Betty and Veronica Double Digest #328 pages, 181 pages

 BRAND NEW STORY! When Mr. Lodge cuts off Veronica’s allowance, she has to find a way to make some money. She decides to open up a Halloween store in an empty wing of Lodge Mansion, and it becomes a SCARY situation!

Archie Jumbo Comics #344, 181 pages

 TWO BRAND NEW STORIES! First, can the Crusaders and Superteens trust each other as they face off against a group of shape-shifters, or will they end up fighting themselves? Then, THE WEB makes a surprise appearance at the Lodge Halloween party—but is it the actual Web or a costumed imposter?

Archie Showcase Digest #18, Halfway to Halloween, 181 pages

 We’re at the halfway point to Halloween, so grab your trick or treat bags, don your costumes, and get ready for a graveyard smash with these stories of costumes, ghosts, and more spooky fun tales!

Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics #315, 181 pages

 TWO BRAND NEW STORIES! First, Ethel and new girl Cassie Cloud are teaming up against Betty and Veronica in a beach volleyball contest. But when two cuties on the beach catch their eyes, they have a new mission—hit the ball in their direction to get their attention! But when Ethel’s aim is a little off, chaos ensues! Then, in “Solar Panic,” Archie’s spending a day on the beach with Darla Lang—aka Darkling! But it’s not all sun in the fun for Darla, who isn’t exactly a fan of sunshine. Can Archie get her to change her mind, or will he get sunburned trying?

Sabrina the Teenage Witch 60 Years of Magic, 181 pages

 We’re celebrating Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s 60th anniversary with a special digest showcasing some of her most magical and mischievous stories throughout her history!

Haunted Hotels by Tom Ogden, 271 pages

 Haunted Hotels comprises more than two dozen tales of ghosts, unexplained phenomena, and other spooky happenings at hotels, inns, and rooming houses across America and around the world. Tom Ogden, author of four other books in the Haunted series, also provides information for readers who wish to check in and check out the spirits themselves . . . if they dare.

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine, 389 pages

 Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.

After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.

As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.

Women's Hotel by Daniel Lavery, 256 pages

 The Beidermeier might be several rungs lower on the ladder than the real-life Barbizon, but its residents manage to occupy one another nonetheless. There’s Katherine, the first-floor manager, lightly cynical and more than lightly suggestible. There’s Lucianne, a workshy party girl caught between the love of comfort and an instinctive bridling at convention, Kitty the sponger, Ruth the failed hairdresser, and Pauline the typesetter. And there’s Stephen, the daytime elevator operator and part-time Cooper Union student.

The residents give up breakfast, juggle competing jobs at rival presses, abandon their children, get laid off from the telephone company, attempt to retrain as stenographers, all with the shared awareness that their days as an institution are numbered, and they’d better make the most of it while it lasts.

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren, 156 pages

 Provoked by the horrors he saw every day, Charles Dickens wrote novels that were originally intended as instruments for social change — to save his country’s children.Charles Dickens is best known for his contributions to the world of literature, but during his young life, Dickens witnessed terrible things that stayed with families starving in doorways, babies being “dropped” on streets by mothers too poor to care for them, and a stunning lack of compassion from the upper class. After his family went into debt and he found himself working at a shoe-polish factory, Dickens soon realized that the members of the lower class were no different than he, and, even worse, they were given no chance to better themselves. It was then that he decided to use his greatest talent, his writing ability, to tell the stories of those who had no voice.

The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun, 281 pages

 Jim Qwilleran packs up his old kit bag and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, for a sun-and-fun summer at his log cabin in Moose County. Their vacation starts out ominously with the disappearance of a handyman hired to patch up Qwilleran's cabin. But the felines really start throwing catfits when they come across a dead body or two...A serial killer may be right under Koko's nose, and now this ingenious Siamese must dig deeper to clear poor Qwilleran of suspicion--and dig up the motive for a catastrophic crime.

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky, 305 pages

 Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That's until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up 'I think I've killed a man.'

Quinn realizes the 'burglar' Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.

But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they're in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be cancelled . . . permanently.

With Christmas - and their marriage - on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other's stockings come next Christmas?

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, 626 pages

 Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston, 327 pages

 ‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

World of Betty and Veronica #21, 225 pages

 TWO BRAND NEW STORIES! First, in “Snow Way!“ When Betty & Veronica make snowmen in front of Veronica’s mansion, Veronica decides to outdo Betty and make a high-fashion snow-woman. Even though it’s done mostly as a joke, it catches the eye of a Holiday blogger and goes viral. Suddenly Veronica’s on Fashion TV with a whole runway of fashionable snow-people! But can she keep her cool enough to maintain this level of cold-weather celebrity?

Then, in “Expensive Stuffing,” Betty’s volunteering at the local animal rehabilitation center, when she’s tasked with a very special case—the superhero Captain Flag’s beloved pet eagle is sick! Does Betty have the know-how to bring this special super-powered animal back to health?

Archie's Double Digest #114, 125 pages

 

World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #32, 189 pages

 BRAND NEW STORY! Jaguar and Jughead are being held by a group of super-power squashing gangsters! Can Superteen and Powerteen rescue them without their powers?

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Broden, 95 pages

 In 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled their Paris home as the German army advanced. They began their harrowing journey on bicycles, pedaling to Southern France with children’s book manuscripts, including what would become the international sensation Curious George, among their few possessions.

Louise Borden combed primary resources, including Hans Rey’s pocket diaries, to tell this dramatic true story. Her collection of archival materials introduce readers to the world of Hans and Margret Rey while Allan Drummond's dramatic and colorful artwork illustrates their wartime trek to a new home.

