Literary Feuds: A Century of Celebrated Quarrels-from Mark Twain to Tom Wolfe, 240 pages

Here is a ringside seat to the exchange of Barbs, Slights, Insults, Verbal Jabs, and Other Assorted Acrimonious Remarks by Upstanding Members of Our Esteemed Literary Pantheon.In these eight profiles of quarrels between famous authors, Anthony Arthur draws on a lifetime of reading and teaching their works to describe the feuds as lively duels of strong personalities. Going beyond mere gossip, he provides insights into the issues that provoked the quarrels - Soviet communism, World War II, and the natural tension between the critical and creative temperaments, among them.The result reads like a collection of short stories, with the featured authors as their own best characters and having the best lines.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow, 240 pages

 Kate Shugak is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in Alaska. She's five foot, one inch tall, carries a scar that runs from ear to ear across her throat, and owns a half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt. Resourceful, strong-willed, defiant, Kate is tougher than your average heroine – and she needs to be to survive the worst the Alaskan wilds can throw at her.

Somewhere in twenty million acres of forest and glaciers, a ranger has disappeared: Mark Miller. Missing six weeks. It's assumed by the Alaskan Parks Department that Miller has been caught in a snowstorm and frozen to death: the typical fate of those who get lost in this vast and desolate terrain. But as a favour to his congressman father, the FBI send in an investigator: Ken Dahl. Last heard from two weeks and two days ago.

Now it's time to send in a professional. Kate Shugak: light brown eyes, black hair, five foot one with an angry scar from ear to ear. Last seen yesterday...

Mrs. Pollifax Pursued by Dorothy Gilman, 240 pages

 The last thing Mrs. Pollifax expects to find in her closet is a young woman hiding. Kadi Hopkirk insists that that she’s being pursued by two men in a van. Under the cover of darkness, Mrs. P. tries to drive Kadi home to Manhattan, only to have a dark green sedan give them a run for their money and, Mrs. P. begins to suspect, their lives.

Finally Kadi shares the startling truth: her friend, Sammy, is the son of the assassinated president of an African country, and unbeknownst to the young man’s bodyguard, he passed her something important during a recent meeting. Ever resourceful, Mrs. P. puts in a call for help to her CIA colleague, Carstairs, who installs them in a safe house—at a carnival! Before Mrs. P. knows it, a dash to safety expands into an assignment that leads to hair-trigger violence in exotic places…

Cheesecake by Mark Kurlansky, 240 pages

 The Katsikases have found a home in New York. A Greek cheesemaking family who immigrated in hopes of opening a restaurant, they've found the perfect storefront on the up-and-coming Upper West Side. They decide to call it The Katz Brothers. (Close enough, they think.) The diner becomes a neighborhood favorite-until Art Katsikas begins buying up all the real estate he can, forcing out their old “regulars” and scheming to replace the neighborhood's strudel shops and artists with ritzy boutiques and the nouveau riche.

Meanwhile, at The Katz Brothers, the Katsikases rush to prepare for this new clientele by introducing a new “modern classical cuisine,” changing the diner's name to “Mykonos,” and deciding to serve “Cato's Cheesecake,” an ancient Roman recipe known to be the oldest ever found. Sure enough, the enigmatic recipe is a hit, even minted by the New York Times restaurant critic. Soon the cheesecake is all over the Upper West Side, and wild interpretations of Cato's vision appear at the parties, feasts, and bakeries of old New Yorkers struggling to keep their withering community alive. Sometimes laced with green M&Ms, sometimes with sage and spite, the cheesecake becomes a herald of change as the Upper West Side-and New York's food scene-are transformed for good.

Seven Alone by Honore Willsie Morrow, 240 pages

 The epic journey of the Sager children by covered wagon from Missouri to Oregon in 1848. Oldest brother John is forced to maturity when tragedy strikes his family.

When his father and mother both die on the journey from their home in Missouri to a new home in Oregon, John Sager, only thirteen, continues as the leader of seven children. In spite of tremendous hardships they successfully complete the trek.

I'm Getting Married to Mothman by Paige Lavoie, 240 pages

 When Heather moved out to the woods, she never expected she’d fall in love with Mothman—much less get married to him.

