KIN by Tayari Jones will be out Feb 24 2026

 Two motherless girls are connected by their love for one another and commitment to each other and it is so sadly beautiful. I love a coming of age story - bildungsroman, if you’re nasty - and this one is first rate. Vernice is the daughter of a murderer and the woman he killed, Annie is the daughter of a no account runaway and God-knows-who, but they shared a cradle as babies and are sisters of the heart growing up in a small town in the south.

Vernice graduates and goes to Spellman where she learns how the other half lives and Annie goes to Memphis to search for her mother to the point of obsession. 

Their two paths are different, but they stay connected. 

Each of the girls is distinct in the way they interact with the people around them. I glossed over in the beginning where one of them is supposed to be conventionally pretty and the other not, but for the first half of the book I thought it was the other way around because of the way they navigated the world. They both feel like real people trying to do the best that they can with what was given them. I just loved them.
The secondary characters are amazing as well. No person is just one thing. We don’t always get to know everyone’s motivations, but there is no wrong step. They walk off the page. 

The story is a nice juxtaposition of storylines that reminds me of the early 80s  books of my youth like LACE, except better written and steeped in accuracy. But I read it like one of those potboilers, I couldn’t put it down once it got going because I had to see how it turned out. Once again, some fancy literary fiction got my lazy ass reading it by giving me a super-compelling story. 

For the Purposes of Writing about EVERY FREAKING THING!!

I really want to get into the habit of writing a review of everything I read. Not to brag, but my NetGalley reviews have been pretty solid. I am still too chicken to not finish something because I want them to keep giving me free books so I am reading everything. The upside is - everything has been pretty amazing!

My MTCBA journey has taken a nice turn in that direction as well! I had a few books that didn't make the cut, didn't sit right for me or that I DNF-ed. But the ones I have read in this new year have been delightful! I will post my reviews here, and in Goodreads, AND in the MTCBA super-secret Google group! Honestly, this blog is for me to keep track of my shit, I am trying to use Goodreads more because when I love something, I want the world to know (and I want to be part of the math that makes the scores. Chew on all these 5 start reviews, fussy readers!!) and MTCBA is obviously for the good work we are doing. I love it so, even if my colleagues are SO FREAKING STINGY WITH THEIR SCORES!! But I digress. 

So let's begin with my first MTCBA read of the year, a sweet, swoony and somehow serious look at love, fucked up families and dragon dancing - 

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham - Maybe I just love everything. I certainly love love. This book charmed the everloving heart out of me. There was just enough suspense with the family stuff, just enough love, the old triangle bait and switch, her friend's theory of just having fun and SO MUCH DRAGON DANCE! Yes, it's long, but it's not bloated. I think kids are a lot more willing to read a longer graphic novel than a text one. Also, even though the characters are older, it is squeaky clean which means that the youngsters won't be scarred for life.

Okay, this one is too long. But I love Libba Bray SO MUCH! Under the Same Stars is beautifully constructed. There are three plots going on, which is the perfect number of pots to have going on at once. The first is Germany under the third reich, the second is West Berlin in 1980 and the third is Brooklyn during covid lockdown. So clearly, the feel-good book of the year. The characters are all distinct, the settings feel real (And I am not great at discerning settings, so well done, Libba!) and the parallels to our current state of affairs are concerning, but not overwhelming. I laughed, I cried, I stood staring into the abyss. It was just so good. I had the smart social commentary of Beauty Queens with the dreamy historical bent of the Great and Terrible Beauty books. I know that the youths of today aren't all about historical fiction, but some are and this is just perfect.  And not to brag, but I read this in three different formats because I was so addicted. I started with the old school hardback, switched to ebook to read late at night without keeping the old man awake and then mainlined the audiobook while doing brainless tasks of laminating. All three formats were terrific. 

And finally, a little something light and sweet. Although there are still messed up parent relationships and some hardships and there always seems to be a douche-bro who can not handle the amount of testosterone flowing through their body to the detriment of everyone in the story. I present to you, the wonder that is Lynn Painter's Fake Skating. 

