Murder in Paradise by Kate William, 229 pages

Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are living it up on a mother-daughter retreat at Paradise Spa, where their biggest worry is whether to go for a cucumber facial or a splash in the waterfall. And with so many cute guys on staff, the girls decide that what their boyfriends back home don't know won't hurt them! Then Jessica and Lila Fowler go for a late-night swim and find a dead body in the steam bath! The manager insists the death is a freak accident, but when Alice Wakefield disappears, Elizabeth and Jessica are terrified there's a murderer on the loose. Desperate to find their mother, the twins set a deadly trap-with Elizabeth as the bait!

Happily Ever After edited by John Klima, 477 pages

This is an anthology featuring fairytale retellings by some of the best writers in the field. These stories are dark, twisted, sweet, and compelling as the Grimm Brothers collected originally. The stories here aren't your Disney versions to be read to your kids, but instead tantalizing tales to be savored and enjoyed. But watch out, who is that knock-knock-knocking on your door?

The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting by Rachel Shteir, 256

This was a non-fiction look at shoplifting and how it has evolved over the years, along with society's approach to it. The book starts with a look at London as one of the world's busiest mercantile capital, examining who shoplifted and how, along with how the legal field treated them. The author then follows how the development of department stores seemed to foster an explosion of shoplifters and "kleptomaniacs" a term that still isn't accepted by some of the medical field. I had never known that during the 60's shoplifting was a symbol of resistance against "the man" with Abby Hoffman publishing a book called "Steal This Book". Shteir also looks at how even today, shoplifters are treated extremely different based on race and money in their treatment and sentencing. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was the author going into how libraries and bookstores are targets for shoplifters.
While this book was a little dry at times, it was still an informative read.

Blameless by Gail Carriger, 374 pages

I am totally in love with this series. I devoured this book after finishing book 2, but I'm waiting just a little bit before reading book 4. It's still a little while until book 5 comes out, and I don't want the series to be over. This book has Alexia dealing with her pregnancy, almost everyone thinking she cheated on her husband, homicidal mechanical ladybugs and a trip to Italy. Oh, and did I mention homicidal mechanical ladybugs!?! That statement alone should have you picking up this series immediately. This is a fun, great new twist on the regency paranormal genre (did you even know such a genre existed) that continues to hold my interest.

All-Ghouls School by Mark Sumerak & David Bryant, 118 pages

How could I not pick up this graphic novel with such a cool title. It reminded me of the Scooby movie, Scooby and the Ghoul School. Basically, Darkmoor is a school for monsters that is looking to integrate some humans to help the monsters learn how to deal with the real world. Becca is the first human student, but it's up in the air as to how long she'll survive the honor.
This was fun, campy, well-written and drawn (except for the fact that all girls in comics at boarding school have to wear slutty uniforms) and interesting.

Morning Glories Volume 1 by Nick Spencer & Joe Eisma, 189 pages

This graphic novel looked interesting from the cover and blurb but really failed to measure up. While it seems to be Breakfast Club meets X-men, with a little bit of Matrix thrown in, it spends the whole book laying groundwork while not explaining anything at all. If you like a book that leaves you puzzled and confused, be sure to pick this up.

Changeless by Gail Carriger, 388 pages

This is the second book in a fun and unusual series that my mother-in-law suggested to me. Alexia is a preternatural, meaning she has no soul and negates supernatural creatures, i.e, with her touch she restores the mortality of vampires and werewolves. But it seems that someone or something else has the same ability, but thrown over a much larger area and lasting longer. Alexia must track down whatever this is before it falls into the wrong hands as a weapon. Throw in a missing werewolf husband, a way too friendly French hatmaker and inventor, and a Queen Victoria expecting results and it might almost be too much for Alexia to handle, even with her handy parasol.
This is Regency meets paranormal with a heavy dash of steampunk thrown in. This is one of the most original books I've read in a long time, with lots of humor and intrigue. As soon as I finished this book I immediately started the next one.