I was drawn to this book originally because one of the main characters is from Detroit, and to me it’s always fun to see places you know well mentioned in a book. I quickly got caught up in the burning question of what really happened to Zelda – did she die in Eloise Asylum or did she escape? The exploration of the relationship between Grace and Lila was moving and well fleshed out. I did find the dialogue choppy at times, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. If you would like to request a copy of this book, you can do so here.

For me this was a powerful, deep, both funny and and devastating book. The story takes place in Waterville, Maine and touches on the history of the Franco-Americans in the town, something I previously knew nothing about. I couldn’t help but root for Babs even though I disagreed with her actions and her methods. I did enjoy her dry and cynical sense of humor, and I respected her dedication to her neighborhood and her people. I do wish her relationships with more of the women in her circle had been explored or explained a bit more, not just her relationship with Rita. It would have made their sacrifices at the end mean more to me, I think. Laurie was easy to sympathize with, and while I definitely wanted Babs to succeed, I found myself thinking that I would rather see Laurie come out okay even if it was at the expense of Babs. The ending to me was mostly satisfying, though there were a couple of characters who we don’t hear about it the epilogue that I want to know about. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially if you like no nonsense women with a score to settle. To reserve a copy of this book, click here.

As a former horse girl I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it. The book started a little slow for me, but I loved the pony’s snarky, sarcastic, and somewhat anti-people attitude. The different points of view confused me at first, mostly because it didn’t seem like the timelines added up, but I think that the author brought them together nicely in the end. If you like a cozy whodunit where animals get the best of the humans, check out this book! To reserve a copy, click here.

Now, I am not normally a non-fiction reader. I prefer to use reading as a form of escapism and other than some historical non-fiction, I tend to stay away from anything happening in the real world when I open a book. That being said, I am a huge fan of cats and (as a true millennial) social media, so when my coworker suggested this book I decided to give it a try. The book is about a young woman who moves into a home in the Poet’s Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona. She quickly discovers that the house comes with a feral cat colony and begins immersing herself in the feral cat trapping and care community. Along the way she learns some very important lessons not only about cats, but about herself and what defines a community. It turns out that the differences between feral cats and humans who need to heal are not that far apart. I was really struck by a passage about resource hoarding – where Courtney’s therapist ask her what her personality might change to if she didn’t feel like she had to hoard love like some feral cats hoard food. If you want  a book to make you feel good about the world, despite everything that is going on, then I would recommend this one. Especially if, like me, you are always rooting for the kitties. To check out a copy of this book, click here.

I realize in my last review I said I avoid non-fiction, and here I am reviewing another non-fiction book. But I learned last night that Frank Caprio passed away and it had me thinking about his memoir that I read earlier this year. I first became aware of Judge Caprio while in school, when a professor showed the class a clip from “Caught in Providence”, a show that featured Judge Caprio’s courtroom. Since then I have seen clips of the show floating around the internet, each one with the judge’s trademark compassionate judgments. When I saw this book and remembered watching that clip, I decided to read his memoir. He tells a wonderful and familiar story – the child of immigrants who worked hard to give their children every opportunity  America could offer. The way he describes his life growing up in an Italian neighborhood of Providence gives the reader a clear insight into what shaped him and set him up to be known as “America’s Nicest Judge”. His story particularly resonated with me as someone whose father came to the U.S. in search of better opportunities. As a former attorney, I also appreciated his application of the law in a humane, compassionate way. I’d encourage everyone to read his memoir and learn more about his civic and humanitarian work. Request a copy here.

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Meet 19-year-old Laura, a lonely young woman living a quiet, secluded life with her father in a castle in the Austrian countryside. One night, a carriage breaks down outside their home, and the family takes in its passenger, an unconscious young woman named Carmilla. As Carmilla recovers, she and Laura form an intense and intimate friendship. Over time Carmilla’s affection for Laura deepens into something more overtly romantic, as the two young women become entranced with one another. Meanwhile, nearby villages are unsettled as young women begin dying under strange and mysterious circumstances, deaths that seem to begin with Carmilla’s arrival.

While Carmilla isn’t the first vampire story ever written, it’s one of the most unique. It predates and stands out against other vampire classics like Dracula and Nosferatu, and is surprisingly progressive, exploring themes of queerness and women’s sexuality in ways that feel ahead of its time. Carmilla is not your typical vampire story, but if you are searching for a horror book this October I would definitely recommend giving this a read! Put it on hold here.

