the Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

April 07, 2026

Although there were times Meg Shaffer’s The Book Witch felt like a young adult novel, she had me with her dedication. “Dedicated to…the librarians, booksellers, and teachers fighting the good fight to save our stories. And to all the world’s...

“Murder at Martingale Manor” by Jodi Taylor

March 22, 2026

Ten years ago, I picked Jodi Taylor’s first Chronicles of St. Mary’s book, Just One Damn Thing After Another, as one of my favorite books of 2016. Taylor was one of my discoveries that year. She had already written 7.6 titles (books and short stories) in...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

January 12, 2026

With the miserable politics last week, I needed a comfort read, so I picked up my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I read the entire series as they came out in the U.S., beginning with this one in 1998, but I haven’t picked...

Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager

August 16, 2025

“In days of old, when knights were bold,And journeyed from their castles,Trusty men were left behind;Knights needed not the hassles.” Jimmy Buffett While I read Edward Eager’s Knight’s Castle, it was the first part of the above refrain that...

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang

April 26, 2025

I switched from those short Japanese collections to a novel set in South Korea. The Rainfall Market is by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Jung. The Acknowledgements are interesting in that the author crowdsourced the publication of his book, and wrote it during...