3.5 Stars • The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) is a gripping debut about Cora, a young mom in 1987 England, choosing her baby boy‘s name while stuck in a toxic marriage. The story splits into three paths, each following a different name, showing how one decision shapes a family‘s future. It‘s a heartfelt mix of raw emotion and subtle what-if vibes, exploring love, struggle, and healing with vivid prose.

#TheNames #FlorenceKnapp #Bookish

5 Stars • In S.A. Cosby's "King of Ashes" (2025), Atlanta banker Roman Carruthers returns to his Virginia hometown after his father's accident. He faces family turmoil—his brother Dante's debts to criminals and sister Neveah's struggling crematorium business. As secrets unravel, Roman navigates a brutal underworld, making ruthless choices in a gritty Southern noir tale of loyalty, vengeance, and moral ambiguity.

#KingOfAshes #SACosby #Bookish

Thank you #DelRey #RandomHouseWorlds and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is January 13, 2026.

3 Stars • Detour (Detour #1) by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart follows Ryan Crane, an everyman who saves billionaire John Ward and earns a spot on a historic manned mission to Titan. ⬇️

4 Stars • The Perfect Roommate by Minka Kent is a psychological thriller about Meadow, a shy college senior who moves in with confident Lauren after answering a roommate ad. Their seemingly perfect friendship unravels as Meadow uncovers Lauren‘s dark secrets, leading to paranoia and a shocking confrontation. A fast-paced, twisty standalone novel.

#ThePerfectRoommate #MinkaKent #Bookish

4 Stars • In Kendra Elliot's "Her First Mistake," Detective Noelle Marshall faces a reopened case of her husband‘s murder from 13 years ago, where she was also attacked. The FBI‘s investigation unearths her abusive past and a hidden secret, blending past and present to reveal shocking betrayals that threaten her life and career.

#HerFirstMistake #NoelleMarshall #KendraElliot #Bookish

3.5 Stars • "On Cats" is a posthumously published collection of poetry and prose by Charles Bukowski, released in 2015. The pieces draw from Bukowski's real-life experiences with up to nine cats at once, including memorable ones like Butch Van Gogh Artaud Bukowski (a one-eared tomcat) and Monday (a battered, cross-eyed survivor he rescued). ⬇️

3 Stars • In A Dead Draw (Tracy Crosswhite 11) by Robert Dugoni, Seattle cold case detective Tracy Crosswhite struggles with her sharpshooting skills and lingering trauma from her sister‘s unsolved murder. A new investigation into a dangerous suspect pulls her deeper into her past, testing her resolve and threatening her family. With suspense and psychological depth, Tracy trains to sharpen her skills for a high-stakes challenge.

5 Stars • In Lions and Scavengers: The True Story of America (2025), Ben Shapiro divides society into "Lions"—virtuous builders of freedom and merit—and "Scavengers"—resentful critics pushing victimhood and anti-capitalist ideologies. He argues that inequality stems from differences in talent and effort, not oppression, using historical and philosophical examples to defend meritocracy. ⬇️

4 Stars • In A Whisper of Death (Raven & Wren #1) by Darcy Burke, set in 1868 London, Hadrian Becket, Earl of Ravenhurst, gains psychometric powers after surviving a stabbing. He teams up with sharp-witted private investigator Matilda "Tilda" Wren to solve his attack and her cousin‘s suspicious death. ⬇️

4 Stars • In T. Kingfisher's A House with Good Bones, Sam Montgomery stays at her late grandmother‘s North Carolina home, noticing disturbing changes: an overly pristine garden, odd insect behavior, and a creepy vulture. As her mother acts strangely, Sam uncovers a sinister family secret linked to her grandmother‘s occult history. This Southern Gothic horror novel follows Sam‘s fight against a malevolent entity to protect her mother.

4 Stars • Bleeding Heart Yard (2022), Elly Griffiths' third Harbinder Kaur mystery, follows DS Cassie Fitzgerald, part of an elite school clique in 1990s London, where a student's death haunts them. Now, at a 21st reunion, a politician from the group is murdered, and DI Harbinder Kaur investigates. ⬇️

3.5 Stars • Birdman by Mo Hayder follows Detective Jack Caffery as he hunts a serial killer in London who murders prostitutes and sews birds into their chests. Battling personal trauma, Caffery tracks the killer through a gritty underworld, leading to a tense, violent confrontation. The dark thriller blends crime and psychological drama.