You guys, this story is about two teenagers who used to be summer besties who have fallen out and then they end up at the same high school for senior year. And you're never going to believe what happens...[spoiler] THEY FALL IN LOVE!!! Do you see it coming? Of course you do. Babies do. But it is such a fun ride.  

Okay, our protagonists are little sweetie-pies. One of them is a girl who has moved from school to school because of her Air Force Colonial dad (who is not great) and now that her folks have split up she is finishing high school in her mom's hometown and dreaming of going to Harvard, a goal upon which she has focused her educational career. The other used to be a tiny nerd, but now he is a super-hot hockey god. This takes place in Minnesota where that is a real thing. 

There are misunderstandings, of course, and there are 2 things that irked me to no end. The first is that Dani can't get into any clubs at her new high school because they are closed to new members. This would NEVER happen in any school. Schools are desperate to get kids to join clubs. Seriously, Lynn, talk to a teacher, okay. I understand it needed to be this way to propel the plot, but it pulled me out of the story and I love to stay in the story. The other thing is the aforementioned douche-bro and the bargain he makes at the end (I am trying to be deliberately vague) - why does that need to be a secret?? Why isn't it given as a reason. I know, I know, it was needed to propel the plot. Ugh. I feel like there would have been a way to write around it, but how many books have I published? The answer is none so what do I know?

There is so much here to love. I'm not gonna lie - the grandpa was hot! And I want to be best friends with the moms. The friends tended to be an amorphous blob of nice midwestern kids, but they did the job of warming my heart. As someone who changed high schools three times, I love the commentary about how hard that can be and what you need to watch out for. And for the first time in my life, I actually cared a little bit about hockey. It's a miracle!

As far as scandalous content goes, there is a lot of swearing, but no specific body part action. The kissing scenes are really selling the positive aspects of kissing, but no other stuff (what my mom would have called "petting") is mentioned and it seems kind of weird, but honestly, at my age I mostly skim the smoochy parts. But Lynn makes making out seem really fun. I may try it again some day. 

This ticks a lot of MTCBA boxes - sports, romance, and the elusive cis-white-boy demographic. And I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis is coming February 17, 2026

 I just read an article about Harper Lee this morning where she was talking about literary fiction and "In one letter, [Lee] emphasized the importance of narrative and plot: 'You can be literary as hell BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?'" This book was the exact opposite of that. 

This book drew me long with a snappy plot and the whole thing was almost over when I realized, "Holy shit! That paragraph has 12 semicolons!" (Okay, maybe it wasn't 12 but it was at least 10) and I realized that this was some literary fiction that I was reading. I am such a plot person, I don't usually notice the quality of writing. My one line in the sand is that it needs to feel real. I don't want to be pulled out of my comfy story by awkward writing, but it doesn't need to do tricks for me. 

This book had some beautiful writing and it also taught me some stuff about birds and physics and compassion and loss and tragedy and love. And it had a wonderful plot. On the surface it is about Lily, and to a degree, her sister Jane, who grow up at the Catholic school where their father teaches in Rhode Island. Jane loves math and Lily eventually loves "the boy." He is her soulmate, but a random series of events pull them apart and she has to live her adult life without him. Some stuff happens to her, some stuff happens to Jane and it is tragic and at the same time wonderful. There is so much beautiful truth in this book that it is clearly making me a little sappy. 

I was looking in Goodreads for the number of pages for my spreadsheet and I noticed that it only has a 3.78 score which is surprising to me, but I am not reading any reviews until I post this because I don't want anyone yucking my yum. I think this is going to be HUGE for middle aged lady book clubs. I hate the title, it just will not stick in my head for love or money, but I loved the emotions this story evoked. 

That's What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse coming March 3, 2026

 

I was never really a Golden Girls viewer. I have probably seen a few episodes, but nothing has really stuck in my memory. It came out when I was in college and far too jaded for television! But I know the basic gist and I do intend to watch it someday. If this is your first day with the internet, it was a show from the 80s where 4 post-menopausal ladies lived together in Florida to save on rent and hilarity ensued. 

