The Dain Curse By: Dashiell Hammett

My first time reading a Continental Op book, and WOW-he's got everything thrown at him in this one!  Each section seems to be its own little mystery, but they are all interconnected and nothing is what it is first thought to be.  Pretty heavy stuff for almost 100 years ago!

The Maltese Falcon By: Dashiell Hammett

An amazing read, a twisted mystery, class characters and ending I didn't expect (haven't seen the movie in its entirety, so this was an unspoiled read)!  At it's core this is the progenitor for the hard boiled detective stories, and it's simplest it's the telling of several really, really bad days in the life of Sam Spade!  

Hallowe'en Party By: Agatha Christie

Twisted mystery that spans a couple of years...a child that tends to exaggerate (if not lie) stories...a Hallowe'en part for children...Ariadne Oliver loses her love of apples...how could you not love this mystery!

By he Pricking of My Thumbs By: Agatha Christie

It's been a while since I read an Agatha Christie where I was floored by the reveal, and this one floored me. Not only because it was well plotted, but all of the information was actually there... obviously and blatantly and I missed it.  So fun!

True Solved Crime Stories By: Nik Nimson

These are more summaries than stories. A lot of typos made it  little difficult to read this one. I don't know why full names, locations and dates weren't used. 

Teen Titans: A celebration of 50 Years By: DC Comics

This is my third reading of this collection. I got into the Teen Titans in the 80s and 90s, so it was great to revisit those decades. What makes this collection so cool is seeing the growth of the characters and the story lines as the times changed. Also-it contains the first comic that the original Teen Titans appeared in, before they were actually the Teen Titans.

The Incubus Files By: Jae Williams

An interesting twist on the secret/black ops agent story.  Rather than a mercenary or former government worker the agent is an Incubus!  This short story is the first of many in this series and was a fun read.

 

The Book of Maps By: Ernest Thompson

It took a while for me to get acclimated to the story telling style of this one, but what a funny, lovely road trip this story is!  A man, thinking he's getting to know his son on a cross country road trip finds himself instead.  Lovely.

wait for me by the grass By: Amalia Gonzalez-Cidre

I'm not usually a poetry kind of person, but I was really drawn into this collection.  I actually knew the author when she was in college, and I am surrounded by college students every day.  Reading these vivid poems, with their raw emotions gave me an insight into the students I encounter every day.  Full of heart ache, full of hurt, this collection could have easily been mired in depression, yet there was still a sense of wonder, awe and hope within these pieces.  A lovely read.

 

'Salem's Lot By: Stephen King

Having just finished the Dark Tower Series, I wanted to revisit 'Salem's Lot. This classic is King at his creepiest best! It also helped that I had to finish this by candlelight during a thunderstorm induced power outage.