2026 book 62

 Melissa Albert’s The Children

So this book is about a woman who wrote a bestselling series of fantasy books based on her children, then tragically died before the series was finished. Now adult, her daughter is basically the spokesperson for the books and hasn’t seen her reclusive artist brother in years, and is about to publish a pretty whitewashed memoir about her childhood. But at the same time, it’s a creepy gothic fairy tale of a book! At first I had mixed feelings about how the story went, but actually I think it all fit together very well in the end. I do feel vaguely haunted by it though. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on June 2nd.

2026 book 61

 T. Kingfisher’s Daggerbound

Do I… have a new favorite T. Kingfisher book??? Y’allllllllllll. The sequel to Swordheart involves the second magical sword, which has trapped The Dervish, a restless and handsome gay guy, inside it, and he has been THROUGH some shit. And that’s when Learned Edmund (from the Clocktaur Wars books!!!!!) becomes his wielder! And love interest!! There is also a new gnole pal, an amazing and adorable new friend who is a DELIGHT, some old friends, and all sorts of adventures along the way. Just hilarious and sweet but action-packed too. Fingers crossed book three is on the way. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in August.

2026 book 60

 T. Kingfisher’s Swordheart

Rereading this because I have an ARC of the sequel, and tomorrow is my birthday, and I am treating myself to a highly anticipated book! Also because this is one of my favorite Kingfisher books! I think it’s her only romance that doesn’t have a grisly subplot, though there are horrible relations and creepy religious sects and a magical wood full of horrifying creatures. Lol. Never mind. But I do love the romance, between a widow whose in-laws are trying to steal her inheritance,  and a warrior trapped in a magical sword. Great characters and the side characters  (a gnole named Brindle and Zane, a very cool lawyer/priest of the White Rat) are also amazing. Just really a fun book.

2026 book 59

 Jaclyn Moriarty’s Time Travel for Beginners

I’ve loved all of Moriarty’s books across genres and audiences, but was very psyched to see she has another adult novel coming out. And this one involves a woman who gets a job at a Time Travel Agency??? Amazing!!! Really there are three POV characters, whose lives all intersect in interesting ways, dealing with grief and loss and parenting teen girls. Lots of humor, which Moriarty excels at, and lots of feelings, another thing she aces. Just a beautiful book. I almost want to start it over again immediately just so I don’t have to let it go. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in August.

2026 book 58

 Suzanne Palmer’s Ode to the Half-Broken

Yalllllllll, this was SO GOOD, like place those preorders and library holds now bc you are gonna want to read this. Our main character is a former war robot in a near future post-apocalypse who has been living in isolation (studying insects!) for twenty years… until someone steals his leg. Soon the robot is out in the world investigating hints of trouble forming, with the help of a bionic dog and some other new friends along the way. This is interspersed with flashbacks to a scientist who is working on AI and robots, but whose company is very interested in defense contracts. I love robots with feelings and this one is one of the greats! Lots of action and mysterious stuff and friendships!! Fans of Becky Chambers and Martha Wells, get on this! A. 

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.

2026 book 57

 Amy Spalding’s In Her Spotlight

This was a very cute lesbian romance involving a woman who’s famous for being in superhero movies, and she’s taken a role in a play to try and pivot her career. But when the director is fired for being a creep, and the replacement director is a woman whose heart she broke years ago, what will happen! I did like this a lot, though all of the third act conflict is super contrived and annoying. There is a great pug, at least! This is the fourth book in a series but aside from one very minor character who I’m guessing is the protagonist of one of the other books, it works fine as a standalone. I might try one of the others, as I enjoy reading about both Hollywood and lesbians. Lol. A-.

