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.