#Birdman #JackCaffery #MoHayder #Bookish

Read in August 2025
16 Books
Four 5-Star reads this month:
• Lonesome Dove
• The Man Who Fell to Earth
• All the Other Mothers Hate Me
• The Dream Hotel

#Goodreads #Bookstagram #Litsy #Libby #Audible #Kindle #StoryGraph #Bookish

Reading on #Litsy with Christie‘s Capers (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle #AgathaChristieClubR3

4 Stars • In Agatha Christie's The Big Four (1927), Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings investigate a shadowy international crime syndicate known as the Big Four. ⬇️

3.5 Stars • Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a psychological thriller about Grady Green, a struggling author whose wife, Abby, an investigative journalist, disappears after stopping to help someone on a road. A year later, crippled by grief and writer‘s block, Grady retreats to the remote Scottish Isle of Amberly. On the eerie island, he encounters unsettling events and a woman who resembles Abby. ⬇️

5 Stars • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry follows retired Texas Rangers Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Woodrow Call as they lead a cattle drive from Texas to Montana in the 1870s. With a diverse crew, including young Newt Dobbs and tracker Joshua Deets, they face Indian raids, bandits, and harsh terrain. The epic journey explores friendship, duty, and the fading Old West, culminating in bittersweet success with heavy losses.

5 Stars • In The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis (1963), Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from drought-ravaged Anthea, comes to Earth to build a spacecraft to save his people. Using advanced technology, he amasses wealth but struggles with isolation, alcoholism, and human corruption. His chemist friend Bryce uncovers his alien identity, and government scrutiny leads to his detention and failed mission. ⬇️

4 Stars • Letters from Cuba by Ruth Behar tracks Esther, a 12-year-old Jewish girl fleeing 1930s Poland to join her father in Cuba amid growing antisemitism. Penned as letters to her sister, the story details Esther‘s adjustment to life in rural Agramonte, overcoming obstacles through her sewing skills and bonds with diverse neighbors. The novel highlights themes of immigration, perseverance, and cross-cultural friendships.

4 Stars • Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards follows a 12-year-old kid named Clover growing up in a 1970s California commune. He loves his quirky family of hippies and misfits, led by guru Goji, but starts wondering about his real mom and past. With his friend Harmony pushing him, Clover digs for answers Goji won‘t give. ⬇️

4 Stars • We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B. Weinstein is a heartfelt story set at a cozy North Carolina B&B, Vis Ta Vie, run by Jean-Paul and Renée, who are struggling to keep it afloat. A weeklong retreat brings together eight guests: three couples—Leo and Penny, Lucy and Henry, Sienna and Adam—plus a mom, Cassidy, and her teen daughter, Rosalie. ⬇️

3.5 Stars • In Kristin Offiler's The Housewarming, five friends—Callie, Meg, Tess, Lindsey, and Zoe—reunite on Block Island five years after Zoe‘s mysterious disappearance. Callie hosts a memorial at her new home, but tensions rise as true crime podcaster Patricia Adele probes their secrets. Through multiple perspectives and flashbacks, the psychological thriller explores guilt, tenuous relationships, and the impact of true crime media.

3 Stars • In Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Fat Charlie Nancy learns his late father was Anansi, the trickster god. His charming brother Spider, who inherited divine powers, disrupts Fat Charlie‘s quiet life. As they navigate family secrets, ancient gods, and a vengeful Tiger, Fat Charlie discovers his own powers and reconciles with Spider in a humorous, mythical tale of identity and family.

#AnansiBoys #AmericanGods #NeilGaiman #Bookish

3.5 Stars • Out of the Woods by Gregg Olsen tells the true story of Shasta Groene, abducted at eight in 2005 by serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan III, who killed her family and held her and her brother Dylan captive for 48 days in Montana. Shasta survived; Dylan did not. The book focuses on Shasta‘s post-rescue struggles with trauma, addiction, and failed support systems, using interviews, court documents, and Duncan‘s writings.

4 Stars • The Outsider by Colin Wilson (1956) explores the "Outsider," an alienated individual who rejects societal norms due to intense self-awareness and a sense of a valueless world. Through figures like Dostoevsky, Kafka, van Gogh, and Nietzsche, Wilson examines their existential struggles, suffering, and search for meaning.

#TheOutsider #ColinWilson #Bookish

4 Stars • In Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell, architect Aubrey Spencer explores the haunted Hotel Seabrink, a former asylum. When her new friend, YouTuber Dimitri, dies suspiciously, she digs into the hotel‘s dark past—murders, abuses, and ghosts—helped by pal Nikki and paramedic Jasper. It‘s a cozy Gothic mystery with suspense, romance, and social vibes.

