Ghosts, magicians, detectives, and sorcerers all work to solve the mysteries that surround them in “Unusual Suspects.”

Released to paperback December 2010, and available at most bookstores, “Suspects” is an ACE fantasy anthology edited by Dana Stabenow with a mystery theme.

Featuring short stories by authors such as Simon R. Green, Charlaine Harris, and 10 other gifted writers, the anthology presents a broad range of well-crafted fantasy stories.

In “An Appetite for Murder,” Green revisits his Nightside world with his signature dark humor and fast pace.

Destroyer’s ninth studio album, “Kaputt” recalls a sound that reminds the listener of discotheque-and-yacht rock opulence and decadence.

Drawing from those influences, Dan Bejar, who in addition to being the creative mind behind Destroyer is a member of The New Pornographers, has crafted one of the finer pop albums so far in 2011.

The first track on Kaputt, “Chinatown” recalls bits of ’80s new wave and discotheque mixed with elements of mellow jazz.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

That’s what Randy Pausch teaches us in his non-fiction book “The Last Lecture.”

Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was given the opportunity to speak to his students in a series called “The Last Lecture.”

Randy had learned just months before that he was dying from pancreatic cancer.

As people watched Randy give his last speech, they did not see a dying man but rather a man who knew how to live life.

His whole presentation focused on really achieving your childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how to make the most of what you have.

“Dino Strike” is an arcade-style shooter where you the player investigates the disappearance of a research team that was investigating a volcanic island where dinosaurs thrive.

In this game there are unfriendly dinosaurs, including raptors and one very angry T-Rex.

Everything is out to eat you, so gamers need to watch their ammo and keep a sharp eye out for anything cold-blooded.

The game play is all right as far as a rail shooter goes.

Sometimes you don’t get enough time to collect all of the power-ups you would like, but that is more reliant on the skill of the player.

Writer M. Night Shyamalan is known for his dark horrific twisting tales.

“Devil,” released on DVD Dec. 21, is yet another movie sure to fit in with his already growing list of accomplishments.

Shyamalan, creator of movies like “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “The Village” (2004), and “The Last Airbender” (2010), continues his evil ways in “Devil,” part one of “The Night Chronicles,” a series of movies based on Shyamalan’s many stories.

The Super Nintendo classic “Super Metroid,” made in 1994, is the third game in the “Metroid” series.

Set after the original “Metroid,” and just before “Metroid: Other M,” our hero Samus goes to a research colony with the last Metroid so it can be studied. Soon after, it is stolen by an old enemy, Ridley.

You must head to planet Zebes to retrieve the baby Metroid so it cannot be bred and used as a weapon. On the way to the baby Metroid, you collect power ups and weapons along the way.

When the Jim Henson movie “Labyrinth” first hit the screens in 1986, it was nowhere near the success it is now.

Grossing well under its budget, the film did not gain popularity until years later and is now considered a cult classic.

The film starts with Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), an imaginative and angsty teen caught up in the fantasy books she reads.

One night while tired of babysitting, Sarah wishes for goblins to come take her infant brother Toby away.

Sarah immediately regrets her mistake when the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) appears and takes Toby away to his castle. Sarah then has no choice but to work her way through the ever-changing labyrinth and solve the puzzle within 13 hours or her brother will become a goblin forever.

“Awakened” is the eighth installment of the popular “House of Night” series penned by Oklahoma mother-daughter authors P.C. and Kristin Cast.

The New York Times best-selling authors have created a new type of vampire. The series is based in Tulsa, but with one major difference: there is a vampire high school called the House of Night.

The story itself follows a young girl, Zoey Redbird, as she is marked as a fledgling vampire and experiences all the changes that go with it.

The series ultimately is a good vs. evil story, with Zoey as the ‘good guy’ and her mentor, Neferet, as the ‘bad guy.’

While the writing and flow occasionally leave something to be desired, it nevertheless retains the personality of the character whose viewpoint you are reading at the time.

The Decemberists bring in the New Year with the drop of their latest LP “The King Is Dead.”

Capitol Records will release the collection Tuesday, Jan. 18, and make it available for streaming in its entirety on NPR.com until then.

This folk-influenced indie-pop band has a sound reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Modest Mouse mixed with early ’80s college rock. The band’s line-up includes bassist Nate Query, keyboard/accordionist Jenny Conlee, drummer John Moen, and guitar/multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk.

Front man/songwriter Colin Meloy’s lyrics in this album show off his knack for storytelling.

After the letdown of their last album “Red Carpet Massacre” in 2007, Duran Duran fans have eagerly and impatiently waited for the time the band would regain their signature sound which made them the ultimate party band in the ’80s.

With their newest album “All You Need Is Now,” the goal was to return to the group’s roots and provide something that would satisfy die-hard Duranies while still managing a contemporary sound.

The album, which was produced by Mark Ronson and features guest vocalists such as Ana Matronic of Scissor Sisters and musical artist Kelis, does not disappoint.