Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett, 368 pages

Regan wrote an excellent blog post about this book a few months back, so I will happily redirect you there. I largely agree with what she wrote about the cozy cat-loving world created in this book, though I will add that I felt like the book went a bit haywire toward the end. It DEFINITELY reminded me of Howl's Moving Castle though, to the point that I could pinpoint exactly which character was which. Still, a fun and cozy read, and an excellent audiobook too (which is how I consumed it).

(And yes, this cover is excellent and I want to do a puzzle of it now.)

Cherry Baby

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell, 416 pages

Cherry's husband Tom is in Hollywood making a movie based on his semi-autobiographical graphic novel, a popular book that features a character that is 100% based on Cherry. What most people don't know, however, is that Cherry and Tom are separated, slowly working their way toward divorce as Cherry takes Omaha's advertising world by storm and Tom lives it up in L.A. But with trailers and movie posters coming out, Cherry can't avoid the man she so desperately wants/wants to forget.

Cherry is a complex character, dealing with a marriage that hit the doldrums while also balancing her close-knit family's uber-religious expectations, her career ambitions, and the everyday struggle of being a fat woman in the U.S. Really, it's the final element that gets the most ink in this book, as Cherry fights her own body image and the conflicting societal messages of a theoretically body-positive but also GLP-1-pushing society. Rowell handles the topic well, perhaps to the detriment of Cherry's character arc. Still, a good read.

This book will be published April 14, 2026.

Wolf Worm

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher, 288 pages

Scientific illustrator Sonia has just taken a new job illustrating insects for the reclusive Dr. Halder, and even upon her arrival into town, she has misgivings. The locals talk of devils and "blood thieves" in the woods, while Halder is cold, short-tempered, and mysterious. Oh, and his wife disappeared with no trace, and nobody wants to talk about it.

This is a ridiculously gross and gothic horror novel, one that you definitely shouldn't read while eating (two words: screw worms). That said, it's also compelling and keeps the reader guessing. Really, my biggest issue with it is that **SPOILER ALERT** the ending seems to happy for a horror. Still, it was a good read.

A Lady for All Seasons

A Lady for All Seasons by TJ Alexander, 304 pages

Verbena Montrose's family is rapidly spiraling toward poverty, which means that she is on the hunt for a husband, and quickly. Her penchant for gossip comes in quite handy, especially when she learns that her tailor friend Etienne has unexpectedly inherited a large estate, though there's a rumor going around that could ruin him. The two quickly agree to a marriage of convenience. Meanwhile, Verbena meets poet and fellow gossip Flora Whitcombe, and finds herself obsessed with her new friend, while also gaining the attention of William Forsyth, a struggling novelist and youngest son of a minor noble. However, Flora and William have a secret, one that complicates EVERYTHING that Verbena is feeling.

I love this author's commitment to showing queer joy during the Regency era, in a mostly historically appropriate way. That said, at certain points the romance of this story took a backseat to the bedroom farce that was going on with William, Flora, and Verbena. Fun, but perhaps not my favorite romance read.

Serial Killer Games

 

 Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey (2025, 384 pages)

Chaotic story of two coworkers that meet in an elevator after someone in their office building is found fallen off the roof -- a victim of the so called Paper Pusher serial killer, plaguing corporate skyscrapers all over the city. They bond over the mundane office life; she's true crime obsessed, he has a body to get rid of.

The storyline and dialogue is a little obtuse sometimes, but it's addicting. The author doesn't always spoon feed you what's happening. The plot is wild but fun! Could not expect anything that happened. A little random, but overall lighthearted fun murders (is that a thing?).

Very entertaining audiobook with great narrators!

What I liked:
✨Funny, witty dialogue
✨Like laugh out loud with a confused face funny
✨Clever ending

What I didn't like:
💤Kinda confusing, took me a while to catch the vibe of the book and just let the story tell itself

Favorite quote: "There's a vase of red roses next to the bed. I toss the flowers on the floor and chug the water."  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

History Lessons

History Lessons (2025) by Zoe B. Wallbrook, 373 pgs. 

