December 2025 Reading List

I have 5 books planned for December, plus I'm going to continue reading The Strength of the Few by James Islington, which I started in November but didn't have a lot of time to read. 

 

 

My pick it for me book-

I've been looking forward to trying this author's books. 

 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

 

 

 

Reading for Book Club-

I like this cover, the UK one, so much better than the US one.  

  

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi in this all-new dark academia fantasy from R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface, in which two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul—perhaps at the cost of their own.

Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek:

The story of a hero’s descent to the underworld

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.

That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.

But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.

 

 

 

Reading with The Mystery Book Club-

  

Taken in the Cold (Agent Tori Hunter #7) by Roger Stelljes

When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake, Agent Tori Hunter races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared. His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy’s father, Tori finds he is missing too.

Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy’s father, Tori’s gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child? And when Teddy’s father is found dead in a pool of blood at an abandoned vacation resort, Tori is devastated to be proven right.

Just as she’s desperately following a set of tire tracks leading away from the crime scene Tori gets a chilling phone Teddy is safe. But not for long. Meet me—alone. No guns. No backup.

Surrounded by the driving blizzard and the biggest storm Manchester Bay has seen for decades, Tori is determined to go it alone. But she knows the phone call means this case is about more than one lost little boy… and that a deadly, decades-old secret about the history of the abandoned resort could threaten the whole community.

With Teddy’s life—and the lives of those she loves—hanging in the balance, can Tori track down the kidnappers before it’s too late?

 

 

  

Seasonable Doubt (Cass Leary) by Robin James 

It’s the week before Christmas and Santa is on trial for attempted murder…
Known to locals as the “Christmas Guy,” Nick Whittaker has delighted his neighbors with an elaborate holiday light show and his uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus. A bit of a loner, Nick has found his place and his calling as a mall Santa in the quaint Northern Michigan town of Helene. He’s the last person anyone would have suspected in the brutal beating of a local politician. But when the bloodied murder weapon turns up in his trash and surveillance video puts him at the crime scene, Nick finds himself on trial for his freedom.

Defense attorney Cass Leary has a soft spot for lost causes. When she crosses paths with Nick Whittaker on a trip up north, she realizes she’s his one shot at a fair trial. As a blizzard barrels down on Helene, Cass quickly learns the evidence against Nick may not be what it seems. Both he and the victim had enemies and secrets that could bury them and a courtroom bombshell throws everything into chaos. As Cass races against time to unravel the twisted threads of this mystery, whispers of intrigue and betrayal echo through the courthouse.

In the dead of winter, Cass Leary fights for justice in a town where even Christmas can't thaw the icy grip of suspicion.

Seasonable Doubt is the next pulse-pounding book in the Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series. Prepare for a legal thriller that will chill you to the bone and leave you breathless until the final verdict.

Note: This book, while related to the main Cass Leary series, can be read as a standalone. 

 

 

 

Other-

 

The Creaky Old Barn (The Irish Escape #2) by B.E. Baker

Three failing families. Two different continents. And one creaky old barn that heals them.

With her marriage over and her kids (mostly) excited about moving to another continent, Natalie’s finally en route to Ireland. There’s a lovely and expansive estate waiting for them in southern Ireland.

Samantha’s bags are packed (again) and she’s ready to jet across the pond as well. She’s said all her goodbyes, and she’s ready to fall in love with new horses in Lismore.

But when they discover that their dear friend Vanessa’s struggling, they reconfigure their plans to rally behind her, because that’s what friends do.

In the meantime, creaky old barns and crumbling old estates don’t just maintain themselves. Can these three best friends patch up the leaks and fix up the creaks in their lives (and their hearts) and find a way forward. . .together?

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

November 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

I read everything I had planned to read for November except The Tattling Whisperwoods. I'm not sure I  will get to that one because I'm having a hard time feeling in the mood for it. I ended up reading a couple of other books that where not on the list. That's the goal for me going forward; to read more books that I feel in the mood to read in the moment, and less planned reads. As for the short stories that I had on the list to read for book club, my favorites ended up being, The Paperweight Library, I Hate Dragons, All Summer in a Day, and The Door in the Wall. I'll post more about those in a separate book club post.

 

 

I started the month off with this book-

  

Blind Date with a Werewolf (Alpha and Omega) by Patricia Briggs 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same.

