A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, 320 pages

 Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students. 

The Semi-Attached Couple by Emily Eden, 287 pages

 The worst thing to happen to the season’s perfect couple: marriage

When the young and gorgeous Helen Eskdale met the wealthy aristocrat Lord Teviot, everything clicked. This was a couple that was meant to be—the match of the year, if not the ages. But in the rush to the altar, there was no time for bride and groom to actually get to know each other. Now the question is: Can they keep their marriage from falling apart?

The Semi-Attached Couple explores the upstairs-downstairs intrigues and comic misunderstandings central to the classic English romance with all the wit, style, and charm of a Jane Austen novel.

The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden, 256 pages

 The Semi-Detached House (1859)

Jane Austen fans will adore Emily Eden's comic novels. As The Semi-Detached House begins, beautiful newlywed Lady Blanche Chester, now pregnant,, is moving to a suburban home while her husband is away. She finds intrigue and annoyance as she encounters her new friends and villagers.

The Semi-Attached Couple (1860)
Another witty novel in the style of Jane Austen, although the books are set after the couples are married rather than before. In this book, Emily Eden skewers the social climbing of young married couple, including one woman who is determined to learn everyone’s secret.

A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne Freeman, 390 pages

 Though American by birth, Frances Wynn, the now-widowed Countess of Harleigh, has adapted admirably to the quirks and traditions of the British aristocracy. On August twelfth each year, otherwise known as the Glorious Twelfth, most members of the upper class retire to their country estates for grouse-shooting season. Frances has little interest in hunting—for birds or a second husband—and is expecting to spend a quiet few months in London with her almost-engaged sister, Lily, until the throng returns.

Instead, she’s immersed in a shocking mystery when a friend, Mary Archer, is found murdered. Frances had hoped Mary might make a suitable bride for her cousin, Charles, but their courtship recently fizzled out. Unfortunately, this puts Charles in the spotlight—along with dozens of others. It seems Mary had countless notes hidden in her home, detailing the private indiscretions of society’s elite. Frances can hardly believe that the genteel and genial Mary was a blackmailer, yet why else would she horde such juicy tidbits?
 
Aided by her gallant friend and neighbor, George Hazelton, Frances begins assisting the police in this highly sensitive case, learning more about her peers than she ever wished to know. Too many suspects may be worse than none at all—but even more worrying is that the number of victims is increasing too. And unless Frances takes care, she’ll soon find herself among them.

The Mapmaker's Daughter by Katherine Nouri Hughes, 345 pages

 A novel of the Venetian girl who became the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire—perfect for fans of Netflix’s Magnificent Century.

 
The Ottoman Empire was at the height of its power during the sixteenth century when Cecilia Baffo Veniero was kidnapped from her Venetian homeland and chosen to be the wife of Selim II, successor to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She would be known as Nurbanu.
 
The Mapmaker’s Daughter vividly imagines the confession of Nurbanu as she lies on her sickbed narrating the spectacular story of her rise to the pinnacle of imperial power, determined to understand how her extraordinary destiny was shaped. With unflinching candor, Nurbanu reviews the desires and motives that have both propelled and harmed her, as she considers her role as a devoted yet manipulative mother, helping to orchestrate her son’s succession to the throne. Serving as the appointed enforcer of one of the empire’s most crucial and shocking laws, Nurbanu confronts the consequences of her loves and her choices—right up to one last shattering revelation.

Close to Home Unplugged by John McPherson, 224 pages

 Offers a humorous view of family life as portrayed in the comic strip Close to home.

Backstage at the Strips by Mort Walker, 311 pages

 “I think comic strips are an important element in our society. Besides just being a source of entertainment, they comment on our lives, they contain philosophy and political comment and often help children learn to read. They are a wonderful way to study history.”—Mort Walker

Backstage at the Strips is a compilation of Walker's obvious passion for this truly American art form and the business that runs it. He invites us in to show us the process and the history behind it. We also get to meet the funny people that draw the comics we dearly love to read, the fans that make them so popular and man that gives us this delightful glimpse.