As a lover of both history and Scotland, this book caught my eye right away. While the book starts off with a brutal tone (Viking raids on monasteries were, historically speaking, very brutal), it moves into its themes of forgiveness, faith, and found family fairly quickly. The differing views on faith of Brother Martin, Una, and Grimur seem incompatible at first, but the trio come to an understanding and realize that to survive on the island of I (pronounced ee), they will need to trust and rely on each other. The book tells the story with plenty of humor, and the ending is much sweeter than I could have anticipated, given the way their story began. Another bonus – it’s short which is perfect for the busy holiday season. To get a copy of this book, click here.

I initially picked up this book based on the fact that it involved the Amish. Growing up in Michigan we had a lot of Amish communities and like a lot of people, I am curious about their way of life. This book is about so much more though. I will say that the beginning of the book was a bit slow for me. It mostly describes how the main character, Gabriel, is a giant. After a while, I found myself saying, “I get it, he is a big kid!” But in the second half of the book, it picks up very quickly, and several things happen one right after the other. The book is full of love, loss, healing and forgiveness. It made me sad, but it also made me feel fuzzy inside from the love that everyone in the community shows Gabe and each other. To get a copy of this book, click here

A drama filled, gossipy, full of royal personalities that was lacking…something. That is how I would describe this debut by Rebecca Armitage. At the beginning we are introduced to Lexi Villiers, aka Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandrina, who walked away from royal life to become a doctor in Tasmania. Due to an unfortunate accident, however, Lexi finds herself returning to London not as the spare princess she once was, but as the heir apparent of her grandmother, Queen Eleanor. As Lexi becomes reaccustomed to life as a royal and not a second year medical resident, we get flashbacks to help us understand what led to her turning her back on her position and her family. The storyline was engaging and believable with parallels to real life royals (Princess Isla = Princess Diana for sure) but to me the ending left something to be desired. I didn’t agree with Lexi’s choice, and I felt that all the build up in the book would have been better served if she had chosen differently. But don’t take my word for it! Check out the book and decide for yourself. You can request a copy of this book here

A combination of Knives Out and Downton Abbey, this locked room mystery set in an English manor house in 1910 was a delight. Viscount Conrad Stockingham-Welt, lord of Tithe Hall, fears that the appearance of Halley’s Comet signifies that the world is about to end. He has gathered members of his family to his home, instructed his staff to seal the manor house from top to bottom, and plans to survive the cataclysm that the comet will bring in this manner. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t survive the night, though it isn’t natural disaster brought on by Halley’s Comet that does him in. The chief suspect is Steven Pike, a footman fresh out of jail who was hired the day before the viscount’s death. Steven didn’t do it, of course. He was busy that night, sneaking Miss Decima Stockingham, the viscount’s foul mouthed, 80 year old aunt, onto the grounds of the estate so she could observe the comet. Now Steven and Miss Decima must work together to prove Steven’s innocence by finding the real killer in a house full of  cutthroat relatives and suspicious staff. I listed to the audiobook, which was especially fun whenever Ms. Decima was speaking. The relationship between Ms. Decima and Steven and its development was heart-warming, while the mystery was intriguing and not an easy one to solve. I didn’t get it until close to the end, and even then there was an element of who did it that was a complete surprise to me. I would definitely recommend this book! You can request a copy of this book here.

Wild Dark Shore is a hauntingly atmospheric blend of climate fiction and psychological thriller that uses a remote subantarctic seed bank as a backdrop for a raw exploration of grief. With vivid nature writing and multigenerational family dynamics and a plot shift toward melodrama. I would have preferred it if the story just stuck to being a thriller.  Ultimately, it is a deeply emotional meditation on isolation, and the lengths people go to protect what they love in a disappearing world. Request a copy here.

If you’re looking for a “quick-witted”, and a “breezy” read, check out Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash. This novel follows a deeply dysfunctional family whose parents, struggling to reconnect, decide to open their marriage. Meanwhile, their three daughters are each dealing with their own personal challenges. As if that’s not enough, the youngest becomes convinced she’s uncovered a criminal conspiracy unfolding in their small coastal town. This one doesn’t fit neatly into a single genre. It’s a mix of family drama, dark humor, a bit of crime, and some genuinely heartfelt moments. The story is odd, chaotic, and a little absurd, but in a way that feels completely intentional. Enjoyable ending with a positive message focused on unconditional love, resilience and finding comfort in togetherness despite deep dysfunction. Find a copy here.

