Author Archives: Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The Monday Check-In ~ 8/11/2025

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My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

It was a busy week, but then I had a lot of time to myself over the weekend to regroup and relax. I did a bit of organizing, neatened up my Little Free Library (and discarded a few books that were in absolutely tatters and had been taking up space for too long already), and even treated myself to a pretty manicure!

My son is away for a few days, and his aloof kitty-cat is suddenly glued to my side. He usually just spies from the hallway to keep tab on the humans, but now that I’m his only companion, he’s even watching TV with me!

(I do think he’ll ditch me as soon as my son gets back… but it’s nice while it lasts!)

Good neighbor shout-out:

When I went out for a walk yesterday before meeting up with a friend, I stuck my ID and a credit card in a pocket… and later discovered that pocket didn’t close securely, and my items were gone. I went out again to retrace my steps, had no luck, and then came home to find that someone had slid my ID and card under my front door. Thank you, anonymous kind neighbor!!

Elsewhere on the blog:

I shared a post over the weekend about cleaning up my ARC obligations and TBR lists. Anyone else feeling bogged down by reading commitments?

What did I read during the last week?

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher: Terrific fairy tale retelling with a bit of a horror bite. Highly recommended! My review is here.

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady and The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander: I wrote a two-fer post comparing these two battling bookshop books! Check it out, here.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: It was kind of fun to listen to this audiobook and revisit the Twilight story again after all these years… although the farther along I got, the harder it was to ignore the ridiculousness of it all. Still entertaining, though.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill: A fast-paced thriller that doesn’t quite work, although it’s still an engaging read. My review is here.

The Last Wizards’ Ball (Gunnie Rose, #6) by Charlaine Harris: A satisfying wrap-up to a terrific six-book series. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

Outlander excitement! The first two episodes of the new Outlander prequel/spin-off series dropped this week, and I loved them! Check out the trailer for Blood of My Blood:

Beyond that, I’ve been continuing my Ted Lasso binge, and have just one episode left before I finish season 3. It makes me kind of sad to think I’ll be out of episodes… but I guess I’ll just have to join the crowd and wait for season 4!

I managed to catch up on all but one episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty, season 3 (on Prime Video). I’m basically hate-watching at this point (this is NOT a good show), but I think I’ll continue to the end, mainly because I’ve read the books and want to see if the show ending matches the book ending.

And then… not sure what I’ll start next, but I’m leaning heavily toward Chief of War (more AppleTV+).

Meanwhile, I’ve fallen down a Youtube rabbit hole and have been watching every video clip I can find from the recent production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl (starring Cynthia Erivo as Jesus, Adam Lambert as Judas, and Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene). Here’s one clip — but if you’re a fan, it’s well worth the time to go look for more!

Fresh Catch:

One new book this week:

Dear Lord Akeldaa & Parasolverse Ephemera by Gail Carriger: A lovely hardcover edition from Subterranean Press, filled with all sorts of extras and goodies related to the Parasolverse!

Other than that… Amazon was offering triple Kindle reward points for two days this week, so I treated myself to the next few Rockton e-books from my wishlist. (But I’m forcing myself to hold off before starting the next one… there are so many other books in my queue!)

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell: I picked up a copy of this book on a whim several months ago, and I’m just now getting around to reading it. It’s SO weird… but oddly good!

Next up:

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley: My book group’s pick for August — and we’ll be chatting with the author later this month! I always love her books… excited to start this one.

Now playing via audiobook:

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: My summer Classics Club Spin book! I’m getting close to the deadline, so it’s about time that I started this book.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments (current and coming up):

  • Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 36%. Up next: Chapters 17 and 18.
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s shared reading journey, starting next week!

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

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Late summer clean-up: ARCs, subscriptions, and TBRs (oh, my!)

Posted in Blogging, The Reading Life by
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It’s that time of year again… the point, close to the end of summer, when I look at all my reading plans and commitments, and feel entirely overwhelmed.