Dear Asil

We are worried about you. A werewolf alone is a sad thing, especially at Christmastime. So we have a challenge for five dates in three weeks. We have taken the work out of it and connected you with five people from online dating sites. You should also know that we have informed the whole pack and instigated a betting pool. Have fun!

Sincerely,
Your Concerned Friends  

 

I loved reading these stories about Asil. I'm also curious to find out more about the new lady in his life.

“A successful date is one in which (a) neither party runs screaming into the night, (b) there are no dead bodies at the end of it, and (c) you attend longer than two hours—at least an hour and a half of which is spent with your date—” 

 

 

 

Next I read the short stories but I'll post about them later. After that I started listening to this on audio- 

 

Their Lost Souls (Agent Tori Hunter #6) by Roger Stelljes 

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Strong Language, Sex that is mostly fade to black 

This was probably my second favorite book in the series. I think the series and characters have all improved over time.

 

 

 

 

Next up were these two romance books that are part of a series I had read the first book in- 

 

Love Comes Quietly (Love Comes #3) by Laura Ann

 

You can read my review of this book here. 

 

 

 

 

Love Comes Swiftly (Love Comes #4) by Laura Ann

 

 You can read my review of this book here.  

 

 

I needed a change of pace after reading two romances back to back, so I read my pick it for me book next-

 

You Have to Believe Me by Minka Kent

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Suspense, Thriller
Content: Strong Language

 

I predicted this one early on but it still kept me very entertained. Definitely not the best I've read by this author but not bad either. 

 

 

I went on a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday and listened to this in the car with the husband. We also got halfway through Magic Rises on the way back-

  

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels #5.5) by Ilona Andrews

Still 4 stars.

 

 

 

And last, I started this one but haven't gotten very far into it yet-

 

The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy #2) by James Islington

No rating yet. 

 

 

 

 

Love Comes Again, and Love Comes Quietly by Laura Ann

I've read three books in this series. Books one, three, and four. I read book one, Love Comes Again back in February and I liked it ok but didn't love it. See what I had to say about that one here. I skipped book two because I wasn't as interested in it, with the thought that I could go back and read it later if I changed my mind. 

 

 

Love Comes Quietly (Loves Comes #3) by Laura Ann

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Romance
Content: Clean

 

Elyse grew up with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. For years, she dreamed of her happy ever after, but real life brought real problems and her dreams were crushed at the hands of a man who proved to be far from a prince charming.
Now a librarian, she still spends her time reading stories, but her life outside the library walls is lonely and practical. She no longer believes romance is for her...even if her dreams refuse to let a certain, brooding handyman go.

Theodore has been watching the shy, quiet Elyse from a far for what seems like years. He's all too aware that his grumpy demeanor is a terrible match for the sweet librarian, even if his heart wants to believe otherwise. His military past and bachelor lifestyle would never be able to give Elyse what she deserves and Theo plans to stay as far away as possible.

However, when Elyse comes into the hardware store looking for help in a renovation...Theo can't help but offer his services. It's the neighborly thing to do, after all. Everything goes fine until she turns that brilliant smile and kindness in his direction and suddenly Theo can't help but have a hard time keeping his heart...and his hands...to himself.

He's never been good with words, and both are convinced their chance at happiness has passed them by...but sometimes, love doesn't need eloquent words or forced optimism. Sometimes all it takes is two quiet souls finding comfort in each other and unexpectedly becoming whole.  

 

The main reason I decided to read this book is because it fit the criteria for a reading challenge I was doing. So I read this one despite not having read book two. It's a companion series so it doesn't really matter all that much because the stories stand on their own. I ended up liking this one better than book one, and despite its flaws, I could relate to the main character to an extent. She was a quiet introvert with a calm and steady presence. The male love interest in this one was Charlotte's brother Theodore from book one. I ended up really liking him and could sympathize with what he went through losing his best friend and helping and supporting his sister in the first book. 

One of the main things I disliked about this book is that the main female character acts a little too childlike at times. There are several times in the book that she blurts something out that she didn't mean to say out loud, is embarrassed by it, and covers her mouth with her hands. She's 30. What 30 year old woman does this? Another thing that I found ridiculous is the total mess she makes while trying to paint a wall. Painting a wall isn't as hard as this book makes it out to be. There is also the issue of typos and inconsistencies in the character descriptions. Elyse is described in the beginning as having light brown hair and dark eyes. Later she's described as blonde with blue eyes. Then yet again, later her hair is back to light brown but her eyes are still blue for the rest of the book. It's like the author decided to change her appearance but forgot to go back and change it in the earlier parts of the book. A good proof reader or two would be very beneficial.  

