The Twelve Jays of Christmas by Donna Andrews, 312 pages

 Meg and Michael’s annual holiday celebration is well underway, with a throng of out-of-town relatives staying at their house. Hosting these festivities is a little harder than usual—they have to relocate all the events normally held in their library, currently occupied by Roderick Castlemayne, the irascible wildlife artist who’s creating twelve paintings of birds to illustrate Meg’s grandfather’s latest nature book.

Still, the celebrations continue—and the entire family rejoices to learn that Meg’s brother Rob and his longtime fiancée Delaney have finally decided to tie the knot. Unfortunately, they decide to do this in the middle of Meg and Michael’s annual New Year’s bash, dashing their mothers’ hopes of planning the wedding to end all weddings.

Delaney’s mother sneaks into town so she and Meg’s mother can secretly plot a way to talk the happy couple into having a big bash. Hiding her only adds to Meg’s holiday stress—it’s almost a full-time job fending all the visitors who want to confront Castlemayne—reporters, bill collectors, process servers, and several ex-wives in search of unpaid alimony.

Then someone murders Castlemayne in the middle of a blizzard and sets loose the birds he was painting. Can Meg help the police crack the case before the killer strikes again? Can she keep Christmas merry in spite of the body in the library? Can she negotiate a compromise between Rob and Delaney and their disappointed mothers? And can she recapture the twelve escaped jays before they begin nesting in the Christmas tree?

This intrigue-filled Christmas mystery takes readers home to Caerphilly to join in Meg's family's holiday celebration—including, of course, another baffling mystery.

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale, 391 pages

 There's nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie.

She was kind of a big deal―she dropped out of high school to be a star! But the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Broadway dream: dead.

Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Best friend: distant. Boyfriend: busy. Mom: not playing with a full deck? Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading.

Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she's inside it. And with each book, she’s a different character: a post-apocalyptic heroine, the lead in a YA rom-com, a 17th century wench in a corset.

It’s alarming. But also . . . kind of amazing?

It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape.

Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?

The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston, 366 pages

 Even the king of the beasts can find himself unexpectedly tamed by the right woman.

Weddings have the strangest effect on people. Exhibit 1: Sissy Mae waking up in Mitch Shaw's bed the morning after her brother Bobby Ray's nuptials. Exhibit 2: the gunmen trying to kill Mitch. Exhibit 3: Sissy Mae escorting a bleeding yet sexy lion shifter to her Tennessee Pack's turf for safe keeping. It doesn't help that Mitch's appraising gaze makes her feel like the most desirable creature on earth. . .

Mitch is an undercover cop about to testify against some dangerous ex-associates. Even more worrisome, he's harboring hot, X-rated fantasies about one fast-talking little canine--and he has to deal with every male in Sissy Mae's Pack sniffing around her in a way that makes his hackles rise. Mitch has his pride, and he intends to show Sissy Mae that when a lion sets out to make you his mate, the only thing to do is purr, roll over, and enjoy one hell of a ride. . .

Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters, 688 pages

 Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody -- Grandmaster Elizabeth Peters's indomitable archaeologist-sleuth -- once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

With son Ramses, his wife, Nefret, and a few unwelcome additions in tow, the elder Peabody-Emersons embark on a dangerous sea voyage to Alexandria, ultimately ending up in Cairo for their annual excavations. But in this autumn of 1915 the exotic, alluring city is not what it used to be. Cairo has been transformed into an armed camp teeming with enemy agents, and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites.

Amelia's foremost priority is to prevent the War Office from pressing Ramses into service again, on the same sort of job that almost cost him his life the previous year. But in these terrible days of global conflict and relentless skullduggery, no place in Egypt is safe. Even remote Luxor provides no guarantee of safety, especially after Amelia discovers a fresh corpse resting in an ancient tomb.

The grim discovery presages further trouble for the Emersons, as the sinister conundrum pulls them all into a bubbling morass of corruption, intrigue, and international espionage deeper and more fiendish than any they have hitherto encountered.

Yet there is an even darker danger in store for the Emersons. Can it be that one of Amelia's oldest and most dangerous adversaries will intervene to alter the family's destiny? Tantalizing clues suggest that this may be so and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance -- and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, 362 pages

 Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when society people “dreaded scandal more than disease.”

This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, 261 pages

 Everyone’s favorite octogenarian killer is back in this new collection of stories by Swedish crime writer Helene Tursten that is sure to have you in stitches.

