Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous With American History, by Yunte Huang, 388 pages

Nearly a decade after his triumphant Charlie Chan biography, Yunte Huang returns with this long-awaited portrait of Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), twins conjoined at the sternum by a band of cartilage and a fused liver, who were “discovered” in Siam by a British merchant in 1824. Bringing an Asian American perspective to this almost implausible story, Huang depicts the twins, arriving in Boston
in 1829, first as museum exhibits but later as financially savvy showmen who gained their freedom and traveled the backroadsof rural America to bring “entertainment” to the Jacksonian mobs. Their rise from subhuman, freak-show celebrities to richsouthern gentry; their marriage to two white sisters, resulting in
twenty-one children; and their owning of slaves, is here not just another sensational biography but a Hawthorne-like excavation of America’s historical penchant for finding feast in the abnormal, for tyrannizing the “other”—a tradition that, as Huang reveals, becomes inseparable from American history itself.

Road Kill in the Closet by Jan Eliot, 190 pages

Stone Soup the comic strip is read by over 8 million readers every day. The Stones are an extended, blended family in a household of controlled chaos where only the agile survive. Join Val and Joan-sisters and single moms-and their three kids, their live-in mother, their neighbor Wally and his teen-age nephew, the Zen motorcycle cop, and others-as they attempt to navigate life.

Peace of Mind is a Blanket That Purrs by Pat Brady,

The Irresistible Rose is Rose by Pat Brady, 128 pages

This fourth collection from the critically acclaimed Rose is Rose comic strip plays up Rose's active fantasy world. Through flip-art sequences, she morphs into her alter ego, the leather-clad biker sexpot, Vicki the Biker.

Pirate by Fabio and Eugenia Riley, 394 pages

My Love,
They call me privateer—cold, ruthless, brazen and bold. Yet, from the first moment I saw you, I was overcome. You were but a helpless child, orphaned and innocent, when I rescued you from almost certain defilement and death—and whisked you off to my Caribbean island hideaway to be shockingly pampered by my loyal crew.
And now you are a woman—as beautiful as the dawn...and as wildly unpredictable as the winds and the sea. You are in my blood, cara mia; your breathtaking loveliness haunts my dreams. But to have you, I first must tame you—to awaken you to the dangerous ecstasy of a pirate's passions...and a lover's touch.

This was a birthday present from my daughters who have heard me talk about my crush on Fabio. This was fabulously tawdry and just a fun read. 

Stone Soup: The Comic Strip by Jan Eliot, 192 pages

Stone Soup is funny, irreverent, sympathetic-and read by more than 7 million people every day. The all-too-real humor mirrors much of today's family life while cheering us on. Stone Soup tells the story of a blended-by-necessity family, starring two sisters, Val and Joan, who share their house with Val's daughters Holly and Alix, Joan's toddler Max, Gramma who lives upstairs, and the "active breed" family dog. It's a household of barely controlled chaos. Wally, the ultimate nice guy next door, Officer Jackson the motorcycle cop, and a variety of neighbors and friends round out the cast. Working -parent hassles, the terrible twos, middle-school angst, love and the single mom-it's all here in Stone Soup. Enjoy!

The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica by Laurie Gwen Sharpiro, 239 pages

The spectacular, true story of a scrappy teenager from New York’s Lower East Side who stowed away on the Roaring Twenties’ most remarkable feat of science and daring: an expedition to Antarctica.

It was 1928: a time of illicit booze, of Gatsby and Babe Ruth, of freewheeling fun. The Great War was over and American optimism was higher than the stock market. What better moment to launch an expedition to Antarctica, the planet’s final frontier? There wouldn’t be another encounter with an unknown this magnificent until Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.

Everyone wanted in on the adventure. Rockefellers and Vanderbilts begged to be taken along as mess boys, and newspapers across the globe covered the planning’s every stage. And then, the night before the expedition’s flagship set off, Billy Gawronski—a mischievous, first-generation New York City high schooler desperate to escape a dreary future in the family upholstery business—jumped into the Hudson River and snuck aboard.

Could he get away with it?

From the soda shops of New York’s Lower East Side to the dance halls of sultry Francophone Tahiti, all the way to Antarctica’s blinding white and deadly freeze, Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s The Stowaway takes you on the unforgettable voyage of a plucky young stowaway who became a Jazz Age celebrity, a mascot for an up-by-your bootstraps era.