Daphne Ouverture does not like drama. In fact, she consciously and consistently avoids it, hence her career decision to become a professor at a small-town university. As one of the few Black scholars of history in the area, she thinks it is best to keep her head down and avoid any unwanted attention. After receiving an out-of-the-blue text from a coworker one evening, Daphne's drama-free streak comes to a screeching halt. All of a sudden, the junior professor is involved in a murder case and an investigation into on-campus abuses of power. It is time for Daphne to face the drama and put an end to this plot before she loses her job, or worse...her life. 

This campy mystery novel is very much defined by its setting in academia. Zoe B. Wallbrook has an expansive vocabulary, and you will likely learn a few new words while reading. Despite that, the story is very accessible, and Daphne is a really likeable character. You can't help but root for this nerdy junior professor (and kind of secret spy) who is suddenly dealt the craziest scenario. Somehow, though, Wallbrook is able to balance some of the more silly aspects of the plot with all-too-real observations about the problems that exist in spaces of higher education (likely that she has noticed in her experience as a recently tenured professor). Daphne is constantly dealing with racist microaggressions and misogyny; staff members abuse their power over young students and untenured professors. If you are looking for a mystery novel with a strong voice that is set in the toxic world of university politics, this is the book for you.

The Deep

 The Deep by Rivers Solomon, 166 pages.

This novella, based on a song of the same name, follows a society living far below the waves, made up of the descendants of pregnant women thrown off of slave ships. The Wajinru are a people who live in the moment, free of their own traumatic origins; all save the historian, who holds the memory of their whole people. The current historian, Yetu, is being destroyed by the weight of the memories, and her desperation will cause a reckoning for her whole people. 

The audiobook for this book is read by Daveed Diggs, who is also part of the group that wrote the song it is based on, which was itself inspired by earlier work by a group called Drexciya. I believe it is this collaborative history that helps lend quite a lot of depth and complexity to a fairly short book. The plot is sometimes a little difficult to follow (which may have been made worse for me by the audiobook format), but the ideas are compelling enough to make it definitely worthwhile nonetheless. 

As an aside, this was the first time I had heard Daveed Diggs' voice since I was very into the musical Hamilton many years ago, which was a slightly uncanny experience. 

The Anthropocene Reviewed

 The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, 304 pages

In the introduction to this book John Green quotes Allegra Goodman, who says that she is writing her own life story but "since (she's) a novelist, it's all in code." Green says that he didn't want to write in code anymore, and the resulting first foray into nonfiction is both startlingly honest and completely unusual. The book is made up of dozens of "reviews" on a 1-5 scale from things as specific as "The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest" and as general as "Sunsets." The reviews tend to be one part microhistory, one part memoir, and one part broader cultural context. Even essays about timeless phenomena (Sycamore Trees, Canada Geese) are processed through the lens of the modern day and living on what has inarguably become a human-centric planet. 

While all of this is true, it is still difficult to describe what exactly this book is. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author, and I don't think I can count the number of times it brought tears to my eyes. Green is utterly sincere about not only his fear, but also his hope, and it is difficult not to feel some of the ache of the words for myself. This is a fairly short book that I feel richer for having read, and I believe there is something in it for anyone living in the world today.

Death on the Island

 

Death on the Island by Eliza Reid (2025), 336 pages

I really wanted to like this book. I read Kara's review and thought, "I like Nordic Noir - I'll give it a read." Unfortunately, I found it to be on the level Murder She Wrote. This is not an insult as I like Murder She Wrote, but the TV show level writing is perfect for MSW, not for Death on the Island. I kept hearing Jessica Fletcher's voice every time the protagonist, Jane, spoke. The supporting cast felt like that - a supporting cast. It was so hard to connect with anyone as all the characters seemed performative and caricatures of various tropes. There are so many great Nordic Noir's out there, I suggest reading one of them. 

Salt Bones

 

Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan (2025), 384 pages

In a border town in California of Latina and Indigenous culture, Mal works to survive raising two children while dealing with the past trauma of her sister going missing. Things come to a head when another young woman disappears and then Mal's own daughter vanishes. Combining elements of Mexican folklore and the very real reality of missing Indigenous girls, Givhan delivers a story of a mother's determination coming face to face with those in power and entitlement. 

I enjoyed this book, but also found it frustrating. And I am not sure why. If you read it, let me know what you think.

The Score

 The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game, by C. Thi Nguyen, © 2026, 368 pgs.

