The Sword-Edged Blonde

The Sword-Edged Blonde is by Alex Bledsoe. The first in the fantasy Eddie LaCrosse series. Eddie is a sword for hire: finding what needs to be found, killing who needs to be killed. When he is hired by a king to find his missing daughter, he has no idea this case will lead him back into his past. He will have to face his demons and his past failures to help his best friend prove his wife did not kill their infant child. A strange cross between a modern detective story and high fantasy. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Our Souls at Night

Our Souls at Night is by Kent Haruf. A magnificent realistic fiction novella about two lonely senior citizens in a small town. Louis has been living in his house alone since his wife died; one day his neighbor, an widow named Addie, shows up at his house with a proposition. Would he mind coming over to her home at night and sleeping next to her - just to lay in bed and talk. Louis is shocked by the request, but is so lonely he decides to take her up on her offer. This charming little book makes you feel what it is like to be elderly and alone and in need of someone to just talk to. A Reader's Coroner Highly Recommended Read; this book is touching and deserves a special place on your shelf. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Hounded

Hounded is by Kevin Hearne. The first in the fantasy Iron Druid series. Atticus O'Sullivan is the last living Druid. He runs an occult bookshop in Tempe, Arizona, and attempts to hide from gods who want him dead - oh, and also want his sword, Fragarach. He has managed to stay hidden for centuries, but now his enemies have found him. He must differentiate his friends from his enemies and manage to kill a god. The series incorporates gods from multiple pantheons, as well as werewolves, witches, and vampires. It is a fantastic series for fantasy lovers. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

Half-Resurrection Blues

Half-Resurrection Blues is by Daniel Jose Older. The first book in the urban fantasy Bone Street Rumba series. Carlos is an inbetweener, half alive and half dead. He works as an agent for the New York Council of the Dead handling their "undead" problems. When a sorcerer and a horde of nkgs (who are creatures that can permanently kill the undead) attack his city. Carlos must find a way to defeat them without becoming "all" dead himself. A very cool take on ghosts; a creepy and fun series. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content). 

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown is by Vaseem Khan. The second book in the realistic fiction Baby Ganesh series. Ex-inspector Chopra is enjoying his retirement running his restaurant and his detective agency. His wife Poppy, talks him into going to see the British Crown Jewels which are on display at the museum. While they are there, there is an explosion, Chopra and Poppy find themselves unconscious, and when they awake the British Royal Crown has been stolen. When an old friend is accused of stealing the crown, Chopra decides to discover who really stole the historic jewel and to return it to the Queen. Of course, he can't do this without help from Ganesh, who has some adventures of his own. Fans of the series will love this book and eagerly wait the next installment.

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

In the Woods

In the Woods is by Tana French. The first book in the Dublin Murder Squad realistic fiction mystery series. Rob Ryan is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and he has a secret. Twenty years ago he went into the woods with two of his friends and he was the only survivor, but he doesn't remember what happened. When a young girl is killed in the same woods, Ryan and his partner must decide if the new murder is related to the old disappearances. A excellent start to a fun series for crime and mystery lovers.

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Changeless

Changeless is by Gail Carriger. The second book in the fantasy Parasol Protectorate series. When supernaturals start to become human both Alexia and her werewolf husband, Lord Maccon, are drawn into the attempt to discover who is causing this problem and how to stop it. They find themselves in Scotland where Lord Maccon must face his past and Alexia must face her future. Fans of the series will enjoy this installment. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 -  AC (some mature thematic content). 

Noir

Noir is by Christopher Moore. Moore's hilarious attempt at combining noir fiction and science fiction. Set in San Francisco in 1947, Sammy (a bartender) falls for Stilton (a dame) and hijinx ensue. This romp takes us all over San Francisco and covers every kind of individual who called it home in 1947: African Americans, Chinese, Italians, lesbians, ladies of the night, corrupt police and government officials, the Men in Black and of course, an alien strait from Roswell. Fans of Moore's special brand of humor will thoroughly enjoy this delightful romp. Sam Spade meets Men in Black. 

