The Murder at World's End

The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery, 336 pages

It's 1910, and Halley's Comet is about to pass Earth once again. Like any astronomical phenomenon, the conspiracy theories about the end of the world are running rampant. But Viscount Conrad Stockingham-Welt thinks he has a plan to survive the coming apocalypse — he will seal all of his guests, family members, and staff into their rooms at Tithe Hall, making the island-based manor airtight, and they will all emerge unscathed after the comet has passed. Everything goes to plan at the beginning, but when the rooms are unsealed in the morning, Conrad is dead, shot through the eye with a crossbow bolt. With no way for investigators to access the manor and the murderer still afoot, new footman Stephen Pike teams up with the viscount's oft-ignored Aunt Decima to solve the murder.

This book was just plain delightful. The murder could not have happened to a more deserving fellow, the sleuthing was well-paced and intriguing, and the set-up for the whole thing was fantastic. And the sleuths themselves! Foul-mouthed and science-minded Decima was an excellent partner to wary Stephen (whose past stint in jail makes him a prime suspect, and thus spurs him to solve the crime), and they were an excellent contrast to Inspector Jarvis, the bumbling fool sent to officially investigate. This was a light and fun take on the classic locked-room mystery, and I can't wait to read more from Montgomery.

Unshelved

Unshelved collections by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

Library Mascot Cage Match: an Unshelved Collection (2005), 120 pgs. 

Book Club: an Unshelved Collection (2006), 120 pgs. 

Frequently Asked Questions: an Unshelved Collection (2008), 135 pgs.

Have you ever wished for a comic about libraries? Well it already exists in the form of Unshelved, a web comic which ran from 2002-2016. These strips, created by librarian Gene Ambaum and cartoonist Bill Barnes, include everything from the mundane, everyday situations that occur in the public library, all the way to the most absurd. If you can't get enough of your library, give these comics a read.

There are some real gems in here and a few duds (as is to be expected in a few years worth of weekly comics). Overall, though, most strips hold up pretty well and are still relatable to daily life in the library! (Thankfully not the jokes involving the nudist patron.)

Limetown

 Limetown by Cote Smith, Zack Akers, and Skip Bronkie, 290 pages.

In this prequel to the popular podcast, a teenage Lia Haddock becomes obsessed with finding the truth about Limetown, and the 300 people who disappeared from it. Meanwhile, many years earlier, her Uncle Emile gets pulled deeper into the web of the shadowy scientists who are integral to the mystery.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a prime example of an unnecessary prequel. Many of the events here either weaken or completely contradict the events of the original podcast. It also feels like it is hardly the genre, lacking any real tension. It works a little better as a standalone book, but the fact that it's a prequel means that the ending isn't particularly satisfying. I would probably give this one a skip, definitely check out the Limetown podcast though, which does still hold up. 

Anatomy of an Alibi

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston, 352 pages

Camille's life looks pretty sweet from the outside, but behind closed doors, she's pretty sure her wealthy and powerful attorney husband Ben is hiding some pretty dirty secrets, though he also keeps pretty close tabs on her, so she doesn't know how to find out for sure. Aubrey's life was rocked a decade ago when her parents were killed by a drunk driver, and has recently come to suspect that Ben knows something about it. As both of them seek answers, Aubrey pretends to be Camille so that Camille can spy on Ben, and they can finally get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately for them both, Ben turns up dead during that same period, adding to their questions and casting them both as suspects in Ben's murder.

Told with alternating points of view and timelines, this twisty thriller keeps the reader guessing, slowly revealing more and more layers of deception and criminal activity. I can honestly say that I had no idea how this book would shake out, though when all the cards were on the table, they made sense. That's not always an easy thing in this sort of book, but I think Elston manages it well.

Catch Her If You Can

Catch Her If You Can by Tessa Bailey, 336 pages

Eve first saw Madden when they were in high school, and while she was immediately attracted to him she didn't speak up, letting her best friend's crush on Madden keep her away from him, even though he was obviously attracted to Eve. Now adults, Eve has taken over her late father's strip club and rebranded it as a burlesque venue (though she's still fighting the stigma of her father's business) and has taken in her niece and nephew while their mom goes to rehab. Meanwhile, Madden just got called up to catch for the Yankees. Still harboring a crush on his longtime friend, Madden offers to marry her so that Eve and her niblings have health insurance and some financial stability. While Eve agrees to the platonic plan, her stipulation that they remain friends (and spouses only for the financial benefits) doesn't hold up very long as their mutual attraction soon becomes abundantly clear.

This was a quick, spicy read, but it is far from my favorite romance novel this year. There's something off about Eve and Madden's relationship, and Eve seems like she needs therapy, not a relationship with the dude she's been pining over for years. Meh.

Yesteryear

 Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (2026), 400 pages

I was really looking forward to reading this book. As the "Tradwife" trend has hit the social conscious, I was interested in Burke's take on it. The novel centers around Natalie a strong-willed, strong-opinionated woman who orchestrates a marriage to an unmotivated husband that, thankfully, comes from family money. Natalie is a very unlikeable character who pretty much hates everyone who is not her. This is not to say she isn't clever as she manages to secure a family, a farm, and significant online following who love viewing her dream-like country life. Mid-way through the novel, though, she wakes up in the late 1800s. She now has to actually live the rustic live she portrays on Instagram. 

