Musings on the Written Word
There are many lists out there right now full of spooky season reading recommendations, but I thought I would share some of my favorites from over the years of writing this blog. Some are true ghost stories, some lean into supernatural horror, some are horrifying mysteries, and some are science fiction horror. I hope you find some good ones that you might have missed in previous years!
I am a series reader. I find an author and set of characters that appeal to me and I keep going back for more. Turns out, many of my friends and family are also series readers and they had plenty of recommendations for your summer reading!
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear – Follow the adventures of Maisie who grows from a teenage maid to an adult detective through this fabulous historical series set in the first half of the 20th century. Winspear has just published the final entry in the series, which you can read about here. Start with the very first book, Maisie Dobbs, and progress through the rest. Just as good in audio form as print.
Sarah Addison Allen specializes in writing gentle, heartwarming stories featuring family secrets, magical realism, and often a captivating romance. Some of my favorites are: Garden Spells, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and The Peach Keeper. Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.
James Rollins is the complete opposite of the previous author! He specializes in pulse-pounding adventure featuring the Sigma Force, a super-secret and multi-talented government agency whose job is to keep the world from imploding. Rollins has written multiple books in the series that all revolve around an intricate, well-researched piece of history. My favorite in the series is The Last Odyssey which features plenty of the monsters from the Greek myths I love. Start with the first in the series, Sandstorm, and go from there, although I started with #2 in the series, Map of Bones and was totally hooked. If you’re already a Rollins fan, there’s a new Sigma Force novel out this summer – Arkangel. You’re welcome!
Kate Mosse is the author of some very chunky books! However, those books will keep you up late turning page after page. My favorite is Sepulchre but her other work is just as fascinating. Meticulous historical fiction, mostly set in France. Reading her work is a commitment well worth your time.
Erin Hart is the author of what I call the “bog mysteries.” I found Hart’s work as I was randomly researching the topic after seeing a news story about an ancient body discovered in an Irish peat bog. Hart’s bog series features two recurring characters – pathologist Nora Gavin and Irish archaeologist Cormac McGuire. Start with the first in the series, Haunted Ground.
Katherine Arden is the author of one of my all-time favorite high fantasy trilogies – The Winternight Trilogy. Start with the first, The Bear and the Nightingale and immerse yourself in Slavic folklore and magic. This is an absolute stunner of a series!
Record Shop Mysteries by Olivia Blacke is a fun series featuring three sisters who take over the operations of a family record shop and cafe in their small Texas hometown. They serve up delicious coffee, spin some hot tracks, and solve murders in their spare time. There are three entries in the series – easily readable during the summer months!
Scot Horvath series by Brad Thor is a thrilling, fast-paced action-adventure series in which the main character, Scot Horvath, protects the United States and its people at all costs. For fans of James Rollins, Steve Berry, and Clive Cussler.
Keeper of Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger is a captivating series for kids who are into fantasy. The main character is 12-year-old Sophie Foster who discovers she’s a telepath. The series follows Sophie’s adventures and includes plenty of action-packed mysteries and challenges.
Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland is is wonderful introduction for young readers to the imaginative world of dragons. Learn all about the world of Pyrrhia here – https://tuibooks.com/wings-of-fire/the-world/.
Tristan Strong trilogy by Kwame Mbilia is part of the Rick Riordan presents series which features fascinating characters and world lore. In this case, Mbilia explores the world of African American folklore and West African gods with his engaging character, 7th grader Tristan Strong. Check out other entries in the Rick Riordan presents series.
Ruth Ware is one of the best authors of psychological suspense fiction working today. She has a new one coming out this summer – One Perfect Couple – but there are plenty of others to dip into. Check out her catalog of work on her website.
Looking for a lighter mystery ion the cozy vein? Try Amy Van Sant’s books which include the Pineapple Port mysteries, the Shee McQueen series, and many others.
Louise Penney’s Inspector Gamache mystery series is a long-running, beloved set of suspenseful adventures set in Quebec. If you haven’t read these novels, start this summer and stay occupied for the rest of the year!
Here’s one more series for the mystery & suspense readers out there: The Cold Case series by Lissa Marie Redmond follows cold case detective Lauren Riley through many fascinating investigations.
I recently asked my friends & family to share titles of books they love and would recommend to those of you looking for a great summer reading experience. Here is Part 1 of a two-part series of posts. This one includes individual books; the second post will cover recommended series. First you will see a gallery of covers followed by an annotated list. Clicking on an image will take you to the text. I hope you’ll find something you like!