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Tyrannosaur Canyon

Tyrannosaur Canyon is by Douglas Preston. A fast paced science fiction thriller. A moon rock has been missing for thirty years, but what does this have to do with a murdered dinosaur hunter in the New Mexican desert and the vet who discovers him? Tom Broadbent is riding through the desert when he hears shots, upon investigating he discovers a dying man who hands him a diary and makes him promise to get it to his daughter. Unfortunately he dies before Tom learns his name. His desire to keep his promise to a dying man drags Tom and his wife into a harrowing adventure involving a killer, scientists, archaeologists, the police, the military, and a mysterious government agency all vying for the find-of-a-life time hidden somewhere in Tyrannosaur Canyon. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs

A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs is narrated by Ben Garrod. An interesting Audible Original discussing the history and science around dinosaurs: how they got here, where they went, and what we have discovered about them from fossils. 

Ratings: 7th grade - 7 out of 10. 

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks is by Annie Spence. A charming book of letters from a librarian to the books she encounters over the course of her job. Book lovers will enjoy this tremendously, especially the letter to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

Salsa Nocturna: Stories

Salsa Nocturna: Stories is by Daniel Jose Older. A set of short stories set in the fantasy world of the Bone Street Rumba series. Per Amazon, "a 300 year-old story collector enlists the help of the computer hacker next door to save her dying sister. A half-resurrected cleanup man for Death’s sprawling bureaucracy faces a phantom pachyderm, doll-collecting sorceresses and his own ghoulish bosses. Gordo, the old Cubano that watches over the graveyards and sleeping children of Brooklyn, stirs and lights another Malagueña. Down the midnight streets of New York, a whole invisible universe churns to life in this collection of Bone Street Rumba tales."

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

English Romantic Poetry

English Romantic Poetry is edited by Stanley Appelbaum. A selection of English romantic poems by such fantastic poets as William Blake, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Samuel Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. A must read for all poetry lovers. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Vampires in the Lemon Grove is by Karen Russell. A charmingly creepy book of fantasy short stories. A group of girls find themselves sold into slavery in a silk factory where they slowly turn into silk worms. A massage therapist discovers she has the power to heal when she manipulates the tattoo on the back of a soldier with PTSD. A group of boys discover a scarecrow which resembles a classmate they bullied and are plagued by guilt. And of course, the title story of two vampires in a lemon grove trying to slack their thirst for blood, and other spooky tales. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Closer

Closer is by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. The fourth book in the fantasy Tunnels series. While Chester and Martha have made it back to Topsoil, Will, Elliott, and his dad are stuck in the mysterious world at the center of the Earth. Unfortunately, the evil Rebecca twins are also there and are trying to retrieve the Dominion virus Will stole to continue their evil plans. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence) 

Freefall

Freefall is by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. The third book in the fantasy Tunnels series. Will and Chester freefall into the Pore followed by the evil Rebecca twins who possess the Dominion virus. They reach the bottom and land on a spongy fungus with an injured Elliott. They must find a way to survive and prevent the Styxx from spreading the Dominion plague Topsoil. 

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10 - V (violence). 

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is by John Flanagan. The tenth installment in the fantasy Ranger's Apprentice series. Horace has traveled to Nihon-Ja to study their fighting skills and has befriended their Emperor who is trying hard to be an emperor for all his people not just the elite. When a coup is attempted and Horace saves the Emperor's life, he finds himself in the middle of a civil war. When word reaches Halt, Will, Evanlyn, and Alyss, all of his friends come to Horace's aid. 

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Carmilla

Carmilla: A Tragic Love Story is by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. A wonderfully creepy Gothic fantasy tale. Carmilla is a vampire who insinuates herself into the lives of various young girls and then kills them. The story begins when young Laura, living with her father in a desolate area of Austria, witnesses a carriage accident and is convinced to give shelter to Carmilla, the "daughter" of the woman who owned the carriage. Carmilla however, is not what she seems, and as strange deaths began to occur around the schloss, Laura and her father discover their house guest is not as harmless as she appears. An absolute must for scary Halloween tales. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (Violence). 

Camp Red Moon

Camp Red Moon is by R.L. Stine. A charming addition to the fantasy Goosebumps series. All the stories are set at Camp Red Moon, definitely not a camp I ever want to attend. All kinds of spooky things happen at this Camp, from ghosts seeking revenge to life forms that take over other people's lives, to robots seeking world domination. Kids will love these scary stories. 

Ratings: 5th grade - 6 out of 10.