Fascinating topic but was ultimately unsatisfying for me, despite a glowing blurb from Steve Wozniak on the cover. Nguyen, a philosophy professor, dives into his philosophy of games, breaking down scoring structures into a concept he calls "The Four Horsemen of Bureaucracy," which are Rules, Scale, Parts, and Control. These, he posits, are the key components in games but are also found in many disciplines in work and life. A basic example is the shoe cobbler versus a worker in a shoe factory. One is an artisan and craftsman, the other is a cog in a machine, doing a basic task in exchange for consistent work. Everyday we operate in a world of these kinds of rules in exchange for something for value, but with games it's different. When we play games, we operate in someone else's structure, but doing so creates a sense of 'play.' This sense makes a game fun--even if the game is not that good. Nguyen tacitly argues that we should approach other systems of control in a similar fashion--as a playground for ideas and learning. Ultimately, while there are a lot of good ideas here (and I think this is a great book for the non-philosophy-minded reader), Nguyen fails to land on a solid ending. What he really ends up doing is describing economics and the dangers of capitalism writ large. And even though the subtitle of the book is "how to stop playing someone else's game," he openly admits that he has no answer. I get what he's trying to say, but I wanted him to at least land on a conclusion, even if it was a challenging one. He was too indecisive, too afraid to tell the reader what to think, lest he be contributing to the same structures he's attempting to dismantle. Ending the book with a choose-your-own-adventure style ending only made it feel listless.

Moss'd in Space

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne, 368 pages

For years, Torian has been saving up her meager pay to buy a spaceship, which she plans on using to take her sister to a human planet where scientists can help cure her sister's chronic pulmonary condition. When she finally gets to buy a spaceship, it turns out the only one she can afford is an alien ship that's been hanging around the dock for a century, and is covered in moss. Still, she can work with that. But then she learns that the moss is actually an organic computer with abandonment issues and way more sarcasm than anyone Torian has ever met. Seems like an excellent setup for some problematic hijinks.

I absolutely loved Thorne's Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series, and I'm thrilled that she's taking things into space (but keeping the pirates, because duh). Moss is an amazing character, Torian's just reckless enough, and all of the supporting characters are fantastic. I loved this series-starting science fiction, and I can't wait to read more of Torian and Moss's adventures.

*This book will be published July 7, 2026.

How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson, 368 pages

Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen is reluctant about going back to work following a traumatic experience more than six months ago. But when a teen girl is murdered in a park near Samantha's house, she's determined to help solve the crime. Complicating matters is of a "self-help" book called How to Get Away with Murder by a man going by the pseudonym Denver Brady that is found with the body. Brady professes to be a serial killer, and chapter by chapter, tells his readers how to kill and not get caught. Was the girl's murder another one of Brady's? Is it the work of a copycat? Or is the book's presence at the crime scene simply misdirection?

This was an intriguing premise, especially as Samantha's investigation is interspersed with chapters from Brady's book, and kept my interest through the bulk of the story. However, the end got a bit convoluted for my taste, and honestly, kept it from sticking in my brain for more than a week or so after reading it. OK, but nothing amazing.

Josephine Baker and Orlando

 Josephine Baker by José-Louis Bocquet with art by Catel (2017) 568 pages

I like that this writer/artist pair make hefty graphic bios. I previously read their graphic biography about Alice Guy. They are able to include so many details and episodes from Josephine's life. I've previously read the biography about Josephine's espionage work for the British and French Resistance during WWII. This graphic book provides a lot more depth about her early life and her work as an entertainer. The WWII period, by contrast, is quite brief. Her later life related to her raising the "Rainbow Tribe" of orphans was fascinating too. The biographical notes at the end on secondary historical figures that crossed paths with Josephine are extensive. In fact, I thought some did not need to be included, since they barely played a role in her story.

