who is familiar with American history, but I had no idea that there had ever been Japanese concentration camps in Arkansas during WWII. I just thought they were all in California. This book is a fictionalized look at one of those camps, as told by a young white girl, friends with some of the inhabitants. This was well-written and a good read. The ending suited, but left me a little sad.

Monster Island by David Wellington, 282 pages

Dekalb is with the UN as a weapons inspector in Somalia when the zombie outbreak hits the world. Somalia, due to the large number of guns in the hands of the general population and lack of stable government has survived better than many large nations. He is given the chance for him and his daughter to have a decent life if he can track down medicine for the local warlord. The best chance for finding it... New York City. But New York City is completely overran. Can Dekalb make it in and out with the medicine, and his life?

This was a great entry in the zombie genre. I can't believe I've never read it before. I've got the other two checked out and can't wait to read them.

Twice Upon a Tale: Rapunzel by Wendy Mass, 205 pages

Wendy Mass has written some really fun juvenile fiction books that are retellings of fairy tales. One of the best parts about the book is how the viewpoint switches between the main male and female characters. The bad part about the books is beating off my youngest to try to read them first.

Boneyard, Volume One in Full Color by Richard Moore, 92 pages

I'd actually picked this up for my teenager to read and ended up reading it myself. Michael Paris has inherited some property from his grandpa in Raven's Hollow, and it turns out to be a boneyard inhabited by some unusual residents. The townspeople want to buy the land to tear down the boneyard, but Michael isn't sure he wants to sell.

This was an interesting graphic novel. I may try to find more in the series.

Aftershock by Kate William, 227 pages

Olivia Davidson is dead. Friends and relatives lie in the hospital, homes have been reduced to rubble, and Elizabeth Wakefield and Ken Matthews must lay Olivia to rest. Will they have the strength to pull together and pay tribute to Olivia's memory? Enid Rollins is sure Devon Whitelaw saved her life, and will do anything to repay the debt. But Enid has the wrong guy...and only Devon know who the real hero is. How far will Devon go to keep the shocking truth from coming out?

The Red Chamber by Pauline Chen, 381 pages

This was a historical fiction set in China that I was glad to get from NightOwl Reviews. I always enjoy reading well-written historical novels set in China, and I liked how this was focused more on family relationships.

The Color of Heaven by Kim Dong Hwa, 320 pages

This book ended with Ehwa getting married. I finished this series a complete fan. While it's, at times, frank approach to a girl's sexuality could be offensive to some, I considered these book a great read. I totally recommend these.

Dear Mr. Darcy by Amanda Grange, 391 pages

I was very excited to get this book from NightOwl Reviews, and discovered a great new author. I will be eagerly searching out her other books for my own bookshelves.

Dead Mann Running by Stefan Petrucha, 339 pages

I'm a fan of Stefan Petrucha's original take on the zombie genre. He's only written two books in this series so far, but I will be looking forward to his next ones. I'm totally recommending them to Lisa and my husband. I think they'll totally enjoy them.

The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa, 318 pages

This is the second graphic novel is this series that I started because a patron complained about it, and it's on the top 10 list for banned books last year. Because of the way it truly portrays a teen girl's search for love and a grasp on her burgeoning sexuality in Korea in the middle 1900s (I think), it could scare some people. The artwork is beautiful and the storyline is outstanding. I really recommend this series as a great read.

The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry, 417 pages

This was a historical fiction book about Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise. I always enjoy getting great books from NightOwl Reviews to read, and this was a wonderful addition to my bookshelves. I can't wait to read this author's next book.

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa, 319 pages

This was brought to my attention first when a patron complained about the books because they were inappropriate for the library. That right there always makes me want to read a book. Then I saw that they're on the top 10 list of challenged books for 2011. These graphic novels are set in Korea, about 60 years ago, I believe, and follow a young girl living with her widowed mother, from the age of seven up, as she discovers her blossoming sexuality. The artwork is wonderful, and the storyline is great, very true to even girls today, discovering what makes them a woman, and different from men. I don't consider the stories gross or inappropriate, even though there is some pages that could be considered a little racy. I will gladly fight the fight against censorship against these books.

Death of a Neighborhood Witch by Laura Levine, 261 pages

The Jaine Austen books are always some of my favorite mysteries, especially when I need a laugh. No matter what her intentions, things always fall apart, usually in a totally embarrassing way. One of the highlights of the books are Jaine's emails from her parents. This book had me hopeful that Jaine would find a romantic interest, but of course it didn't work out. I would like to see her start dating someone and not have it fall apart. These are well worth the read, though much more enjoyable if you start from the beginning.

Twice Upon a Time: Sleeping Beauty by Wendy Mass, 172 pages

This was a cute retelling of Sleeping Beauty that tells the story from both Sleeping Beauty and the Prince's point of view. I'd picked this up for Samantha at the library, and ended up needing something to read on my break, so I started this. It was was enjoyable and a fast read.

Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman, 587 pages

I was very excited to see a new Anno Dracula book and eagerly requested it for reading through Night Owl Reviews. All I will say here is, while interesting, it was too war-based for me to love it.

Dolled Up For Murder by Jane Cleland, 243 pages

I would really hate to be Josie Prescott's friend since odds are, we would either stumble over a dead body together or she would find my dead body. These are really fun mysteries, very much Antiques Roadshow meets Agatha Christie. I always finish the books knowing a little bit more about some time of antique and ready to go hit the flea markets.

Red Rain by R. L. Stine, 369 pages

I got sent this to review for Night Owl Reviews, and I have to say that I'm excited that he's writing grown-up horror books. I've read a ton of Goosebumps over the years, as I'm sure other people did, so he's got a built in fan base.

Caution Speed Bump by Mike Peters, 144 pages

Another comic collection, since I read one a lot of nights before falling asleep.

This is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't It, by Adrian Raeside, 128 pages

I picked up this up at a garage sales years ago, it's I believe a Canadian comic strip.

Downloaded by Rich Tennant, 144 pages

This was a comic collection I picked up at a garage sale for my husband because it was computer related. I was desperate for something to read that didn't involve getting up out of bed.

Only love can break a heart, but a shoe sale can come close by Cathy Guisewite, 128 pages

I always enjoyed reading Cathy and I'm kind of sad that there aren't any new strips coming out. But I can still enjoy reading the old ones. AAACK!

Readers Advisory (Unshelved) by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum, 128 pages

The anticipation of getting to see Barnes and Ambaum in person next year may just kill me.

Babymouse for President by Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm, 90 pages

I became a fan of the Babymouse books because of Samantha. She always enjoys them, and I have to read them myself before bringing them back to the library. The artwork and storylines are always adorable and funny.

The Monsters of Morley Manor by Bruce Coville, 224 pages

Sammi had picked out this book and I thought it looked interesting enough to give it a read. Morley Manor is about to be torn down and Anthony and his sister Sarah decide to go to the estate sale to see if they can find anything cool to buy. Anthony finds a cool engraved box with 5 little monster figurines in it. But it turns out that monsters aren't fake.

The first few chapters of this book were outstanding but then I felt like it got really odd. It wasn't a bad read, it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Size 12 and Ready To Rock by Meg Cabot, 361 pages

I really like these Heather Wells books. Lisa got me hooked on them and they're really funny.