2026 book 56

 Laurie Frankel’s Enormous Wings

I’ve really enjoyed the books I’ve read by Frankel, and I was into this one at first—a seventy-seven year old Jewish woman’s children move her into a retirement community—the same one where her ex husband lives—where she makes friends and falls for her neighbor. But then she discovers she’s pregnant! And because she lives in Texas in our current times, it’s all very fraught. I loved the protagonist and her relationships with her children and grandchildren, and I did like the end a lot, but I had mixed feelings about how the political message was conveyed. It was all too satirical or something. Frankel does family stuff so well, but this didn’t entirely work for me. B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 5th.

2026 book 55

 Portia Elan’s Homebound

What a beautiful story. It’s set in three different times, with three different protagonists (all are Jewish women)—one in 1983, a college student whose uncle has just died of AIDS; one in the near future, a scientist working to restore ecosystems; and one in the far future, who captains a rundown ship and takes on some unusual passengers to pay a debt. All are compelling on their own, but once they start to come together… chef’s kiss. I was pretty teary by the end, but in a sort of nice way? The main message here is the importance of community and I’m here for it. Highly recommend. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 5th.

2026 book 54

 Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club

Reread for book club, and I’d forgotten how much I like this book! Really solid mysteries and great characters, lots of time developing everyone and a good mix of narrative voices. This did kick off a wave of wacky/cozy British mysteries but I don’t think any others have grabbed me like this. Now I wish the Netflix movie had been a miniseries to see it justice.

2026 book 53

 Ann Leckie’s Radiant Star

Interesting new novel set in the world of the Imperial Raadch, focusing on a small and isolated planet rife with religious squabbles and politics. The narrative voice is sort of a dryly funny academic type, which I enjoyed. There are a lot of different characters, so I will say there isn’t a lot of /momentum/ in the story. But it all comes together in a cool way. I don’t think this will be as popular as some of Leckie’s other works, but I liked it. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.

2026 book 52

 Rachel Neumeier’s Bereket

I DO love the books in the Tuyo-verse! This one features a secondary character from Rihasi, the titular Bereket, a clever mercenary. The other POV character is an Ugaro warrior from a tribe that hates the Lau (this is related to the events of Nikoles but the book works fine as a standalone). Anyway, both are involved in the same complicated story from different angles (false accusations, people on the run, unraveling mysteries, etc) and it’s interesting as a reader to see the pieces come together until both stories meet up. I was slightly more partial to the Ugaro POV, I just like their community a lot. The Bereket half had some pacing that didn’t always work for me, but there were also a lot of sort of heists that were very fun? Anyway, another very satisfying story, and I was especially intrigued by the way religion and the gods came into play. Truly some cool world building. A/A-.

2026 book 51

 Rachel Neumeier's Rihasi

The latest book in the Tuyo-verse is out soon, and I believe it's a prequel involving a character from this book, which was a perfect excuse to reread it! It's one of my faves in this world, involving a woman on the run, determined to bring her corrupt and powerful family to justice, accompanied by a mercenary as her bodyguard. Also, they gradually fall for each other because they are both highly competent and decent people who respect each other!!! Romantic!!!! Just a super satisfying story with an end that makes me tear up. 

2026 book 50

 AG Slatter’s The Crimson Road

I hadn’t read this one before—it just came out last year—but I’m glad I reread the others first! I’d say all the others work fine as standalones, but this revisits characters from The Path of Thorns, All the Mumuring Bones, and The Briar Book of the Dead, so definitely read those first to avoid spoilers! Anyway, this one invokes a woman whose father raised her to be a fighter and a killer—so she can stop a prophecy and save the world from the Leech Lords (vampires!). Very cool and occasionally creepy! I really recommend all of Slatter’s Sourdough books if you like dark fairy tales and stories about stories. A/A-.

2026 book 49

 AG Slatter’s All the Murmuring Bones

This novel by Slatter involves the last daughter of a formerly powerful and wealthy family, who long ago made a bargain with the merfolk, but haven’t kept their end of the deal, leading to failing fortunes. I do really enjoy this one, but there’s a lot going on and the pacing doesn’t totally work for me. I do love the protagonist and think this wraps up in a satisfying way though! 

