Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston, 407 pages

 He's big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He's also about to get trapped by own his game. . .

Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that's turning Crush's lone-bear world upside down--and bringing his passion out of hibernation. . .

As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she's joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who's got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn't because Crush's stubborn and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways. . . 

Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters, 399 pages

 This book is the lost season 1907-08 and fits in between books 10 and 11 if you want to read them in that order.

Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson, along with their son Ramses and foster daughter Nefret, are summoned back to the Lost Oasis, a hidden stronghold in the western desert whose existence they discovered many years ago (in The Last Camel Died At Noon) and have kept secret from the entire world, including their fellow Egyptologists. According to Merasen, the brother of the ruling monarch, their old friend Prince Tarek is in grave danger and needs their help, however it's not until they retrace their steps back to the Oasis, with its strange mixture of Meroitic and Egyptian cultures, that they learn the real reason for their journey. There's no better company on an archaeological expedition than the Father of Curses and the Lady Doctor, their beautiful Anglo-Egyptian ward, and Ramses, the Demon Brother who loves her, as Peters once again demonstrates in the latest historical mystery in this immensely popular series.

The Message in the Hollow Oak by Carolyn Keene, 182 pages

 A group of professional detectives challenge Nancy to tackle a mystery that they have failed to solve: find an invaluable message hidden by a missionary centuries ago in a hollow oak tree in Illinois. While searching the woods for the ancient tree, Nancy and her friends live with a group of young archaeologists who are excavating prehistoric Indian burial mounds on a nearby farm. A shadowy enemy stalks Nancy and harasses everyone at the dig. The young investigator pursues her dangerous adversary to an outlaws’ cave, and is threatened when she discovers an unusual treasure. How Nancy, with few clues to go on, solves this complex mystery will thrill all readers.

Higher Mythology by Jody Lynn Nye, 266 pages

 While seeking sprites in a hot air balloon, Keith Doyle gets word that Holl's baby daughter and the young faery Dola have been kidnapped, and he sets off to track down the abductors.

Paperbacks From Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix, 254 pages

 Written in dead letters... and covered in blood!

Demonic possession! Haunted condominiums! Murderous babies! Man-eating moths! No plot was too ludicrous, no cover art too appalling, no evil too despicable for the Paperbacks From Hell.

Where did they come from? Where did they go? Horror author Grady Hendrix risks his soul and sanity (not to mention yours) to relate the true, untold story of the Paperbacks From Hell.

Shocking story summaries! Incredible cover art! And true tales of writers, artists, and publishers who violated every literary law but one: never be boring. All this awaits, if you dare experience the Paperbacks From Hell.

The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene, 178 pages

 Another vacation turns into a riddle for Nancy to solve while she visits a lakeside holiday area. Cecily Curtis seeks the girl sleuth’s help in solving two mysteries. One concerns her fiancé, a popular singer who believes his record company is cheating him. The other involves a hidden family treasure; the only clue is half of a gold locket. Strange circumstances provide Nancy with many opportunities to test her sleuthing skills and discover the astounding secrets of Pudding Stone Lodge. 

Death At The Bar by Ngaio Marsh, 310 pages

 A local pub serves up a curious brew-of murder...

Settling in for a cozy night of brandy and darts at the pub, an inebriated lawyer suffers a seemingly harmless dart puncture. But within moments of his injury, the unlucky barrister loses more than a simple game of darts-he loses his life. Called in to investigate this alleged accident, Inspector Roderick Alleyn wonders about the rules of this friendly bar game-and probes into a pub full of motives for murder...

Dumbheart by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Bucky B. Katt is leading the charge of the Highlands Kittyscouts. Bolstered by his roommates Rob Wilco (decked out in a borrowed hotel bathrobe and a Burger King crown) and Satchel Pooch (protected by a colander helmet), the trio from Get Fuzzy are ready to entertain their readers with another collection of their antics.  Bucky's crazy schemes and snarky attitude play off the good hearted Satchel and the exasperated Rob to endless comic results. 

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary, 190 pages

Mr. Quimby's going to college, Mrs. Quimby's going to work. Now that Ramona is eight, she can go to a new school with a new teacher and ride the bus all by herself. But after school she has to stay with Grandmother Kemp and be nice to that bratty little Willa Jean until Beezus, who's tempermental enough to ruin anyone's day, comes to take her home. Life isn't as easy for Ramona as it used to be. All the Quimbys have to adjust, and Ramona gets her chance to prove that she's "big enough for her family to depend on."

Ignorance, Thy Name is Bucky by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Chances are the warm fuzzies aren't what you will get when you pick up Ignorance, Thy Name Is Bucky. Instead, you'll get LOL moments as Darby Conley pumps hilarity into living the single life with pets.

The family portrait: Rob Wilco, the tallest member of the family, is a single, mild-mannered ad executive who pays the bills and often the price, thanks to his curious and anthropomorphic housemates. Rob gives guidance and all sorts of "material" to Bucky, a temperamental cat, who clearly wears the fur pants in the family. Satchel, a good-hearted pooch, plays neutral, but usually ends up on the receiving end of Bucky's mischief.

