The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, 362 pages

 Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when society people “dreaded scandal more than disease.”

This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, 261 pages

 Everyone’s favorite octogenarian killer is back in this new collection of stories by Swedish crime writer Helene Tursten that is sure to have you in stitches.

Eighty-eight-year-old Maud is never looking for trouble, but it always seems to find her. First, a woman in her building met an untimely end: tragic. Then, just recently, a dead body mysteriously appeared in her very own apartment, prompting an investigation by the local Gothenburg authorities. Such a strange coincidence. When it seems suspicion has fallen on her, little old lady that she is, Maud decides to skip town and splurges on a trip to South Africa for herself.

In these six interlocking stories, memories of unfortunate incidents from Maud’s past keep bubbling to the surface, each triggered by something in the present: an image, a word, even a taste. When she lands in Johannesburg at last, eager to move on from the bloody ordeal last summer, she finds certain problems seem to be following her. Luckily, Maud is no stranger to taking matters into her own hands . . . even if it means she has to get a little blood on them in the process.

Don’t let her age fool you. Maud may be nearly ninety, but this elderly lady still has a few tricks before she’s ready to call it quits.

*Includes cookie recipes*

Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams, 308 pages

 In the sixth Book Retreat Mystery by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, resort owner Jane Steward has her hands full hosting the Peppermint Press children's book conference when she is sidelined into tracking down a killer who fashions his crimes after fairy tales.

Storyton Hall, Virginia, is a top travel destination for book lovers and the perfect spot for literary events. But as a children's book publisher hosts a gathering there, some folks aren't going to live--happily ever after or otherwise . . .

Jane Steward's resort is hopping--not only is Peppermint Press' conference in full swing, there are also lots of families staying on the premises, bringing their kids to events like a scavenger hunt through the Fairy Tale Forest.

Then a woman dressed like Little Red Riding Hood is found dead from a plot device straight out of a fairy tale--with a rare and valuable copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales in her basket. Not long after, a second victim is killed, with yet another treasure--a volume by Hans Christian Andersen worth thousands of dollars--nearby. It looks like a big bad wolf may be lurking among the guests, and Jane can't just wait for a handsome prince to come to the rescue...

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, 705 pages

 The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

For centuries, gleemen have told the tales of The Great Hunt of the Horn. So many tales about each of th Hunters, and so many Hunters to tell of...Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages. And it is stolen.

Bless Me Again Father by Neil Boyd, 256 pages

 After finishing his first year at St. Jude’s, Father Neil finally feels as if he has his feet firmly planted underneath himself. His rapport with Father Duddleswell is as strong as ever, and even Mrs. Pring is showing him a softer side. Things are looking up for this young curate. But St. Jude’s is still full of surprises.

 
In this uproarious installment of Neil Boyd’s semiautobiographical series, the clergy of St. Jude’s is confronted with all manner of crisis: personal, political, and cricket-related. There is the dilemma of Dr. Daley, whose drinking is causing his health to deteriorate but who worries that becoming a teetotaler will ruin his personality. Then there are the animals overrunning the church, much to Father Duddleswell’s chagrin, as a new donkey is followed by a fresh litter of kittens.
 
Sharp yet poignant, Boyd’s stories are a pleasant return to a simpler era.

Father Under Fire by Neil Boyd, 272 pages

 Located in West London, St. Jude’s parish traditionally serves the poor Irish immigrants of the area, and the grouchy Father Duddleswell is an ideal leader for the group. Joining him is the young Father Neil, who serves as an even-keeled aide during the many times Duddleswell finds himself in hot water.

 
This compendium of adventures is sure to delight fans of the series as St. Jude’s adds another member to its clergy: Father Abe, an octogenarian with an agenda of his own. The St. Jude’s staff finds themselves embroiled in a rivalry among undertakers, a visit during Holy Week from the bishop with the longest rosary on record, a harebrained scheme to promote holy water as a fertility enhancer, and a night spent under a pool table during a pilgrimage.
 
Equal parts funny, sweet, and moving, Father Under Fire is a touching portrait of London in the early 1950s.

Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken & Melissa Prusi, 288 pages

 Thinking they have put their monster-hunting days behind them, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker return to their normal lives. But when their old ally Robert Roosevelt and his nephew Teddy find a new nest of vampires, they are once again pulled into the world of the supernatural, this time in the American West. A train robbery by a band of vampire gunslingers sets off a series of events that puts Bram on the run, Oscar leading a rescue party and our heroes being pursued by an unstoppable vampire bounty hunter who rides a dead, reanimated horse.