#AsylumHotel #JulietBlackwell #Bookish

5 Stars • All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman is a funny, twisty debut novel about Florence, a messy single mom and former pop star in West London. Struggling and shunned by the rich moms at her son Dylan‘sl fancy school, she dives into a chaotic mission to find a missing kid, Alfie, when Dylan‘s accused of foul play. ⬇️

4 Stars • In Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers, set in 1960s Britain, art therapist Helen Hansford investigates the mysterious past of a mute patient, William Tuttle, at a psychiatric hospital. Uncovering his reclusive life and a missing woman, Helen navigates her own loneliness, a forbidden attraction, and societal constraints. The novel blends mystery and romance, exploring repression and mental health.

#ShyCreatures #ClareChambers #Bookish

5 Stars • The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is a dystopian novel set in a future LA where surveillance is next-level creepy. Sara, a Moroccan American mom and historian, gets nabbed at the airport because her dreams—tracked by a brain implant—supposedly show she might hurt her husband. She‘s tossed into a shady detention center run by a corporation called Safe-X. ⬇️

4 Stars • The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a historical mystery set in 1789 Maine, following midwife Martha Ballard. When a man‘s body is found frozen in the river, Martha investigates, uncovering a scandal involving rape and betrayal. Balancing her role as a healer and truth-seeker, she challenges powerful men in her town. The novel blends suspense, historical detail, and Martha‘s fierce resilience.

#TheFrozenRiver #ArielLawhon #Bookish

Read in July 2025
19 Books
Eight 5-Star reads this month:
• The Drowning (Patrik Hedstrom 6)
• Wild Dark Shore
• Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook
• The Lost Boy (Patrik Hedstrom 7)
• Strangers in Time
• Merivel: A Man of His Time
• Gallant
• Crippen: A Novel of Murder

#Goodreads #Bookstagram #Litsy #Libby #Audible #Kindle #Bookish

5 Stars • 6th in the series • The Drowning by Camilla Läckberg follows detective Patrik Hedström and his wife, Erica, in Fjällbacka, Sweden. When a guy named Magnus is found dead under ice, Patrik investigates, linking it to creepy threats sent to local men, including Erica‘s friend Christian. ⬇️

5 Stars • Gallant by V.E. Schwab is a gothic fantasy about Olivia Prior, a mute orphan who sees ghouls and lives at Merilance School for Girls. A mysterious letter leads her to Gallant, a eerie family estate, where she meets her cousin Matthew and a few loyal servants. The manor holds dark family secrets tied to a shadowy, dangerous force. ⬇️

2 Stars • The Tell: A Memoir by Amy Griffin is a candid story about a successful venture capitalist and mom in NYC whose seemingly perfect life—career, family, and all—gets shaken when she remembers sexual abuse that she experienced as a 13-year-old by a teacher. It‘s an Oprah‘s Book Club pick which I rarely enjoy or find helpful. Why do many of Oprah‘s picks revolve around rape? I will not be recommending this one.

#TheTellAMemoir #AmyGriffin

Reading on #Litsy with Christie‘s Capers (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle #AgathaChristieClubR3

4 Stars • In Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), Hercule Poirot investigates the stabbing death of wealthy Roger Ackroyd in his King‘s Abbot study. ⬇️

5 Stars • In Merivel: A Man of His Time by Rose Tremain, sequel to Restoration, aging physician Robert Merivel faces a midlife crisis in 17th-century England. Struggling with financial woes and a quest for purpose, he fails at Louis XIV‘s court, navigates personal losses, and deepens ties with his daughter and King Charles II. The novel blends humor and pathos, exploring mortality and redemption.

#Merivel #RoseTremain #17Century #France

3 Stars • In The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice, Claire, an artist in coastal Connecticut, survives an attack she suspects was orchestrated by her ambitious husband, Griffin, a state‘s attorney with a dark past. Her shadow box art exposes his old crime, threatening his governor bid. ⬇️

4 Stars • Charlie Fitzer, a down-on-his-luck divorcee, inherits his uncle‘s supervillain empire—volcano lair, talking cats, and all. Thrust into a world of assassination attempts and rival villains, he scrambles to run the show with help from his uncle‘s sharp assistant and sassy felines. Scalzi‘s sci-fi comedy delivers a hilarious, chaotic ride, poking fun at power trips and corporate absurdity.

#StarterVillain #JohnScalzi #Bookish

5 Stars • Strangers in Time by David Baldacci, set during the 1944 London Blitz, follows three characters: Charlie, a 14-year-old orphan; Molly, a 15-year-old seeking her missing parents; and Ignatius, a secretive bookshop owner. They bond at Ignatius‘s shop, facing war‘s dangers and uncovering family secrets. The novel explores resilience and found family.

