Regan recently wrote an excellent blog post that really encapsulates this cozy and wonderful fantasy novel, so I won't rehash what she's already done. I will say that this was comfy, cozy, and just overall wonderful, and I really loved the way things shook out for Tandy. Highly recommended for fans of Travis Baldree, Rebecca Thorne, and anyone who's ever dreamed of living in a bookstore or library. I can't wait to see what Coombe writes next!
The Giant: Orson Welles, the Artist and the Shadow by Youssef Daoudi (2025) 272 pages
Yes, Orson Welles was a voice actor on "The Shadow" radio program, and that is touched on in this book, but it is more his looming figure with drifting smoke from an ever-present cigar that is the shadow of the title. A thread that carries through this biography is Welles working to finish the film The Other Side of the Wind, a film that was only completed posthumously in 2018. The author/artist hits all the major events of his life and career, but the visual invention allowed by the graphic medium is the real strength of this book. I loved the alien ships of The War of the Worlds, which Welles adapted for radio, being depicted as massive '30s radio microphones. Welles was evidently a fan of bullfighting, so another clever visual is having his shadow play matador to a charging bull with a movie camera head. Behind the scenes anecdotes and Welles' appetite and his wicked humor fill the pages to bursting. Welles appeared in many TV commercials and recognized he acted in many bad movies. "The only thing I want written on my tombstone: 'He never did Love Boat.'" "[His career has] been two percent moviemaking and ninety-eight percent HUSTLING." So much care has been put into the black and white art with yellow highlights.
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall, 272 pages.
This book does an excellent job making the political personal. The people's whose lives who are described are rendered in such vivid detail that it is sometimes hard to remember that this book is not fiction, and that these are real events. Thrall is a talented journalist, and does a good job connecting a large history into a fairly short book. It is also a hard book to read, heartbreaking and infuriating. I had only general knowledge of the history of Palestine, and was completely ignorant of many of things in the mountain of injustices that a people living under occupation were subject to. It also seems important to note that this book was published in October 3rd, 2023, a few days before the region was brought to the forefront of global consciousness, and so does not include any of the devastation of the last few years. I am definitely interested in reading more by this author, and more on Palestine.
Annie Adams has a great aunt Frances whom she has never met, but the aunt is helping support her and her mother in a house in Chelsea that she owns, while the aunt lives on her large estate in the English village of Castle Knoll. When Annie is summoned to Frances' home for a meeting, along with Frances' attorney and her late husband's nephew Saxon, no one expects to find Frances dead. She has a sizable estate and her will stipulates that it will all go to either Annie or Saxon if either of them can solves Frances' murder within a week. If that does not happen, the estate will be sold off and the proceeds given to the government. The job of selling the property goes to the attorney's grandson Oliver, who will presumably reap commissions from the sales. If the village detective solves the murder first, the estate still goes to the government.
Yes, Frances was so sure that she would be murdered that this information was in her will. And the evidence shows that she was indeed murdered—by an megadose injection of iron. When she was a teen, Frances had been told by a fortune teller that she would be murdered, and Frances was a believer. She kept a room in her house filled with information about everyone she came into contact with who might possibly become her murderer. There was even one of those murder boards that are seen in police shows, with photos and strings.
The race is on, to see if one of the possible heirs can solve the murder in time. The story dips back into Frances' younger life, via her diary, which Annie found. The diary was immensely helpful in following Frances' thoughts. There are lots of characters to consider, and some surprises, as well as danger. Recommended.
For seven years, straitlaced Simon has been one of the leads on a popular science fiction TV show, opposite Charlie, a handsome and chaotic former reality star. After the season ends, Simon's planning on leaving for a serious acting job on Broadway, though he hasn't shared that info with anyone. However, given his standoffishness, Simon's concerned that it will look like he's leaving because he was difficult to work with, so when Charlie offers to help his image with some chummy social media posts, Simon reluctantly says yes. Despite Charlie being everything Simon detests.
This enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance is classic Cat Sebastian, in that it's fantastic, with fully realized characters and a thoughtful consideration of emotional and psychological baggage. Really, my only complaints with this book are that the excuse for the road trip seems a bit flimsy, and the cover makes this look like it takes place in the 1960s (which it most certainly does not). Otherwise, it's fantastic, and I highly recommend it.
Author-who-unexpectedly-solves-murders Ernest Cunningham has traveled to a tiny Australian town with his fiancée in a last-ditch effort to get a loan to kickstart his private detective business. But while they're there, a bank robbery ensues, and Ernest soon discovers that all ten hostages (himself included) are guilty of some sort of theft, whether it's gold or simply a pen, though he can't quite figure out why or how they've all come together. As Ernest recounts the tale from the small safe in which he's trapped, he lays out all the elements as a way of getting the reader to solve the mystery.
I've read a previous Ernest Cunningham book in the past, and found it incredibly annoying, in large part because of the footnotes scattered through that one (with very few exceptions, footnotes in fiction are the WORST). I picked this one up because I hoped that the heist of it would make it better. This one thankfully doesn't have the footnotes, but Ernest's "I'm smarter than you" vibes are still in full force. I stuck with it until the end because I really did want to know what the deal was, but that was in spite of, and not because of, the first-person narration. Don't think I'll be trying another one of these.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (2018, 432 pages)
⭐⭐⭐
Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy, #1) by Maiga Doocy (2024, 416 pages)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
All You Knead Is Love by Tanya Guerrero, 384 pages.
This was a pretty solid middle grade coming-of-age novel. I'm not sure there's a lot here to recommend it to adults, but I do think I would definitely recommend it to middle schoolers. I really liked Alba, and I thought all of the characters were really interesting, even if this may not be the most nuanced book.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, 343 pages.
This book was very interesting, and I can see why it got so much attention when it came out a few years ago. The four perspectives across 40 years allows for a very nuanced examination of race in America. That being said, I do think the first half of this book is stronger than the second. It starts very strong, but then feels as if it just sort of fades out until the book ends. Still, I do think this is worth reading.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (2017) 329 pages
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higgenbotham (2024) 563 pages
Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey (2025), 384 pages
Delicious in Dungeon vols 9-14 by Ryoko Kui (trans. Taylor Engel), 1256 pages.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy, 416 pages.
The Fallen: The Lost Girls of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries and a Legacy of Silence by Louise Brangan, 368 pages.
After independence, Ireland started on the endeavor of nation building, and hung much of its modern national identity on the purity of its people, and especially its women and girls. This fear that girls could cause the corruption of the nation led to a culture of shame and silence, and droves of young women immigrating or being institutionalized. Brangan does and excellent job tracing not only the full history of the laundries, but also their context in both the past and present. She delves into a history of injustice that had been intentionally repressed, and attempts to create a more complete record of the truth.
This is, overall, a very approachable work of nonfiction. It highlights several girls who spent time in the laundries through the decades, and uses this human element for both primary source material and a narrative that is easy to digest. Her dedication to context also means that the reader does not need much knowledge of Irish history at all to understand the information being presented. My only major complaint is that Brangan is often not very clear about when events are happening. She will transpose the stories of girls who were in the laundries decades apart on the same page, sometimes making it difficult to trace the evolution of the institution. That being said, I do consider this a very solid history of the Magdalene Laundries, and would recommend it for people interested in Irish history, or women's history.
This book will be published 5/5/2026.
Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe, 384 pages.
In a purely complimentary way, I don't know if I've ever read a book that was more purely wish fulfillment. What if instead of doing your boring duties you literally can't leave a bookstore? One complete with beautiful old books, comfy but pretty clothes, a magical cat, a lovely garden, and an extremely handsome pirate who won't stop bothering you? In addition to the general coziness of this premise, I thought this book was more generally very well done. Tandy's arc felt emotionally compelling, and I really liked how the princes gave a sense of external progression, in addition to allowing characters to be added slowly and in an easy to process way. Coombe also consistently chose narrative options that I found the most satisfying, which is perhaps praise specific to me, but did help push this book over to 5 stars for me. I highly recommend this as the new ultimate in cozy fantasy.
This book will be published 04/14/2026.
There have been some mixed
reviews of this book, but I enjoyed it. I was looking for a suspenseful, twisty
thriller and this is it. Yes, there are some predictable parts. But, honestly,
if you read enough thrillers, there are always some predictable parts. I
am not sure that last time I read a completely out of the blue surprise ending.
So I am going to give this one some grace.
The book follows two friends as
they embark on a caving adventure. A stranger follows them down and things get
intense and dangerous. Secrets come out. I listened to the audiobook (the
narrator does a fantastic job) and spent most of the time trying not to hyperventilate
from claustrophobia. Obviously, I wasn't there, but the author does such a
great job describing the cave, you can feel the walls closing in. I 100% do not
want to go caving after reading this book.
History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (2025), 373 pages.
After
reading Annie's review, I thought I would check
this out. Overall, I really enjoyed the cozy mystery and insight into higher academia.
My only (very slight) gripe is that Daphne is almost too worldly with too much
of an interesting family background to be relatable. Although - it does serve
her well in detecting.
Lorna is in her early forties, practically alone in the world since her mother and grandmother died and her father and her sister live in Florida. Her sister Kristen has been an addict since a very young age, and her addiction has cost the family in many ways: their parents' marriage, their home, their finances, their friends, their peace.
Lorna is an excellent saleperson in a software company, but the team she leads does not like her because she drives them too hard and is unkind. Her only advocate in the company is Deb, who says that Lorna must take an immediate leave of absence to attend a wellness program over the course of the next thirty days, in order to deal with her anger and her life in general. Lorna resists, but it's the only way to keep her job.
The novel follows Lorna's path, including lookbacks on her life and her sister's addiction. The issues are presented realistically, along with the fits and starts by which Lorna works on her life, including an apology tour, as well as her attempt to add people to her life.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (1956) 192 pages
Wow! A fabulous reading month for UCPL, as we blow last years best month out of the water by a whole 10 books! Without further ado: the March totals.
Byron: 4 books, 1332 pages
Chani: 3 books, 967 pages
Jan: 5 books, 1731 pages
John: 2 books, 740 pages
Kara: 29 books, 10207 pages
Kevin: 2 books, 656 pages
Regan: 10 books, 3343 pages
Tracey: 10 pages, 3174 pages
Totals: 69 books and 23,161 pages
Sybil is retired, but her days are far from empty. She spends some time each day exchanging correspondence with people who have impacted her life. She writes to authors whose books she has enjoyed. She composes emails to customer service representatives and college deans. She writes to her brother, to her best friend, to her children, to people she has mentored and people she has hurt. She does not write to her ex-husband, but she hears about how he is doing--how he is coping with his cancer diagnosis. Sybil learns about the lives of others and tells about her own life, but there is often something missing, something left unsent. Piecing together the life of Sybil Van Antwerp through her correspondence, seeing her growth from letter to letter and rooting for her from afar, one gets the sense of the fullness of her experience. Her connections to others not only define her existence but also enhance it. In the end, it is clear that Sybil has impacted many lives herself.
My mom recommended this to me as her favorite read of 2025, and I have to echo her endorsement. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics--aging, death, loneliness, grief--but it is also full of hope and love. Sybil is such a fun character to follow because she is deeply flawed from the start, but there is something endearing about the way she reaches out for connection and (for the most part) thoughtfully communicates with others. I also found myself becoming invested in the storylines of folks that Sybil wrote to. Virginia Evans did a great job writing this book full of love and empathy, especially for folks coping with the grief of aging. Please read this book :)
Oakland Public Library, 1973. The crime: impossible. A refence book, "for in-library use only", has been stolen and replaced with a near-perfect fake. Who had the know-how to make this switch? How was the thief able to get the reference copy out past the alarmed sensors? The library police are the only ones with the literary vernacular and the guts to solve this tricky case before it's too late. The stakes are high; the books are bound; and the criminal is going down.
