2026 book 106

 Shauna Lawless’ The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

I said recently that I am always looking for more books with political intrigue, and this definitely fit the bill! It’s set in Ireland in the 900s and there are Irish people, Vikings, early Christians, pagans, and a lot of people straight out of folklore. The two protagonists are both women from long-lived people, one up to her ears in political machinations on behalf of her son (and saving herself from various dangers); the other, a healer, afraid of mortal men but forced to spy on them. I liked this a lot, but it was very slow at times. I do want to read more of this series, but I have too many other books on my kindle right now! A-.

2026 book 105

 Rainbow Rowell’s Cherry Baby

Reread for book club! I still think it was a missed opportunity that Rowell didn’t get one of the comic book artists she knows to draw some of the webcomics since most of the plot involves a woman who has separated from her husband, who is famous for drawing comics based on their life (and writing a movie based on same). I thought some of the issues I had the first time I read this would be assuaged on a reread, but that wasn't entirely the case! I still love it, though, bc Rowell writes such wonderful characters. As another fat lady with an eccentric wardrobe, Cherry is such a fave.

2026 book 104

 Stephanie Burgis’ A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence

Another very entertaining story, but this one was longer which made it better—more room to breathe. Lots of fun new characters as our protagonist and her vampire husband head to the Black Forest to do some supernatural research, and get caught up in more shenanigans. There’s also a cute lesbian side romance! What’s not to like! Excited for book three (out in October). A-.

2026 book 103

 Stephanie Burgis’ A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience

Super cute novella about an academic and a vampire tricked/forced into marriage, who have to work together to figure out why (and fall for each other along the way). This absolutely could have been longer, nothing feels rushed but there’s really not much character (or romantic) development. But sometimes you just want to read something quick and fun. B+.

2026 book 102

 Natalie Adler’s Waiting on a Friend

Sometimes I complain about how sick I am of New York novels, but I am HERE for this gritty 1980s queer New York novel! Our main character is a Jewish lesbian who can see ghosts, whose gay best friend has just died of AIDS, but his ghost has not appeared. And she’s dealing with grief and friends and romance and also there’s a company that is basically like an evil ghostbusters running around and helping to gentrify Manhattan. I’m not trying to make it sound wacky, it’s all really sad and beautiful. Really satisfying ending, too. I’ll be thinking about this one. A. 

A short story!

 Rainbow Rowell's Julia at the Drive-In

Normally I don't blog about short stories, but a) it's Rainbow Rowell! and b) I got an ARC from Netgalley so like, there's an obligation there, lol. Anyway, this is a very cute story involving very cute teens at a drive-in! If you like Rainbow Rowell (and I clearly do), you will like this!! 

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on June 23.

2026 book 101

 Emma Garman’s The Kindness of Strangers

This mystery is set in a boarding house in England in the early 1950s, and everyone has secrets—and that’s before they conspire to cover up a murder! That’s not a spoiler—that happens first thing, and then the story flashes back to the lead up to the death, interspersed with bits of the investigation. Parts of this were surprising, parts were predictable, and I had mixed feelings on the ending(s). But I really did enjoy all the characters! I look forward to whatever Garman does next. B+.

2026 book 100

 Cat Sebastian’s Hither Page

I was having one of those moods where I’d get twenty percent into a book and then totally lose interest, so I decided to try and reread this instead. Still an entertaining mystery/queer romance set in a small town in England just after WWII, where the local doctor and a spy try and solve a murder. I love all the side characters in this one! It’s a little simpler than some of Sebastian’s more recent stuff but still a good read.

2026 book 99

 Cat Sebastian's After Hours at Dooryard Books

This was one of my favorite books of last year, and when I saw people talking about it on Bluesky and also couldn't get into anything I was trying, I knew it was time for a reread! Just as charming and like, fulfilling, as the first time I read it. 🩷

2026 book 98

 Natalie Zina Walschots' Villain

The sequel to Hench is very clearly the second book in a trilogy (or series?). Some great moments, some terrifying moments, but I wasn’t as into it as the first one. Like I finished it and felt pretty bummed out! I will still read whatever Walschots writes and hope for the next book soon! B+.