2026 book 48

 AG Slatter’s The Path of Thorns

I do love how all of these books involve stories and storytelling! (Actually, some of the stories here involve stuff from Of Sorrow and Such but also A Forest Darkly, which came out later—it’s cool to see the seeds and connections.) The plot involves a woman who takes a job as a governess at an isolated manor—but she has her own reasons for being there. This story has major gothic vibes mixed with dark witchy magic. And yet it’s also got a lot of caring and kindness in it. Great stuff.

2026 book 47

 AG Slatter’s The Briar Book of the Dead

I’m really enjoying reading/rereading all the Sourdough books together! This one features some descendants of characters from Of Sorrow and Such—a family of witches who basically run a small town. The protagonist is a young woman who doesn’t have any powers, but of course as this trope always goes, discovers she actually does have an unusual power. There are also some mysterious elements with missing townspeople and a new priest. Really great characters, as usual, and very satisfying wrap up. 

2026 book 46

 Angela Slatter’s Of Sorrow and Such

I believe this is the first book in Slatter’s Sourdough world (though I know there are a bunch of short stories and I think some are earlier). This novella actually has some similar themes/characters as A Forest Darkly—the protagonist is a witch in a small town with an adopted daughter, and things start to go wrong when a local shapeshifter is injured and people are suddenly looking for witches. It’s a pretty satisfying story for the protagonist, but the daughter’s wrap up is a bit abrupt. I do really enjoy Slatter’s dark fairy tale atmospheric vibes though. A-.

2026 book 45

 A.G. Slatter’s A Forest, Darkly

An author’s note describes this as her “grumpy menopausal witch in the woods” book and that is a vibe I am here for!! There’s a lot going on here—a young woman on the run who becomes the witch’s apprentice, a mysterious force in the woods, missing village children, an old lover, etc—and Slatter weaves it all together really well. I did love all these characters and hope we’ll get to revisit them! This is set in Slatter’s Sourdough universe and I caught a couple of references to the other books, but I might reread them all and see how they all connect. A/A-.

2026 book 44

 Kaye Bellot's Green Year Dragonfly

Rereading this because I remember liking it a lot and that it was pretty chill*--it's an epistolary novel set in a world where some houses are alive! Our protagonists are a mapmaker whose house has walked off, and the woman he hires to track it down and bring it back. But complications ensue! I was especially into the meddling mama and aunt. I do love a good epistolary story.

* Aside from the occasional zombie or murderous unicorn.

2026 book 43

 Martha Wells’ Platform Decay

NEW MURDERBOT, Y’ALL!!! And it’s REALLY GOOD!!! Murderbot is on a mission! It’s tense and exciting!! Events of the last couple of books are coming into play!!! Murderbot is trying to deal with its emotions!!!! I sincerely loved every second of this. Murderbot is firing on all cylinders (not literally). Chef’s kiss. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on May 5th.

2026 book 42

 Martha Wells’ System Collapse

I do still think this one is really slow to start, even though it picks up where Network Effect leaves off, but the second half is so good that I enjoyed this reread. Lots of action, lots of cleverness, lots of creativity, plus all those annoying emotions. Love it. 

2026 book 41

 Martha Wells’ Network Effect

Rereading this because there’s a new Murderbot book coming out, and I wanted to refresh my memories (and enjoy some rereading), and this is good jumping on point for me. Plus it’s so good and so much fun to revisit! ART remains a fave, I love its bickering friendship with Murderbot, but a lot of the new human characters are great too, and the plot is fast moving and action packed. Very satisfying all around.

2026 book 40

 Katie Siegel’s Out of the Loop

Ok, I am HERE FOR this recent trend of murder mysteries involving time loops! This one is by Katie Siegel, who also writes my beloved Charlotte Illes mystery series, and involves a woman who has just come out of a time loop only to discover a neighbor was murdered the night before—a night our protagonist has experienced over 700 times. Now she’s on the case with the help of (and to impress) her ex girlfriend, as well as a crotchety neighbor who builds Rube Goldberg devices. It’s all very fun and entertaining. I also appreciated that it dealt with the emotions of coming out of a time loop—she’s super anxious because of all the new events and things she can’t predict. Can’t wait to see what Siegel does next. A-.