I was very much looking forward to this part of the novel as I loved the PBS series of shows that threw modern day folk back in time. Regrettably, Burke didn't capitalize on this and the novel became a confusion of thoughts and snippets in time that leave the reader lost and bewildered. The supporting characters are lackluster and predictable. There is no growth for Natalie and, in the end, the book is just sad and depressing.

Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions

Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions by Seanan McGuire, 608 pages.

This book collects the second half of Seanan McGuire's Velveteen Vs stories. Velveteen has defeated Super Patriots, Inc. and now she has to live in the changed world she's created. Or rather she doesn't, since first she has to fulfill her promise to the Seasonal Lands. But trouble keeps brewing while Vel is away, and happy endings are often not as simple as they look.

This book was definitely weaker than the first volume for me (which I reviewed here last year). There is so much playing with altered timelines, reality warping, and memory modification that it became extremely hard to keep track of what anyone knew or thought they knew. The rules of reality didn't seem that consistent, especially in regards to the seasonal lands which are presented as sort of a global average of ideas about seasons, but which in reality seem to have no real influences outside of America. I also found that the many omniscient musings on superheroes was more disruptive than enriching. All that being said, I do still really like these characters, and McGuire does a really good job exploring all of the things they could be. This collection manages to be a take on superheroes that is somehow both conventional and original. Overall, I definitely have criticisms, but it is still a good option if you're looking for a modern superhero novel. 

*This book is scheduled to be released on 5/31/26. 

Hamnet

Hamnet (2020) by Maggie O'Farrell, 320 pgs. 

Hamnet was eleven years old--he pulled practical jokes with his twin sister, Judith; he got on his older sister's nerves; he avoided his responsibilities; he laughed; he played. Hamnet was smart--he took after his father, the Latin tutor, in that way. Hamnet was generous and thoughtful, like his mother. Hamnet was here...and then he wasn't. 
This is the story of a family of individuals coping with a terrible loss and contemplating the legacy that Hamnet left behind. 

The characters of this tale truly make it what it is. Hamnet is the driving force behind this story, but Agnes--his mother--is the heart. Maggie O'Farrell does a wonderful job describing a powerful, self-sufficient, interesting woman at the center of this family--a nice change from the typical narrative centering of the man of the house (especially in historical focus on this family in particular). O'Farrell paints a picture of the life Agnes led and the connections she felt to nature and to those around her. And the other members of the family each get their moments in the sun as well. Every character feels complex and real. This is truly a magical story of love and survival and legacy. (Even better than the movie!!)

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

 If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (trans. William Weaver), 278 pages.

This labyrinthine postmodern novel is an experience, and an experience that is difficult to describe. It follows you, the reader, as you go to a book store and pick up a copy of Italo Calvino's new book, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, getting invested in the story only to realize that the story cuts off abruptly, and also isn't that book at all. The book continues to follow you, the reader, as he (who is still you) tries desperately to hunt down the end of the book as again and again every lead turns out to be yet another book you will never see the end to, in a twisting narrative of love, censorship, translation, and storytelling. 

It is nice sometimes to read a book that really feels like it requires all of my attention. This book is definitely a piece of art, juggling pronouns and realities with a slight-of-hand that feels fluid and puzzling, always inviting the reader (you the real reader, not the reader you) into deeper consideration of the nature of books, and perhaps also self. And if all of this is very confusing, so is the book! This is my second Italo Calvino novel, and both gave me a similar feeling to looking at a really good painting at a museum. They also both took me months to read despite being relatively short books. I would highly recommend this book, especially for anyone craving a challenge, but don't go into it expecting a fun and easy read. 

I also want to take a second to give major props to William Weaver. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to translate a book playing with language this precisely, all in addition to mastering 10 different voices for 10 different incomplete books. Truly a staggeringly impressive work of translation. 

My Friends

My Friends by Fredrik Backman (2025)

Louisa is turning eighteen and has been in foster care for almost all of her life. Her very best (and only) friend, Fish, had to leave foster care when she turned 18, and she has died, leaving Louisa untethered. Her only recourse is art. Especially that of an artist using the name C. Jat, who has a painting he had made as a teenager that became famous, called "The One of the Sea." She has carried a postcard photo of that painting for years, and she is determined to see it in person. What she does not expect is that by sneaking into the venue where the painting is up for auction, she has changed her life. First, she's thrown out of the venue and ends up meeting a homeless man behind a church. But the man is not homeless after all, and when his anxiety-filled friend tries to find Louisa later, an adventure begins, with a tapdance of personalities.

Louisa learns the history of the painting created 25 years before, and much more. Abusive home lives of some of the people in that history don't kill the joy that the friends of the artist feel when they are together. I felt tension, needing to see how things worked out 25 years ago, and wondering how things would turn out in the present/future. This is a great story with some philosophy added for dessert.