Do you like fantasy fiction with a little love thrown in for fun? Try these suggestions for a different side to fantasy fiction:

• Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier
• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Voting for the Teens' Top Ten is now open! Give your favorite book props by voting here anytime until September 18th.

25 talented Canton teens attended our Teen Creative Writing class this Summer. The class, graciously taught by Linda Papa, met five Saturdays from June to August. The end result was some wonderful writing, which we have the pleasure of sharing with you. This first piece, "The After Thanksgiving Sale," is by Mona Patel.

Photo and other original work (in audio and print) courtesy of Mona Patel and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the nominees for the 28th. Annual Shamus Awards on Friday. Eleven of the fifteen novels nominated are available at our library. Which book(s) do you choose for the three categories: Best Hardcover, Best First PI Novel, and Best Paperbook?

I recently 'stumbled' upon Goodreads and added it to my list of websites for TBR [To Be Read] suggestions. Of course, that's the whole idea of this blog, so when a request for historical mysteries writers came up, these authors immediately came to mind: Alys Clare, Peter Tremayne, Margaret Frazer, Ariana Franklin, and Alan Gordon.

Every August I look forward to the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival! There's lots of cool crafts for sale, yummy fair food, and a living history area where you can see how 19th century Michiganders lived. Whenever the festival comes, it always makes me want to pick up a good piece of Civil War historical fiction. My favorites are the ones by Ann Rinaldi. She even wrote one about a girl from Michigan who runs off to join the Union Army during the Civil War. There's a ton to choose from at the library, so stop by and give one a try. Happy reading!

Did you notice that a lot of new books feature stories about the environment? Even some of our favorite characters are "going green". Check out these titles to see what I mean:

SpongeBob goes green!: an earth-friendly adventure by Molly Reisner; illustrated by Stephen Reed

OK go by Carin Berger

Cam Jansen and the green school mystery by David A. Adler; illustrated by Joy Allen

Just Grace goes green by written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper

Enter the earth by Lee Welles; illustrated by Ann Hameister

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

My life in pink & green by Lisa Greenwald

Almost two dozen Tamil books are being put on the shelf this afternoon. Fiction titles include: Eṉṉuyirāy nīyirukka- by Ār. Makēsvari and Oṟṟaiyaṭip pātai by Kaṇṇaṉ Kiruṣṇaṉ. Nonfiction titles include: Kāṣmīr by Cantiraṉ and Jōtiṭam piṟanta katai by Vē. Laṭcumaṇaṉ. And there will be more coming soon!

We are starting to receive our new Arabic language books. Books being put on the shelf today include the fiction title Zaman al-khuyūl al-bayḍāʼ by Ibrāhīm Naṣrallāh and nonfiction such as al-Salaṭāt al-shahiyah by iʻdād Līnah Shbārū Bayḍūn, et al. Come in and check them out!

Awakening - by S.J. Bolton

If you loved The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson, you have probably been waiting for the next book in the series. Daniel X: Watch The Skies is here! Don't forget to add your name to the hold list so you get it as soon as it is available.

James Ellroy, the "Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction", is probably best known as the writer behind the novel "LA Confidential" which was turned into a 1997 Academy Award nominated film. While LA Confidential is a fantastic novel (even better than the stellar film), it's not Ellroy's strongest work, at least not in this writer's opinion.

If you've been waiting for a chance to celebrate your inner (or outer) geek, check out this collection of short stories and comics put together by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. From Star Wars to Star Trek, gaming, T.V. shows, drama club, and more, a variety of your favorite authors tackle the geek world (and admit they are from it). As a former marching band geek who went through the TAG program, Geektastic is the book I didn't know I was waiting for.

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen!

"Deep in the water
where the fish hang out
lives a glum, gloomy swimmer
with an ever-present pout."

Can anything cheer up this bummed out fish? Will he ever get over his case of the "blubs"?? For a rollicking good read be sure to check out "The Pout-Pout Fish"!

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta mystery series is coming to the big screen. None other than Angelina Jolie will play Ms. Scarpetta. Producers Mark Gordon and Geyer Kosinski are hoping for a franchise out of Ms. Cornwell's books, though none of the films will necessarily follow the plotline of any particular tome. According to Variety,

This film won't be tied to a specific Cornwell mystery title. Much the way that Jason Bourne morphed into an action hero in plots not rigidly locked into the Robert Ludlum book series, the opera-loving coroner Scarpetta will be the lead in a suspense thriller in the vein of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Seven."

Over 100 new Gujarati titles are being put on the shelves today. Fiction titles include: Nahīntara by Yogeśa Joshī and Ūḍatāṃ pataṅgiyāṃ by Bakula Dave. Nonfiction titles include: Mejīka opha vejīṭeriyana kūkarī : sampūrṇa śākāhārī vānagīo, sāndu bhojana hoya ke bhavya pārṭī ā rasasabhara pustaka potāno jādu karaśe by Nainā Ḍôkaṭar and Umbare pragaṭāvīe koḍiyuṃ by Suśīlā Mekavānaa.

Our German language books are starting to arrive. There will be more, but the first three to get here are: Eine exklusive Liebe by Johanna Adorján, Macho man by  Moritz Netenjakob, and Mangelexemplar by Sarah Kuttner. They are going on the shelf today, so come in and check them out!

The following list highlights just a few of the great authors writing romances with African American characters. Each of these authors is currently publishing, so with one click you can find hot new titles.