And so, I’m doing something about it.

I know we book bloggers and avid readers say this constantly — it’s so easy to get bogged down by ARCs and other reading obligations, and not make time for reading on a whim (which is my favorite way to read).

I’m not a huge fan of reading challenges, simply because I don’t like the pressure of structuring my reading around checking off prompts on a list. I know people LOVE reading challenges… but they’re generally just not for me, other than some very loose challenges around the number of books read in a year, or my current reading challenges on Storygraph (20th Century Decades Challenge and a challenge shared with my daughter focused on a bookish calendar we both own).

As for ARCs… it’s the eternal struggle! It’s wonderful to get early (free!) access to new and upcoming books, but they come with strings attached — namely, to read them and review them relatively near to their release dates. It’s easy to click that NetGalley request button every time some shiny new book catches our eyes… but then we need to find time to read them all!

I keep a spreadsheet of my ARCs, sorted by release date and with subtotals by month. (Yes, I’m an Excel nerd, and proud of it!) Despite trying to restrict my requests to no more than a few books per release month, somehow it’s all gotten away from me recently. So, I decided to take action.

I just went back to my NetGalley shelf, looked at all my upcoming ARCs, and put a cold, hard question to myself: How much do I really want to read each of these books? Are these books that would call to me if I were browsing in a library or bookstore? And, maybe most importantly, do I want to read these particular books more than all the other books already on my shelves?

I was able to identify about five books that didn’t feel all that important to me. Maybe something had caught my eye in the first place, but in going back through the list, I could honestly admit that I wouldn’t feel sorry to let them go. And that’s what I did: I went to the feedback page for each book, and clicked on the “I will not be giving feedback for this book” option. And lo and behold, the books are no longer on my active shelf. Instant sense of relief!

I’ve gotten myself down to 10 ARCs left for the remainder of 2025, plus 2 for 2026 releases… and that feels manageable. Of the ARCs I’m still planning to read, I can sincerely say that I’d read these books even if I didn’t have ARCs. And of course, if I start one and find it’s not grabbing me, I’m going to use that “not giving feedback” option. (Try it! It’s really freeing!)

Going forward, I plan to be much more restrictive with myself in terms of requesting ARCs. For certain authors and series, absolutely yes — but for new-to-me authors or books that look cute or fun or interesting but aren’t yet on my radar, I’m going to make my best effort to hold off on hitting the request button. If I still want to read a certain book by the time it’s released, well… there’s always the library!

I do hesitate a bit to acknowledge both cutting back and pruning my NetGalley shelf — does this mean I’ll be less likely to get approved for future ARCs that I really want? But you know what? That’s a risk I’m willing to take! Again… libraries!!

My other clean-up projects are a little simpler (I hope!). First, I get way too many book-related emails — I’m on so many lists about price deals and new releases and publisher spotlights, and I end up just deleting most of them anyway. (A lot of these can probably be traced back to entering giveaways… so hard to resist!). Anyway, one of my goals for these new few weeks is to get a little ruthless and click on the unsubscribe option as often as possible.

As for the TBR clean-up… well, this is a never-ending goal, but it’s nice to make a little dent. I tend to mark books as to-read on Goodreads every time a new title catches my eye, whether from reading a review or seeing an article about the author or stumbling across an interesting social media blurb. It needs to stop! My TBR on Goodreads is well and truly out of control, and I could probably stand to delete hundreds of books that I’m clearly never going to actually read! I started tinkering with this a bit over the weekend, and have gotten my Goodreads to-read shelf down from 856 books to 696 so far!

My physical shelves at home are another story, and I’ve been working on these all year. I started selling on Pango Books last year, and it’s helping me cull the books I don’t really need to keep. I haven’t done a tremendous amount in terms of actual sales, but even just listing the books is helping me separate out the ones I don’t need to keep and move them into storage bags. As a result, I’m able to free up some shelf space, which lets me make things a bit tidier and easier to enjoy.