Eighty-eight-year-old Maud is never looking for trouble, but it always seems to find her. First, a woman in her building met an untimely end: tragic. Then, just recently, a dead body mysteriously appeared in her very own apartment, prompting an investigation by the local Gothenburg authorities. Such a strange coincidence. When it seems suspicion has fallen on her, little old lady that she is, Maud decides to skip town and splurges on a trip to South Africa for herself.

In these six interlocking stories, memories of unfortunate incidents from Maud’s past keep bubbling to the surface, each triggered by something in the present: an image, a word, even a taste. When she lands in Johannesburg at last, eager to move on from the bloody ordeal last summer, she finds certain problems seem to be following her. Luckily, Maud is no stranger to taking matters into her own hands . . . even if it means she has to get a little blood on them in the process.

Don’t let her age fool you. Maud may be nearly ninety, but this elderly lady still has a few tricks before she’s ready to call it quits.

*Includes cookie recipes*

Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams, 308 pages

 In the sixth Book Retreat Mystery by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, resort owner Jane Steward has her hands full hosting the Peppermint Press children's book conference when she is sidelined into tracking down a killer who fashions his crimes after fairy tales.

Storyton Hall, Virginia, is a top travel destination for book lovers and the perfect spot for literary events. But as a children's book publisher hosts a gathering there, some folks aren't going to live--happily ever after or otherwise . . .

Jane Steward's resort is hopping--not only is Peppermint Press' conference in full swing, there are also lots of families staying on the premises, bringing their kids to events like a scavenger hunt through the Fairy Tale Forest.

Then a woman dressed like Little Red Riding Hood is found dead from a plot device straight out of a fairy tale--with a rare and valuable copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales in her basket. Not long after, a second victim is killed, with yet another treasure--a volume by Hans Christian Andersen worth thousands of dollars--nearby. It looks like a big bad wolf may be lurking among the guests, and Jane can't just wait for a handsome prince to come to the rescue...

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, 705 pages

 The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

For centuries, gleemen have told the tales of The Great Hunt of the Horn. So many tales about each of th Hunters, and so many Hunters to tell of...Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages. And it is stolen.

Bless Me Again Father by Neil Boyd, 256 pages

 After finishing his first year at St. Jude’s, Father Neil finally feels as if he has his feet firmly planted underneath himself. His rapport with Father Duddleswell is as strong as ever, and even Mrs. Pring is showing him a softer side. Things are looking up for this young curate. But St. Jude’s is still full of surprises.

 
In this uproarious installment of Neil Boyd’s semiautobiographical series, the clergy of St. Jude’s is confronted with all manner of crisis: personal, political, and cricket-related. There is the dilemma of Dr. Daley, whose drinking is causing his health to deteriorate but who worries that becoming a teetotaler will ruin his personality. Then there are the animals overrunning the church, much to Father Duddleswell’s chagrin, as a new donkey is followed by a fresh litter of kittens.
 
Sharp yet poignant, Boyd’s stories are a pleasant return to a simpler era.

Father Under Fire by Neil Boyd, 272 pages

 Located in West London, St. Jude’s parish traditionally serves the poor Irish immigrants of the area, and the grouchy Father Duddleswell is an ideal leader for the group. Joining him is the young Father Neil, who serves as an even-keeled aide during the many times Duddleswell finds himself in hot water.

 
This compendium of adventures is sure to delight fans of the series as St. Jude’s adds another member to its clergy: Father Abe, an octogenarian with an agenda of his own. The St. Jude’s staff finds themselves embroiled in a rivalry among undertakers, a visit during Holy Week from the bishop with the longest rosary on record, a harebrained scheme to promote holy water as a fertility enhancer, and a night spent under a pool table during a pilgrimage.
 
Equal parts funny, sweet, and moving, Father Under Fire is a touching portrait of London in the early 1950s.

Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken & Melissa Prusi, 288 pages

 Thinking they have put their monster-hunting days behind them, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker return to their normal lives. But when their old ally Robert Roosevelt and his nephew Teddy find a new nest of vampires, they are once again pulled into the world of the supernatural, this time in the American West. A train robbery by a band of vampire gunslingers sets off a series of events that puts Bram on the run, Oscar leading a rescue party and our heroes being pursued by an unstoppable vampire bounty hunter who rides a dead, reanimated horse.

Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell, 399 pages

 Karen Russell's comedic genius and mesmerizing talent for creating outlandish predicaments that uncannily mirror our inner in lives is on full display in these eight exuberant, arrestingly vivid, unforgettable stories. In"Bog Girl", a revelatory story about first love, a young man falls in love with a two thousand year old girl that he's extracted from a mass of peat in a Northern European bog. In "The Prospectors," two opportunistic young women fleeing the depression strike out for new territory, and find themselves fighting for their lives. In the brilliant, hilarious title story, a new mother desperate to ensure her infant's safety strikes a diabolical deal, agreeing to breastfeed the devil in exchange for his protection. The landscape in which these stories unfold is a feral, slippery, purgatorial space, bracketed by the void--yet within it Russell captures the exquisite beauty and tenderness of ordinary life. Orange World is a miracle of storytelling from a true modern master.

Sensational: The Hidden History of America's "Girl Stunt Reporters" by Kim Todd, 375 pages

 In the waning years of the nineteenth century, women journalists across the United States risked reputation and their own safety to expose the hazardous conditions under which many Americans lived and worked. In various disguises, they stole into sewing factories to report on child labor, fainted in the streets to test public hospital treatment, posed as lobbyists to reveal corrupt politicians. Inventive writers whose in-depth narratives made headlines for weeks at a stretch, these "girl stunt reporters" changed laws, helped launch a labor movement, championed women’s rights, and redefined journalism for the modern age.

The 1880s and 1890s witnessed a revolution in journalism as publisher titans like Hearst and Pulitzer used weapons of innovation and scandal to battle it out for market share. As they sought new ways to draw readers in, they found their answer in young women flooding into cities to seek their fortunes. When Nellie Bly went undercover into Blackwell’s Insane Asylum for Women and emerged with a scathing indictment of what she found there, the resulting sensation created opportunity for a whole new wave of writers. In a time of few jobs and few rights for women, here was a path to lives of excitement and meaning.

After only a decade of headlines and fame, though, these trailblazers faced a vicious public backlash. Accused of practicing "yellow journalism," their popularity waned until "stunt reporter" became a badge of shame. But their influence on the field of journalism would arc across a century, from the Progressive Era "muckraking" of the 1900s to the personal "New Journalism" of the 1960s and ’70s, to the "immersion journalism" and "creative nonfiction" of today. Bold and unconventional, these writers changed how people would tell stories forever.

Coffins For Two by Vincent Starrett, 242 pages

 Eighteen Golden Age stories of mystery, romance, and danger from the celebrated author of Murder in Peking and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

As he tries to reunite with the woman he loves, an escaped fugitive becomes enveloped in a game of cat and mouse with the policeman who put him away. An undertaker and his assistant discover a potion of almost magical proportions. A young woman hatches an elaborate plot to get her suitors institutionalized. A professional golfer becomes infatuated with another man's wife. A short story writer finds an unusual way to work out his next idea while riding public transportation.

Although Vincent Starrett went on to write successful mystery novels, he continued creating tales like these for pulp magazines in the 1920s and 30s. "The Fugitive," "The Elixir of Death," "Four Friends of Mavis," "The End of the Story," and "The Truth About Delbridge" are just a sampling of the fantastic and bizarre stories featured in this volume, some exhibiting a sense of humor, others irony or terror.

Weirdos From Another Planet by Bill Watterson, 128 pages

 In Calvin and Hobbes book Weirdos From Another Planet!, this power-packed extravaganza of creative energy and imagination feature the childhood fun and fantasy that was a Watterson trademark. Weirdos From Another Planet! is out of this world!

Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digests #56, 256 pages

 

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary, 192 pages

 It is the greatest day of Ramona´s life. She is in kindergarten and she loves her teacher, Miss Binney. She likes a little boy named Davy so much she wants to kiss him. She´s fascinated by Susan´s beautiful reddish brown curls that bounce like springs when she runs. Ramona is thrilled about all the new things to see.

So how in the world does Ramona get in trouble? Why is she sitting on a bench when the rest of the class is playing Gray Duck? Why does Davy run as fast as he can when Ramona comes near him? And how does Ramona disrupt the whole class during rest time? Well, anyone who knows Ramona knows that she is never a pest on purpose. 

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peters, 284 pages

 The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story, filled with intimate bombshells, told by the bombshell herself

On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn't good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price.

Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with her idol Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and led her to Europe where she worked in film and traveled Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she joined the famed comedy improv group, The Groundlings, and worked alongside Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens, honing her comedic skills.

Nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, she auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for the late night vintage horror movies. Cassandra improvised, made the role her own, and got the job on the spot. Yours Cruelly, Elvira is an unforgettably wild memoir. Cassandra doesn't shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. Always original and sometimes outrageous, her story is loaded with twists, travails, revelry, and downright shocking experiences. It is the candid, often funny, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl's long strange trip to become the world's sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon.