We Show What We Have Learned is a debut story collection that introduces readers to the brilliant mind of Clare Beams. It has the hair-raising electricity similar to that of a new generation of writers that includes Karen Russell, Diane Cook, David James Poissant and Kelly Link, yet reads with the stateliness of a bygone era.

Beams's stories range from wicked to wistful, and feature characters--often women--at some transitional stage. In "Hourglass," a girl is sent to a boarding school that teaches young women to achieve physical perfection. "All the Keys to All the Doors" imagines a widowed benefactor of a small town, whose buildings erase dirt--and people. In the title story, a fragile schoolteacher falls apart at her students' jeering, literally. "World's End," the collection's most straightforward piece of realism, follows a young architect whose ego swells as he imagines a relationship--and a place--that will never be.

These may sound like punch lines, but Beams plumbs her material for mystery and depth. Her writing is relaxed but authoritative, letting scenes unfold without authorial intrusion. Beams's style could almost be called old-fashioned, matching her frequently historic settings. Her topics and scenarios are strange and surreal, yet the writing is oddly comforting. Perhaps that's why Joyce Carol Oates compares her with Alice Munro and Shirley Jackson. Like Jackson, Beams's stories are eerie and precise. Like Munro, each one hinges on a subtle truth, each uncovering some mystery of humanity, each story a revelation. --Zak Nelson, writer and bookseller

Art, religion and sex: three topics that guarantee provocative, thoughtful fiction in the hands of an assured writer. April Ayers Lawson is just such an assured writer. She addresses these challenging topics with uncommon grace and insight. In the five stories of this debut collection, focusing on characters from the Carolinas, Lawson explores, with admirable restraint, troubled lives and the repercussions of one's choices.

Each story features an artist confused about sexuality and relationships. In the title piece, 26-year-old Jake suspects that his wife, Sheila, a violist and Bob Jones University graduate, is having an affair and contemplates an infidelity of his own. The "Three Friends in a Hammock" are divorced women--a writer, painter and cellist--whose reunion becomes a meditation on what constitutes love. In "The Way You Must Play Always," Gretchen, a student at a private Christian school, falls for her piano teacher's pot-smoking brother, who is recuperating from brain surgery. "The Negative Effects of Homeschooling" chronicles the obsession Conner, the 16-year-old son of a church elder, has with Andrew Wyeth's Helga paintings and his mother's deceased transgender friend. And in "Vulnerability," a married Southern painter entertains an affair with her New York art dealer. Each protagonist in Lawson's perceptive debut works toward an understanding of Sheila's point from the opening piece: "I think everything is already there inside of you.... What I think is that you just become this purer and purer version of what you already are." --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer

Monsters in Appalachia presents the short stories of Sheryl Monks in a collection that ranges over a region but offers a cohesive vision. United by their sense of place, these stories are compassionate and impassioned, often disturbing and filled with energy.

The dangers of coal mining strike the young and the experienced alike. A 14-year-old girl is encouraged by her mother and aunt to pursue men, but resists. A man searches for a dog he believes holds the key to better luck. An exchange at a small-town grocery drives home class inequalities and double standards. Factory workers consider devising on-the-job accidents to collect disability. And in the final, titular story, an old man hunts and captures monsters while his wife prays for punishment for the couple's sins.

The monsters are in fact many and various, figurative and surreally literal. Monks's characters are plagued by poverty, abuse, limited education and a shortage of resources and options--upholding some of the stereotypes of Appalachia--but in their choices, they prove more than their typecasts. Dialect and place-specific details establish settings like the mountains of West Virginia, where a panicked mother "can't spot a single star for the heavy swag of tree branches that flank the road as it winds itself around the mountain." A stern, moody atmosphere is one of Monks's strengths, although there are points of light in this dark collection. Monsters in Appalachia is often painful but always authentic, both muscular and sensitive. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

The late P.D. James, author of many popular novels, turned her hand to the classic detective short story in The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. In the style popularized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, four of James's excellent pieces have been collected here. Two of them have Christmas themes, including one starring a young Sergeant Adam Dalgliesh, making this slim volume a perfect stocking stuffer for mystery lovers.

These stories feature a young woman who is quite sure she's solved a murder during the height of World War II, but unsure if she should get involved; a rather sleazy law clerk who witnessed a murder from his office window, but who can't report the death without being discovered for his minor crimes; and the impeccable Dalgliesh--in one story doing a favor for his godfather, and in another waylaid en route to a Christmas dinner.

With James's trademark wit and skill, these tales quickly draw the reader in, and, in spite of their brevity, offer a surprise or two. The art of the mystery short story is a tricky one--providing enough information to keep the reader interested, but not so much that the conclusion is immediately obvious. James's pitch-perfect balancing act is sure to leave readers bereft at her loss all over again, even as they enjoy the gift of these last few holiday stories. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm

The third novel in Tony Parsons's Max Wolfe crime series (after The Slaughter Man) brings the London detective constable face to face with a group of domestic terrorists. The four vigilantes make headlines when they kidnap a taxi driver, execute him by hanging and post a video of the act on YouTube. The victim turns out to be a man convicted of abusing young girls. He received a light sentence, so now this gang of killers--using the identity of Albert Pierrepoint, England's executioner in the mid-20th century--seeks justice.

And they are just getting started. When they repeat their crime with a rich businessman who killed a young boy while driving drunk, and then a drug addict who beat a destitute war veteran into a coma, Max and the murder investigation team delve into England's history of capital punishment for clues to uncover the Hanging Club.

While many Londoners cheer on the vigilantes, viewing them as heroes who deliver justice when the legal system does not, Parsons throws a wrench into Wolfe's beliefs by forcing him to deal with unfair circumstances in his own life. The philosophical conundrum adds heft to an already weighty story that challenges the morality of the death penalty.

But the gravity of themes doesn't slow the pace of the plot, which moves swiftly and intensely. Parsons has a tendency to unnecessarily repeat details throughout the novel--something tighter editing could have improved. Nevertheless, The Hanging Club is a riveting thriller and a strong addition to the series. --Jen Forbus, freelancer

Fionnuala Doran's first graphic novel, The Trial of Roger Casement, gives the historical account of a British diplomat, humanitarian and Irish Nationalist. Roger Casement (1864-1916) was an activist in Africa and South America, which earned him fame and knighthood before he was eventually stripped of the title and put on trial for treason.

Writer and illustrator Fionnuala Doran tosses readers into the heart of Casement's world, intimately following him through his friendships, his relationships, his encounters. Within the first three pages, he slips from a boat and almost drowns, which he deems a "metaphor for my whole life." That observation proceeds to haunt the rest of the story. Doran, though, is careful in her treatment of her subject. For example, she sensitively depicts Casement's love life as a gay man in a country where homosexuality was illegal. As a result, sadness tinges each page.

At the end, Doran includes a timeline to highlight the story's main events. The illustrations throughout are quite simple, every so often accented with green and orange backgrounds, and yet they convey the world beyond the panels beautifully. Readers can see the Casement's world and its landmarks, hear the voices and fill in the rest, as they take in such a tumultuous time in British history.

Doran's art style is bolstered by occasionally heavy prose, which might attract readers who may not habitually explore graphic novels. All in all, The Trial of Roger Casement is perfect for readers interested in Irish history and Casement's place in it. --Carol H. Hood, writer, graphic novelist, social commentator

The illustrations and imagination of William Goldsmith (Vignettes of Ystov) adorn a story of bookbinding and family history with The Bind.

This graphic novel opens in 1912, as the ghost of Garrison Egret tours his family business, Egret Bindings, now run by his sons, Victor and Guy. Garrison is frustrated by the way they've "tarted it up," and by the way Guy overworks himself without taking enough credit while Victor takes too much credit without doing the work. Their latest project will showcase the Egrets' finest talents, and test both their skills and their relationship; it is a poetry collection called A Moonless Land, jewel-encrusted, hand-tooled with leather inlays and gold leaf. Victor, the high-maintenance artist, pulls out all the stops while business-minded Guy worries about the bottom line. Will "the most expensive book in existence" prove to be too much for the most prestigious bookbinding firm in London?

Goldsmith's illustrations in black and gray, rust and rose, are understated and beautifully evocative. Characterization is accomplished through detail, like a carnation in Victor's lapel, and the finer points of Egret Binding's products. In large format on heavy stock, with bonus foldout panels, The Bind is as impressive a physical object as the Egrets' great creation--minus the rubies and topazes. This carefully presented ode to the craft of bookbinding is also a story of family dynamics and the dilemma of faithfulness to artistry in a modernizing world: a special treat for booklovers, and a lovely work of art. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Part memoir, part business primer, Lawrence Levy's To Pixar and Beyond chronicles the author's time as CFO of Pixar and his journey with Steve Jobs as they helped transform an obscure computer graphics company into one of the most innovative film studios of today. Levy had never heard of Pixar when Jobs called, nor had he met Jobs, but both charmed him; he became a witness to an absorbing and unlikely success story in the entertainment world.

To Pixar and Beyond is mostly focused on Pixar as it makes Toy Story and prepares for an IPO. Levy is an affable guide who writes with clarity about otherwise Byzantine business maneuverings and obscure contractual legalese. The book could have used more of Levy's detailed explanations of how an IPO works or how Pixar tried to wrangle out of its onerous relationship with Disney, because these are the strongest and most fascinating sections. Levy also writes insightfully about how Pixar and John Lasseter fought to maintain their distinctive corporate culture and not fall into the trap of complacency and stagnation, which can plague many companies dealing with newfound success.

Levy doesn't offer anything revelatory about Steve Jobs, nor is the rise of Pixar exactly obscure news. Yet his account of the inner workings of the company, and the personalities that shaped it into what it has become, is an informative and engaging read. --David Martin, freelance writer

The brief essays collected in Literary Wonderlands survey nearly 4,000 years of inventive storytelling. Under the editorial direction of Laura Miller (The Magician's Book), the work of more than 40 contributors is organized into a timeline tracing from ancient myth and legend to modern fantasy and speculative fiction.

Literary Wonderlands skews toward the relatively recent and toward Western works, although there was clearly an effort made to diversify the selections. And with a few exceptions--Richard Wagner's Ring operas, Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide radio play--the modern fictional worlds considered here spring from conventionally bookish origins. (The "greatest fictional worlds ever created" for movie and television science fiction don't seem to fall under the scope of the subtitle.)

While some essays consider their subjects in terms of themes or influences, the critique is approachable rather than academic, and all include a detailed synopsis of the story under consideration. The literary forms represented range from medieval poetry and drama (The Divine Comedy, The Tempest) to fiction that defined genres (The Time Machine) and broke them open (Slaughterhouse-Five). Contributors explore the worlds of characters associated with children's literature--Alice, Peter Pan, Harry Potter--alongside the adults-only settings of Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange. Middle Earth, Oz and Narnia also get their due. The book includes more than 100 illustrations, mixing drawings, maps, paintings and photographs.