I did enjoy the way the romance came about in this book with the characters being acquainted with each other from a distance, and attracted to each other but not acting on it at first because of past experiences. I do think these tropes get overwrought at times and it was the same for this book. 

There's a point in this book when one of Elyse's sisters comes to stay with her and I was so annoyed by this character. I wanted Elyse to say something to her from the minute she showed up but Elyse was far too nice to her. I was however, pleasantly surprised when she finally does speak up for herself, and that this sister begins to see where she is wrong and tries to make some changes. The end of this one has me very interested in the next book, and I never thought I would want to read a book with this annoying sister as the main character.

 

 I

Love Comes Swiftly (Loves Comes #4) by Laura Ann 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Romance
Content: Clean

  

She's supposed to hate him, instead she becomes his personal assistant.

Calliope Michaels tends to be headstrong, flighty and utterly stubborn when she wants to be. But when her sister is almost killed in a car accident...everything changes. The man behind the wheel of the other car is now paralyzed and is desperately searching for a personal assistant to help with his day to day chores.

Full of morbid curiosity, Calliope answers the call. Her original determination to keep her distance quickly wanes when she realizes Rowan Nicholas is hurt more on the inside, than he is on the outside...and Calliope wants to be the one to see him through.

Rowan hasn't needed anyone's help in a very, very long time. He's strong and independent and likes it that way. But when he has an allergic reaction to a new medication and nearly kills another person, he's forced to humble himself in more ways than one.

Bound to a wheelchair, Rowan is determined to get the use of his legs back, but in the meantime, he needs someone to help him around the house. Sometime quiet and biddable, who will obey without complaining or attracting attention.
Calliope Michaels is none of those things. Unfortunately, she's also the only assistant Rowan has had stick around for more then two days.

His whole goal is to get back to life the way it was before that medication robbed him of his independence...but the longer he's in Calliope's company, the more Rowan begins to realize that what he had before might not have been as wonderful as he'd previously thought.

  

I met the main female character, Calliope in the previous book in the series. She immediately annoyed me, and if anyone had told me I would want to read a book with her as the main character I would have said no way! However, Calliope learns a thing or two by the end of it. Then there is the accident, and I knew going into this book that the main love interest was going to be the driver of the car that caused the accident. I was intrigued. 

Unfortunately, this could have been so much better. It could have been a deeply emotional read with a lot more meaning if we had been allowed to read about Rowan's struggle and triumphs with learning to walk again and saving his company, but we get none of the details. I was hoping this was going to be about Calliope helping him through all those struggles, with the reader getting to witness them falling in love and making a connection through that. What we end up with is the beginnings of that with a lot of drama that I could have done without, and then the book skips the actual hard stuff. Most of the book takes place in just two weeks and there was a lack of any real reason for them to have connected so quickly other than he's handsome, she's beautiful, and he finds her personality different and uplifting despite the fact that she's really obnoxious in the beginning, and is basically trespassing into his home. I know the title of the book is Love Comes Swiftly, but falling in love in a week was way too swift for me. If the story had been set over several months time, and if Calliope hadn't barged her way in at the beginning of things, I would have liked this more. 

There were also a few times in this book that I said to myself, what is going on? Because some of the character actions and reactions didn't make much sense. What I mean by that is, there were really overblown reactions by more than one character to things that didn't seem all that big of a deal. One of the best examples of this is Calliope's best friend, Flora's reactions to Rowan's best friend, Darcy. It didn't make sense to me that she was having such strong negative reactions to the things he said. The things he said weren't really that big of a deal. She's attracted to him one minute and then flaming mad at him the next and it was overblown. And then he reacts to her anger with his own. It all just felt forced. ***Minor spoiler here*** I figured out really fast that this was a setup for the next book that was definitely going to be an enemy to lovers trope but to me, it was nonsensical.

Add on top of these things the fact that every one of the books in this series needs a good proof reading to fix multiple typos and character inconsistencies, like character's hair and eye color changing, (in this one Flora started out with brown eyes and then at the end of the book they are blue) I think I'm going to abandon the rest of this series. Book one and three were sweet and I enjoyed the characters in those despite these things but this one just didn't work for me at all.