Rouse's delightful novel has the same plot except it's gay men of a certain age in Palm Springs. Both the original recipe girls and this new rendition have hysterical laughs and some surprising depth and sweetness.

Our fellas are Teddy (the acerbic Dorothy stand-in who is facing his own mortality and crabbiness), Barry (the slutty Blanche stand-in who is trying to add meaning to his life by banging young guys until someone from his past makes an appearance), Ron (the sweet Rose stand-in who is taking care of everyone while ignoring his own needs) and Sid (the older Sophia stand-in who is finding his first love ever so late in life). 

They share a house and perform in a Golden Girls tribute show that has made them Palm-Springs-famous. Each of them has a come-to-Jesus storyline that is both funny and meaningful. There isn't a lot that is new here. There is a strong Gunkle vibe which is a big compliment considering how much I loved that book! But the four perspectives, and the well drawn secondary characters made this a delightful read. The history of Palm Springs and the influence of both Hollywood and gay culture is practically a character itself.  

My only complaint is that Rouse seems to keep most of the fellas at arms length until nearly 3/4 of the way through the book when their different struggles become more clear. It makes sense in the big picture - he explains how a certain amount of artifice was necessary for self-preservation for gay men in the 1900s (yikes!)  but I would have liked to have loved them the whole way through and they are charming enough that I think I could have. 

Still, it is a delightful story of love, found family, healing and survival.

2025 - My year in reading

Here I was thinking that this was MY YEAR!! The year that I didn’t have to go to the public library between Christmas and New Years and read 12 picture books to get me up to 100 completed books. SO PROUD!!
And then I looked at my spreadsheet and realized that I took a children’s literature course this summer and had 5 picture books on my list. 

• Phenomenal AOC by Anika Aldamuy, illustrated by Denise Loris Lora
• My Art Book of Adventure by Shana Gozansky
• Little Dumplings by Jekka and Chrissy Kuhlman illustrated by Haley Hazell
• My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C.G.Esperanza
• Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Christian Robinson

They were all delightful, I think I had to write little reviews of them, but because it was for a grad class, they are dull as snot and I won’t be posting them here. And more importantly, I completed 108 this year and only 5 of them were picture books. I hit 100 legally!

And in an even more shocking turn of events, I read mostly books written for adults! And I found a whole subgenre that I love that I have named - old-people-need-community-and-the-less-they-think-they-do-,-the-more-important-it-is kind of books. The acronym is OPNCATLTTTDTMI (which is pronounced open-cat-lil-tittied-me) or OPEN CAT for short. Now that I think about it, there is usually a dog or a cat involved in these books. 

Anyhoo - you know the genre. I discovered Claire Pooley and her absolutely perfect trio - 

• How to Age Disgracefully

• Authenticity Project

• Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

Which I read in that order and am just desperate for her to write some more. Her books are about the importance of human connection, are intergenerational and funny as funny can be. HUGE fan! Write faster Claire, I love you.

I have read Jesse Q. Sutano’s YA and absolutely loved it and I was completely enchanted by her Vera Wong mysteries. They helped me get over my aversion to suspense or mystery! I have found it really hard to read anything with killing in it since covid. (What can I say, I am opposed to murder.) But fictional murder is growing on me. (Thanks Poker Face and Elsbeth for helping me follow Bart Simpson’s sage advice.)

I also finally read A Man Called Ove after my antipopulist refusal to read it all these years. “If everyone loves it, it must suck.” No, Barbara, if everyone loves it it is because it is completely freaking lovable! 

Even one of my favorite stand-alones of the year - The Wedding People by Alison Espach had a similar theme of the necessity of community. It is interesting that there are so many books about that. A millennial friend asked me about “the olden times” when people went to bowling leagues and church and I realized that maybe I need to read Bowling Alone instead of just pretending I have read it all these years. 