I’ll be perfectly honest, when I finished this book, I felt a sense of horror. Not necessarily over the writing, which was fine – not the best I’ve seen but definitely not the worst. It was the thoughts and feelings inside the mind, and eventually the actions of the main character, Natalie, that was horrifying. The book focuses on Natalie and her journey from sheltered adolescent to a scholarship student at Harvard, to a wife, mother, and “trad wife” social media influencer, until finally she wakes up one day in the year 1855. The rest of the book is about Natalie’s confusion – this 1855 home looks like her modern home but it isn’t, and her 1855 husband Caleb looks and sounds like her modern husband Caleb, but he isn’t, and the four children are definitely not the children she had in the modern world – and she tries to figure out what is happening. Was she kidnapped, is this a new kind of reality show, is God testing her somehow? I won’t give it away, but I will say that it is a twist I didn’t see coming, but feel like I should have.

Natalie is not a likeable character. She is selfish, judgmental of anyone who does not ascribe to her ideal lifestyle, though she appears to hate her own lifestyle herself – when they hire a nanny, she is relieved “she will never have to be alone with her children again” and when she berates her husband to get a job, she immediately shoots down the first job he is really enthusiastic about (a kindergarten teacher) because it is not “masculine” enough, then continues to bemoan how he won’t get a real job. Now, Natalie is not supposed to be likeable. But even knowing that, I still got the ick reading her thoughts. I’ve seen quite a bit of discourse on this book online which seems appropriate given the main character is a social media influencer. Some people think that it is an exaggeration of a trad wife influencer, painting them in a, some people think it doesn’t go far enough in condemning them. Decide for yourself and request a copy of the book here.

In this cozy, low stakes fantasy, we are introduced to Gretsella, a witch with reasonable prices for her spells and potions. Gretsella lives in the Dark Forest of Brigandale and believes that her occassional coven meetings consist of all the company she needs. One day she arrives home to find a baby has been left on her doorstep, and Gretsella, for reasons she can’t figure out, takes the baby in, names him Bradley, of all things, and raises him. Eighteen years later it’s discovered that Bradley is the lost prince, and he rides off for the Capital City to claim his throne. A throne that he is quite unsuited for, as it turns out. Now Gretsella must follow him, and as loving mothers do, rescue him from his own poor decisions. She decides that the only way for a wicked witch to do that is to stage a coup. I loved this book. Gretsella is just the first in a cast of fun and loveable characters that we meet, from her fellow witches in her coven to the palace guards and servants. Gretsella’s no nonsense attitude towards everything is quite amusing especially when it clashes with Bradley’s nonsense ideas on how to run a kingdom. It was a quick read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. If you’d like to share in the good feelings, click here to put it on hold!

I loved Katherine Arden’s Bear and the Nightingale series, so I was excited to see she was coming out with another historical fantasy novel. This one is set in the late 1400s in France – specifically the duchy of Brittany. In this version of history, however, there are sorcerers, diviners, lost cities, ghosts, and other magical creatures, though they are rare. We are introduced to Anne of Brittany who has been duchess since the death of her father. At this time in history, Brittany is an independent entity, separate from the Kingdom of France – though not for long if the French king has his way. He and his sister plan to have Anne married to the king so that Brittany becomes part of the Kingdom of France. Anne and the rest of Bretons want to avoid this and remain an independent duchy, however their position is a precarious one due to their much smaller and underfunded army. When the French ambassador arrives to escort Anne to Paris to wed the king, Anne devises a plan to delay long enough for her to secretly marry someone else who can stand up to the French army. Her plan? A unicorn hunt. She claims that a unicorn has been sighted in a nearby, magical forest, though that is not true, and a unicorn has not been sighted there in over 20 years. Unicorns will only show themselves willingly to chaste, unmarried maidens, which is how Anne convinces the ambassador that they need to delay her wedding. When they go to the forest for the hunt, however, a unicorn does indeed appear to Anne, and it sets in motion a chain of events that will change the course of the future for Anne and the Duchy of Brittany forever. I enjoy Katherine Arden’s writing, she has a wonderful ability to seamlessly weave fantastical elements into historical situations. This has all the elements of a good historical fantasy – knights in shining armor, court intrigue, romance, battles, ghosts, a cursed city, and of course, a cat that’s smarter than the people. I will admit, I did not know a lot about Anne of Brittany before reading this book. I looked her up to see what her life was like, and while Arden stays true to the facts for most of the book, the ending is definitely not what happened in real life. Normally this would bother me, however the ending of the book was so satisfying after all the harassment she was put through by the French that I didn’t mind. If you’d like to place a hold on this book, click here!