Poem of the day

The Guest House

Rumi
(Translated by Coleman Barks)

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Poem of the Day

 I, Too

By Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

From The Selected Works of Langston Hughes, Knopf Doubleday, 2011.

Funny Friday

March Favorites

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective (Wyatt Investigations #1) by Sarah Fox.  (Random House Publishing Group, 6 January 2026.)

I loved this cozy mystery about Emersyn Gray, guardian to her seven-year-old niece Livy.  Emersyn is "between jobs", as well as broke because her ex cleaned out her bank account.

In an effort to help, Emersyn's friend Jemma half-jokingly makes her some business cards for "Wyatt Investigations" (Wyatt being the name of her imaginary childhood crush).

While tailing her ex, Emersyn bumps into a handsome security expert named... Wyatt, and somehow they end up working together to get Emersyn's money back.

The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman.  (Simon & Schuster, 12 May 2026).

This is a twisty and charming mystery starring the residents of a London boarding house in 1953.  

When a secretive young man who introduces himself as "Jimmy" appears one night, and landlady Honor Wilson takes him in without question, the  four current residents are confused and intrigued.  

They are all convinced that he's bad news, and each attempts in her/his own way to determine who he really is.

The Primrose Murder Society by Stacy Hackney.  (HarperCollins, 3 March 2026).

This is another charming cozy about a woman and child solving mysteries together. 

Lily Shaw's husband has been arrested for white-collar crime. When she is turned out of her home by the FBI, Lily and her 10-year-old daughter move into a junk-filled apartment to clean it out.  

When the owner of the building's penthouse dies a few days after Lily and Bea move in.  When they learn that his will set up a two-million-dollar reward for whoever solves the murder of his granddaughter 21 years earlier.  

As an avid true-crime fan, Bea is determined to figure it out, and, acknowledging the need for money, Lila reluctantly agrees.

Like the heroines of Definitely Maybe Not a  Detective, Lila and Bea are intelligent, appealing protagonists.

The Tree of Light and Flowers  (Jane Whitefield #10) by Thomas Perry.  (The Mysterious Press, 3 March 2026). 

After the birth of her daughter, May, Jane Whitefield believes she's retired from helping people disappear. 

Three unrelated incidents change her situation.  

A teenaged girl and a middle-aged man who are seeking justice track her down.

Russian mob boss who thought Jane was dead learns that she isn't and sends his best to deal with her.

As a result, Jane is not only attempting to help two runners disappear, she's trying to protect her family and save her own life.

Cross-posted on Substack.

February Favorites

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet (Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 6 January 2026).

The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes (Lake Union Publishing, 1 November 2025).

Found in a Bookshop (Lost for Words)  by Stephanie Butland.  (Headline Books, 27 April 2023).                                   

                                                             

   

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (Berkley, 3 February 2026).

Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson (Sourcebooks Landmark, 7 July 2026).

That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (Park Row Books, 22 July 2025).

(Cross-posted to my Substack.)

Just finished reading...

 Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland.  (Headline, 27 April 2023).

I don't know how I missed this amazing book when it was first released!

The bookshop itself is the protagonist of this story, which takes place  during the first year of the COVID pandemic.

Loveday Cardew, the owner of Lost for Words, is beginning to wonder if her beloved bookshop will survive the shutdown.  While the store is still receiving a few online and phoned in orders, it's not nearly enough to support herself, her family, and her staff.

When they receive a letter from a customer, enclosing  cheque for £100, requesting a copy of Persuasion, and "books that we might think are wonderful".

After receiving a few such requests, shop manager Kelly comes up with the idea of a book "prescription" service.  On the store's social media, she posts a request for customers to tell them what they need right now: books to alleviate boredom or anxiety, loneliness, or any other issue that a reader (or non-reader!) might have.  

After the local newspaper publishes a piece about this "bespoke" service, which includes shipping or personal delivery, Lost for Words' business begins to revive.

The book's chapters alternate between vignettes about how Loveday and her staff and family, and people who live in the area are dealing with the unprecedented situation, and essays reflecting on the nature and importance of books.  

Butland has really written a love letter to books and their readers.  Although some of the stories about people trying to cope with the pandemic as well as their usual problems are painful to read, her message is one of hope and love.

Cross-posted on my Substack.

Just finished reading...

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page*.  Berkley, 3 February 2026.

Tilly Nightingale has been a widow for a mere 6 months.  She's having trouble coming to terms with the death of her husband, and is (not) dealing with it by throwing herself into her job as an editor.  

Previously a voracious reader, Tilly hasn't opened a book since Joe was diagnosed with cancer.  

Then she gets a call from bookstore owner Alfie Lane, who informs her that, prior to his death, Joe had arranged for him to give her a book, with a letter enclosed, every month for one year.  Knowing that Tilly had lost one of her greatest comforts, Joe arranged for each book to gently pull Tilly further out of her self-imposed isolation.

Tilly finds herself doing things and going places she'd never imagined experiencing.

During the course of the year, Tilly and Alfie develop a close friendship, which also eases Tilly's grief process.

Ms. Page has sensitively chronicled a difficult journey in a young woman's life.  The story she tells is engrossing, and satisfying.

Highly recommended!

*I borrowed this ebook from my local library.

  Cross-posted on my Substack.