 

 

 

 

 

September and October 2025 Book Clubs: The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling, and The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan

The last two book club books have been my favorites that we've read all year.

 

September-

 

The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content:Clean

 

Plagued by misfortune, Ingrid Norling treks into the woods to clear her head. She emerges a monster-slayer, the shaken executioner of a creature so ferocious that even the king’s strongest warriors could not destroy it. In a land that reveres swords and worships strength, this accidental heroism earns Inge an audience at court and a most ill-fated prize: King Halvard impulsively adopts her and names her as his heir.

Under constant guard to prevent her escape, Inge confronts the ignoble underbelly of the royal court: a despotic king, a clueless princess, a proud warrior, and a dangerous intrigue. As secrets unravel around her and the castle threatens to become an elaborate deathtrap, Inge must keep her wits close and her weapons closer. The monster in the woods was only the beginning.

 

This cute YA fantasy was based on Beowulf. It was such a cute story! I especially liked the forward the author wrote about why she wrote it. I adored the characters in this. While I found the story pretty predictable with no real surprises, it was a delight to read.  

 

 

 October-

  

The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Clean

 

In this dark and enchanting stand-alone fantasy from debut author Lynn Buchanan, discover a world centered around destructive, all-consuming monsters; the magical dolls designed to fight this force; and the artisans tasked with creating demon-slaying dolls. A touch cozy fantasy and a touch horror, The Dollmakers is perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli films, the works of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree, and readers of Juniper & Thorn and The Goblin Emperor .

In the country called One, dollmakers are vital members of the community. An artisan’s doll is the height of society’s accomplishments, while a guard’s doll is the only thing standing between the people of One and the vicious, cobbled monstrosities that will tear apart any structure—living or dead, inanimate or otherwise—to add to their horde.

Apprentice Shean of Pearl is a brilliant dollmaker. With her clever dolls, she intends to outsmart and destroy the Shod, once and for all—a destiny she’s worked her whole life toward accomplishing. But when the time comes for her dolls to be licensed, she’s told her work is too beautiful and delicate to fight. A statement that wounds and infuriates her; the Shod killed everyone she loved. How could her fate be anything but fighting them?

In an attempt to help her see a new path for herself, Shean’s mentor sends her on a journey to the remote village called Web, urging her to glean some wisdom from Ikiisa, a reclusive and well-respected guard dollmaker. But Shean has another if she can convince the village of Web of her talents, the Licensor Guild will have to reconsider and grant her a guard’s license. And what better way to convince them than challenging Ikiisa and instating herself as the official dollmaker of Web? Once she’s done that, proving her dolls’ worth in the fight against the Shod will be simple. As simple, that is, as calling the Shod to Web... 

 

I was hooked from the beginning. The world was very interesting even though the main character was very unlikable for the first half of the book. In the end I liked her, but it took a while to get there. Though I do feel like she should have had more punishment for the things she did. I found the supporting characters to all be interesting and they were what really kept me reading. Ikiisa and Roque were interesting characters that I want to know more about. I've heard the author has plans to write more in this world and if she does I hope we get to learn more about Roque in particular in those books.

 

There's some beautifully done artwork in the book. Here are a some of the pictures-

 

This looks to be Ikiisa with her dolls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spiders

 

 

For book club we made some of our snacks into a doll workshop with pieces and parts of dolls, and we added spiders and spider web as decorations to go with the spiders in the book. In the photos it looks kind of like a mess. I think it looked better in person.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Falling in a Sea of Stars (Green Rider #8) by Kristen Britain

  

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Fantasy
Content: A makeout scene

 

After Sacoridia's victory over Second Empire, Karigan G'ladheon's life as a Green Rider should have settled into an ordinary routine. But her father's abrupt departure to rescue Laren Mapstone, leader of the Green Riders and the woman he loves, from the far distant land of Varos, has left Clan G'ladheon's business in disarray and Karigan's hands full.

Even as Karigan tries to sort out the clan's mess, a darker, more perilous crisis casts its shadows over her: Mornhavon the Black has reawakened. Moreover, he has freed two undead wraiths from their imprisoning tombs to hunt Karigan down and bring her to him in Blackveil Forest.

In a deadly confrontation with one of the wraiths amid the frivolity of the Harvest Ball, Karigan is left vulnerable to the intrigues of another old adversary she thought destroyed long ago. Haunted by the unceasing rhythm of the dance, she falls endlessly through the frigid dark of the heavens, and even Westrion, god of death, cannot save her.

King Zachary, bereft and hopeless, keeps vigil for her safe return. If they are not reunited, her loss may destroy him - and any chance Sacoridia has of overcoming Mornhavon's dark designs. 

 

Going into this I thought it was going to be the last book in an eight book story arc. I somehow missed the memo from the author that it was getting split into two books. I have mixed feeling in this. On one hand I'm happy to have more Green Rider, but on the other hand I don't see why the author needed to split this into two books. While I enjoyed a lot of this, it had a quite a bit of filler that wasn't really necessary to the plot. The whole side plot involving Karigan's clan wasn't needed and could have been left out. It could also have just been put into a novella. I also wondered why the author chose to bring back a villain that had previously been dealt with instead of advancing the plot with Mornhavon. In the fist half of the book, it seemed like that was where it was going to go, but it barely touched on Mornhavon. There was also a lot of repetition in this book. 

As far as the romance between Karigan and Zachary goes, not much happened to advance that either. I don't like the mistress angle that the author is teasing us with and I don't care if Estora has given them her blessing because the marriage is a marriage of convenience. It just doesn't sit well with me, and I hope it doesn't go that way. I do feel like there is some foreshadowing concerning Estora in this book, and if I'm right, then I'll be happy. 

Karigan's mirror eye was mentioned heavily in this book. It felt excessive, so I couldn't help wonder if there was some heavy-handed foreshadowing going on about that too. There was even a horse that had a missing eye restored in the book and I'm trying to figure out why that was included and what relevance it has to the rest of the story. Was that a way to show that Karigan's eye could also be restored to normal? Who knows at this point. This book was all over the place so it could mean absolutely nothing.

The parts with Miss Bunch and Miss Bay were delightful as always, and I enjoyed how they took in a certain little girl and helped her to become a better person. 

Overall, I enjoyed this despite those disappointments I mentioned. It isn't the worst book in the series. That, in my opinion, is still Mirror Sight, but this one is probably my second least favorite. 

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an ARC of this book.

 

 

 

November 2025 Reading List

This month I just finished up the Green Rider book, Falling in a Sea of Stars, and I have several short stories to read for book club. As usual there are two books I'll be reading for The Mystery book Club on Goodreads, and a pick it for me book as well. 

 

 

The pick it for me book-

 

You Have to Believe Me by Minka Kent

A wronged woman must do the impossible—prove herself innocent of her ex-husband’s murder—in a shocking novel of suspense by Washington Post bestselling author Minka Kent.

She has every reason to hate her ex. It doesn’t mean she wants him dead.

Every day on her way home from work, Dove Damiani drives past her ex-house, where her ex-husband lives with her ex-dog and her ex–yoga instructor, next to her ex-neighbors and the ex-life she once affectionately described as “frighteningly perfect.”

To outsiders, Dove is bitter and resentful. The divorce left her alone, with nothing but a set of car keys and 50 percent of a paltry savings account. So when the lifeless body of her former husband is discovered in the birch grove outside Dove’s apartment on what would have been their fifth wedding anniversary, investigators waste no time making Dove a person of interest.

She swears she didn’t do it. She’s never so much as killed a spider in her thirty-four years. But as evidence mounts against her, Dove finds herself questioning her memory, her sanity, and even…her innocence.

Previously published as You Have to Believe Me by Sunday Tomassetti, this revised edition of You Have to Believe Me includes editorial revisions and a new ending.

 

 

 

 

 

Reading with The Mystery Book Club-

 

 

 

The Tattling Whisperwoods (Leaf and Scale #2) by Tilly Wallace 

 

Words have power, and secrets can kill…

The village of Drake’s Bend has long been guardian of a sacred grove where ancient trees offer gentle counsel to those who dare share their secrets. For centuries, this delicate balance between confession and wisdom has been maintained.

Until now.

The whisperwoods have turned venomous. The trees sharpen sacred confidences into devastating weapons of betrayal, threatening to tear the local community apart. Old friendships are being torn apart, and villagers fall ill with a mysterious sickness. But the whisperwoods hold still darker secrets that are twisted and spread to the highest reaches of London society. The old sentinels could be lost forever as the call to silence them grows louder.