Bachelorette parties are supposed to be fun, right? That is, until her night of fun in the faerie realm ends with Heather getting pulled through a portal—kidnapped by an impossible vampire king who swears to make her his bride. Determined not to be a damsel, Heather hatches her escape plan using her greatest her charm and her cell phone. But with a vampire determined to make her his bride, she may be in over her head.

After years alone, Moth can’t believe that soon he’ll be married to his flame. But with Heather missing and his memories of Eclipsica foggy, his world is shaken. The cryptid will not only need to sheath his claws and work with his friends to find his bride, but he will have to contend with something even more his future mother-in-law.

Like a moth to a flame, Moth and Heather will always find each other… but will it be in time for the wedding?

Penny Bloods: Gothic Tales of Dangerous Women edited by Nicole C. Dittmer, 240 pages

 Her cheeks were pale, and her eyes had the wild and stolid glare which Rodolph had observed when she awakened from the slumber of the grave; she quitted the castle, and after gazing around her, as if uncertain which way to go, she proceeded towards the village.

In the mid 1800s, the inexpensive publications known as penny bloods were all the rage in Britain. Spinning tales of high Gothic drama, violence and monstrosity, this literary phenomenon was significant for its depictions of dangerous and transgressive women which inspired such milestone Gothic works as Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla .

Collecting ten tales from classic – and truly obscure – penny publications and featuring newly edited text and insights from Dr Dittmer’s research, this new volume revives a company of witches, femme fatales, vampire mistresses and deadly criminals to enthrall a new generation of readers.

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal by Lilian Jackson, 240 pages

 All the world's a stage--and now Jim Qwilleran's apple orchard has become the stage for a real-life murder scene. The much-disliked director of the Pickax Theatre Club's Shakespeare production, Hilary VanBrook, has been found dead after the closing-night cast party. With the help of his super-smart Siamese, Qwill must cast a suspicious eye on all the players--especially the ones pussyfooting around behind the scenes...

The Servants' Hall: A "Downstairs" History of a British Country House by Merlin Waterson, 240 pages

 Life in a squire's household from the 18c to the present day. Illustrated with black-and-white period photographs.

Gloom Cookie by Serena Valentino & Ted Naifeh, 240 pages

 

That's Not in My American History Book: A Compilation of Little-Known Events and Forgotten Heroes by Thomas Ayres, 240 pages

 Most people don't know that Benjamin Franklin almost killed himself trying to electrocute a turkey; the Wright brothers were not the first to fly an airplane; there was a 14th state that the original 13 wouldn't let join the Union; and that Benedict Arnold helped save the American Revolution. All this and more is revealed in That's Not in My American History Book.

A Father Before Christmas by Neil Boyd, 240 pages

 The holiday season is among the most hectic times at St. Jude’s, and this one is no exception. As always, Father Neil has his hands full with the gleefully domineering, scheming Father Duddleswell, who has devised a fresh plan for this coming Christmas: invite all the other sects of Christianity to celebrate with them. The plan quickly unravels when two religious leaders from another denomination try to convert Father Neil and a clock goes missing from the mantelpiece. When the church collection disappears, it becomes abundantly clear that this will be no ordinary Christmas.

 
Taken from the author’s actual experiences after completing seminary, A Father Before Christmas is a fun and family-friendly romp through a bygone era with a winning cast of characters you will want to visit again and again. Boyd’s well-crafted vignettes of the Christmas season make this a holiday present worth opening early.

Lusty Little Men by Margaret Pearl, 240 pages

 The March sisters are little women no more in this hot-and-heavy, abbreviated retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel.

Meg, Jo and Amy are all grown up and becoming well-versed in the womanly arts indeed. But running a house and keeping track of the children brings its own set of challenges—especially to one's romantic life. Find out if the ladies can keep up their ardor as Margaret Pearl seamlessly weaves Louisa May Alcott's original text into a tapestry of tantalizing scenes.
Fans of of the original classic and devotees of historical romance alike will adore the story of Lusty Little Men, falling in love all over again with the March sisters and their pursuits of passion.

