October favorites

The LIttle Shop of Merry and Bright  by Jenny Bayliss (Putnam, 22 September 2026).

This is Jenny Bayliss' seventh Christmas title, and it may be her best yet.  

When Casey declined her ex-boyfriend's marriage proposal, she didn't expect to turn into an internet meme.

She moved to a different town, changed her appearance, and took a job working nights replenishing stock at a local department store, and determines to avoid relationships at all costs.

Her resolution maybe thwarted, though, when she comes across the Spirit of Christmas Present, who has decided to take a vacation in the very store where Casey works.  

If you need a feel-good book that just might make you giggle out loud, you've found it!

***

The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor (Welsh Village Mystery #1)   by Lucy Connelly (Crooked Lane Books, 24 February 2026).

Lucy Connelly writes three different mystery series set in the UK, and I enjoy them all.  

Here, former journalist Dr. Gwen Griffiths takes a job at her alma mater in Dillynaidd, Wales.  

When she's introduced to her co-workers at a faculty party, only one of them is hostile and unpleasant.  Professor Alice Rice, who had hoped to be promoted to the position that Gwen was appointed to, is rude and unfriendly to everyone, but no one expects her to be killed.

Because she dies on Gwen's doorstep, Gwen is a suspect.  Luckily, she can use her experience as an investigative journalist to clear her name. 

***

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus (Scribner, 13 October 2026).

Batter Gray has always loved poetry.  He has an "ear" for it.  But an ear for poetry doesn't put food on the table. 

So he waits tables, and folds t-shirts at The Gap.  

One day he overhears two people talking about an opening at a legendary poetry magazine.  

He talks his way into an interview, and soon, he's working at Peck & Peck. Though the job -- and the people -- are not what expected, he resolves to make the best of it.

I've deleted several different concluding statements to this review, all of which seemed to give away too much of the incredibly riveting story.  

I'll just recommend that  you read this book.  I'm pretty sure you'll love it.

***

The Mother-in-Law Book Club by Kate Hash (Dutton, 13 October 2026).  

Andi Walker's consulting job has her spending months at a time in locations around the globe.

Still coming to terms with her impending divorce, she overhears two women sitting near her on an airplane (loudly) talking about their awful daughters-in-law.  Because  of her own MIL experiences, she argues that they are being unfair.  

When she's waiting for her bags afterward, one of the women invites Andi to join the book club that meets at her house weekly. Surprisingly, Andi finds herself agreeing.  Even more surprisingly, she discovers that she enjoys the company of these women, most of whom are a generation older than she is, over the course of her extended stay, finds real friendships developing.

***

You'll Love it Here by Natalie Sue (HarperCollins, 11 August 2026).  

I love it when I serendipitously discover Canadian authors, especially when they are from Alberta!  Natalie Sue is from Calgary, and this charming novel is set there.

When Mona loses her job, her elderly landlady takes a fall, and asks Mona to step in building care.  She's never felt like she belonged in the building, and has made a point of avoiding her neighbors, but obviously she can't do that anymore, and becomes enmeshed in their chaotic lives.  

All of these books were borrowed from local libraries.  I've included links to the authors' websites where I could find them.

August favorites

A Dark and Starlit Sea (Writer's Apprentice Mystery #7) by Julia Buckley (Julia Buckley, 21 August 2026).

Lena and her new husband Sam West arrive on a remote island in the Adriatic for their honeymoon.  While the location and ambience are perfect for a romantic getaway, Lena does stumble across a suspicious death.

When one of the other guests in their hotel complex is found dead below his balcony, Lena immediately suspects foul play.

The story alternates between events on the island and and events after they return home to Blue Lake, Indiana, trying to make sense of the tragedy along with their hometown friends (a group that includes a mystery writer and two policemen).  

This series is a must read for fans of Mary Stewart, but do start with the first book, A Dark and Stormy Murder.  

***

The Wash-Ashores by Hannah McKinnon (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 30 June 2026).

Holly Goodwin has inherited the historic Cranberry Inn on Cape Cod from her grandmother Francine.  Although Francine is still very much alive, she tells Holly to run it (technically without Francine's interference) for the summer, as sort of a dry run.

The Inn has seen better days, and needs not only a lot of refurbishing, but a profitable summer.  Holly implements many changes, including opening the restaurant to the public, and hosting events like weddings.  

This is an enjoyable and captivating story by the author of The Sandy Page Bookshop and The Summer Club.

****

The Cloak and Dagger Club (Cloak and Dagger Club #1) by Jackie McMahon (Penguin Publishing Group, 14 July 2026).

This debut novel is inspired by Agatha Christie's real-life Detection Club.

Lucy Hubbard's debut mystery is selling well and receiving rave reviews.  This is amazing, but not as astounding as being invited to join Horace Hazelmoor's  elite writers' group The Cloak and Dagger Club.  This is so exciting that Lucy is even willing to deal with the possible presence of her ex-fiancé Frank Murray (who is on track to replace Horace as Britain's most popular crime writer).

When Horace is found with a knife in his back, Frank becomes the police's  prime suspect.  Despite their history, Lucy knows Frank is innocent, and sets out to prove it.

***

This Changes Everything by Lisa Scottoline (Grand Central Publishing, 14 July 2026).