Fern must uncover the truth behind what poisons both trees and people before time runs out and lives are ruined. The ancient sentinels are the last of their kind, and their loss would forever silence a magic as old as Britain itself. But in the race to save both grove and villagers, Fern discovers that some secrets were meant to stay buried—and awakening them could destroy everything she holds dear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their Lost Souls (Agent Tori Hunter #6) by Roger Stelljes

 

Turning the key in the lock of the lakeside cabin, Ally puts her finger to her lips as her boyfriend laughs softly. Tonight it’s just the two of them. Later that night their broken bodies lie in the grass by the boathouse, the moonlight reflected in their unseeing eyes…

When a young couple are found murdered by a remote holiday cabin, Agent Tori Hunter races to the scene: and is devastated to recognize Ally Mannion, a close friend’s daughter, and her boyfriend Reed. Who would want to snatch away their innocent lives?

The first thing Tori notices is a boat drifting out on the lake. Did someone witness the attack? But with the boat offering up no clues, interviewing Ally’s heartbroken family Tori soon realizes that Ally and Reed broke in to the cabin. Were they hiding something? Or did the young couple see something they shouldn’t?

Then the body of a missing person from fourteen years ago is found at the bottom of another lake. He too was murdered. Convinced the two cases are linked, Tori uncovers a series of terrible crimes at the heart of the local community stretching back years: even to her own school days.

To catch the killer Tori will need to question everything about people she’s known her whole life. But how far will she have to go, before they strike again?

Reading with my book club-

 

 

 

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson 

 

When Kay is cursed by a magic mirror, he can no longer perceive goodness in anything - not his best friend Gerda, nor the roses in the garden. One wintry evening, he is kidnapped by the wicked Snow Queen and swept away to live for ever in her kingdom of ice. Friendless and shoe-less, Gerda must travel through inhospitable lands, with only crows to guide her and bandits for company, in order to find her beloved friend. And when she gets there, how will she melt the ice in his heart? Nearly two centuries after its first publication, The Snow Queen endures as a tale of love and loss, good and evil, and loyalty in the face of great hardships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury 

 

Margot is a nine-year-old girl whose family moved from Earth to Venus when she was four. She remembers the sun shining on Earth, something it rarely does on Venus. "All Summer in a Day" takes place on the one day when Venus's rain will stop, and the sun will shine for a couple of hours only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Door in the Wall by H.G. Wells  

 

H. G. Wells's short story "The Door in the Wall" was first published in 1911 as part of a collection titled "The Door in the Wall, and Other Stories." The conflict between science and imagination is the major theme of the story, which was enormously popular when it first appeared. Today Wells's reputation rests almost entirely upon his science fiction novels, which include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898), all of which are acknowledged classics of the science fiction genre and continue to be widely read and adapted into other media. "The Door in the Wall" is considered by both readers and critics to be Wells's finest short story.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

I Hate Dragons by Brandon Sanderson 

 

In December 2010, Brandon posted a note on his Twitter feed suggesting a dialogue writing exercise. This is his result.

"For those who are following along, here’s what I did for my writing exercise. I actually managed to make it something of a self-contained story." - Brandon

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel 

 

The folktale supposedly describes how the Chinese came to give all their children short names. Supposed to be amusing but definitely not true. It's said this story actually may have originated in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke 

 

A Tibetan lama hires a Western engineer to build a computer that can print all the possible names of God in an alphabet of nine letters. The story explores the themes of religion, science, and the limits of human knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman 

 

Alluding to both the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, this Hugo Award-winning short story will delight fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and of course, Neil Gaiman.

A Study in Emerald draws readers in through carefully revealed details as a consulting detective and his narrator friend solve the mystery of a murdered German noble. But with its subtle allusions and surprise ending, this mystery hints that the real fun in solving this case lies in imagining all the details that Gaiman doesn't reveal, and challenges listeners to be detectives themselves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Man Who Loved Dragons (From the anthology Cross Time Traffic) by Lawrence Watt-Evans

 

There is no description anywhere for this story, but I found the author's explanation of how he came about writing the story, which I liked. Here it is:

People like to give each other gifts -- for birthdays and holidays and thank yous, and sometimes just because. The thing is, it's not always easy to come up with a good gift idea. So people will find a theme and latch onto that, and run it into the ground.

