By Emily Austin
** Publication Date 13 Jan 2026 **
​4 stars


Darcy is a librarian. A gay, married, blue-haired librarian. She recently went through a mental crisis brought on by her ex-boyfriend’s sudden death. Darcy has just returned to work at the library when a man watching porn on a library computer sparks a heated battle for the rights of library patrons. This combination of situations going on in Darcy’s life makes her therapy sessions rather productive.


Joy, Darcy’s wife, is very supportive. But Joy’s sister has just given birth and needs Joy with her during these early days. Darcy is going to have to navigate the current challenges in both hers and Joy’s lives long distance. 


A really lovely book about mental health and love. Darcy is truly trying to find who she is and how to process the feelings she had for her ex Ben. The background fodder of a conservative writer and protestor versus the more liberal and progressive public library brings to light a lot of issues going on in the world today. The novel brings together opposing viewpoints to perhaps teach us a bit about tolerance. 


I enjoyed this book immensely. 

By Jeff Rake and Rob Hart
** Publication Date 13 January 2026 **
​4 stars




I love books that twist your brain in numerous ways. Rob Hart is a master of this, with his previous books such as Assassin’s Anonymous and The Paradox Hotel. Jeff Rake comes from an entertainment background with shows like Manifest. So it’s no wonder that this novel will rattle you.


John Ward is a billionaire. Richest man in the world. I could make parallels here, but I’ll refrain. Let’s just say he has all the money to do pretty much whatever he wants, and own both people and property. He’s currently working on a mission to send humans to Titan, a moon of Saturn. The earth is dying. Humans need a backup plan. Titan is Ward’s backup plan.


Ward has created a ship that very much resembles the ship from the movie The Martian. A ship that will house the astronauts as they live and work in space on their way to the far reaches. It travels much faster than any other ship in history, getting the astronauts there in a year and back in a year. 


The people chosen for this mission are three stellar and experienced astronauts - Mike, Della, and Alonso. The remaining three are an astrophysicist, Padma, who was the one originally credited with finding Titan more hospitable than Mars; Stitch, a graffiti artist with a Mensa brain who was chosen by lottery; and Ryan Crane, who saved Ward’s life. These six people will have to navigate their way through space and time to drop a satellite in Titan’s orbit before another mission heads there in a few years.


While the astronauts train and become a cohesive unit, Ward has his own goings on. He is running for president. Of course he has skeletons. And out there is a man named Lerner that has some suppositions of his own about this journey to space.


This was the first book of a series, as it does end with ‘to be continued.’ While I would have loved to wrap this wild tale up at the end of one book, more than one will certainly do it way more justice. The first part of the book really just gives us insight into the lives of these six humans prior to the space expedition. Each one has their own messed up lives, so we get to know all about them. And Ward. But then you hit the time in space and after, and it then gets really interesting. 


Fans of sci-fi and concepts of multiple or alternate universes will love this one. If you enjoyed any of Hart’s previous novels, this one follows a similar pattern of chaos, keeping you on the edge of your seat.


Cannot wait for the next installment. 

By Jennifer Moorman
** Publication Date 6 January 2026 **
​4 stars


If you could bring a book character to life, who would it be?


The Charmed Library tells the tale of Stella, a young woman recently shunned and ghosted by her love Wade. She works full time in the library alongside Arnie, the head librarian. Stella’s mom disappeared when she was young. Just left one day and never returned. Her father more recently passed away. Stella feels stuck and unhappy.


Ridding her life of Wade would be a start, so Stella burns her journal. This sets off a string of strange happenings. First, Stella starts seeing words everywhere, and the words seem to be attacking her. Seeing words is not new, but in this abundance, it’s very strange. Then Stella falls and hits her head, but not before she’s noticed that there are people in the archives with Arnie. Arnie convinces Stella that it’s merely her head injury, but Stella is sure she saw them before her fall.


As things become more strange, Stella starts to wonder what on earth is going on. Is someone trying to tell Stella to move on with her life? Or did that head injury scramble more than she thought?


Truly a fun novel about books and magic and love. I’m quite sure that Stella isn’t the first reader to fall in love with a character in a book. Also, not the first person to be disgruntled about her original life choices. This explores finding what your heart desires in more ways than one. Jennifer Moorman wraps us up in such a whimsical story. This library is charmed and will likely charm its way right into your heart.


Great book for a cozy day inside. 

By Amy Pease
** Publication Date 6 January 2026**
4 stars


I loved the first novel, Northwood, so very much. Eli North is a broken but very lovable deputy sheriff in the small town of Shaky Lake, Wisconsin. In the first novel, he is forced to work with a formidable but competent FBI agent, Alyssa Mason. The two butt heads, have chemistry, and all the stuff. 


Here in the second installment, Eli and his mother, Sheriff Marge North, find themselves with what looks like a murder scene with no victim. When FBI agent Alyssa Mason appears at the scene, Eli knows this won’t be just a murder they’re investigating. Apparently last summer’s drug bust was simply the tip of the iceberg. 


Eli and Alyssa do their dance around one another in this novel as well, keeping each other at arm’s length. The tiny sheriff department of Shaky Lake, consisting of one sheriff, one deputy, and one dispatcher, really needs the assistance of the FBI on this one. Because this missing woman isn’t just any missing person. 


You don’t need to have read the first novel to enjoy this one. While it helps bring together the history of Eli and Alyssa, and the mess in the town of Shaky Lake, there are enough references and explanations to keep you abreast. However, I really fell in love with the characters and the setting with the first novel. This novel simply builds on that.


A true mystery. It is written with the narrative of the missing woman and the narrative of the current investigation cleanly woven together. It’s a page turner. While it is a crime novel, the blood and gore are minimal. It’s a suspenseful journey to figure out what is going to happen.


Great fireplace read for the winter!

By Rachel Hawkins 
** Publication Date 6 January 2026 **
​4 stars




Rachel Hawkins NEVER disappoints me. I have yet to read a book that I didn’t want to zoom through so I could find out what happens. The Storm is no exception.


Geneva lives in a small town in coastal Alabama called St. Medard’s Bay. She took over her parent’s hotel after her mom could no longer handle the responsibility. At the time she had a significant other who thought it would be fun. Of course, he didn’t stick around to find out.


So now Geneva has the responsibility of running a beachfront hotel that has withstood many hurricanes over the years. Her credit cards are maxed out. She’s exhausted. Yet, she puts on a happy face and serves these customers. Her sidekick is Edie, an older woman who showed up one day and never left. Without Edie, Geneva would be lost.


An email arrives requesting that a writer, August, wants to rent a room for at least a month. He’s willing to pay twice what the room is worth. He also needs a second room for the reason he is coming to town, Lo Bailey. Lo was once tried for the murder of the Alabama Governor’s son during the last big hurricane in 1984. Lo was found not guilty, but never could shake the image of the seductress/mistress who killed her lover. 


While Geneva has concerns about what this could mean for the hotel, her credit cards say she needs to take the booking. And when August and Lo make themselves at home in the hotel and a part of Geneva’s life, things start to get tricky. Add in yet another tropical storm thinking about making landfall at the Roaalie Inn, and things take a really dark turn. 


Another gem from Hawkins. Honestly, I zip through her novels so quickly because she knows how to write a good tale. Picking up all the crazy threads and weaving them together is her speciality. Suspense and intrigue go without saying. She’s got a gift for making a book fun to read.


100% recommend this one.