Lauren Groff's "exuberant" debut The Monsters of Templeton* is a "fantastically fun read, a kind of wild pastiche that is part historical novel and part mystery, with a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure".

Pregnant and troubled, archaeology student Wilhelmina (Willie) Upton slinks home to Templeton, N.Y., after a disastrous affair with her professor, on the very day a long-feared sea monster surfaces in Lake Glimmerglass, quite dead. When Vi, Willie's flower-child mother let slip that Willie's father is in fact a respected citizen in town rather than a nameless hippie from Vi's commune days, Willie dives headlong into untangling the roots of the town's greatest families and her father's identity.

"Brilliantly incorporating accounts from generations of Templetonians — as well as characters borrowed from the works of James Fenimore Cooper, who named an upstate New York town Templeton in The Pioneers, Groff, a native of Cooperstown(on which Templeton is based), will delight readers with Willie's sharp wit, literary/historical references and lore.

* = Starred Reviews

Michigan native Scott Sigler's previous novels are "free, serialized podcasts that generated a large online following and saw over 4 million downloads".

His print debut Infected* will thrill and chill SF and horror fans with a mysterious disease that is turning ordinary Americans across the country into raving, screaming, homicidal maniacs.

CIA operative Dew Phillips and Center for Disease Control epidemiologist Margaret Montoya race in vain to capture a live victim. Meanwhile Perry Dawsey - a hulking former University of Michigan football star awakens one morning to find several mysterious itchy welts growing on his body. Soon Perry finds himself acting and thinking strangely, hearing voices ... he is infected.

With numerous references to Michigan and the UM, this is definitely a fast-paced and captivating read. Try the podcast just for fun and stop scratching!

* = Starred Review

L.A., gangs, turf war. Sound familiar? Well, Toby Barlow's debut Sharp Teeth* is anything but!

Written in free verse, this "highly addictive, enormously enjoyable, and unexpectedly moving", horror/thriller is about the fantastical world of werewolves. Caught in the middle of savage pack rivalry is Anthony, a kindhearted, down-and-out dogcatcher and the girl he loves who is in fact, a female werewolf.

This adrenaline-packed, fast-paced, darkly comic (card-playing dogs, crystal meth labs, surfing) debut by a Michigan author will surprise and entertain. Barlow is the Executive Creative Director of the giant ad agency JWT, whose clients include Ford, Shell and MTV. He lives in downtown Detroit.

* = Starred reviews

I Am Legend starring Will Smith just opened. It's based on a story of the same name by Richard Matheson. In both the movie and story, Robert Neville survives a deadly disease that has wiped out most of mankind. Most, if not all of those remaining have been turned into Darkseekers, vampire-like creatures. Neville spends his time trying to find a cure for the disease as well as trying to survive in the hostile, post-apocalyptic world. This isn't the first time I Am Legend has been made into a movie. You can see Charlton Heston battles violent, light-sensitive albino mutants as he tries to find a cure for humanity in The Omega Man.

Actually, the story reminds me a lot of a book I'm reading by Max Brooks, World War Z. It's the oral history of those who survived a terrible virus that turned people into mindless zombies! The book is well writen and is very thought provoking.

The Mist by Stephen King, was previously published as a novella in Skeleton Crew.

Following a violent thunderstorm, artist David Drayton and a small town community come under vicious attack from creatures prowling in a thick and unnatural mist. Local rumors point to an experiment conducted at a nearby top-secret military base. (This title is also available in abridged audio).

In Starting Out in the Evening, the 1998 novel by Brian Morton, the solitary life of a writer is shaken when a smart, ambitious graduate student convinces him that her thesis will bring him back into the literary spotlight. A marvelous cast includes Frank Langella.

Looking to get spooked with some horror books? Looking for the cream of the deadly crop? In 1988 The Horror Writers Association began presenting the Bram Stoker Awards each year for works they felt were a “superior achievement” in horror writing in a number of categories. Recent Stoker winners for novels include Lisey’s Story by Stephen King, Creepers by David Morrell, The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King, and The Hour Before Dark by Douglas Clegg. For more on past winner visit The Horror Writers Association.

Even for book lovers, it can be hard to fit that book club meeting into your busy schedule.

Mid-morning commuters and others who like to listen-while-you-work can tune into NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show for a monthly on-air book discussion, Reader’s Review.

There’s still time to read this month’s selection, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or listen to the audio version, before the October 24th Reader’s Review.

Those who miss the show (or just need more time to finish that last chapter) can listen online after the show airs.

30 Days of Night easily has one of the most disturbing book covers I have ever seen, yet I was equally repelled and drawn to the image for months before I was pulled into the "light." And, well, for reasons that are still a little unclear I'm just one of many drawn to this dark and disturbing vampire saga by Niles, Steve. A cult following developed for the entire series - which has now been turned into a movie. The movie stars Josh Hartnett and is set to hit a theater near you on Oct. 19. - check out the books from us while you wait.

After reading the incredibly enjoyable book Devilish by Maureen Johnson I got to wondering, "what's with all the satan stuff lately?" Take for instance the new Kevin Smith directed TV show on the CW, Reaper about a boy who discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was even born - and now he has to work as satan's bounty hunter! In addition to the devil-meets-chick-lit title Devilish there's been a rash of devil books published for teens lately: Repossessed, Black Tattoo, Alfred Kropp: the Seal of Solomon and finally the Demonata series by Cirque Du Freak author Darren Shan. Whether the devil, satan himself, Lucifer, El Diablo or Beelzebub there's plenty of entertainment to be had.

The Zombies, despite their completely terrifying moniker, are not scary at all. That is, of course, unless amazing psychedelic rock gives you a particular fright. Starting in England 1964, they made a hit or two, "She’s Not There" and "Tell Her No," they released only three albums (one of which was a hodgepodge of singles and unreleased materials,) never invaded the United States with the other British bands, and broke up in 1967. But that third album… what an album. The Zombies pulled together to make Odessey and Oracle [sic]. Though one of the best albums ever made, at the time, O&O almost didn't get a U.S. release, and only did in 1968 at the intervention and insistence of Al Kooper, and let’s just be glad he was around.

The drama continues in the third book in the vampire/werewolf, love triangle series by Stephenie Meyer. Following the first two titles, Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse picks up where we left Bella, Edward and Jacob - with more drama, high romance and Bella still grappling with when to become one of the undead. The BIG NEWS is that the series has been optioned for a film and now has a director - the fabulous Catherine Hardwicke of Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown fame. It's nice to know that someone that really *gets* the material and can deliver an authentic story will be at the helm.