2026 book 39

 Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book

I was like, what if I reread all the Oxford Time Travel books? I read this one for the first time in 2021, which didn’t go that well—too real. But I like it more every time I read it since I know what to expect now, and it’s so beautiful and sad and hopeful somehow. But I might take a break before I read the next one. A.

2026 book 38

 Cameron Reed’s What We Are Seeking

Interesting sci-fi novel about a doctor who gets sent to a planet whose settlers have a very different culture than his own (he’s from a queer-normative matriarchal poly society, and they’re largely homophobic Christians, bc hod forbid we imagine a future without homophobic Christians). There’s a whole thing with a Jain translator who’s going to learn to speak with the planet’s locals, and lots of interesting characters and relationships and genders come into play, and there’s someone from Earth who’s part of some sort of hive mind (shades of Pluribus). Like I said, it was very /interesting/, but I didn’t find it particularly /satisfying/. Like it kind of forgot about one of the main plot lines for like big stretches so the end was kind of anti-climactic? But I loved everything with Iren and maybe would have preferred a book with just that stuff? Jo Walton loved it so it’s probably just me. A-/B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in April.

2026 book 37

 Patricia McKillip’s The Bell at Sealey Head

I had forgotten pretty much everything about this book, but it was just as satisfying the second time! Here’s my original review bc I’m too tired to think of anything to say. 

2026 book 36

 Cat Sebastian’s Star Shipped

I don’t even know where to START with this, like I know I’m the target audience for a queer romance novel about the leads of a sci fi tv show (with interstitial sections from fan discords lollll) but this exceeded all expectations??? Chef’s kiss, truly. Cat Sebastian is one of my favorite romance authors and she just keeps knocking it out of the park. Adorable romance and adorably cranky protagonist with great taste in books (also anxiety and OCD). I loved every moment of this. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on March 3. 

2026 book 35

 Susan Walter’s Murder at 30,000 Feet

Linda Holmes recommended this on Bluesky, and a murder mystery set on an airplane sounded perfect for where my brain is at right now. (I could have personally done without the rape plotline though.) There’s a great assortment of characters on the plane—a high school baseball team, various coaches and moms and ex-wives, a wedding party, the flight attendants and other crew, and the air marshal who let the murder happen on his watch and has to solve it to save his job. And solving this murder may also solve a hit and run case from a few years earlier. And that’s not even getting into the bad storm! I actually think this would make an awesome tv miniseries but the pacing of the book didn’t totally work for me. B+.

2026 book 34

 Olivia Atwater’s Small Miracles

Sometimes you just need to reread a perfectly sweet and satisfying story with gender-swapping fallen angels who just want to tempt you to eat some chocolate (and maybe also improve some lives and fall in love). Very funny and so sweet and helps fill that Good Omens shaped hole in my heart (Pratchett 4-Eva, Gaiman never). I want more books like this!!!!

2026 book 33

 Bex Benjamin’s The Last Place on Earth

I don’t know how Bex Benjamin seamlessly meshes a sexy lesbian romance between a cold-blooded mercenary leader and a journalist with a zombie apocalypse, but the second book in this series is just as good as the first. I’m very invested in the characters, there’s some fun action moments and a couple of good twists. VERY entertaining. I will be eagerly awaiting book three. A/A-.

2026 book 32

 AM Kvita’s An Unlikely Coven

This was a very fun urban fantasy novel using the usual trope of the witch who can’t use magic correctly but comes from a powerful witch family so she’s sort of the black sheep—her best friend being a vampire doesn’t help. Anyway, she’s just finished grad school and returned to new York when she’s sucked into a mysterious magical adventure! Really loved the characters and all the friendships here, fun awkward lesbians, interesting world building and an end that makes me very intrigued about the next volume. Totally enjoyable. A-. 