I have a sister who likes wolves, so when we can't think of anything else to get her, we get her something with a picture of a wolf on it -- a shirt, an afghan, whatever. I have a brother-in-law who liked ducks, so for awhile everyone was giving him duck-themed presents (until he asked us all to please stop).

I'm a writer, so I get a lot of pens -- which is nice, but I hardly ever use pens; I learned to type before I hit my teens and do all my writing with a keyboard.

And I write fantasy, especially stories with dragons in them, so I started getting dragons. All kinds of dragons. Ivory dragons, brass dragons, paper dragons, plastic dragons, hand-carved wooden dragons, Lego dragons, Welsh dragons, Chinese dragons.

I'm fine with this, actually, because I really do like dragons, but one year apparently I was being particularly hard to shop for, and I got about half a dozen dragons at once. It was a bit challenging figuring out where to put them all. And when I had found them all places, and looked around, I found myself thinking that if this went on for a few years it could easily get out of hand -- there wouldn't be room in the house for anything but dragons. I might become a dragon hoarder, the fantasy equivalent of a crazy cat lady...

That was the start of the story.

 

 

 

 

 

The Paperweight Library by Stevie Burges 

 

A story about an old woman who struggles to find her purpose in life after her retirement. The story traces her journey to her life's redemption. 

 

I couldn't find this short story anywhere but on Scribd, Youtube, and one other blog, so there is no cover image for it. 

 

 

October 2025 Wrap-Up

In October I read 5 full novels, 1 novella, and I'm about 70% into another one. In the mystery book club we ended up switching out our planned read of the Catherine Ryan Howard book for the next Verity Kent book.

 

 The Novella-

 

Temptation (Blood Trails #0.5) by Jennifer Blackstream

 

A dinner party ended with a dead body.

A young officer recognizes the foul stench of demon at the crime scene.

It’s time to call for backup.

Not a cop.

A witch.

It’s time to join Shade Renard and her mostly trustworthy pixie familiar Peasblossom for a little magic, mayhem…and murder.

 

So, here's a little backstory on how I came across this author and her books. I follow one of my favorite authors, Patricia Briggs on FB and her assistant, Ann posted a photo from an event they attended. The photo was with Jim Butcher, another one of my favorite authors, and his wife, Jennifer Blackstream. I had no idea Jim was married again, and after finding out his new wife is also an author. I looked her up and I ended up joining her newsletter and getting this novella for free. I immediately liked the little tidbits she wrote about herself on her website and in her newsletter. She writes urban fantasy, and paranormal fantasy, so that seems right up my alley. This novella was to dip by toe into her series and see how I liked it. So far so good. I'm interested in reading more and plan to read the first book in the series soon. I got a nice discount on the first two books for subscribing to her newsletter and buying them through her directly. I like supporting authors that way when possible. If you like urban fantasy and have been looking for  something new, give this one a try. 

  

 

 

 

The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Clean 

 

Review to come.

 

 

 

 

The Girl From The Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Gothic
Content: Clean 

 

This was good, but at times frustrating. I didn't like it as much as Garden of the Midnights. 

 

 

 

 

The Poisoner's Enemy (The Poisoner of Kingfountain #1) by Jeff Wheeler 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Clean 

 

It was nice to be back in this world and get the backstory on the poisoner from the Kingfountain series. From reading book one, I knew that some things would probably end sadly but this was still an enjoyable read. I'll be continuing on to the next book soon.

 

 

 

 

The Snow Graves (Agent Tori Hunter #5) by Roger Stelljes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Content: Strong language, Fade to black sex

This ended up being the best book in the series so far. It was a departure from the formula of the previous books, and for once Tori didn't annoy me at all. I liked the way things ended in this one and would actually like to see some of these characters recur in future books. I doubt it will happen though.

 

 

 

  

A Moment's Shadow (Verity Kent #8) by Anna Lee Huber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Content: Strong language, Fade to black sex

 

The plotline of this book has been going on for three books now and I'm tired of the whole phosphine gas thing and the IRA stuff. At times I got bored with this and I think I can safely say that it's my least favorite book in the series. I would love it if Verity and Sidney would go back to England and Max would once again play a bigger part in things. Here's hoping the cliffhanger ending of this one is resolved quickly in the next book and they move onto other things.

 

 

 Still reading so no rating yet-

  

Falling in a Sea of Stars (Green Rider #8) by Kristen Britain  

I finally took the time to read this and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, savoring it at a slow pace.