Really Unusual Bad Boys by Mary Janice Davidson, 240 pages

 Meet Damon, Maltese, and Shakar - three noble brothers from an enchanted kingdom where wooing and pleasuring is practically a royal commandment. They're hot. Irresistible. And just a little different. But what woman doesn't like a guy with a few surprises?

Horror in the Heartland: Strange and Gothic Tales From the Midwest by Keven McQueen, 240 pages

Brace yourself for a journey into a creepy, dark side of the American Midwest you thought you knew--a side teeming with real-life surrealism and historical horror-comedy. From tales of the booming grave-robbing industry of late 19th-century Indiana to the story of a Michigan physician who left his estate to his pet monkeys, Keven McQueen investigates a spooky and twisted side of Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Exploring burial customs, unexplained deaths, ghost stories, premature burials, the industry of grave robbing, bizarre murders, peculiar wills and much more, this creepy collection reveals the colorful untold stories of the region and offers intriguing, if sometimes macabre, insights into human nature and our history.

A fun and frightful look at a vein of darkness running through the Midwest, Horror in the Heartland promises to send chills down your spine.Brace yourself for a journey into a creepy, dark side of the American Midwest you thought you knew--a side teeming with real-life surrealism and historical horror-comedy. From tales of the booming grave-robbing industry of late 19th-century Indiana to the story of a Michigan physician who left his estate to his pet monkeys, Keven McQueen investigates a spooky and twisted side of Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Exploring burial customs, unexplained deaths, ghost stories, premature burials, the industry of grave robbing, bizarre murders, peculiar wills and much more, this creepy collection reveals the colorful untold stories of the region and offers intriguing, if sometimes macabre, insights into human nature and our history.

A fun and frightful look at a vein of darkness running through the Midwest, Horror in the Heartland promises to send chills down your spine.

Over the Gate by Miss Read, 240 pages

Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook -- and used with alarming consequences -- to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic grace and vigor, Miss Read retells many treasured stories of Fairacre past and present.Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook -- and used with alarming consequences -- to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic grace and vigor, Miss Read retells many treasured stories of Fairacre past and present.Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook -- and used with alarming consequences -- to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic grace and vigor, Miss Read retells many treasured stories of Fairacre past and present.Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook -- and used with alarming consequences -- to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic grace and vigor, Miss Read retells many treasured stories of Fairacre past and present.

Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton, 240 pages

It's almost Christmas in the small English village of Finch--and everyone is sick. Though many of the villagers regretfully decline their invitations to Emma Harris's annual Christmas bash, Lori Shepherd has no intention of missing it. When the winter weather takes a turn for the worse, it's agreed that none of the guests will leave until morning. There's general merriment as the Christmas party becomes a pajama party--until a car appears in the winding driveway and promptly slides off the slick pavement and into a ditch.

Matilda "Tilly" Trout--a lost and scatterbrained, middle-aged woman--is mercifully unhurt and invited to stay the night. While she catches her breath, Emma asks her other guests if they would like a tour of the Manor--including an odd room that puzzles her. Several guests put forth guesses as to its purpose, but it's Tilly who correctly identifies the room as a chapel. Placing a palm on one of the ornately-carved panels, Tilly finds a hidden compartment concealing a pile of glittering treasure--including an exquisitely decorated heart made of solid gold. Where did it come from, and why does it look so different from everything else in the chapel? Why didn't Emma even know about this hidden compartment in her own home until now--and how did Tilly?

With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help and Tilly's bewildering store of knowledge, Lori and friends set out to unravel the mystery behind the heart of gold. And, against all odds--and Christmas finally comes to Finch!

I Didn't Plan To Be A Witch by Shirley Lueth, 240 pages

A humorous look at motherhood (to seven!) ranging from pregnancy to toddler to college to being a grandparent.

Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life by Steve Almond, 240 pages

This was a book club book. Definitely one I wouldn't have picked up on my own, not one of my favorite reads. But I did really enjoy Candyfreak by the author.

It Ended Badly by Jennifer Wright, 240 pages

A look at 13 bad breakups through history. I really liked that the author did some of the big ones, but also did some not so famous ones (at least for people that aren't fanatical history buffs). I loved that she included Oscar Wilde, he's one of my favorite most-maligned by society historical figures. I also enjoyed her asides during the book, I've decided she's my new best friend because of her snarky wit.