2026 book 97

 Natalie Zina Walschots' Hench

Rereading this bc the sequel came out!! I remembered that I liked this but the only detail that really stuck with me was the body horror stuff near the end, but really everything else is so funny and sad and good and action-packed. Perfect narrative voice. If you haven’t read this, it’s about a woman who’s a temp, doing data entry for villains, when she’s badly injured by a superhero. And then starts doing the math on how much damage superheroes actually cause. And this starts a whole villainous journey. Really engaging, I’m so excited to see what comes next. 

2026 book 96

 Juliet Marillier’s Heart’s Blood

I was trying to figure out if Mariller’s new book had a US release date (no) and realized I’d never read this one by her! It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, about a young woman on the run from abusive relatives who takes a job as a scribe at a cursed castle. It’s all steeped in Irish folklore and super atmospheric, but super dark at times too. I was into it at first but it dragged in the middle, even with the threat of a Norman invasion. There is just a lot of talk about HOPE lol. I did like that the heroine has to sort out her own past issues and enjoyed that whole section a lot, and really liked how things wrapped up. A-/B+.

2026 book 95

 CJ Cherryh’s The Pride of Chanur

Really fun sci-fi adventure about the captain of a crew of feline aliens from a matriarchal society who inadvertently rescue a human and set off a diplomatic incident. I like stories with politics and diplomacy and loved the main character here (and was also interested in the translation/communication aspects). Action-packed and great characters. I do want to read more with the characters but the description of book two has me like 🤷🏻‍♀️ so we’ll see. A/A-.

2026 book 94

 Sarah Rees Brennan's All Hail Chaos

So I liked, but didn't love, the first book in this series--I think the concept of isekai stresses me out and the protagonist DEFINITELY was stressing me out! But I was all in from page one of this one! All the characters are in more interesting positions and it is laugh out loud funny at parts (I loved all the pop culture references). I did grow impatient with Rae occasionally but Emer and the Golden Cobra/Marius were always awesome, and Rae got some great moments in the second half. Cannot wait for book three. A/A-.

2026 book 93

 Susan Juby’s Contemplation of a Crime

Another really fun read!! In this one, our Buddhist butler accompanies her billionaire boss (but he’s like, a kind and self-aware billionaire) to a retreat his son is running, to help a group of people with political differences learn to get along, except things do not go according to plan and everyone has to band together to save the day! All the butler pals are back and there are even more dogs in this one! I love this series, I hope more are on the way. A/A-.

2026 book 92

 Susan Juby’s A Meditation on Murder

The second Helen Thorpe mystery finds our Buddhist butler dispatched to try and sort out a wealthy young wannabe influencer, who is unaware she’s being targeted for internet drama. Lots of good dogs and horses in this one! Great characters again—I was glad that Nigel popped back up—and though the mystery’s conclusion was over the top, I still liked this a lot.  Can’t wait to read book three (and then be bereft while waiting for more). A:A-.

2026 book 91

 Susan Juby’s Mindful of Murder

Absolutely delightful and slyly funny mystery involving a butler, a former Buddhist nun, who is tasked with determining who will inherit her mentor’s upscale yoga retreat … and also reluctantly solving her mentor’s murder with the help of her two best friends from butler school and some other characters (emphasis on CHARACTER lol). I definitely cackled more than a few times, loved the narrative voices here. It also goes pretty deep on Buddhism to good effect! The mystery ends up being solid, too—a very fun read and I’m psyched for book 2. A. 

2026 book 90

 Marta Randall’s The River South

The sequel to Mapping Winter primarily focuses on the teen daughter of the first book’s protagonist, though there are also some POV characters from the first book. I really loved all the characters and their journeys, and this ended in a fairly satisfying way. I do think it needed one more pass with a proofreader or editor—there are some typos and a few awkward bits (or maybe one character is supposed to be perving on a fourteen year old? No thanks). Otherwise a very cool read. A/A-.