I’ve only posted one review of Attica Locke’s books here (The Cutting Season (2012)) but I have assiduously read everything she publishes. So I was looking forward to the final installment of the Highway 59 trilogy, Guide Me Home (2024), which follows now-retired Texas Ranger Darren Matthews as he adjusts to life in retirement andContinue reading “Guide Me Home”
Category Archives: Weight-Neutral
The White Hot
I consumed The White Hot (publication day 11/11/25) by Quiara Alegría Hudes in one sitting, completely engrossed in the short novel (176 pages). It’s told as a letter from a young mother to her daughter for her to read when she turns 18. April Soto had her daughter, Noelle, at 16 and dropped out ofContinue reading “The White Hot”
All of Us Murderers
I devoured All of Us Murderers (publication day October 7, 2025), KJ Charles’s latest “romance with a body count” (see Death in the Spires). Although most of the characters were extremely unlikable, I loved the participants in the romance–Zebedee and Gideon. Zeb is kind of a mess, as usual, when he arrives at his cousinContinue reading “All of Us Murderers”
Shark Heart
I’ve seen Shark Heart (2023) by Emily Habeck around, but didn’t think of reading it until my book group picked it. It is an unusual premise–right after getting married, Lewis and Wren face a difficult diagnosis due to a genetic abnormality he carries–Lewis will retain his consciousness and all of his memories, but over theContinue reading “Shark Heart”
The Librarians
The Librarians (publication day September 30, 2025) by Sherry Thomas was a wild ride that I enjoyed every moment of! And I was floored to learn Thomas has an impressive backlist of romance, fantasy, and mystery–both adult and YA–and that English is her second language! Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC.Continue reading “The Librarians”
A Murderous Business
For an intriguing historical feminist mystery, I recommend A Murderous Business (publication day September 16, 2025) by Cathy Pegau, which I hope becomes book one of a series! It’s 1912, and Margot Harriman is running her father’s business empire after his passing–a canning company on Long Island that also manufactures and sells other prepared foods.Continue reading “A Murderous Business”
If Looks Could Kill
It took a little while for me to get into If Looks Could Kill (publication day September 16, 2025) by Julie Berry, but once I did, I was hooked! I had a hard time figuring out how the storylines could come together, but they did, in spectacular fashion! Fiction about true crime/ historical events mixedContinue reading “If Looks Could Kill”
The Macabre
I don’t typically gravitate towards fantasy with a strong horror component as a genre, but I really enjoyed the last book by Kosoko Jackson that I read (a queer romance), so I had to request The Macabre (publication day September 9, 2025) from NetGalley. He’s published at least half a dozen books already, so thereContinue reading “The Macabre”
All My Mother’s Lovers
I thought so highly of All My Mother’s Lovers (2020) by Ilana Masad that I recommended it to my book group, so was a bit disappointed when their reviews were much more mixed. It did spark a lengthy discussion, though. As the book opens. Maggie, a queer twentysomething, finds out that her mother, Iris, hasContinue reading “All My Mother’s Lovers”
Blood Caste
Blood Caste (publication date July 24, 2025) by Shylashri Shankar is an absorbing mystery set in 1895, and imagines what could happen if Jack the Ripper hadn’t been stopped in London but starts another killing spree in Hyderabad, India. Most fascinating was the interplay of all of the different royals and officials–both Indian and British–presentContinue reading “Blood Caste”