Any library nerd will love this graphic novel. There is an overdramatized police procedural plot regarding a missing library book, a car chase complete with someone hanging off the back of the car, 1970s technology...what's not to love?! The art style is very different, colored in shades of brown and gray (library theme I assume), and looks a little silly, but it is clearly meant to emphasize the absurdity of it all. It is a fun and quick read for anyone nerdy enough to wade through the old technology references.
In 1928, a man got lost in the caves outside Chattanooga and found a gorgeous underground waterfall he named Ruby Falls after his wife. Within months, the falls had become a tourist attraction, though Ruby's friend Ada Smith found herself sneaking into the caves to explore beyond the official tour route. Soon, Ada got to know the caves better than almost anyone, which is why she was one of two people chosen to serve as a safety net for a psychic whose latest stunt is finding a hatpin in the caves by only reading the minds of the men chosen to hide it. While the stunt begins innocuously, it slowly unravels, as they pass the deadline to emerge from the caves and still haven't found the pin. Soon everyone is on each other's nerves, which reaches an apex when, after a brief rest, one of the men escorting the psychic is found dead. What was fun now becomes a race to escape the caves before the food, water, and light run out, and with a murderer in their midst.
I enjoyed reading this very claustrophobic book, as I love caves and all the spookiness that they bring. It was hard to tell if this was historical fiction, a mystery, or a thriller, as it certainly had bits and pieces of all three. But in the end, it doesn't really matter, as it was a fun read.
Finch Browning, a senior from a private high school, has just found out that he's been accepted into Princeton. However, a scandal arises when he sends our a photo from a party. The photo shows sophomore Lyla Volpe lying on a bed, apparently drunk, in a short dress with a breast mostly exposed. A caption on the photo refers to a green card, which some see as racist, since Lyla is half Brazilian. This touches off an investigation at the school, and if Finch is suspended, it's possible that his admission to Princeton could be rescinded.
Alternating points of view are those of Lyla, her father, Tom, and Nina Browning, Finch's mother. Lyla just wants the adults to ignore the whole issue. Tom, her father, is furious and wants justice, hoping, but not at all sure whether a rich kid like Finch will be held accountable. Tom is not wealthy, and he is regretting getting Lyla into this private school that seems to be filled with students who have way too much money. Nina doesn't know what to believe, but she's fearful that the story about Finch is true, which seems to mean that he is turning out more like his father, someone who thinks his wealth means he can do whatever he wants. She wants justice for Lyla, who reminds her of her own younger self, who was assaulted in college.
The storyline evolves and it's not clear what really happened, whether Finch is taking the rap for someone else, or whether he's responsible for the photo. I sometimes wondered why I was reading this book, but as the possibilities emerged, and the main characters tried to view the multiple ways to see the situation, I needed to see the story through to the end.
When they were teens, Olivia and Carmello met and fell in love as they worked together in Celia's Place, Carmello's mother's restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. Raised by activist parents who never stayed in one place long, Olivia finally found a sense of home in the restaurant, which provided her with stability and fed her desire to become a chef. At 20, however, Olivia left Providence to seek her food fortunes elsewhere, and while Carmello wanted to go with her, his loyalty to his mother and her health needs kept him home, and destroyed their relationship. A decade later, Celia has died after a long battle with cancer, leaving Olivia a 25% stake in the restaurant that she hasn't seen in years. While she's still drifting between jobs as a personal chef, Olivia has a bit of time on her hands, and decides to head back to Providence to see what she can do for Celia's Place... and perhaps reignite the relationship to which she compares all others.
Usually, a multicultural second chance romance with lots of droolworthy food, single parents, and good representation of living with mental and physical health issues is a slam-dunk recipe for me. And for the most part, this romance was excellent. HOWEVER, the plot devices related to Celia's will soured it for me, as all of it seemed contrived. But if you're able to look past that, this one is a fun read, though it will make you hungry.