American Comics: A History by Jeremy Dauber, 470 pages

 Starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, author Jeremy Dauber whizzes readers through comics’ progress in the twentieth century and beyond: from the golden age of newspaper comic strips (Krazy Kat, Yellow Kid, Dick Tracy) to the midcentury superhero boom (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman); from the moral panic of the Eisenhower era to the underground comix movement; from the grim and gritty Dark Knights and Watchmen to the graphic novel’s brilliant rise (Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel, Joe Sacco).

Dauber’s story shows not only how comics have changed, but how American politics and history have changed them. Throughout, he describes the origins of beloved comics, champions neglected masterpieces, and argues that we can understand how America sees itself through whose stories comics tell.

Take Our Cat, Please by Darby Conley, 128 pages

 Satchel, the Shar-pei-Lab mix in the Get Fuzzy family who actually believes what TV commercials say, and his owner-housemate Rob Wilco, a single, somewhat befuddled, Red Sox-obsessed ad exec, endure the scourge of their daily existence, Bucky Katt. Whether baiting the ferret down the hall for battle, gorging on rubber bands (and the ensuing gastric consequences), or joining the gun repair club, Bucky continuously tests the patience and endurance of his hapless mates.

Big Bad Beast by Shelly Laurenston, 329 pages

 When it comes to following her instincts, former Marine Dee-Ann Smith never holds back. And this deadly member of a shifter protection group will do anything to prove one of her own kind is having hybrids captured for dogfights. Trouble is, her too-cute rich-boy boss Ric Van Holtz insists on helping out. And his crazy-like-a-fox smarts and charming persistence are making it real hard for Dee to keep her heart safe...

Ric can't believe his luck. He's wanted this fiercely-independent she-wolf from day one, but he never expected teamwork as explosive as this. And now is his last chance to show Dee what she needs isn't some in-your-face Alpha male-but a wily, resourceful wolf who'll always have her back in a fight…and between the sheets. 

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan, 702 pages

 The bonds and wards that hold the Great Lord of the Dark are slowly failing, but still his fragile prison holds. The Forsaken, immortal servants of the shadow, weave their snares and tighten their grip upon the realms of men, sure in the knowledge that their master will soon break free...

Rand al' Thor, the Dragon Reborn, knows that he must strike at the Enemy, but his forces are divided by treachery and by ambition. Even the Aes Sedai, ancient guardians of the Light, are riven by civil war. Betrayed by his allies, pursued by his enemies and beset by the madness that comes to the male wielders of the One Power, Rand rides out to meet the foe. 

Password to Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene, 175 pages

 A strange message, attached to the leg of a wounded homing pigeon, involves Nancy in a dangerous mission. Before beginning her investigation, Nancy is contacted by a local physician who had been kidnapped to treat an elderly woman held prisoner in a country mansion. The doctor furnishes a valuable clue—a bracelet to which the woman has a matching necklace. Nancy is determined to find and free the captured woman. Following the bracelet and carrier pigeon clues, she locates a mysterious retreat and a ruthless ring of swindlers. Nancy undertakes a risky masquerade to save helpless elderly women.

Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary, 208 pages

 Ramona Quimby is no longer seven, but not quite eight. She's "seven and a half right now," if you ask her! Not allowed to stay home alone, yet old enough to watch pesky Willa Jean, Ramona wonders when her mother will treat her like her older, more mature sister, Beezus.

But with her parents' unsettling quarrels and some spelling trouble at school, Ramona wonders if growing up is all it's cracked up to be. No matter what, she'll always be her mother's little girl…right? This warm-hearted story of a mother's love for her spirited young daughter is told beautifully by Newbery Medal winning author Beverly Cleary.

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike, 324 pages

 A terrifying tale of a young family who move into an apartment building next to a graveyard and the horrors that are unleashed upon them.

One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike’s masterpiece. Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike’s novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow in to, only to realize that the apartment’s idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become.

This tale of a young married couple who are harboring a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building begin to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.

Jam, Jelly and Marmalade: A Global History by Sarah Hood, 136 pages

 Whether they make it themselves or just enjoy it with breakfast, people are often passionate about their favorite jam, jelly, or marmalade. Award-winning jam-maker Sarah B. Hood looks at the history of these sweet treats from simple fruit preserves to staple commodities, gifts for royalty, global brands, wartime comforts, and valued delicacies. She traces connections between sweet preserves and the temperance movement, the Crusades, the prevention of scurvy, medieval banquets, Georgian dinner parties, Scottish breakfasts, Joan of Arc, and the adoption of tea-drinking in Europe. She explores the birth of unique local specialties and treasured regional customs, the rise and fall of international marmalade mavens, the mobilization of volunteer preserve-makers on a grand scale, and a jam-factory revolution. (less)

Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters, 400 pages

 At last the Great War is over. Amelia, her distinguished Egyptologist husband Emerson and their extended family are preparing for another season of excavation in Egypt. To everyone's great joy their son Ramses and his wife Nefret have become parents. Amelia, enjoying her role of fond (yet firm) grandmother, hopes that for once, this will be a quiet year with Ramses no longer undertaking perilous missions for British intelligence and no old enemies on their trail.

Amelia is sadly mistaken. Past dangers cast shadows across the seemingly peaceful present, and a new adversary - unlike any Amelia has ever encountered - will chart a course that puts her beloved family directly in the path of destruction.