2026 book 31

 KJ Charles’ How to Fake It in Society

So I do love a KJ Charles book, but this wasn’t my favorite. It is a very cute historical romance with great characters, but the plot didn’t totally work for me. The one guy is a shopkeeper who makes paints who suddenly becomes VERY wealthy when he marries one of his clients on her deathbed (she wants to disinherit her nephew). And the other is a French guy who was hoping to marry her himself and get the money, which he desperately needs. And the thing is that he’s kind of lying about everything and it’s just the kind of thing that annoys me. Fine, he sort of has reasons for his lies but also I know it’s going to have a happy ending so just work it out already. I hate plots that rely on ppl being unwilling to have a conversation. And we could spend more time on the girl cousin pretending to be a dude valet and courting the butler’s daughter. I loved the butler and his family! Anyway, obviously it was still a nice romance, just didn’t totally work for me. B/B+.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in April.

2026 book 30

 CE Hulse’s Vivian Dies Again

Ok, this was SO FUN. If there are three things I love, they’re a) time loops; b) mysteries; and c) messy British ladies—and this features all of the above! The main character is at a family party and apparently keeps getting murdered, and the only one who is aware of the loop is one of the waiters, so he’s trying to help her figure out who’s killing her, and why. Plenty of her relatives have reasons to dislike her, but murder?? It’s all very funny and fast-paced and I loved it. I will definitely be checking out more by this author. A/A-.

2026 book 29

 Nevil Shute’s A Town Like Alice

I’m making my book club read this this month, and our meeting is still a couple weeks away but I’m rereading it now anyway bc it’s one of my faves and because nothing else I start is striking my fancy. Jean Paget is truly one of the great heroines of literature (at least as told by her aging lawyer). I think I once said she was “plucky” but that doesn’t really do her justice as she leads a group of women and children through WWII in Malaysia and later builds a fricken city. Amazing story. Side note that this was written in 1950 and uses some racist language.

2026 book 28

 Seanan McGuire’s Butterfly Effects

The latest Incryptid novel deals with cuckoo Sarah (one of my favorite characters in this series) getting kidnapped by people from her home dimension and put on trial for her supposed crimes. Of course a motley assortment of her relatives mount a rescue mission! (The other POV character is Antimony, who I verbally like, but for some reason do not like how she and her fiance are written as a couple.) Anyway, this was really fun and had a solid ending, I am psyched to see where things go next. There’s a novella at the end featuring cousin Elsie, a cool lesbian who should get to be in more of these books. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.

2026 book 27

 Martha Wells’ The Gate of Gods

I never really remember the plot of this one (it’s mildly confusing) but there are so many great character moments that I don’t even care. I really love this series. 

2026 book 26

 Martha Wells’ The Ships of Air

This is SUCH a good second volume of a trilogy, not one where it just feels like pieces are being moved to play the final act. Some great reveals, new conflicts, lots of action, and a little bit of sweet romance. This series is so underrated. 

2026 book 25

 Martha Wells' The Wizard Hunters

A lot of times when I read books, I immediately forget almost everything about them (not sure if it's my memory or just the sheer volume of books I go through--but on multiple occasions I have read a book, gone to rate it on StoryGraph, and discovered I've read it before), but some of the images of this story really stick with me. Especially the bits in the cave--ages after I read this the first time, I found myself thinking about that and being like, was that that Martha Wells book? (It happened later with the boat, too.) That is to say--this is very atmospheric and compelling and more memorable than most things I read! Anyway, it's the story of a suicidal playwright (daughter of the characters from Death of the Necromancer) and how she's drawn into a wartime magic experiment that takes her to another world, where she befriends the locals and tries to figure out how to fight a war against forces they don't understand. Amazing characters—I love this series and this world.