#StrangersInTime #DavidBaldacci #Bookish

4 Stars • The Maid‘s Secret (Molly the Maid 3) by Nita Prose follows Molly Gray, now Head Maid, as she preps for her wedding and a fancy antiques show at the Regency Grand Hotel. A Fabergé-style egg from her late Gran‘s stash turns out to be worth millions, but it‘s stolen in a heist, putting Molly in danger. The story weaves Molly‘s present-day sleuthing with Gran‘s secret past as a wealthy heiress in love with a forbidden guy. ⬇️

4 Stars • The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak follows Véronique, a young girl trained as a courtesan for Louis XV‘s court, facing exploitation and heartbreak after giving up her daughter, Marie-Louise. Years later, Marie-Louise, a midwife in revolutionary Paris, uncovers her mom‘s past. It‘s a lush, gritty historical drama about survival, secrets, and mother-daughter bonds.

#TheSchoolOfMirrors #EvaStachniak #Bookish #FrenchRevolution

3.5 Stars • The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin is a twisty thriller where bestselling author Cait Du Bois attends her high school reunion at creepy Hotel Lilith, where a prom-night murder still haunts her. Old secrets, weird texts, and a shady “fan” named Anna stir up drama, with flashbacks revealing mean-girl vibes and a love triangle. Just when you think you‘ve cracked it, a wild twist flips everything. Fast, suspenseful, and totally gripping.

3 Stars • Lee Strobel‘s The Case for Christ follows the ex-atheist journalist‘s quest to verify Jesus‘ life, death, and resurrection through scholar interviews. Accessible and engaging, it argues for the New Testament‘s reliability but leans pro-Christian and skips deep counterarguments. Great for believers or curious readers, less for hardcore skeptics. Slightly dated (1998).

#TheCaseForChrist #LeeStrobel #Bookish

5 Stars• From my favorite Swedish author • In Camilla Läckberg‘s The Lost Boy, seventh in the Patrik Hedström series, Detective Patrik investigates the murder of Mats Sverin in Fjällbacka, Sweden. Nathalie, Mats‘ childhood sweetheart, hides with her son on the eerie Gråskär island. Flashbacks to the 1870s tie past tragedies to the present. ⬇️

4 Stars • One in Four by Lucinda Berry is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that pulls you in and doesn‘t let go. It follows Dr. Laurel Harlow, a therapist on a reality show where ex-child stars tackle addiction under the spotlight. When a murder hits the set, the twists and dark secrets keep you glued to the page. Berry‘s psych background makes the trauma and drama feel raw and real, and the alternating timelines add a juicy layer of suspense.

Book of the Month Club selection for May 2025

3.5 Stars • The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North is a creepy thriller about Dan, a profiler haunted by a childhood encounter with a serial killer. When his cop dad dies mysteriously, Dan returns home, digging into a case tied to his past. It‘s a slow-burn mix of guilt, family drama, and eerie vibes, with a twisty plot that keeps you hooked, though the ending might feel a bit vague.

5 Stars • Lost Boy by Christina Henry reimagines Peter Pan through Jamie, the future Captain Hook. Neverland‘s a dark playground where Peter‘s a selfish, cruel leader whose deadly games kill boys. Jamie, the group‘s protector, sees Peter‘s true colors and faces a brutal betrayal. Gritty and emotional, it flips the hero-villain narrative, questioning who the real monster is.

#LostBoy #CaptainHook #ChristinaHenry #Bookish

5 Stars • Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a tense, emotional novel set on a stormy, fictional Antarctic island. Dominic Salt and his three kids—Raff, Fen, and Orly—run a massive seed bank but are set to evacuate as climate change ravages their home. A mysterious woman, Rowan, washes ashore, shaking up their isolated world. ⬇️

3.5 Stars • Next of Kin by John Boyne (2006) is a twisty thriller set in 1936 London. Owen Montignac, a broke aristocrat, gets snubbed in his uncle‘s will, leaving everything to his cousin Stella. Facing a huge debt to a shady casino boss, Owen schemes to steal art, blackmail, and even kill to get what he thinks is his. He ropes in Gareth, the lazy son of a judge, and things spiral into a messy web of lies and murder. ⬇️

5 Stars • Crippen by John Boyne is a historical novel based on the 1910 murder case of Dr. Hawley Crippen. In London, Cora Crippen‘s dismembered body is found in their home‘s cellar, prompting Chief Inspector Walter Dew to pursue Crippen and his mistress, Ethel Le Neve, who flee to Canada disguised as father and son aboard the SS Montrose. ⬇️

Read in June 2025
22 Books
Five 5-Star reads this month:
• Death Row
• One by One
• Never Lie
• Want to Know a Secret?
• The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie

#Goodreads #Bookstagram #Litsy #Libby #Audible #Kindle #Bookish