As Old As Time by Liz Braswell, 484 pages

What if Belle’s mother cursed the Beast?

Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father’s reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle’s mother returns—a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern.

But Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind—images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making.

Bcause I Said So! By Pat Brady, 128 pages

This is one of the earlier collection, it's interesting to see how different the strip is now.

Rose is Rose 15th Anniversary Collection by Pat Brady, 128 pages

No other comic strip combines such a rich imagination, dazzling perspective and sweet substance as Rose is Rose. In each installment, cartoonist Pat Brady presents a loving and funny family that fans simply want to be a part of. In The Irresistible Rose is Rose, Brady plays up Rose's active fantasy world. Through one or two clever flip-art sequences she morphs into her alter ego, the leather-clad biker sexpot, Vicki the Biker. In this fourth Rose is Rose collection, Rose's playful nature is complemented by her son Pasquale's wild dream life and the constant devotion from her adoring husband Jimbo.

For Better or For Worse The Complete Library, Volume One: 1979-1982 by Lynn Johnston, 528 pages

For Better or For Worse is one of the most beloved comic strips of all time, with a devoted audience of more than 220 million. This new series, produced with Lynn Johnston's cooperation, is the definitive edition, collecting each decade of the strip in three volumes. 
Say hello to Elly, John and the entire Patterson family. Since For Better or For Worse debuted in 1979, the world has watched the Patterson family grow up in real time--and to many readers, they feel like family! This book starts at the very beginning and reprints more than three years of the daily and Sunday comics. All Sunday comics are printed in color! It's the definitive For Better or For Worse library!

Hipster Hitler by James Carr & Archana Kumar, 123 pages

In a competition of the most hated memes of modern times, "Hipster" has now caught up with "Hitler." Artists James Carr and Archana Kumar thought, why not combine the two? After all, Hitler was indeed a hipster of his time, a failed artist in Vienna scrounging up extra dollars or kroner painting quick architecture scenes for the tourists.

In their heavily trafficked website, "hipsterhitler.com," these comic artists posit a new sort of history in which Hitler, wears Silverlake-trendy glasses, thrift store sweaters, and outspoken T-shirts, and the reader begins to quickly understand the history of Hitler in a new and strangely engaging way.

The Feral House book of Hipster Hitler includes a few dozen pages of comics heretofore unseen online.

In my defense, Renee bought this book.

Calamity Jane, The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852-1903 by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, 366 pages

Return to the real-life days of the wild, wild West where the living wasn't so easy... especially for women. Martha Jane Cannary was a bona fide frontierswoman, a professional scout, a drunk, and sometime whore, doing whatever it took to stay alive in the hardscrabble days of American expansion. Writer Christian Perrissin (El Niño, Cape Horn) joins forces with Alph-Art-winning artist Matthieu Blanchin to tackle the legend of this formidable prairie girl and her daring life alongside the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok. Presented in English for the first time ever, this is the true story of an extraordinary, independent woman with gumption, the incredible Calamity Jane! 

You Can't Say Boobs on Sunday by Jan Eliot, 192 pages

One of the first questions that syndicated cartoonists are asked, besides "Where do you get your ideas?" is "Does anyone ever try to censor you?" The humor of Stone Soup rarely tilts toward something that would require censorship, but the day did come when Jan's syndicate editor called to tell her that one of her Sunday strips couldn't be published. Why? Because the gag line included the word "boobs"-which, according to the editor, you cannot say in the Sunday funnies. You can say boobs on Monday through Saturday, since readers of the daily funnies are apparently used to being "shocked."

The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone, 397 pages

The true adventures of David Fairchild, a late-nineteenth-century food explorer who traveled the globe and introduced diverse crops like avocados, mangoes, seedless grapes--and thousands more--to the American plate.

In the nineteenth century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild, a young botanist with an insatiable lust to explore and experience the world, set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater.

Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. Fairchild's finds weren't just limited to food: From Egypt he sent back a variety of cotton that revolutionized an industry, and via Japan he introduced the cherry blossom tree, forever brightening America's capital. Along the way, he was arrested, caught diseases, and bargained with island tribes. But his culinary ambition came during a formative era, and through him, America transformed into the most diverse food system ever created.