Orlando adapted by Susanne Kuhlendahl (2026) 224 pages

I really enjoyed Sally Potter's movie version of Orlando. And this is one of two graphic novel adaptations of Virginia Woolf's queer story coming out this year. I had not read any Woolf novels in school, so it is only through recent Wiki research that I learned Woolf is part of the Modernist literary movement with "stream of consciousness" passages. Kuhlendahl's adaptation definitely keeps this style front and center. However, instead of Orlando breaking the fourth wall like in the movie, Woolf, the "biographer," is present on the page and comments on being a biographer of this character. There is no scientific or magical explanation for how Orlando is able to live more than 300 years, nor for how Orlando transforms from a man into a woman. We are simply asked to ponder "what if" this is true. The story is episodic with changing art styles. It is full of commentary on gender, poetry, love and life, and changing fashions. I thought the chapter set in the Victorian 19th century was the weakest part and the finale set in the early 20th century (Woolf's era), while things truly move at a faster pace, still felt rushed after the depth of the earlier historical periods.

Midwives

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian (1997) 374 pages

Sibyl Danforth is a midwife, living and working in rural Vermont. When something goes terribly wrong during one of her deliveries, on a winter night when the roads have become impassable, she is accused of murder. It's a subject that's fraught with emotion, and is told from the point of view of Sibyl's 14-year-old daughter Connie, with snippets of Sibyl's own voice in journal entries at the beginning of most chapters.

I had never read Chris Bohjalian before, and was directed to this novel as a good place to start. Even though I knew the subject was difficult, when I read a few "test" pages, his writing pulled me in, with no backing away.

Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, 320 pages

This book has been reviewed and recapped by lots of UCPL staffers in the past, most recently by Regan, who read it for Orcs & Aliens (just like I did) and wrote an excellent summary and review that you can see here. I will say that I listened to this book, which was read by a full cast, and really brought to life the transcripts and journal entries that comprised the book. Interestingly, the people in Orcs & Aliens who read the physical book didn't seem to enjoy it as much, which says a lot about the quality of the audio production. It's thrilling and keeps you guessing, and I definitely loved it. I'll be listening to the rest of the trilogy in the near future.

The Deep Dark

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag, 480 pages

Mags is a teenager with some very adult problems on her hands — she's the primary caregiver for her ailing grandmother while juggling work and school too and her kinda-relationship with a girl must be hidden from the girl's boyfriend. Oh yeah, there's also a secret monster in the basement that leaves her bleeding and exhausted every night, and could kill people if it got out. But when a childhood friend returns, Mags finally gets some of the support she needs, and she begins to realize that things don't have to be the way they are.

This graphic novel beautifully tells a complex story of identity, family prejudice, and finding comfort with who you are. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is so thought-provoking (and is obviously so personal to Ostertag) that I'm still turning it over in my mind more than a month after reading it. Highly recommended.

Deep End

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, 464 pages

Competitive diver Scarlett has no time for anything but school and recovering from an injury that almost ended her career. Extremely disciplined world champion swimmer Lukas has been dating Scarlett's dive team captain for ages, at least publicly. In private, Lukas' "girlfriend" is more interested in dating around, and suggests that Lukas and Scarlett hook up, since both are more into kink than she is. What starts as a sex-only arrangement, however, soon becomes something more, as Scarlett and Lukas spend more time together in bed and at the pool, though the situation is complex, especially when Scarlett's captain doesn't want to fully let go of Lukas.

This is a pretty spicy college romance, though it's done incredibly well, as it shows the more emotional and intellectual side of a kink-centric relationship than often appears in romance novels. I honestly didn't think I'd like this one as much as I did, as I didn't expect that level of emotional complexity. Another good one from Hazelwood.

Trust Me On This

Trust Me On This by Lauren Parvizi, 367 pages

Two long-estranged half-sisters have both been summoned to Seattle to have one last visit with their dying father, a man who doted on one daughter and largely ignored the other. Both have issues and strange baggage (both literal and emotional) to deal with on the road, but reluctantly find themselves re-connecting.

I'll be honest: I read this book more than a month ago, and I only remembered reading it because it was on my list of stuff to blog about. I obviously can't remember much (including character names), and the plot apparently wasn't my cup of tea, though there is a... cat?... that I vaguely remember enjoying. That said, the only thing I can remember better than books I love are ones I absolutely hate, which means that this one was pretty middle-of-the-road, AKA there are worse books out there. 

Slayers of Old

Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines, 352 pages

When they were teens, Jenny, Annette, and Temple were all Chosen Ones, tasked with defeating evil as a hunter of Artemis, a half-succubus, and a wizard, respectively. But now they're all much older and have put their battle days behind them, choosing to run a secondhand bookstore in Salem. Of course, evil has decided it's not quite done with them, and when locals start summoning ancient magical creatures, the trio must get back in the saddle to once again vanquish demons and secure the safety of Salem.