An engaging read on its own merits, Literary Wonderlands is equally valuable as a resource for further reading and as fodder for arguments over the works it includes (and leaves out). --Florinda Pendley Vasquez, blogger at The 3 R's: Reading. 'Riting, and Randomness

Rock and jazz journalist Marc Myers's column "Anatomy of a Song" is a popular feature of the Wall Street Journal's Arts section. With interviews from the singers, songwriters and producers of chartbusting megahits, each column captures the historical and musical backgrounds of songs that altered popular cultural history. Anatomy of a Song collects 45 of those columns, covering what might be the playlist of a baby boomer's life. From Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in 1952 to R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" in 1991, Myers (Why Jazz Happened) chooses those that made a difference--by his definition, that they "stood the test of a generation--twenty-five years." Here's a taste--Smokey Robinson on his fellow Motown group: "The Temptations were the greatest background maker-uppers ever." Grace Slick on her fame: "I was just a f**k-off who got lucky.... I'm not a genius, but I don't suck." Mavis Staples on the ending of "Respect Yourself": "I had to put some fuel in it, to keep it going. That's the seasoning." Or Gladys Knight on "Midnight Train to Georgia": "I wanted an Al Green thing going, you know? Something moody, with a little ride to it."

Greatest hits lists always get plenty of argument, especially in rock 'n' roll. Myers includes the Stones, Joplin, Elvis, the Doors, the Allman Brothers and even Steely Dan (Steely Dan??)--but no Hendrix, Dylan or Springsteen. No matter. With its eye-opening, candid interviews and detailed discussion of the songs' instruments, rhythms and lyrics, Anatomy of a Song is a juicy history of the music that got audiences onto the dance floor, out in the streets and cruising down the highway. --Bruce Jacobs, founding partner, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.

Until A Boy Called Christmas, nobody knew that long ago, an "ordinary boy called Nikolas, living in the middle of nowhere, or the middle of Finland, doing nothing with magic except believing in it" would wind up as jolly old Saint Nick. A woodcutter's son living in the second-smallest cottage in Finland with scarcely a carved turnip doll to call his own, 11-year-old Nikolas is accustomed to making the best of rough circumstances. But when his father goes off on an elf-finding expedition and leaves him in the care of his evil, ancient aunt ("Hardly anyone lives to be forty-two"), Nikolas reaches his limit. He and the cottage mouse, Miika, who believes in cheese though he's never seen it, set off to the Far North to find his father and to see if the elves his father seeks are real. The journey is perilous and heartbreaking, but ultimately transforms Nikolas into a man who understands the flaws and frailty of humankind (not to mention elves, pixies and trolls).

Award-winning British author Matt Haig (To Be a Cat) writes with warmth, wit and irreverence. Young Nikolas is every bit as delightful as the ho-ho-ho-ing grownup he becomes, but his poignant humanity is what makes him truly lovable. Chris Mould's comical, appealingly scritchy black illustrations capture the magic of the Far North and the distinctive personalities of each character. Bonus: We learn that the reindeer Blixen has a sense of humor "[a]nd the thing he found really funny was weeing on people." A holiday--or anytime--classic is born. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor

Twelve-year-old Neen Marrey thinks it's possible that her great-grandmother might have been a wild-eyed merrow, a sort of mermaid or "glamorous fish," and so maybe her own Mam might not have abandoned her when her fisherman Pa drowned, but instead "just gone home to her people under the sea." Auntie Ushag is "as touchy as a slug" about her niece's theories. But the glowering, purse-lipped woman has become quite the "spit hag" of late, making Neen feel that much more alone in the world. The villagers whisper about how wrong it is for Auntie to keep the girl isolated in such a "wild and shattered place" on the shore: "I would have given just about anything to have a friend who wasn't a cow," Neen muses.

Merrow, Australian author Ananda Braxton-Smith's debut novel, is set on the island of Carrick (actually the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, according to the author's note), a place a-swirl with old stories of "sprites and half-beings and what-nots." Despite what Ushag tells her, Neen may be one of those cursed and feared half-beings, too. Why else would she sometimes grow red, itchy scales on her skin? Why else would her soul be so homesick? Neen finally wears her taciturn Auntie down until the stories of her sister, Neen's mother, spill out. But are they true stories? What is a true story, anyway? "What I needed was my own, my very own story," thinks Neen. Merrow is like the tide pools it describes in such gorgeous detail, every crevice offers a new surprise. A salty, exquisitely written exploration of identity. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness