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. 

By Jennie Godfrey
** Publication Date 30 December 2025 **
​4 stars


In the early 1980s there was a terrible crime spree against women committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. It caught the attention of all of England, but especially the residents of Yorkshire, as they couldn’t believe one of their own could commit such crimes. 


Miv is a young girl trying to understand her world. Her mother has been silent for years, and occasionally takes ‘breaks’ from living with them. Her father spends a lot of time out of the house, at work and then the pub. Because of all this, Miv’s Aunt Jean moved in to care for the family.


Because of Miv’s home situation, she sometimes feels as though she is an outcast. Except for Sharon. Sharon is Miv’s best friend through and through. The girls do everything together, even having tea once a week at Sharon’s home. When Miv decides she wants to find the Yorkshire Ripper, Sharon goes along, hesitantly. In doing so, the girls open up a whole new world to them, both good and bad. They befriend people in their neighborhood, finding shelter where sometimes Miv felt there was none. 


As the time goes one and the investigation by both the police and the girls finds nothing, the girls start to grow up and change. Sometimes this throws a wedge between the two, and Miv feels it more soundly than Sharon. Changes will come to their neighborhood as well, both good and bad. The Yorkshire Ripper still being on the loose.


This novel explores friendship, both typical and uncommon, racism, violent crime, mental illness, and growing up. It is a lot. While the novel can tend to be a bit slow at times, Miv is an amazing protagonist. It is very emotional living vicariously through her experiences. As someone who does not remember the Yorkshire Ripper case, I found the story compelling. And while that is a common thread throughout the novel, the novel is more about Miv than anything else. 


Really well written. Highly recommend

By Nadia Davids 
** Publication Date 9 December 2025**
4 stars




Books about places I’ve never been are always fascinating to me. Same with books about another time. Colonial South Africa is not a place I’m familiar with at all. The time and place are fascinating.


Soraya Matas is a young Muslim woman who lives with her family in the Muslim Quarter. They are near the ocean as it is a place Soraya has visited with her father. Soraya is the oldest child of three. Her mother is a wash woman. Her father creates religious art. At her current age, Soraya must go out to work to help provide for her family.


She is most recently employed by a widow who lives in one of the grand old houses. Mrs. Hattingh has a son who fought in the war and now resides in London. It is apparent to Soraya that Mrs. Hattingh’s house is in need of updating. Pictures missing from walls, drafty windows. Soraya’s first night in her small room removed from the house, she discovers that there is a spirit present. Later, a painting comes to life for Soraya. 


The spirits are not the only unusual thing in this household. Mrs. Hattingh herself is rather strange. She offers to write letters to Soraya’s fiancé Nour. Mrs. Hattingh is unaware that Soraya can both read and write. Soraya does not correct Mrs. Hattingh’s belief, as she feels this way she can keep Mrs. Hattingh happy knowing she was in some way superior. Only over time, Soraya starts to have suspicions about her employer and her son, as well as those letters to Nour.


Such an unusual novel. Soraya loves to tell tales that have come down through the ages. She believes she can see the spirits, but you are left wondering if that is real, or just her imagination. She’s a fierce young woman, wanting to protect her loved ones. There is an element of racism to the novel, which was likely the way things were at the time. While it is never explicitly stated what Soraya’s race is, we know that Mrs. Hattingh is English. 


I greatly enjoyed this tale. 
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