Title: A Stranger in TownSeries: Rockton, #6Author: Kelley ArmstrongPublisher: Minotaur BooksPublication date: February 2, 2021Length: 359 pagesGenre: Thriller/mysterySource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ In the next riveting thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, the paranoia increases – along with the stakes – as the town of Rockton tries to solve the latest mystery at their door.

The opening round of this year's Goodreads Choice Awards is here! I've already worked my way through the nominees and cast my votes. Some categories seem to have a lot of very strong choices this year... although I'm still a little bitter about the elimination (a few years ago now) of the write-in option! For the 2025 awards, here are the eligibility rules…

Title: Britt-Marie Was HereAuthor: Fredrik BackmanNarrator: Joan WalkerPublisher: Atria BooksPublication date: 2016Print length: 324 pagesAudio length: 9 hours 18 minutesGenre: Contemporary fictionSource: LibraryRating: ★★★ From the best-selling author of the "charming debut" (People) A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, a heartwarming and hilarious story of a reluctant outsider who transforms a tiny village and a woman who finds love and second chances in the unlikeliest of places.

Title: Children of TimeSeries: Children of Time, #1Author: Adrian TchaikovskyPublisher: OrbitPublication date: June 4, 2015Length: 600 pagesGenre: Science fictionSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ A race for survival among the stars... Humanity's last survivors escaped earth's ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers? WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Books I Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone. I don't know that I have a particular comfort zone when it comes to reading. I read across genres, and wouldn't say that certain types of books or topics make me uncomfortable.

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. Once again, the week just flew by! Work has been intense and busy... 'nuff said about that. Outside of work, I managed to fit in some good outdoor time on our surprisingly sunny November days this week.

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you'd like!

Title: Witchcraft for Wayward GirlsAuthor: Grady HendrixPublisher: BerkleyPublication date: January 14, 2025Length: 482 pagesGenre: HorrorSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ There’s power in a book… They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Title: Elizabeth of East HamptonSeries: For the Love of Austen, #2Author: Audrey Bellezza and Emily HardingNarrators: Brittany Pressley and Teddy HamiltonPublisher: Gallery BooksPublication date: August 6, 2024Print length: 384 pagesAudio length: 9 hours 54 minutesGenre: Contemporary romanceSource: LibraryRating: ★★★★ This fresh and whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice…

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf, with the prompt: Stand in front of your book collection, close your eyes, point to a title, and write it down. If you have shelves, point to your physical books.

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. How did it get to be November already??? This has really been a challenging reading week for me! I finished an excellent book (5 stars!) and am in the middle of another that I'm really enjoying...

Title: The EverlastingAuthor: Alix E. HarrowPublisher: TorPublication date: October 28, 2025Length: 320 pagesGenre: FantasySource: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalleyRating: ★★★★★ From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part–even if it breaks his heart.

Happy Halloween! Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a Halloween freebie! For my Halloween post, I'm going to focus on horror novels on my to-read list. (I've done this topic a few times in the past several years, and given the state of my TBR list, it's time to do it again.) …

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. Another busy week! But we did fit in a very nice dinner with friends, and I got to dance a bit over the weekend.

Title: The Secret Christmas LibraryAuthor: Jenny ColganNarrator: Eilidh BeatonPublisher: William MorrowPublication date: October 14, 2025Print length: 320 pagesAudio length: 10 hours 16 minutesGenre: Contemporary fictionSource: Purchased (audiobook); E-book ARC from the publisher/NetGalleyRating: ★★★★ A new holiday story set in the Scottish Highlands to warm booklovers’ hearts by Jenny Colgan, New York Times…

I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I'm hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme -- and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in. The rules are simple: Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black…

Title: Cinder HouseAuthor: Freya MarskePublisher: TorPublication date: October 7, 2025Length: 144 pagesGenre: FantasySource: LibraryRating: ★★★★★ Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske—a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher. Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you'd like!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week's topic is Cozy Reads. Cozy fantasy is having a moment, but there are so many other types of cozy books too. I tend to think of cozy fiction as anything with a focus on cuteness, baked goods, restoring an old building, settling in a small town, bookshops, cats...

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead -- what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too. Life. What a fun week! I attended two special events. First, a book talk: John Scalzi in conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson -- amazing!

Title: Blind Date with a WerewolfAuthor: Patricia BriggsPublisher: AcePublication date: October 21, 2025Length: 288 pagesGenre: FantasySource: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalleyRating: ★★★★★ When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories from the #1…

Earlier in the week, I shared a post with my list of books for the newest Classics Club Spin challenge (see it here), and today, this spin's number was announced. (For those keeping track, it's CCSpin #42, and for me personally, #14!) Hosted by The Classics Club blog, the Classics Club Spin is a reading adventure where participants come up with a list of classics they'd like to read, number them 1 to 20, and then read the book that corresponds to the "spin" number that comes up.

Title: My FriendsAuthor: Fredrik BackmanNarrator: Marin IrelandPublisher: Atria BooksPublication date: May 6, 2025Print length: 436 pagesAudio length: 13 hours, 22 minutesGenre: Contemporary fictionSource: PurchasedRating: ★★★★★ #1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Title: The Keeper of Magical ThingsAuthor: Julie LeongPublisher: AcePublication date: October 14, 2025Length: 368 pagesGenre: FantasySource: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley ★★★★ An almost-mage discovers friendship—and maybe something more—in the unlikeliest of places in this delightfully charming novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes.

It's time for another Classics Club Spin! Hosted by The Classics Club blog, the Classics Club Spin is a reading adventure where participants come up with a list of classics they'd like to read, number them 1 to 20, and then read the book that corresponds to the "spin" number that comes up. This will be the Classics Club's spin #42, and my 14th time participating!