A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds An older title but so memorable.
Badly burned in a household accident when she was a child, Finch Nobles grows into a courageous and feisty loner who eschews the pity of her hometown and discovers that she can hear the voices of the people buried in her father’s cemetery. When she speaks to them, they tell their stories in a remarkable chorus of regrets, explanations, and insights.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Follow the adventures of an awkward Cambridge professor as she navigates challenging colleagues, the perplexing residents of a remote Icelandic village, and mischievous and dangerous members of the hidden Faerie Kingdom in this entertaining fantasy novel.
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
I wrote about this luminous tale here a few weeks ago. Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about a winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales that may very well be true.
Pat is retired from the Fairport Library and spends her time enjoying her grandchildren and bringing art to Fairport.
The Geek Way: the radical mindset that drives extraordinary results by Andrew McAfee.
What is “being geeky”? It’s being a perennially curious person, one who’s not afraid to tackle hard problems and embrace unconventional solutions. Andrew McAfee shows how the geeks have created a new culture based on four norms: science, ownership, speed, and openness.
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden. Part of a series featuring a housemaid with a deep, dark secret. Thriller fiction at its best!
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults.
Cynthia is semi-retired from the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and is a prolific reader.
Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians by James Patterson
Enter a world where you can feed your curiosities, discover new voices, find whatever you want or require. This place has the magic of rainbows and unicorns, but it’s also a business. The book business.
Notes from the Porch: Tiny True Stories to Make You Feel Better About the World by Thomas Christopher Greene
Covid-19 stole so much. But one of the things it couldn’t steal was the power of stories.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation that guides her through Vietnam.
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson
A memoir/cookbook about the food, the traditions, and the women that bind families through generations.
Claire is the Adult Services Librarian at the Greece Public Library and hosts a podcast there on reading.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
Amy is the former Director of the Parma Public Library in Hilton NY who now spends her time homesteading and homeschooling her three children., and, of course, reading!
Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
Rook to King by Carina Taylor
Two people after the same priceless chess set. What could go wrong?
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
An entertaining mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh
Sometimes you’re so busy writing other people’s stories that you lose the plot of your own.
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Friendships, romance, and mystery all combine at the St. Cecilia resort one summer that changes everything.
Betsy is a retired librarian who worked at the Greece Public Library in Rochester NY.
Untold Power by Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Just over a century ago a woman became the first acting president of the United States. Her name was Edith Bolling Galt Wilson. She climbed her way out of Appalachian poverty and into the highest echelons of American power and in 1919 effectively acted as the first woman president of the U.S. (before women could even vote nationwide) when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, was incapacitated.
Emily worked at the Ogden Farmers’ Library in Spencerport NY for several years. She now lives in Queens.
Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini
Unmasking AI goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League.
Somehow by Anne Lamott
In Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity, and guides us forward.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut — a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love. Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.
The Enchanted Hacienda by Jennifer Cervantes
This enchanting coming-of-age story of a young woman whose “dream” life is up-ended will warm your heart as she reconnects with family, history, and magic.
Bob is a long-time librarian at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and a prolific reader.
Knife by Salman Rushdie
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are. This is Rushdie’s story. One of the best of the year.
Kristin is my niece and like her father, my eldest brother Hugh David, a Reader with a capital R!
Down the Drain by Julia Fox
The hotly anticipated book from “one of the all-time pop-culture greats” (New York magazine) that chronicles her shocking life and unyielding determination to not only survive but achieve her dreams.
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill
Traveling from a repressive finishing school to a vibrant brothel, taking readers firsthand into the brutality of factory life and the opulent lives of Montreal’s wealthy, When We Lost Our Heads dazzlingly explores gender, sex, desire, class, and the terrifying power of the human heart when it can’t let someone go.
Beth worked with me at the Gates Library many years ago.
Confessions of a 40-Something F**k-Up by Alexandra Potter
A funny and heartfelt novel for any woman who wonders how the hell she got here and why life isn’t quite how she imagined it was going to be.
Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders
Inspired by true events, Women of the Post brings to life the heroines who proudly served in the all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps in WWII, finding purpose in their mission and lifelong friendship.
Doreen served as the Young Adult librarian at the Ogden Library for many years, then became a library trustee after her retirement. She also served as the volunteer coordinator for the Spencerport Depot and Cana Museum & Visitor Center.