Oh my gosh, this is turning into one of those posts where you have to hear the person’s life story before you get to the recipe. So without further ado - here are my top YA and middle grade books of 2025 - 

• The Blossoming Summer by Anna Rose Johnson - a young English girl in WW2 comes to the US with her family and learns that she has native heritage she was never told about. 

• Another by Paul Tremblay - scary middle-grade about a boy who has no friends who has one thrust upon him in the weirdest possible way. So eerie!!

• Red by Annie Cardi - THE SCARLET LETTER in a modern day southern high school. 

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - surely you’ve heard of this one? I read it to myself in Woody Harrelson’s voice. It might be my favorite HUNGER GAMES of them all!

• The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson - the most popular book on the Mass. Teen Choice Book Award list as well as for BHS summer reading. It’s a great, tight, missing person mystery that has an excellent denouement. 

• Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy - this was my first nominee for the MTCBA nominee list. It’s about gay history in small town Pennsylvania from the perspective of a kid who was desperate to leave the second they graduated high school and then finds themself stuck there with a gorgeous vintage handbag haunted by the ghost of a 1950s drag performer with some, well, baggage. 

• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - Do you know the most deadly maritime tragedy was the sinking of a German cruise liner full of people trying to escape the Soviets at the end of WW2? Neither did I, but Ruta Sepetys brings it to terrible, fascinating life. 

Here are my favorite grown up books of 2025 - 

Audiobook - (mostly when I’m traveling - didn’t travel much)

•  Cher: The Memoir - she read it herself and did a great job. 

• Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer - I have made it through the first 5 and intend to keep going. Jackie knows how to live! This should be up with the YA, I guess, but 

E-books - (I got a kindle this year - game changer!!)

• The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson - great revenge/romance set in the publishing world. 

• Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman - my first Lippman! It is set on a European cruise and I read it on a European river cruise, but a less murdery one. 

• Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley - delightful OPEN CAT books on a train. 

• Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn - retired hit-ladies have to run for their lives. 

• How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh - spoiler, sometimes you fall in love whilst doing it!

Regular old books - 

• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - yes, I was the last to know how delightful it is. I cried a bunch of times and then watched the Tom Hanks movie and it was adequate, but I’m SO GLAD I read the book first. 

• The Wedding People by Alison Espach - it starts a little dark, but wow, does it pick up. And it is my book club’s January pick so I am all set to show up and RAVE about it. 

• The Story Paradox by Jonathan Gottschall - this is nonfiction! I read it for a class. It made me think SO HARD! 

• Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes - he’s the pina colada guy and he also writes about murder-Hogwarts, delightfully.  

• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher - my dear friend Mo has been recommending books to me for nearly 40 years and I finally read one that I love as much as she did! I mean, the whole plot is in the title and it’s  mostly from the point of view of the daughter of the sorceress and I could not put it down!

• In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune - everyone is robots except our hero, Victor, but some of these robots are really human. It’s a story about being human disguised as a great science fiction adventure story. 

• Every Tom, Dick, and Harry by Eleanor Lipman - I love Eleanor Lipman so much! This isn’t her best, but it is a great murder/romance/road trip caper that kept me up late reading. 

• Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer -  a student recommended this slow-burn fantasy romance that is also funny and I have read all the second and third in the series as well which were nearly as good. Sadly, the fourth doesn’t come out until August and I will likely have forgotten everything about the plot by then. 

• Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu - I always get a little nervous when YA writers I love put out something for grownups. I should not have worried. JMat is a goddess (I reread BAD GIRLS NEVER SAY DIE this year and it still holds up) and she can write anything and I will read the heck out of it. 

• Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy - sure, it was a reread, but it is always going to be my absolute beloved. 

• The Authenticity Project and How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley - I talked about how much I love Clare Pooley already, but I will say it again - please write more, faster, Clare.

And finally, my new obsession is NetGalley. I get to read books before they are published. It’s basically ARCs but in ebook format. And I have read some AMAZING ones. Feel free to click the links for full reviews. 

• Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth - Hepworth is a writer I was unfamiliar with before and now I have a lovely list of books that I am going to adore if they are half as good as this one!

• Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein - oh man, did this strike a nerve. It might be my best of the year!

• Wreck by Catherine Newman - if you loved SANDWICH - and I did - you are going to want to see what happens to Rocky and her family going forward. 

• Cherry Baby* by Rainbow Rowell - you know you had me at Rainbow Rowell, but it is a twisty story of marriage, comics and the life of a fat girl and it might be the best thing she’s written. And that’s saying something since I have adored everything I’ve ever read by her. (Except the Simon Snow books because I don’t want to.)

• Mrs. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto - what is the deal with JQS? She writes so many different kind of books but I love them all! This one is about a glamorous, wealthy woman who decides to learn to cook when her husband leaves her for their private chef. It actually made me start cooking!

So there you have it - my year in reading.

*Okay, Cherry Baby was my first NetGalley book and I never posted a review on this blog, so if you want to read what I posted to NG, here you go -

The fact that Rainbow Rowell wrote this is going to get me to pick it up no matter the subject. but I feel as if this was written for me! Her characters (particularly the protagonist) are always well fleshed out and you just know you would be best friends and you lived in Omaha (and they weren't fictional.) This time around, our best friend is called Cherry and the cartoon character that her soon-to-be-ex-husband has created in her image is called Baby.
With her ex in California working on the movie version of his comic and her divorce pending, she meets a charming politician who is the boy she crushed on in college who dated her hot best friend. Cherry never thought she had a chance with him back then (even though they had terrific chemistry) because she was, and is, a fat girl. Not an overweight girl who thinks she needs to lose a few pounds, but someone for whom her weight is a constant presence in her mind. Cherry's fatgirl identity is put to the test through the marketing of Thursday, her husbands comic-now-movie. She refuses to get pulled in, but people around her bring it up all the time. This isn't great as she is pulling away from her ex and trying to move on, but somehow is unable to.
As we see her new romance develop, we also see flashbacks of her beginnings with her ex and the reader can't help but compare the two relationships.
The book deals with themes of relationship, family, body image, fame, money, and self-respect and in true Rainbow Rowell fashion, you barely notice because your love for Cherry and the warmth and humor of the book compel you right through the thinky bits. I could not have loved this book more.

MAD MABEL by Sally Hepworth - Expected publication April 21, 2026

 

Oh my gosh, Sally Hepworth has written so many books and if I love any of them half as much as I loved MAD MABEL I have a delightful new TBR pile a-brewing!

Elsie lives on a short street in a dicey neighborhood where she knows a bit more than she wants to about her neighbors. She and her best friend hang out and talk smack and interact fairly appropriately to the world around them. The neighbors know just what Elsie wants them to know about her until the day that her nemesis (he has a yappy dog that he doesn't train and he lives next door, you'd hate him too) drops dead and she reports his death and the world finds out that she is actually Mad Mabel, the youngest woman ever convicted of murder in Australia. Oh, it gets REAL good REAL fast!

There is the aforementioned yappy dog, a horrific elementary school aged child who has a single mom of questionable morals, a nice young man with a shopping problem, a real busybody and a married couple down the block who I kept thinking would play a bigger role in the story because Hepworth defines them so perfectly in her introduction. There are also flashbacks to what made Mabel so very, very mad that will make you very, very mad in return. 

This is one of those old-people-need-community-and-the-less-they-think-they-do-,-the-more-important-it-is kind of books that Claire Pooley does so beautifully, but a little more murdery. Or that Jesse Q. Sutanto does but a little less investigative-y.

I am so sorry for all the dashes, I am not AI, I am just in absolute love with this book and this is how it expresses itself. I feel so sorry for you that you have to wait until April 21 to read it!