In this follow-up to 2025's The Unraveling of Julia, Julia Pritzker gets involved in the murder of her best friend Courtney's grandmother, Kay.  

A sudden urge to call Courtney means Julia video-calls her just as Courtney enters her grandmother's house and finds Kay's body on the floor.  Courtney hears someone leaving through the back door and gives chase, but is unsuccessful.

Julia rushes to Pennsylvania from her home in Italy to support her friend.  The local police are less than helpful, insisting that Kay was killed in a burglary, but the two women are unconvinced.

When Julia asks a friend to recommend a lawyer, they enlist Bennie Rosato to help.

(This is not part of either the Rosato & Associates or the Rosato & DiNunzio series.)

***

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson (Forever, 21 July 2026).

Kate Thompson has produced another amazing historical novel.

Based on real people and events, this is the story of women who form a group as a means of sharing their experiences as librarians.  When WW2 hits, and books become one of the few means of escaping the constant trauma, they manage to create a secret travelling library. 

One of them Joyce, who has taken a job in Poland, finds herself stuck there and ends up in a concentration camp, where life is even more fraught, and books are forbidden by the Germans.

Though some parts of this story are difficult to read, the theme of making literature difficult to access is particularly relevant in these times.

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.

My favorite literary fiction of 2025

 The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Cooper (William Morrow, 2025).

Lightning in a Mason Jar by Catherine Mann (Lake Union Publishing, 2025).

It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2025).

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth by Barbara O'Neal (Lake Union Publishing, 2025).

The Page Turner by Viola Shipman (Graydon House, 2025).

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner (William Morrow, 2025).

September favorites

Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen.  Lake Union Publishing, 5 August 2025.

Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.

With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.

Lightning in a Mason Jar by Catherine Mann.  Lake Union Publishing, 1 July 2025.

Since Bailey Rae Rigby’s adoptive aunt Winnie passed, she thingks Bent Oak, South Carolina, doesn’t have much of a hold on her anymore. 

Bailey Rae aims to settle the small estate and, armed with her aunt’s inspiring personal cookbook, move to Myrtle Beach and buy a food truck. Everything goes awry when a distraught young mother arrives in town clutching a copy of that same cookbook. Embedded inside is a code that promises a safe place in Bent Oak for desperate women on the run. For Bailey Rae it opens up a world of questions about Winnie.

Winnie Ballard’s story reaches back fifty years—one of a Southern debutante’s harrowing marriage, of her escape and reinvention, and the galvanizing friendship of three resilient women who overcame their traumas, created shelter, and found purpose. But there’s more to Winnie’s deliverance and long-held secrets than Bailey Rae imagines.

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin.  Hanover Square Press, 26 August 2025.

London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.

Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.

As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.

Dear Miss Lake (The Emmy Lake Chronicles #4) by A. J. Pearce. Scribner, 8 August 2025.

In July of 1944,Journalist Emmy Lake’s career is soaring. Woman’s Friend magazine is a huge success, and she is finally realizing her dream of becoming a Lady War Correspondent. On the personal front, Emmy’s husband Charles has been posted closer to home, and they and their friends Bunty and Harold have escaped to the countryside for a few precious summer days. They all know how lucky they are.

But after nearly five years of war, the nation is struggling. The “Yours Cheerfully” advice column receives more letters than ever, and even though it looks like the war might finally be over by Christmas, the situation is far from resolved. For Emmy and her team, it’s all about pulling together and pushing on. But then disaster strikes. Soon Emmy finds herself facing her greatest battle yet.

March favorites

 

The Mudpuddle Manual of Natural Magic by Ciara Blume.  Dolce Villa Press,                                  1 October 2024.

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes.  William Morrow, 4 March 2025.

The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith.  Knopf Doubleday,                               13 February 2024.

The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick.  Park Row Books, 25 June 2024.

February Favorites

 Hall, Rachel Howzell.  The Last One.  Entangled Publishing, 3 December 2024.

This unputdownable fantasy begins when Kai wakes up not knowing who, or where she is, but she knows she's been assaulted because her attacker is still on top of her. Frustratingly, she must depend upon this attacker to find out who she is.

****

Heath, Sue.  The Secret Ingredient. One Last Chapter, 18 January 2024.

Kate is having a hard time recovering from her husband's death in a car accident.  Just over three years later, with the help of friends and neighbors, she begins to find herself again.  

****

MacDonald, Janice.  Victor and Me in Paris (An Imogene Durant Mystery).  Ravenstone, 15 November 2024.

Novelist and retired professor Imogene Durant rents an apartment in Paris to heal from her divorce and find inspiration for a new novel. She didn't expect to get involved in a murder investigation...

****

Simonson, Helen.  The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club.  

Spending the summer of 1919 as a companion to a rich, elderly woman would be more enjoyable for Constance if she weren't worried about how she'd survive when summer ended. Then she meets Poppy, who scandalously wears trousers and drives a motorcycle...

My favorite books of 2023, Part 4

Bauermeister, Erica.  No two persons.

Bostwick, Marie.  Esme Cahill fails spectacularly.

Eding, Stephanie.  The unplanned life of Josie Hale.

Fader, Molly.  The sunshine girls.

Hoffman, Michelle.  The second ending.

Moore, Meg Mitchell.  Summer stage.

Poeppel, Amy.  The sweet spot.