Lake News by Barbara Delinsky
This poignant treatment of how media attention derails the life of a woman who retreats to the small town of her birth recover will give you all the feels.
An Accidental Woman by Barbara Delinsky
Another story set in Lake Henry, New Hampshire that will give you a few hours of enjoyable reading.
This collection of recommended books only scratches the surface of what is available. If you’re looking for some additional recommendations, I suggest you visit your local public library and talk to the staff there. You may find your next favorite book!
A warm, inviting celebration of beloved keepsakes and the stories they hold.
A set of old apartment keys, a pair of worn running shoes, a declaration of love scribbled on a restaurant receipt. Beautiful stories that celebrate the power an object can hold are at the heart of The Heirloomist by photographer Shana Novak, creator of the project of the same name dedicated to documenting keepsakes and transforming them into uniquely meaningful works of art. The 100 objects featured here range from the everyday to the extraordinary. Treasured heirlooms to their owners, ordinary folks and cultural figures alike, they hold remarkable stories such as:
Big or small, expensive or humble, we all have meaningful items with powerful messages behind them. Celebratory, sentimental, and bursting with heart, The Heirloomist offers a glimpse into the treasures we hold dear and how they inform the stories of our lives.
The concept of heirlooms is something that has been top of mind for me in the last few years as my family has coped with multiple losses of our elders and kin. My home is currently filled with things that connect me to those who have gone before me, all of them keeping a story that is a thread of my past. Reading this incredibly tender and joyous work by Shana Novak has given me some ideas on how to share those stories with the younger generations in my family. While I understand that some of the things that have special meaning for me will not evoke the same memories for my children or nieces & nephews, many items hold the key to wonderful family stories.
Novak has carefully selected heirlooms and stories that reveal everything from secrets to prosaic moments in the past that shaped those featured in each section. This is a book to be savored and shared, and will undoubtedly get the reader to take stock of the memories and history they have shoved into the back of a long-forgotten closet. If anything, this book made me want to pull out my grandmother’s old silver, polish it up and place it in my every-day utensil drawer.
Highly recommended.
Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Published By: Chronicle Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
I haven’t done a “Favorites of the Year” list in quite some time but I was reviewing my reading for 2023 and thought I’d talk a bit about some of my favorites. My lists tend to include books you won’t see on the “Best of” lists from the usual places, so I hope you find something you might have missed this year.
There’s a good bit of the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller genre, with a solid dose of fantasy & magical realism, and at least one “remarkable” children’s book.
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallatt is a very unusual book, with a good portion of it consisting of transcribed messages. This is a book where you really have to pay attention, but if you are a puzzle-lover, you will adore this book. I didn’t read anything else like it this year.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett – I am usually not a fan of twee romantasy stories, but this one captured my attention because the female protagonist is strong, clever, and determined. This is a debut author I will follow, for sure. Well worth the time.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen – Addison Allen’s previous books have hooked me with their gentle, sometimes raw, always honest stories of families, and this one is no different. Here, it’s mothers and daughters and the sometimes complicated relationships they share. Just a lovely, gentle book.
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim – hands down the best fantasy novel I read in 2023, and one I am hoping gets turned into a mini-series or film, it’s that good.
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer – This book has it all – rage, heartbreak, despair but also hope, love, and resilience – all driven by a mother’s unyielding love for her children. You won’t forget this one.
Last Remains by Elly Griffiths – I’ve been a fan of Griffiths “Ruth Galloway” books and this one is the last in that series. Griffiths does an outstanding job of tying up loose ends and ending the series in a very satisfying way. If you like British mysteries that are not filled with gore, I highly recommend the Galloway series.
Gospel of Orla by Eoghan Walls – This novella took me back to my mother’s death in 1984 and reminded me of all the feelings that consumed me at that time. A beautiful little book about grief and family dynamics.
Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas – Thomas successfully jumped genres with this, her first fantasy book for children. It’s full of appealing and powerful Black characters who I am sure have captured the hearts of middle grade readers everywhere.
Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon – This quirky murder mystery features one of the more unusual female protagonists and cast of characters I’ve ever come across. Read it in a day.
Lady in White by Zachary Finn – As a Rochester NY resident who grew up on the “White Lady of Durand Eastman Park” folk story, I had to include this one among my favorites this year. So good!
Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian – If Stephen King wrote The Sisters Brothers – I flew through this weird and wild mash up of the western and horror genres.