It's 1977 in a tight-knit neighborhood in Rochester, New York, and when a recently divorced woman gives all of the ladies in the neighborhood book group a copy of The Joy of Sex, it's like a bomb has gone off. Nina begins to realize that her long and emotionless marriage isn't making her happy anymore and that she should seek pleasure elsewhere. Meanwhile, Nina's oldest daughter, Clara, steals the book to woo the boy next door, her first love. But when Nina and her prominent neighbor run off for quickie divorces and a wedding, it upends everything, including Clara's relationship with her now-stepbrother. Just as we're getting used to the late 1970s, the book jumps forward 20 years, to check in on food stylist Clara and her estrangement from her family.
This was a quick, engaging read that took some odd and hilarious turns, and really examined family, betrayal, love, and somehow surviving it all. My problem with this book is that most of the development seems to happen in the 20-year gap between the 70s and 90s. Both sections are fantastic and well worth reading, but I kinda wish we'd had a chance to see exactly how everyone got to where they were in the 90s. Still, definitely worth the read!
Fear is an integral part of the human experience. It was ingrained into our ancestors who needed its signals to flee from wild animals and natural disasters--but in the modern era, sometimes our fear response actually holds us back rather than protecting us. In this self-help guide, Dr. Susan Jeffers outlines her theories about fear and her advice on how to overcome it.
I am not usually a big self-help reader, but I enjoyed this one. It is a little bit dated--Dr. Jeffers often tells you to "put on a tape" or use another form of older technology--but the overall advice holds up relatively well. This book is all about reminding yourself that you are stronger than you may think. You can handle whatever life throws your way.
The Comte de Valois de La Motte, son of the woman who purportedly stole an infamous necklace from Marie Antoinette, has run out of funds. But he does have a painting that may draw a high price from fans of the late French queen, and who better to buy it than Titus Pilcrow, a paint-maker who has recently found himself unexpectedly married and then widowed, the beneficiary of an elderly woman's need to marry and keep her noxious nephew from inheriting. Titus immediately takes to the Comte (Nico, as his friends call him), and asks him to help steer Titus through London's high society. Despite Nico's nefarious plans, he agrees and finds himself unwilling to con the man that he finds increasingly appealing. But as debts rise and unscrupulous loan sharks come calling, Nico must make some move — but will it destroy his burgeoning relationship with Titus?
This was a very engaging story, and I particularly loved all the details about color creation, artistic techniques and forgeries, and fashion. However, between those and the long con that was going on throughout the book, the romance got a bit lost in the shuffle. Still, a fun trip into a historical romantic tale.
This book will be published April 28, 2026.
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (2025), 387 pages
I
was dense and didn't connect that this might be a follow-up to The Woman in Cabin 10. I realize it has that on the cover, but I
listened to the audiobook and it totally escaped me. So, when I heard the name
Lo Blacklock, all the pieces came together. If you have the time, I highly
suggest re-reading The Woman in Cabin 10. It came out in 2016 and getting a
refresher on that mystery will enhance this one. There is a ten-year time jump
between the two stories. I appreciated this as Lo has a bit more backstory as
do the supporting characters. Lo, though (and I do say this with love), is
still a fumbling, naive human that you would have thought had learned more
through her first murder experience. But Ware does write solid, intricate,
twisty mysteries and I will continue to read them. I do hope she continues this
series and lets Lo grow a bit in her detective skills. Although, I suppose it
wouldn't be Lo if she wasn't a completely trusting and generous soul.
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon (trans. Anton Hur), 160 pages.
This adorable little book had a really interesting premise, and I was really excited to read it! Unfortunately, I found the execution a little weak. This may partially be due to a weak translation, which couldn't help but remind me of the kind of cadence people use when they're talking about themselves on the internet. It's an easy read, but it doesn't feel like it particularly delivers on its premise, or explores most of its themes in a very meaningful way. Not terrible, but I would recommend
Unbreakable by Mira Grant for a better execution of similar themes.