2026 book 24

Martha Wells’ The Death of the Necromancer

Sometimes you see people discussing Wells’ Ile-Rien series and you’re like, I gotta reread those right now! This one isn’t part of the trilogy proper, but a lot of the characters come into play so it’s important backstory—and a fun story too, involving thieves and secret identities and prison escapes and revenge and also defeating a necromancer. Such good characters! I do think it would be stronger if it was a little tighter—some parts are slow—but I love this book anyway.

2026 book 23

 Tal Bauer's You and Me

I needed a palate cleanser after the previous book, and what's better than a queer romance about SPORTS DADS???? (As recommended by Captain Awkward and Claire Willet on Bluesky!) Their sons play on the high school football team together! This was so freaking adorable, just dads hanging out and drinking wine and cooking for each other and volunteering at football games and doting on their sons and LONGING FOR EACH OTHER in the cutest possible way. (I don’t mean to make it sound purely fluffy—the main character’s wife died, their marriage wasn’t great, and he doesn’t have a great relationship with their son when the story starts.) It was maybe a little too horny and had too much football for my own personal tastes, but I enjoyed this a LOT. A-.

2026 book 22

 T. Kingfisher’s Wolf Worm

I’m notoriously a wuss, but I was all, I can totally handle a creepy T. Kingfisher book about bugs!!! Y’all. I was wrong. This was a little slow to start so I was falsely confident, as the main character, a scientific illustrator in late 1800s North Carolina, takes a job with a scientist who studies insects, hears the local scary stories, wonders about her predecessor, etc. And then halfway through came a scene that creeped me out SO BAD. SOOOOOO BAAAAAD. And there was worse to come! My heart was literally pounding fast!!! It sucked!!!! I mean, top notch writing but also I do regret reading this because it will keep me up nights. What grade does that get? A-?

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.

2026 book 21

 Meihan Boey's The Mystical Mr. Kay

Solid end to this trilogy--lots of funny moments and I love all the different goddesses popping up! I will say there's a late-ish reveal that ties this to book two that I thought was really unnecessary and kind of confusing. But still an enjoyable read. B/B+.

2026 book 20

 Meihan Boey’s The Enigmatic Madam Ingram

The second Miss Cassidy book involves unraveling a complicated supernatural mystery, but I didn't like it as much as the first. The story is pretty circular and I think takes too long to get where it’s going. I do still enjoy the characters (and am rooting for Mr Kay!) and love the use of mythology so will try the third, but this one was a B.

2026 book 19

 Meihan Boey’s The Formidable Miss Cassidy

This was a very cute and entertaining book about a woman who goes to be a governess in Singapore—luckily, she is more than equipped to deal with the various supernatural problems she runs into! I really enjoyed watching this story unfold and am psyched there are three to read, perfect escapism. A-.

2026 book 18

 Tayari Jones’ Kin

Hooray for a new Tayari Jones novel! This one centers on two Black girls who grow up as best friends in the 1950s and 50s, but head down different paths when one runs away to Memphis to find the mother who abandoned her, and the other heads to Spelman for college. I was super into this when I was reading, but the world is such a dumpster fire that it was sometimes hard for me to pick this up when I wanted to be reading something for escapism. But this was really a beautiful book and broke my heart in ways I wasn’t expecting. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.

2026 book 17

 Lily King's Heart the Lover

Rereading this for book club! It was one of my favorites of last year and absolutely holds up. (I think I cried more knowing what was coming.) Christina and I saw Lily King speak about this book a couple months ago and I’m looking forward to discussing the book and her comments with everyone!

2026 book 16

 Tansy Rayner Roberts’ Teacup Magic: The Second Collection 

Back on my adorable historical fantasy bullshit! And this one has LESBIANS!!! Yes!!!! Anyway, it’s another few novellas, the first focused on one of the secondary characters from the first collection, featuring jewel heists, stepmothers, and artists galore. The second focuses on the new Duchess of Storm dealing with ghosts—including her mother in law and her unpleasant first husband. The third has a bunch of queer pirates! And mermaids and kidnappings and bringing all sorts of characters from the other stories together and it’s absolutely delightful. I really enjoyed this series, just what I needed right now. A/A-.

2026 book 15

 Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Word for World is Forest

I’m still periodically getting to all the LeGuin books I’ve never read! I think I did start this one once and then went “ugh, this guy SUCKS” and put it down, bc we’re in the POV of a guy who LOVES being a colonizer (he likes to think of himself as a conquistador) and he super sucks! But we soon shift to the perspective of the indigenous people he wants to destroy and it’s much more interesting (they have a very cool society!), and we also get the POV of the earth anthropologist. Really lovely writing, of course, and a true bittersweet ending. A.

2026 book 14

 Ross Montgomery’s The Murder at World’s End

I do enjoy a locked room mystery, and this one has locked rooms galore, as the murder victim believes Halley’s Comet (in 1910) is going to poison the world and insists on all his guests and staff being totally shut in. The main character here is a brand new footman with a slightly seedy past, but of course he’s a good guy REALLY (🙄), who gets enlisted to help solve the murder by a mildly eccentric great-aunt. There are some funny parts and the mystery had an interesting solution, but the book didn’t quite work for me—it kept shifting from first to third person and the pacing was a little off. It looks like this might be the start of a series and I would maybe read another one? B/B+.

2026 book 13

 Allegra Goodman’s This Is Not About Us

Goodman’s latest is a series of stories about a messy and complicated Jewish family whose matriarchs are in a feud precipitated by an apple cake. There’s babies and divorces and bat mitzvahs and dog walkers and vegans and hilarious Seders. Some of the stories/characters are more compelling than others, and some that I liked sort of disappear, but on the whole I liked this a lot and read it in one sitting. RIYL Long Story Short on Netflix. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.

2026 book 12

 Tansy Rayner Roberts' Teacup Magic: The First Collection

Jo Walton recommended this in her latest "Jo Walton Reads" column, and since I liked that Jane Austen with dragons book by this author, and was looking for something on the lighter/fluffier side to read, here we go! This is a collection of three novellas set in your typical Regency-with-magic world, but they're all very sweet and very funny (also seems to be a queer-normative world!). The first involves the main character's cousin, a Duke, being pursued by many women who want to be his Duchess--and then he's kidnapped! The second features politics, a secret society of powerful women, a murder, and of course some romance! And the third finds our protagonist on her honeymoon, caught up in a murder mystery, sort of, and all sorts of magical shenanigans (there is also a bunch of fun correspondence). Really delightful and funny, definitely will be reading volume two. A/A-.

2026 book 11

 Tana French's The Keeper

I've really been enjoying French's series about a Chicago cop who retires to a tiny town in Ireland--they're super atmospheric and I really enjoy the characters, especially now that Cal is more integrated into local society. This third one involves the death of a young woman in an apparent suicide, and soon the whole town is drawing battle lines, with our characters on one side and a very powerful man making their lives hell on the other. Y'all, this book was STRESSFUL. But it wrapped up nicely and the ending was honestly lovely. Gorgeous writing. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.

2026 book 10

 Olivia Waite’s Nobody’s Baby 

The second Dorothy Gentleman mystery (about a detective on a spaceship!) involves a baby being left on her nephew’s doorstep, which is wild bc no one on the ship should be able to have babies! Where did this baby come from??? Perfect cozy mystery IN SPACE and I love it! More please!!! A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.

2026 book 9

 Alexis Hall’s Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot

Alexis Hall can be hit or miss for me, but this one was pure hit!! I didn’t love the first in this series, and never read the second, but Christina said I’d love this one and I DID! The series is set on basically GBBO and the romance here involves a couple of lesbians—a cute, chubby journalist who’s a contestant on the show, and the show’s foul-mouthed, curt producer (grumpy/sunshine is my fave!). There is also a b-plot involving a 96 year old contestant on the show who worked in the house decades ago and had a secret lesbian affair with the daughter of the manor. Great balance between the stories, great characters, the romance had so many funny moments….just really a good time! A.