This book was outstanding. I love nonfiction books with a passion and I hold all of them to the standard of Salt by Mark Kurlansky. Shockingly, this book may have surpassed Salt as my new standard. It was informative, entertaining, and had me annoying people around me with tidbits and facts that I found so intriguing that I had to share them immediately. 

Reflection by Elizabeth Lim, 408 pages

What if Mulan had to travel to the Underworld?
When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily. With the help of Shang's great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must traverse Diyu to find Shang's spirit, face harrowing obstacles, and leave by sunrise--or become King Yama's prisoner forever. Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend. Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it's too late? Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will she lose him--and be lost in the Underworld--forever?

Rose is Rose in Loving Color by Pat Brady, 128 pages

"Rose is Rose in Loving Color" is the first collection of Sunday "Rose is Rose" comic strips.

High-Spirited Rose is Rose by Pat Brady, 128 pages

Using innovative artwork, the Rose Is Rose cartoon enables readers to relive childhood feelings of wonder and awe via the active imagination of modern wife and mother, Rose.

Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen, 125 pages

Sarah Andersen's second comics collection picks up right where the first left off - huddled under a pile of blankets avoiding the responsibilities of the real world. These new comics (and illustrated personal essays!) follow the ups and downs of the unrelenting self-esteem roller coaster that is young adult life: budgeting woes, cramps, the nuances of sweater theft, and the joy of staying home all day with a box of pizza. All aboard. 

I love these books. Any that aren't about me specifically are about one or both of my daughters. 

Royals by Rachel Hawkins, 296 pages

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

I really enjoyed this read. It was funny and romantic, and I'm hoping there will be more books to follow.

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke, 299 pages

They live in shadows--deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism--some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where seances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of "emotional vampires" and "zombie malls," the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

My Lady's Choosing, An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran & Larissa Zageris, 351 pages

The romance novel that lets you pick your path, follow your heart, and find happily ever after

You are the plucky but penniless heroine in the center of eighteenth-century society, courtship season has begun, and your future is at hand. Will you flip forward fetchingly to find love with the bantering baronet Sir Benedict Granville? Or turn the page to true love with the hardworking, horse-loving highlander Captain Angus McTaggart? Or perhaps race through the chapters chasing a good (and arousing) man gone mad, bad, and scandalous to know, Lord Garraway Craven? Or read on recklessly and take to the Continent as the “traveling companion” of the spirited and adventuresome Lady Evangeline? Or yet some other intriguing fate? Make choices, turn pages, and discover all the daring delights of the multiple (and intertwining!) storylines. And in every path you pick, beguiling illustrations bring all the lust and love to life.

I'm a fan of regency romances and choose your own adventures, so this was a must read. It was a hoot! While not fine literature, it was gothic, over the top, and hilarious all at once. 

Turn Around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield, 275 pages

Turn Around Bright Eyes picks up Sheffield's story right after Love Is a Mix Tape. He is a young widower devastated by grief, trying to build a new life in a new town after his wife's death. As a writer for Rolling Stone, he naturally takes solace in mu

sic. But that's when he discovers the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, and despite the fact that he can't carry a tune, he begins to find his voice. His karaoke obsession takes him to some strange places, whether that means singing a Frank Sinatra song in a senior-citizen community in Florida, attempting a Merle Haggard classic at a cowboy saloon in the Mojave desert, or clearing the room at an after-hours dive in Chinatown. But he finds the music leads him to the most surprising place of all--a new life and a new love.

Turn Around Bright Eyes is a story about finding the courage to start over, move on, and rock the mike. It's about falling in love and navigating your way through adult romance. It's about how you can learn the weirdest things about yourself just by butchering a Hall & Oates song at 2 A.M. under fluorescent lights in a room full of strangers. It's about how songs get tangled up in our deepest emotions, evoking memories of the past while inspiring hope for the future. But most of all, it's a book about all the strange ways music brings people together.

Hide and Sneak by G.A. McKevett, 277 pages

As one of nine siblings raised in the Deep South, plus-sized P.I. Savannah Reid has experienced her share of family drama. But shotgun weddings and snooty in-laws don't worry her nearly as much as a search for a missing mother and child--especially when it leads to murder . . .
Savannah and her husband have settled back in San Carmelita, California, and life is slowly returning to normal--if "normal" means babysitting newlyweds Tammy and Waycross's incredibly fussy infant daughter. But soothing a squalling baby is kid's stuff compared to the Midnight Magnolia Detective Agency's latest case. Handsome up-and-coming actor Ethan Malloy has enlisted the help of Savannah and Co. in a desperate attempt to track down his missing wife and toddler, not long before the beloved family nanny gets murdered.

