In this debut collection of 15 essays, 29-year-old Crosley displays the hysterical, self-skewering wit of David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs and Susan Gilman (Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress). From humiliating herself repeatedly in front of her first real boss, to accidentally releasing some of the butterflies at the museum where she begrudgingly volunteers, to a scathing exposé on what it’s really like being someone’s bridesmaid, this book had me laughing out loud, repeatedly and with enthusiasm.

After hearing a number of rave reviews, I knew I had to read this, being a big fan of British murder mysteries.

Detective Rob Ryan and his partner, despite both being relative new additions to Dublin’s murder squad, are handed the case of a murdered 12-year-old girl, whose mangled body was found sprawled atop an ancient sacrificial alter on the outskirts of a small village. Twenty years earlier, three children were playing in this exact spot when two went missing. The third child was found, bloodied and confused and with utterly no memory of what happened; his two friends were never located.

What only Detective Ryan and his partner know is that Detective Ryan was the surviving child, and he now must face ghosts from his long-buried past and connect the dots to find the killer.

French’s debut novel is utterly fantastic, as she deftly uses her haunting prose to weave together a troubled main character and a solid plot. Highly recommended.

Penned by a Salem author, The Lace Reader tells the haunting story of Towner Whitney, our self-confessed unreliable narrator, who must come back to her hometown of Salem, MA after her beloved great-aunt Eva disappears. Forced to confront ghosts of her buried past, the very troubled but incredibly strong Towner leads a cast of unforgettable characters through this riveting page-turner.

I can’t remember the last time I read a book so funny that it caused tears of laughter to stream down my face. (Max Barry, author of The Company, described this as “the funniest book I have ever read.”) I convinced all of my friends to read it simply because they got so sick of me calling them up to read them passages. They all loved it, too. I won’t even bother to try and summarize the plot for you; just do yourself a favor and let me sell you a copy. Or else I’ll call you up at midnight to read you passages. . .

In this richly visual yet sparsely-told novella on which the blockbuster movie is based, Matheson gives us a glimpse into the life of Robert Neville, the last living human on the planet after a rapidly-spreading virus either kills everyone else or turns them into vampires. The concept may sound cheesy, but Matheson’s descriptions of Neville’s extreme loneliness, desperate need to survive and cunning inventiveness with using what few resources he has at his disposal truly create a bleak and very real picture for the reader. And the ending is frightening.