Poppy Stringer is a star on the rise as an Instagram influencer. But to make sure she can make ends meet for herself and her daughter, Poppy moonlights as, well, "grave robber" is probably the best term for it. She steals bodies from morgues and funeral homes for whoever is willing to pony up the big bucks — she doesn't ask why they want them, just what/who they need and where to deliver the goods. But when Poppy's idol, gay rockstar Eddie Michaels, dies, she's hired to pick up and deliver his body for a fee that could allow her to drop the illegal job for good. Everything goes great until Eddie wakes back up, and then everything goes haywire.
I love the way Tingle is able to mix a truly horrifying story with humor and a bit of pointed commentary about society, and this book does it very well. I generally don't like zombie books, but when the main zombie is an undead singer who can't avoid a stage, well, that's a horse of a different color. I love all the things Tingle has to say about fame, infamy, beauty, and family while also seriously grossing me out. It's only March, and I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorites of the year.
This book will be published July 7, 2026.
Ali is the second son of an established Mumbai family, happily letting his older brother stress over the family business while he partied his way through life. However, when his mom decides that he needs to grow up, well, he doesn't have much choice in the matter. Thankfully, she's picked Maryam, the daughter of New York real estate tycoon Abbas Khan, to be his wife, a relationship he happily supplements with an affair with Maryam's divorced sister, Farhan. As Ali gets more and more ensconced in the Khan family business, he begins to realize that there are some dark secrets in the family and chooses to launch his own investigation, completely unsure of where it will lead.
It's hard to read a book about the ultra-rich and feel any sympathy for them these days, but thankfully, no sympathy is required with this cast of characters. Generally speaking, they're all horrible in one way or another (some in multiple ways), and the plot keeps you guessing. I also appreciated seeing a non-white family at the center of one of these family thrillers, and the elements of Indian traditions and food were wonderful additions. Sure, there were some twists that were a bit obvious, but really, that's par for the course with these books. Definitely worth a read.
This book will be published April 7, 2026.
Jane Pye and Simon Mash are a fairly bored and fairly weird couple that signed up for a private eye class on a whim. Their classmates and instructor certainly don't take them seriously, though when their instructor gives them a case that not even he could solve as homework, Jane and Simon attack it with the same misguided enthusiasm with which they approached the class. As they consider everything from serial killers to coincidence to a ghostly urban legend, Jane and Simon bumble their way through the investigation and attempt to stay out of hot water.
I don't mind hapless amateur investigators in mystery novels, but there's something annoying about the way Jane and Simon are characterized. So much of what defines them are the stereotypes of "millennial," which they are derogatorily called so many times throughout the book that I considered creating a drinking game (I did not, as I didn't want to pass out after two chapters). It was distracting from a story that went in so many different directions (probably too many directions) and needed careful concentration to crack. All in all, it was a miss.
Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill, 304 pages.
Will Eisner: A Comics Biography by Stephen Weiner and Dan Mazur (2025) 300 pages
Having read some of his autobiographical graphic novels (or autobiographical notes included in books that are not autobiographical works) I knew about his WWII service and his daughter dying leading to his crisis of faith. Otherwise, I wish there was more here. Eisner's youth and early career were full of interesting stories. I ate that part of the biographical comic up! Chapter 4, going into his business partnership with Iger, also kept the behind-the-scenes nuggets very interesting. Beginning with Eisner creating The Spirit, a private detective hero without a circus costume, the details become more slim. Through his later life, having a wife and kids and inventing the term "graphic novel," I wanted to know more, much more! The art style does a great job of giving multiple homages to Eisner.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, 528 pages.
This premise sounded so interesting, and it won a bunch of awards, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I thought this book was terrible. It's essentially boot strap paradox, the book. By the end I'm not sure that we even solved the crime, because it seems like most of what happens in the house is because of one or another of the protagonist's bodies. He is also, to be honest, not that good at investigating, which I find very personally frustrating, especially in a plot with such unique avenues for gathering information. Not a mystery I can recommend I'm afraid.
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'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.
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.
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."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 by Rivers Solomon, 166 pages.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, 304 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.