Blurbs about this book describe it as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Golden Girls," and boy howdy, is that correct. It's a ton of fun, and has lots of nods to the Slayer, though knowing Buffy isn't a requirement for enjoying this book. A great time and hopefully the first of many featuring Jenny, Annette, and Temple.

Spider to the Fly

Spider to the Fly by James Markert, 352 pages

Ellie Isles was a regular suburban mom until a serial killer murdered a stranger who was identical to Ellie. Equally fascinated and horrified by the coincidence, Ellie started her own investigations into the killer known as the Spider, who left victims scattered alongside I-64, and wrote a bestselling true crime book about her experience. Four years later, the killer is still at large and more victims keep appearing, but Ellie has created an online following that's helping her get ahead of the Spider, and helping her remember some long-buried memories that may shed some light on the case.

The premise of this book is intriguing and it definitely is a wild ride. However, I found a lot of the final twists to be a bit over-the-top — it almost feels like two books smushed into one. Still, if you want a quick and terrifying thriller, give this one a go. Just don't hurt yourself rolling your eyes at the way-too-convenient conclusion. 

Do Not Sell at Any Price

Do Not Sell at Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78 rpm Records by Amanda Petrusich, © 2014, 288 pgs.

This was a fun read for the Rn'B book group. Petrusich is a freelance music writer working on a story about the rise in vinyl sales (at the time in 2014 they were trending up; in 2025 they reached a billion in sales) when she's tipped off to a sub-sub genre of record collector--the 78 collector. For the unvitiated, 78s were the original records, made of shellac, very heavy and very fragile--if you dropped it on the floor it would shatter like a plate. These records spin at 78 revolutions-per-minute (or rpm's) and were typically played on the only players available at the time, the victrola. Millions of 78s were sold in the 20s and 30s before the techonolgy improved and turned to the vinyl records we know today. When that happened, 78s fell by the wayside, collecting dust in basements, attics and landfills. But in the 60s and 70s, a rag-tag group fell in love with them, particularly the 78s that were recorded by some of the earliest blues players. In fact, many of the recordings we have today of these musicians were sourced directly from the collections of 78 enthusiasts. Blues artists like Ma Rainey, Charlie Patton and Skip James would be lost to time. The author takes a deep dive into the materials, catching the 78-collector bug and begins trying to find her own rare blues records. 

Murder at Gulls Nest

Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd, 336 pages

Novice nun Frieda was released from her vows, but kept up correspondence with her fellow novice Nora for quite a while afterward. But after sending a letter claiming that all of the residents of the long-term hotel where she lived were hiding something, Frieda's letters simply stopped, and Nora knew that something was wrong. Following her friend's footsteps, Nora also asked to leave the convent and her vows, and travels to that same hotel, Gulls Nest, to see if she can track down Frieda. She's met with a quirky group of residents, and before long, a series of murders to add to her investigation.

Set in Kent in the 1940s, this series-starting mystery introduces a winning amateur detective in Nora Breen, and the supporting characters are just kooky enough to make all of them suspects. It kept me guessing and took me directions that I didn't expect — but as I read it a while back, I can't remember whodunnit. Which perhaps gives this reread potential, but also shows that it didn't stick with me particularly well. However, if you dig WWII-era mysteries with plucky female detectives, this one is right up your alley.

The Maniac

The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut (2023) 354 pages

This is a fictional memoir of renowned Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann. Overall, this is a dark read – Neumann scorched everyone he interacted with and was as complicated as his arcane areas of study. Labatut plays it loose with a cast of historical characters who interacted with the brilliant polymath. Borrowing heavily from secondary sources and his imagination the author weaves a tale of ambition, hubris and brilliance. I enjoyed the literary device of letting contemporaries tell the saga. Labatut has an uncanny ability to assume the voice of the narrator, including context. My favorite example is physicist Richard Feynman describing his limited interactions with Neumann. The chapter reads like a mini-biography of Feynman and describes the frenetic atmosphere of the WWII Manhattan project -- constructing the first atomic bombs (did I mention dark?).  The tragic nature of Neumann’s legacy – he died at age 53 – is strewn across the pages like radiation from a nuclear explosion.