The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook by Melani Sanders comes out January 13, 2026

Well this was a delight! I love The WDNC videos and the tone remains that of a smart, snarky sister who knows what is headed your way. Even though I am on the crone side of meno-madness, it was still a comfort to read that it wasn't me that was bonkers, that it was just part of the ride. 

Melani has her signature list of things we simply do not care about, along with examples of honorary WDNC members throughout history and quotes from women who have been through it and know whereof they speak. 

Some of the chapters are a little slight and the formatting of the ebook was monstrous. I can only assume that is because it is a pre-publication Netgalley version and they will will fix it. But honestly, I think the print version of this is the way to go. There is talk of awarding yourself points for you awesomeness and keeping track of your points in the back - an impossible task in an ebook, needless to say. But the content is delightful. 

Melani's voice and attitude come through in writing as strongly as they do in her videos and it is a welcome tone for women of a certain age. I'd even buy one of those affirming desk calendars if she created it, and I hate those things! If you are between the ages of 40 and death, you're going to want to read this one. 

Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein comes out April 14, 2026

It has taken me so long to write this review because I honestly don't have the right words for how much I loved this book. 

The story concerns Jean who is having a crisis in her home and work life that seems to be related to an affair she had with a professor in the summer of 1998, the same summer the Lewinsky/Clinton scandal was dominating the news. Jean prays to Saint Monica who transports her to a replica of the hotel room in which Ken Starr trapped her and the two women review Jean's story. 

First off, the book is hilarious. Langbein swings hard and connects beautifully in her depiction of Monica as an icon, human and goddess. I hope the real Monica reads this book because it is a love letter to her. 

The beginning is a little confusing. Jean is not particularly likable. Frankly, I never warmed to her, but I loved her story. At the start she is a court translator, formerly a chef. But once she aspired to be a historian. In the flashbacks we learn she is in way over her head with a bunch of graduate students studying medieval architecture in Europe as an undergraduate. As the story progresses we see her near-obsession with one of the professors running the program. She attempts to seduce him. Even in her flashbacks, she is clear that everything that happens is consensual, and yet there are ripples that come to her in midlife with tremendous repercussions. And this is what Langbein does so brilliantly. She shows this dynamic that used to be commonplace and is now taboo and clearly shows why without preaching. And while showing this, she also builds believable, fascinating characters, a bit of suspense and so, so many laughs. 

I can't wait for this book to be published so that I can buy a copy and just hold it in my hands. It was splendid.

The Exes by Leodora Darlington comes out February 3, 2026

 

Wow, I am not quite sure if I enjoyed this book or not. But I was definitely interested in what was happening. Was I sure what was happening? Not at all! But it was fascinating. Nat is married to James and they are having a few problems - fertility and murder, mostly. Has Nate killed a bunch of her exes? Is James next? It is hard to say because things turn on a dime ALL THE TIME! I couldn't put this down for the first third, then I couldn't figure out what was going on the second third and then I couldn't believe what was happening the final third! It was a pretty tight story. The format was a little complex, but it was impossible not to finish. I think this is going to be really popular and I am looking forward to what Darlinton comes up with next, because she has a real gift for keeping the reader on edge.

I gave this four stars which is only the second Netgalley four-star from me. I feel badly because I think it is because it is not the kind of book that I usually like, so it might be a Barb problem and not a THE EXES problem, but I must be true to myself!

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto is expected April 28, 2026

 

Mebel is a trophy wife who is thrown for a loop when her husband leaves her for their very young personal chef. She decides that learning how to cook is the way to get him back. Which makes her seem incredibly stupid. But really, her blinders about the allure of a young woman to an old man are kind of a metaphor. 

She is beautiful and an expert at pleasing her mate, but she has never had to do anything else. She is beautiful and rich and it would seem that that should be enough to keep her happy. But clearly it is not. 

Sutanto is, once again, completely on her game at showing generational differences and lack of self-awareness and how finding community can help people find themselves. 