Now elementary school readers can follow the Rey’s amazing journey in this Young Reader's Edtion. Part travel journal, part gripping biography this volume includes full-color illustrations, original photos, ticket stubs, entries from Hans Rey's diaries, activities, an new afterword, and an interview with the author. The perfect selection for book reports, biography units, and Curious George fans of all ages. 

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler, 556 pages

 A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property's resident real-life ghost if she's to save them all from a fate worse than death, in this delightful new novel from the author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes .

Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best ( wealthiest) client hires her to investigate the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner’s struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a fraud, but she'd like to think she’s a beneficent one. So if "cleansing" the property will help a nice old man finally retire and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who's she to say no?

Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn't the kindly AARP member Gretchen imagined—Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced that Gretchen can communicate with the dead. (Which, fair.) Except, to her surprise, Gretchen finds herself face-to-face with the very real, very chatty ghost that’s been wreaking havoc during every open house. And he wants her to help ensure Charlie avoids the same family curse that's had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s.

Now, Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property. Unfortunately, hard work and honesty seem to be the way to win over the stubborn farmer—not exactly Gretchen's strengths. But trust isn’t the only thing growing between them, and the risk of losing Charlie to the spirit realm looms over Gretchen almost as annoyingly as Everett himself. To save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she's beginning to love, Gretchen will need to pull off the greatest con of her being fully, genuinely herself.

What Time the Sexton's Spade doth Rust by Alan Bradley, 298 pages

 In the absence of adult supervision, Flavia has taken on the mentorship of her “pestilent” younger cousin Undine. Undine too seems fascinated by mayhem. Flavia has nigglings of doubt about her motivations. Has Undine inherited her dead mother’s darkness? Or worse?

A mysterious villager, Major Goodinall, a virtual hermit and former public hangman with stomach-curdling deeds in his past, has been found dead, killed by ingesting poisonous mushrooms.

In her search for the murderer, Flavia becomes entangled with the families of those who have lost relatives to the dead man, only to be led to the most unlikely of suspects.

Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball by Stefan Kanfer, 361 pages

 For more than fifty years Lucille Ball has been television's most recognizable and beloved face. As Lucy Ricardo she was the ultimate screwball housewife, getting herself into and out of scrapes with unmatched comic finesse. Indeed, she was so funny, and so central to the cultural landscape, that we often overlook Ball's role in shaping that as producer of her own show and a cofounder of a major studio, she was a pioneer, rewriting the rules and forging new paths for women in the boardroom and on the sound stage. In Ball of Fire , Stefan Kanfer goes beyond the icon to examine the difficult life and enduring work of the most influential woman in modern American comedy.

Kanfer traces the arc of her career from its unlikely beginnings in a lonely and desolate childhood in upstate New York. There she discovered that making people laugh could ease the pains of a fragmented family life. But she was more than amusing. She was also beautiful, and when Lucy's adolescent attempts to crack Broadway ended in failure, she became a runway model and on a fluke, journeyed out to California to be an extra in one film. That led to another, and another, and another bottom-of-the-bill movie, until she became, in her own words, "The Queen of the B's". Ball of Fire tracks Lucy's pursuit of the superstardom that eluded her on the big screen and follows the actress through a series of disappointing affairs and sorrows until she meets a Cuban conga drummer six years her junior, and falls headlong in love with Desi Arnaz. Working with her husband, Lucille Ball becomes a different kind of comic artist in a program called I Love Lucy , the show that is still running in more than eighty countries around the globe.

Taking us through the development of television both as technology and cultural phenomenon, Kanfer chronicles the difficult birth of the sitcom that changed the world. He details the early executive meetings, the rocky first productions, the shaky first weeks and the unpredicted triumph. We see all of Lucy's behind-the-scenes battles for creative control of the show; her surprising confrontation with the House Un-American Activities Committee when it was discovered that she had once registered to vote as a Communist; her groundbreaking on-air pregnancy; and a series of in-depth analyses of the classic scenes and Chaplinesque slapstick that guarantee her a permanent place in the pantheon of American comedy.

Finally, we see the aftermath of her hard-won the turbulent marriage and painful split from Desi, the man she never stopped loving; her second marriage; and her sad last years out of the limelight and away from the applause.

This is the first biography to examine the legendary Lucille Ball in all her many her personal struggles and the torments that forged a comic genius; and, at last, her posthumous influence on television comedy, on feminist scholars and cultural critics, and on the public at large. 

Viking by Fabio and Eugenia Riley, 404 pages

 Warrior Woman,

I cannot explain the powerful magic that carried me back across the centuries to you. In my own time, I am but an actor on the screen. Yet here I stand, curiously at home in a primitive age—a Viking jarl, miraculously resurrected from the flames of oblivion. And you are my destiny, my wild and beautiful Valkyrie. You hide your pain and sadness behind a mask of scorn—but I have glimpsed your secret tenderness from the shadows and felt the radiant warmth of your love. And if I must first conquer you to have you, then conquer I shall—to win your reluctant heart now and for all eternity.

World of Archie Jumbo Comics #141, 225 pages

 BRAND NEW STORY! The gang is spending a fun day on the beach—until things start disappearing! There’s a rumor that mysterious ghost surfers are playing havoc, but that couldn’t be true… could it?

World of Archie Jumbo Comics #142, 225 pages

 BRAND NEW STORY! The gang is spending a fun day on the beach—until things start disappearing! There’s a rumor that mysterious ghost surfers are playing havoc, but that couldn’t be true… could it?

World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #15, 225 pages

 BRAND NEW “Driving Me Crazy!” Veronica has been gifted a fancy self-driving car by her father and is excited to show it off to Betty. But as soon as she activates the self-driving feature, the car has a mind of its own, taking them on a wacky tour of Riverdale, stopping at unusual stops along the way! Where will this vehicle with a mind of its own take her?