Murderbot Diaries #2 and #3

 Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2018), 158 pages

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (2018), 159 pages

I am loving this series. You really just need to read them. Both of these books (entries?) find our intrepid explorer continuing on his quest to figure out his murderous past while reluctantly trying to stop evil corporations from destroying the universe. Much to his dismay, he is becoming more and more human like and can't shake his need to protect them. I particularly like his snarky interactions with other Artificial Intelligences. Murderbot never fails to let you know exactly what he thinks and it is hilarious. 

The Library Mule of Cordoba

 The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfrid Lupano and Léonard Chemineau, 263 pages.

In 976 Cordoba is the center of learning for the Western world, and people come from far away to study in its magnificent library. But after the caliph dies young and a vizier is appointed to rule Al-Andalus everything changes very quickly. The new vizier decides that most of the library's texts are heretical, and burns them to help push for wars that will allow him to conquer more of what is today Spain. Tarid is the head librarian, and although he is a slave and a eunuch he won't allow this to happen. Tarid, a copyist, and a thief all set out to save the most precious books, taking them on a dangerous journey across Al-Andalus.

Byron wrote about this graphic novel almost exactly a year ago, and it has taken me this long to get around to reading it. I appreciated that this was both very historically interesting and a solid adventure story. It's not very common to find books set during this period, and this one has a fairly extensive section in the back giving history and context after the story was over. It is sad to see how often book burning and suppression go hand-in-hand with religious extremism (regardless of the religion), but it also makes the history feel very present. Recommended for people interested in Muslim Spain, historical libraries, and a wild adventure to save books. 

Kindred

Kindred by Octavia Butler, 306 pages.

Dana is a black author living in California the year of America's bicentennial. Which leaves her totally unprepared to be pulled through time to a plantation in Antebellum Maryland, where a young white boy is drowning. Dana finds herself being pulled back to the past to save this boy again and again, even as he grows into a man she is not sure is worth saving, and each trip is longer and more harrowing than the one before. 

This is the first Octavia Butler novel I have read, and I found it very well done. This novel, while usually credited as the first science fiction novel by a black author, is definitely on the literary side, with a lot going on thematically. This is a heavy book, emotionally, but it also feels very rewarding. There is a reason this is a classic, and I would definitely recommend it. 

Phoebe's Diary

 Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl (2023), 464 pages

If you read my previous post about Little Witch Hazel, you know that Phoebe Wahl is a favorite artist of mine. This is her somewhat true, somewhat fictionalized teenage diary. Wahl very much captures teenage angst and coming of age. It reminds me a lot of the risqué Judy Blume books we all read too young and hoped that our parents didn't know what was actually in them. Do people still read Judy Blume? I am aging myself, but I am not sure what the current equivalent would be. I suspect a lot of teenage girls would relate to this novel. If you are a parent to teenagers, you might want to wait until they are adults before diving in. 

Coffin Moon

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson, 320 pages

Vietnam vet Duane is back home after his tour of duty, and with the help of his in-laws, has managed to get sober (despite his job as a bartender), salvage his marriage, and become a foster parent to his niece, Julia. But one night at the bar, Duane runs afoul of local gang leader John Varley, and Varley decides the best way to get even is to massacre Duane's wife and in-laws in the goriest way possible. In their grief, Duane and Julia decide to get revenge on Varley, despite the fact that Varley is a vampire and nearly unkillable.

I loved this book, which felt like a throwback to the classic Stephen King novels of the 1970s, but without the coke-addled overlong books. This was tight, surprising, scary, and altogether fantastic. I highly recommend it for horror fans.

Not Quite Dead Yet

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, 400 pages

Jet is the disappointing daughter of one of the wealthiest families in town, having moved back into her parents' house as she procrastinates starting her life over. But then one day, she's attacked in her kitchen and left for dead. Jet survives the attack, but is given just a week left to live, which she chooses to spend solving her own murder. She moves onto her childhood friend Billy's couch and begins her investigation into everyone she knows, all of whom seem suspicious now.