The story is a delight, there is a bit of a mystery, some competition and some delicious sounding food. But the real gem is Mebel's fish-out-of-water learning curve, both with cooking and with the youths of today. The world in which she was raised is entrenched in respect for the elder and when she realizes the world she has moved to (a drippy outpost of Oxford, England that is delightful in its lack of character) has very little respect for women her age, particularly spoiled ones like her, it is uncomfortable for her, but awfully fun for the reader. 

How to Write a Love Story Catherine Walsh comes out March 10, 2026

 

Well this was a pure delight! 

Our hero Sam is a RAVIAN fanboy of the highest order. RAVIAN is a series that seems to be GoT meets LotR meets whatever the hell Brandon Sanderson is pumping out. He is also an editor with the publishing house that represented Frank Sheridan, the RAVIAN creator, before he died, leaving his beloved series unfinished. 

Ciara Sheridan, our heroine, is Frank's daughter, a frustrated crime writer who has been badly mistreated by the internet and her beloved father's propensity for giving away all his wealth to charity before his death. 

Sam's boss sends him to Ireland to help Ciara finish her father's series and make a whole lot of money for everyone and also, you know, honor his legacy.

GUESS WHAT HAPPENS, YOU GUYS???

It's all there in the title. It's a nice, slow-burn, "this is definitely a bad idea to everyone except every single person who is reading this book" kind of romance. Everyone's motives are fairly realistic, the secondary characters are delightful and the setting is deftly drawn without being too irritatingly detailed. 

What I liked about this is that the impediments to romance feel like they have some actual depth and the sex scenes are not embarrassing. Every romance has to have speed bumps, but often they are so ham-handed that I can't be bothered to care. Walsh keeps the stakes high, but doesn't take any messy shortcuts. As far as the steamy bits go, they are hot, but not trying too hard. 

Ultimately, just about everyone in this book is likable and trying their best, Reddit trolls and clueless fans notwithstanding, and it is a lovely book about fandoms and love and getting the job done. 

Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit'rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is coming April 7, 2026

 

After reading this book, I needed to take some time to watch a few episodes to see if it was really as revolutionary as Armstrong made it seem. 

Just kidding.

PARKS AND REC is what (along with Maker's Mark) got me through the covid lockdown. It it a love song to comedy, collaboration, and community, created by extremely talented and brilliant people working at the top of their game. And Armstrong sketches it out perfectly with the respect it deserves.

The format is chronological and I was surprised at how much lead up there was to actually locking down the show and getting it going as compared to the production. It has a real inside-baseball feel to it. All the players are introduced, the process is deconstructed and the influence is beautifully defined. 

It is extremely well written and I barreled through it, which is rare for me reading nonfiction. I am not sure if that was because I love the show so much or because Armstrong kept waving interesting bits of lore that kept me reading. Either way, it was delightful. The only way I could have loved it more would be if there was a 375 page appendix of recaps of every single episode through Armstrong's discerning lens. But I suppose you can't have everything!

WRECK by Catherine Newman comes out, well, yesterday...

 

I was so thrilled to get this one from NetGalley and I was not disappointed! Here is the review I wrote for NG -

The first half of this book had me over the moon with joy. How wonderful to see my dear friend Rocky from SANDWICH again! Her whole family is there, except for her mom who has recently died. Her father is living in “the shack” in the back of the house. Her daughter Willa is working in a lab and living with her folks and trying to deal with her anxiety. Her son is in the big city working as a consultant. When a former classmate of her son is killed by a train, Rocky becomes a bit obsessed with the accident and who is to blame. 

There are so many issues in this book that resonated with me - adult children living at home, aging parents, community tragedy and the curative properties of weed gummies. The second half of the book gets heavier as the family discovers a deeper connection to the train accident and as Rocky deals with medical issues, but the relatability of all the characters and the deep vein of humor don’t flag. 

I read this so fast because I love these people and wanted to fall hard into their lives. It is a rare book that can provide beautiful literary passages along with belly laughs and still feel just like real life. I can’t believe I am saying this, because Sandwich was one of my best reads of the year, but I think the richness of this makes it even better.