Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce & Laura Geringer, 228 pages

This is the first book in the Guardians series that the holiday movie, Rise of the Guardians is based on. While it's different from the movie, it's still a good childrens' read.

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick, 327 pages

This was a wonderful fairy tale for the modern age, a version of Catskin updated to our tabloid reading, gossip hungry, beauty worshipping society. Becky travels to New York after her mother dies. She is offered the chance at impossible beauty, but she must find love and marry in one year. As Rebecca, she turns heads, and finds herself within reach of all she ever dreamed of, including marriage to a handsome young prince. But, as heroines so often find out, not all fairy tales end with a "happily ever after".
This book was wickedly funny, sweet and touching, and ended perfectly. I will eagerly be looking for more books by this author.

Hunting for Hidden Gold by Franklin Dixon, 177 pages

Book 5 of the Hardy Boys. I'm working my way through some of the early books in the series.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, 278 pages

This was the October book club book and it was a delight to read. WWII is over and English writer Juliet Ashton is unsure about what her next book is to be. A random letter from someone who picked up a book she once owned starts a correspondence between Juliet and an island full of reader and characters. This is one of the sweetest books I've read in a long time, and I actually cried a little at the end because it was such a perfect ending.

The Walking Dead, The Fall of the Governor by Robert Kirkman & Ja7 Bonansinga, 245 pages

A book covering the Walking Dead, kind of a mishmash of the graphic novel and the tv show. Extremely dark, especially the end. Not a feel good sort of book.

Haunted Graveyards of the Ozarks by David Harkins, 126 pages

This dealt very little with ghosts but was more of a nonfiction look at some interesting and little known graveyards in the surrounding area, and the interesting characters buried in them. I really enjoyed this book because I like nonfiction, especially when it's tinged with a little bit of the paranormal. While I don't plan on hanging out in these places after dark, it's fun to read about them, especially this close to Halloween. What made this book even more enjoyable was getting to hear the author talk at the library earlier in the month.

Stone Soup, the Comic Strip by Jan Eliot, 189 pages

The first comic collection featuring the early strips. This family is hilarious.

No So Picture Perfect by Jan Eliot, 317 pages

This collection has Val starting a book club that features the women of different comic strips, Joan and Wally adjusting to being married, and the girls being just as bickery and argumentative as ever. One of the funniest strips out there.

Road Kill in the Closet by Jan Eliot, 190 pages

This Stone Soup collection has Wally the next door neighbor wooing Val's sister Joan, and ends with their wedding. These strips are hilarious, and as the mother of two daughters, I really relate to the strip.

Stone Soup by Jan Eliot, 128 pages

This is the first collection for Stone Soup, a comic my family has gotten hooked on in the newspaper. Val is a single mom after her husband died, raising two girls. Alix is 9 and Holly 13, and Val also has her mother, sister and 2-year-old nephew living with her. These comics are hilarious, and it's been really neat seeing how the characters were different in the beginning of the strip. You wouldn't believe how many different strips had myself or another family member making everyone else read it.

Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs, 324 pages

Another Temperance Brennan mystery, I haven't missed one yet.

Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor Porter, 270 pages

This is a sequel to Pollyanna that I just recently found out about. Pollyanna has returned home after her long year away learning to walk again, but she is soon in Boston spreading her glad game as only she can. But when Dr. Chilton dies, Aunt Polly finds it almost impossible to play the game, and even Pollyanna has a hard time.
I love the book Pollyanna (and the movie) so I was excited to find out that there had actually been a sequel penned by the author. This one takes Pollyanna up to adulthood. While it was as outstanding as the first book, it's still a pretty good read.

Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier, 262 pages

Christmas themed murder mystery featuring mortgage lenders Jake Marlowe and Ben Scribner in Tinker's Cove, who have been foreclosing on properties right and left, especially before Christmas. When Marlowe is killed by a mail bomb disguised as a present, Lucy Stone wonders which of their many victims was angry enough to kill...and will they strike again?
Evidently the people who live in Tinker's Cove are idiots, because no one caught the resemblance (or at least mentioned it) between Marlowe and Scribner, and Marlow and Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. That kept me from enjoying the book as much as I should have.

After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson, 477 pages

If you like your mysteries utterly British, this is a must read. I'm a little bit of an Anglophile when it come to my mysteries, and I found myself having to google different things that I'd never heard of. The mystery dragged just a little in one or two places, but it was still a pretty good read.
Dandy Gilver is trying to find her place in life after the end of WWI, her war work over, husband home, and the stiff upper lip that can now be relaxed. When she's asked by a fellow society matron to look into the disappearance of the Duffy diamonds, little does she expect it to lead to murder. But Dandy is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, no matter what.

The Beast by Faye Kellerman, 371 pages

Another mystery that was good but not outstanding, at this point I'm willing to admit it's a reading addiction but I don't plan on seeking help for it.

Emily the Strange: Lost, Dark, & Bored, 142 pages

I knew Emily the Strange was extremely dark and creepy so I picked it up to give it a read. It was too odd to really suit my taste. But I can now mark this off my list of "want to read" books.

Hershey by Micahel D'Antonio, 305 pages

This was an indepth look at Mr. Hershey, the man who created American chocolate as we know it, along with a whole city based on his chocolate bar. It was a really good read, covering an extremely interesting man and business. I finished the book and really wanted a Hershey's bar.

The Missing Chums by Franklin Dixon, 175 pages

These fast reads are a childhood classic. The Hardy Boys never go out of style.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, 531 pages

While this book wasn't as creepy, page turning, or just downright scary as The Shining, it was a good solid sequel. It was interesting to see what happened to Danny Torrance when he grew up, and Stephen King did a good job of bringing it into today's time.

Murder & Mayhem in Missouri by Larry Wood, 126 pages

Larry Wood came and did a presentation at the library on his new book, so I had to pick it up myself and give it a read. It's a historical look at some of the bloody history of bad guys (and girls) in Missouri. If you like your history with an edge, this is a must read.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Brabenstein, 291 pages

Imagine winning a contest to get to spend opening night in a brand new, state of the art, library with a contest involved. Finding clues using the Dewey Decimal system, your knowledge of authors and books, and ability to solve riddles are part of the game. AWESOME!!! This book was read not only by my 11-year-old daughter, but also by my husband and myself. We all loved it and wished we could have participated. A great read for book nerds.

The Secret of the Old Mill by Franklin Dixon, 174 pages

I have to say that the parents' of Frank and Joe Hardy have a very la-de-da attitude about the danger their boys get into. Did Child Protective Services exist back then?