This is an interesting conceit for a thriller/mystery, and overall it's done pretty well, acknowledging Jet's physical limitations in a way that would be totally ignored in a TV show or movie. However, I do have an issue with the fact that the doctor is able to pinpoint exactly how many days Jet has left before an aneurysm kills her — and the fact that the doctor is correct in her deadline. I get why it was done, but that bit made it hard to suspend disbelief in an otherwise excellent novel.

Red City

Red City by Marie Lu, 432 pages

Alchemy and the magical art of transformation is the rule in Angel City, which is unofficially under the power of two rival crime syndicates, each with their own alchemists and enforcers. Childhood friends Sam and Ari became close through their rough upbringings, but each is secretly recruited by the rival gangs. While they once may have loved one another, they soon find themselves facing decisions about family, loyalty, magic, and each other. The only thing that's clear is that neither of them can turn back now.

I'll admit that I read this one a while ago, and the main things that stuck with me were the brutality of the magicians and gang leaders, and the lack of trust EVERYWHERE. Really, this one reminded me of Jade City, and not just because of the name. So I guess read it if you already finished the Green Bone Saga and want more magical mafia books.

Homicide and Halo-Halo

Homicide and Halo-Halo Mia P. Manansala (2022, 279 pages)

Back in Shady Palms, the annual beauty pageant has the whole town busy in preparation. Lila is extra busy as a backup judge and opening up her new Bruja Cafe with her best friend Adeena. When a major figure in the pageant turns up dead in the river, accusations are thrown across the map and the event continues.

What I liked:
✨Like before, love learning the Filipino recipes!
✨This one was more fun trying to figure out what happened, there were lots of good contestants!

What I didn't like:
💤Not usually a fan of parading around girls to be gawked at, so the pageant setting wasn't my favorite despite some very progressive changes to it
 💤The main character is very much the Main Character and it often feels like the things that revolve around her are excessive
💤Continuing the love triangle but not really developing those relationships further

 The second in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series.

⭐⭐⭐ 

Greenteeth

Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill (2025, 304 pages)

Jenny Greenteeth keeps her lake nice and tidy. Sure, some people throw in trash, coins, bags of kittens, etc, which she collects and/or eats. When live human woman is thrown into her pond anchored down to die, she makes the decision to save her instead.

A magical, quest based book across Arthurian British Aisles. Unique characters with real conflicts, and the natural roller coaster that comes with enchanted adventure.

What I liked:
✨Magical whimsy
✨Apparently a lot of the characters/beings are real Arthurian legends, I didn't know a single one of them but I still enjoyed it!
✨"Found family starting to get kind of annoying too"

What I didn't like:
💤I know this is fantasy, but there were some unbelievable plot points that made me question the plot
💤Not a lot of explanation behind the BBEG (couldn't really tell you who he was, but it might help if you're familiar with this lore)

Favorite quote: "'Well what do you suggest? I'm not carrying him through the gate!'
I ended up carrying Cavall through the gate."

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

The Best of Adrian Tchaikovsky

 The Best of Adrian Tchaikovsky by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 624 pages

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a prolific cross-genre writer, and this (his first short story collection) collects work from the entirety of his long career. The book is sorted into six sections: sci-fi (post-apocalyptic and dystopian flavor), fantasy (low fantasy variety), weird, weird but it's a series of related paranormal stories, fantasy (high fantasy variety), and sci-fi (space flavor). This structure does a good job highlighting Tchaikovsky's range, although it's not ideal for reading straight through, which is in fact what I did. That being said, I am genuinely impressed at how variable Tchaikovsky's writing voice is. When reading more than 600 pages of short stories by the same author, it is easy for things to begin to feel repetitive (especially, for example, eight consecutive stories about post-apocalyptic settings), but Tchaikovsky does a great job inhabiting the narrators, and making them feel different. 

I think the greatest strength of this collection is stories that have the kernel of an idea that is interesting to think on later. Especially in the case of many of the shorter stories, the plot is interesting enough, but what hooked me was thinking about the concept and expanding on it in my own mind. That being said, there were a couple of stories that were real standouts in their entirety. Precious Little Things, which is about a society of tiny homunculi that arose in a wizard's tower as the wizard stood frozen in time but leaking power, apparently serves as a prologue for the novella Made Things, which I will definitely check out. The Final Conjuration is one of the most unique takes I've seen on a Sherlock Holmes story, which is a pretty competitive field, and is also very good in it's own right. Goblin Autumn is the last story in the collection, and I think I will be thinking about it for a long time. I will say, after reading enough stories, the structure that Tchaikovsky tends to gravitate towards becomes a little more obvious, and it becomes easier to anticipate the plot twists when you come to recognize the types he likes to use. Overall I think this is a very strong collection, but it may be best enjoyed a little at a time. 