With the police involved and paparazzi swarming at every turn, the discreet search becomes a sensationalized homicide investigation, leaving Savannah rushing to apprehend the killer and save the missing child. Famous heartthrobs can attract the wrong kind of attention, and some snooping into the complicated private lives of Ethan and his wife tells Savannah that she's in for a deadly chase. As Savannah dismantles bombshell after bombshell while balancing delicate family matters of her own, she soon finds herself closing in on a terrifying culprit--one who's willing to do anything for a moment in the spotlight . . .

Lumberjanes:Bonus Tracks, 128 pages

Presenting the Lumberjanes short stories collected for the first time in a paperback. Join April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley as they explore their all-girls camp. From ghost ponies to strange plants, these Lumberjanes are ready to take on anything that comes their way as long as they have each other. Collects the Lumberjanes Specials, including Beyond Bay Leaf, Making the Ghost of It, and Faire and Square.

Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen, 108 pages

Sarah valiantly struggles with waking up in the morning, being productive, and dealing with social situations.

Sarah's Scribbles is the comic strip that follows her life, finding humor in living as an adulting introvert that is at times weird, awkward, and embarrassing.

My Folks: Back to the Basics, A Treasury of Outhouse Stories, 119 pages

Picked this book up for my mom, but read it first. A collection of outhouse memories from different people.

Coal, A Human History by Barbara Freese, 304 pages

In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins hundreds of millions of years ago and spans the globe. Prized as “the best stone in Britain” by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, expanded frontiers, and sparked social movements, and still powers our electric grid. Yet coal’s world-changing power has come at a tremendous price, including centuries of blackening our skies and lungs—and now the dangerous warming of our global climate. Ranging from the “great stinking fogs” of London to the rat-infested coal mines of Pennsylvania, from the impoverished slums of Manchester to the toxic streets of Beijing, Coal is a captivating narrative about an ordinary substance with an extraordinary impact on human civilization.

The Case of the Missing Men by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, 224 pages

The Case of the Missing Men is the first part of an ongoing mystery thriller set in a strange and remote East Coast village called Hobtown. The story follows a gang of young teens who have made it their business to investigate each and every one of their town's bizarre occurrences as The Teen Detective Club (a registered afterschool program). Their small world of missing pets and shed-fires is turned upside down when real-life kid adventurer and globetrotter Sam Finch comes to town and enlists them in their first real case—the search for his missing father. In doing so, he and the teens stumble upon a terrifying world of rural secret societies, weird-but-true folk mythology, subterranean lairs, and an occultist who can turn men into dogs. The Case of The Missing Men is at turns funny, intriguing, eerie, and endearing, and is beautifully illustrated in a style reminiscent of classic children's pulp series like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

I was very excited when I picked this up because I loved Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators, Trixie Belden and such. But this was a disappointment for me, because it was just too weird and disjointed for a truly enjoyable read. 

Bad Girls from History Wicked or Misunderstood? by Dee Gordon, 148 pages

You won't be familiar with every one of the huge array of women featured in these pages, but all, familiar or not, leave unanswered questions behind them. The range is extensive, as was the research, with its insight into the lives and minds of women in different centuries, different countries, with diverse cultures and backgrounds, from the poverty stricken to royalty. Mistresses, murderers, smugglers, pirates, prostitutes and fanatics with hearts and souls that feature every shade of black (and grey!). From Cleopatra to Ruth Ellis, from Boudicca to Bonnie Parker, from Lady Caroline Lamb to Moll Cutpurse, from Jezebel to Ava Gardner. Less familiar names include Mary Jeffries, the Victorian brothel-keeper, Belle Starr, the American gambler and horse thief, La Voisin, the seventeenth-century Queen of all Witches in France but these are random names, to illustrate the variety of the content in store for all those interested in women who defy law and order, for whatever reason. The risque', the adventurous and the outrageous, the downright nasty and the downright desperate all human (female!) life is here. From the lower strata of society to the aristocracy, class is not a common denominator. Wicked? Misunderstood? Nave? Foolish? Predatory? Manipulative? Or just out of their time? Read and decide.