White Hare by Jane Johnson – This story has all the things that captivate me in a book: magical realism, plenty of folklore, colorful characters, secrets from the past, and complicated family relationships.
These are books I read in 2023, but some of them may have been published in other years. They are all worth your time!
The Black Painting by Neil Olson – Can paintings be possessed? The family at the center of this story thinks so. They’ve been haunted by a Goya painting for years, and blame it for the horrible things that have happened in their lives. Goya’s work *is* startling in its rawness (Saturn Devouring His Son is pictured here) but it’s the evil perpetrated by the living that startles me the most. Good book….
Published by Harlequin/Hanover Square, January 2018. Mysteries & Thrillers. Literary Fiction.
Magical Match by Juliet Blackwell – Juliet Blackwell’s Lily Ivory is back in another delightfully witchy adventure, along with all the colorful characters we have come to expect from this series. Blackwell’s breezy, engaging writing and twisted, intriguing plotting create the atmosphere fans have fallen in love with in previous entries. Here, we learn more about Lily’s past, get to meet her amazing grandmother, and wring our hands over her “will they/won’t they” relationship with Sailor. If you haven’t read the Lily Ivory books, get them all out of the library and binge-read them on a cold, snowy day. It will be the best day of the year, I bet! Highly recommended.
Published by Berkley, May 2018. Mysteries & Thrillers.
Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle – Tuttle offers a new adventure featuring Jesperson & Lane, the crackerjack investigation team that includes a well-heeled young man and an outspoken young woman. They are dropped headfirst into their new case when a man pounds on their door in the middle of the night, proclaims he is pursued by witches, and drops dead in their front hall. Their investigation takes them from London to the country, where they encounter an unusual collection of “cunning” men and women, pious preachers, curious scholars, and even “little people.”
While the plot is interesting, with a variety of twists & turns, it’s bloated. A bit more than halfway through, I found myself losing interest. Jesperson’s annoying habit of assuming Lane knows what he’s thinking, causing her to drag every bit of information out of him got old really fast. They never seemed to click for me as a pair of investigators, or as a couple, or whatever they are supposed to be to each other. I did enjoy Miss Lane’s character, however. She reminded me of a young Amelia Peabody. While this is far from the worst thing I’ve read lately, it’s also not nearly the best. The text needs editing, and I found the whole subplot around the stolen baby to be completely unnecessary. I will probably pick up another in this series when looking for a quick, easy read, just to see if Jesperson & Lane find success in their investigative business.
Published by Random House-Hydra, October 2017. Mysteries & Thrillers; Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano – This is a pleasant enough story. The lead character, Aurelie, is likable and plucky, the “leading man” is mysterious but kind-hearted, and the relatives are appropriately boorish. The basic story is familiar – disadvantaged girl gets shipped off to unknown wealthy relatives after father’s death, meets handsome but mysterious man, uncovers devastating family secret – all in a grand manor house in the English countryside. What makes this stand out is the action around Aurelie becoming a writer, which is wonderful. What made this less enjoyable for me was the heavy-handed religious overtones, making this highly reminiscent of 19th century gothic romance pedantic style. All in all, a pleasant enough story but not one that I will remember.
Published by Revell, October 2017. Historical fiction.
Ludlow Lost by Kate Robinson Dunne – What a refreshing change! A book about fairies that isn’t dripping with with wide-eyed sweetness! Ludlow and Harry make a dynamic duo for the ages. Their unexpected (and unwanted) friendship becomes the anchor in this witty tale of kidnapping, betrayal, and revenge. I was reminded a bit of the Artemis Fowl books, but just a bit. This is new, fresh, and just plain fun.
Published by Two Pigeons Press, March 2018. Middle grade fantasy.
Book of Pearl by Timothee de Fombelle – I’m sorry to say, I did not get past the second chapter of this confusing, muddled story. The description intrigued me, but the two opening chapters were so unconnected and rambling that I could not connect. This is a translation of a French book that has received high praise, and Goodreads reviews are mixed.
Published by Candlewick Press, February 2018. YA fantasy.
Thanks to NetGalley for review copies of all these titles.
Halloween is my favorite holiday and October my favorite month, so I thought I’d compile a list of some of the scariest stories out there for my readers to enjoy this season. These shivery treats were compiled from my own favorites and recommendations from fellow lovers of ghosties and goblins. Scroll down past the images for links.
I hope you find something in this list that makes you shiver. Happy Halloween!
It's All About the Book 