Lady Tremaine

 Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (2026), 352 pages

Mother's always know that sometimes hard choices need to be made for the future of your children. Sometimes those choices make you appear to be an evil Stepmother in the eyes of the very children you are protecting. This novel is a loose twist on Cinderella. It follows Etheldreda as she navigates surviving twice-widowhood in a crumbling house with little income, and three daughters who are coming of age. I don't want to give too much away, but it is a great look into single-parenthood, the resourcefulness of fake-it to you make-it(ish), and standing up for what is right while staying true to yourself. This is an imaginative take on the story and definitely worth a read.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny (2024) 240 pages 

Cinematic and expansive. Parallels some of the Godfather trilogy organized crime milieu, but with a gay man at the center. Closeted gay men, who are both immigrants in America, find the underworld of importing and selling alcohol and, later, other drugs to be their way to success and power. Jules, the younger protege, and Adam are scrappy. The story moves from 1930s Chicago to 1940s New York. Eufrasio is a more violent and ambitious partner from the Mafia family in New York who comes between Jules and Adam. Jules begins to hate himself as he confronts betrayal and guilt.

The Elsewhere Express

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao, 432 pages. 

Sometimes when people's thoughts start to drift away from their life, those people drift towards the Elsewhere Express, a train made of thoughts that promises a more magical existence, full of peace and purpose. Raya has been drifting for years, robbed of her purpose when the brother she was born to save dies young. She has tried giving up her dreams of songwriting to pursue his instead, but she can't help but feel unmoored from her life. She finds herself on The Elsewhere Express at the same time as Q, an artist who is losing his art as he loses his vision. But something else has boarded the train at the same time, a stowaway with the power to destroy the train is Q and Raya can't find a way to stop it. 

This book has maximum amounts of whimsy, balanced out somewhat by the very real pain of the characters. It feels like the show Infinity Train by way of Studio Ghibli. While the story was engaging, the setting is the real star of the show. It creates the kind of place that I wanted to linger in while I read the book. However, time nonsense is a bit of a plot pet peeve of mine, and I am afraid that does come into play into this book, which makes it a little hard for me to fairly judge the resolution. This is a book that deals heavily with the symbolic and emotional, turning it into something physical to examine it from a new angle. I don't know if I enjoyed this book quite as much as the author's first novel, but it has given me a lot to chew on, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up rereading it at some point. 

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

 The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, 256 pages.

The laws of the Kingdom of Fromage say that a woman cannot inherit, and Lady Camembert hates the idea of marrying a man so much that when her father dies she decides it would be much better to move to the capital and start living as Count Camembert instead. She has every intention of laying low, but is frankly pretty bad at that, and instead develops a friendship (or perhaps, impossibly, more?) with Princess Brie. Cam can't stop thinking about the princess, and it may yet bring the whole charade down around them.

This was a delightful book! The quantity of cheese puns really tickled my fancy, and it shouldn't be surprising that this isn't a book that takes itself too seriously. Most of it really captures a fairytale feeling, but it's also not afraid to throw in things like graphic tees and rotting in bed with a nintendo switch to capture the right vibe. The art is very expressive, and I really liked the character designs! I picked this up on a whim when it came across the circulation desk at the library, and I'm glad I did! This book was just plain fun, and I would recommend it. 

Unequal

Unequal : the math of when things do and don't add up by Eugenia Cheng (2025) 386pp

An unusual look at advanced, abstract mathematics with commentary on how numerical complexity can be applied to humanity. Cheng is a first-class writer, but her argument is a stretch, and we would be better served with two separate books. Her discussion of category theory is interesting but Cheng then asks the reader (who she assumes is clueless about advanced math) to apply this abstraction to humanity’s problems. Synergy, cross-disciplinary cooperation and communication across silos are all important, but an attempt to equate maths with social quandaries does not compute.