To be honest, Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye did not initially strike me as a page turner. The book follows two families in small-town Ohio from World War II through the early 1970s. On V-E day, a spontaneous celebratory kiss between Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt – each married to someone else – sets off a chain…
Julie Olivia's latest novel, If It Makes You Happy, is a heartfelt romance infused with small-town warmth, emotional depth, and just the right dose of '90s nostalgia. Set against the backdrop of Copper Run, Vermont—a town that could easily stand in for Stars Hollow—this cozy fall book is certain to charm romance readers and just…
It’s getting to be that time of year again. No, not Pumpkin Spice Latte season; horror season. And have I got a creepy, eerie, spine tingling (with just a touch of blood) read for you. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest, The Bewitching, is a multi-generational horror, history, and culture lesson. Spanning nearly 100 years and narrated…
"No one will sing about me. What I make, fire will burn or time will wear away. When I’m gone, no praise or blame will attach to my story. To me, that’s peace. I’ve lived lightly on the earth." - Anna North, Bog Queen Bog Queen defies categorization, unless you were describing a book tailor-made…
As a fan of “later-in-life” protagonists, I’m always game to pick up a book featuring an aged detective/spy/criminal. I’m not alone in this, and publishing has responded with a veritable glut of senior crime solvers. One title that rises to the top: The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols. A feel-good mystery for…
“Somewhere, deep within, unspoken, we must know, we do know, that we’re all have our time adrift. For what else is a marriage, really, if not stuck on a small raft with someone and trying to survive. Pg. 202 A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst I have a confession to make. I force…
As summer 2025 winds down and Labor Day weekend approaches, no book captures the moment better than Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores. This striking debut deserves all the praise its received this summer, and acts as the perfect seasonal send-off: sharp, addictive, and impossible to put down. Settling into the glittering world…
'"I walked into that one, didn't I?" Matilda said regretfully to Luke, and then, like she'd only just taken proper notice of him, did a comical double take. "Well. Well. Did it hurt? When you fell out of whichever Norse myth you came from?" And with that, she was gone, trotting up the stairs and…
Sure, summer’s winding down, but there are still plenty of days left where soaring temps and high humidity call for one last bookish escape. And there’s no better choice than These Summer Storms, a contemporary family drama by acclaimed historical romance novelist Sarah MacLean. It checks all the beach read boxes: scandalous doings, gorgeous settings,…
Private Investigator, Annie Sullivan is one tough nut. A former Air Force investigator and ninth generation Appalachian, Annie returns to the mountains to investigate the cold case of three missing girls in Archer Sullivan’s new novel, The Witch’s Orchard. Annie Sullivan is barely making ends meet. She has pawned her prized watch and is…