2026 book 8

 CM Waggoner’s The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale

I’ve enjoyed all of Waggoner’s books, but this one was *chef’s kiss*—a sweet and funny book about a witch who finds an abandoned baby on her doorstep, and when he turns 18 all the forest animals prophecy that he’s the long lost prince, and so he goes off to be king… good thing he has a very practical mother to advise him! This was just a perfect cozy fantasy book, highly recommended!! A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.

2026 book 7

 Alice Bell’s The Grapples of Wrath

HOORAY for a new book in Bell’s Grave Expectations series, about a woman who can see ghosts (and whose teenage dead best friend is attached to her) and keeps getting involved in murders! The murder victim here is the owner of a professional wrestling ring and it’s a fascinating setting for a mystery. As always, I love the characters here, the book is really funny, and there mystery is solid. I really enjoy this series and hope there will be many more! A.

2026 book 6

 Premee Mohammed’s We Speak Through the Mountain 

Very cool sequel to Annual Migration of Clouds—lots of near-future post-apocalyptic action! And philosophical discussions! And seeing how the other half lives! I did have my frequent complaint with novellas— I think this would have been stronger if there was more to it—but I liked it a lot and hope for more books in this series! A-.

2026 book 5

 Premee Mohamed’s The Annual Migration of Clouds

This novella is set in a semi-near-future sort of post-apocalypse—a few generations from now, after we inevitably destroyed the climate. Totally compelling narrative voice—the protagonist is a teen who’s gotten an acceptance letter to a college in a mysterious high tech dome, but her mother doesn’t want her to go. Plus she’s infected with a maybe-intelligent fungal parasite? Really fascinating world—looking forward to the follow-up! A/A-.

2026 book 4

 Mackenzi Lee’s Lady Like

Hooray for more queer historical romances! This one involves two women trying to marry the same Duke*—one, a pants-wearing actress, has to make a respectable marriage to get her inheritance, and the other, who was once caught in a scandal, wants to find anyone better than the horrible old man she’s engaged to—and of course they fall for each other! It’s all very cute even if the ending is a little hand-wavey. A-.

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* Everyone CALLS him a Duke but he’s actually the son of a Duke and this annoyed me—like all these people care about is shit like that so why aren’t they being accurate?

2026 book 3

 Moniquill Blackgoose’s To Ride a Rising Storm

Hooray for the second book in Blackgoose’s series about an alternate version of the US with dragons! (And founded by Vikings? Once again I found the different names for everything distracting.) I love all the characters here, humans and dragons alike, and there are some great new ones—I of course was partial to a girl who’s this world’s version of Jewish!!! But there are also some fun philosophical discussions and some progressions on the romance. Of course there is still all the COLONIALISM and racism going on, so there are some tense moments for sure, but I was totally along for the ride and the ending made me very eager for book three! A!

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on January 27th.

2026 book 2

 Jo Firestone’s Murder on Sex Island

I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while, but after three mentions of Firestone in the last week, it felt like time! This is a mildly goofy mystery involving a women who has an alter ego who’s a private eye (unclear if she is licensed lol), who is hired to go undercover on a hit reality tv show (the titular “Sex Island”) to find a missing contestant. It was fine! It would be a really funny movie. B/B+.

2026 book 1

 Rainbow Rowell’s Cherry Baby

For my first book of the year, I had to read the ARC of the latest novel from one of my favorite authors! The only downside of an ARC is that I can’t discuss it with my fellow Rowell-heads for a few months! I don’t want to even hint at spoilers so I’m not gonna do any kind of summary, I will just say I love Rowell’s writing, and even though I was hesitant about some of the plot, she had me all in by the end. I especially loved all the sister relationships (Cherry is one of five girls!) and text threads between them. This also really goes in on the Ozempic discourse (I felt a little weird about this as someone who is on it for medical reasons and I also feel weird that I feel like I have to say that?). I am gonna have to reread this one soon. A.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in April.