This week, I’ve been adding more books to my Pango listings and dropping the prices on books that have been listed for a while, just to see if that helps move more books out of my house. Hint: If you’re new to Pango and use the discount code in my sidebar, you get a discount!

I’m also shuffling off a bunch of older, shabbier books that aren’t quite in sellable shape (or might be so old that no one would be interested), using them to restock my Little Free Library whenever the space empties out.

The goal, of course, is to improve my reading life! To me, that means free myself from reading obligations and deadlines, and basking in the luxury of reading whatever suits my mood in any given moment.

Here’s to reading on a whim!

Has anyone else considered getting off the ARC merry-go-round? How are you feeling about your reading commitments these days? And do you have any tried-and-true approaches for making sure you can read according to your whims? Please share your thoughts!

Book Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

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Title: Hemlock & Silver
Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: August 19, 2025
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind.

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save— seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

T. Kingfisher’s fairy tale retellings have become favorites of mine, and Hemlock & Silver is a great addition to this growing collection.

In this slightly off-kilter reinterpretation of the Snow White story, our main character is Anja — a large, plain-spoken woman in her mid-thirties who’s devoted her life to learning everything there is to know about poisons and how to cure them. She’s not a traditional healer: Don’t expect her to mend your broken bones! But if a snake-bite or opium overdose is the problem, she’s the one person most likely (but not guaranteed) to be able to offer even a glimmer of hope.

Anja’s relatively quiet life in a small desert town is upended when the king himself unexpectedly shows up in her workroom one day. He needs Anja’s help: His 12-year-old daughter Snow is fading away, and he suspects poison. Her mother and sister are already dead, and he can’t lose Snow as well — but with the possibility that someone in his court is secretly a poisoner, he needs an outsider’s help. Anja has no choice but to agree to accompany the king and his retinue to the villa where Snow suffers. If it truly is a poisoning case, then perhaps Anja really can make a difference — although she fears what it could mean for her family if she were to fail.

Snow’s case is puzzling and Anja makes little progress until she discovers Snow secretly eating some odd-looking apples. Anja takes a piece to test, and after trying it herself, accidentally finds herself falling against — and through — one of the vast mirrors that seem to be everywhere within the villa. There, Anja discovers a mirror world full of danger and horrific creatures, and learns that the threats against Snow are even more dire than anyone could have imagined.

Anja is a wonderful main character, her lack of tact balanced by her professionalism, honesty, and practicality.

The problem with being plump, middle-aged, and a woman was that people expected you to be motherly, as if that was your default state. I am not. I am actually terrible with children. On the other hand, I have saved the lives of multiple toddlers who licked flypaper, which I feel should count for something

Anja is joined in her desperate quest by her gruff guard Javier — who is steady and supportive, despite communicating mainly in grunts — and an especially delightful and supercilious cat named Grayling, who is able to speak with Anja and has attitude for miles.

“Are you sure I haven’t gone mad?” I asked.

“Your questions are remarkably unoriginal ‘Am I mad, is this a dream, oh no, what’s going on, why is this happening?'” He gazed off into the distance as if I were no longer worth considering

Strange as it sounds, this stung a bit. It’s one thing to know that a cat holds you in mild contempt, quite another to have it actually insult you in language you can understand.

The otherworldly adventure in the mirror world is eerie and unsettling, and there are moments that move this fantasy story toward a horror vibe as Anja discovers something that will give her (and all readers, I suspect) some lasting nightmares:

… the hands reached out and went creeping over the floor, dragging sections of arm behind them. The faces lay tumbled across each other, in a pile that blinked and twitched and moved, the corners of mouths working madly as if in pain.

Shudder.

But even this creature has some unexpected twists in store — the author seem to delight in setting up scenarios that have a hint of familiarity from other stories, then turning them upside down and having them come out completely different in feel and meaning.

Hemlock & Silver provides a fairy tale foundation, then builds upon it to include fascinating characters and a new, distinct story arc, with high stakes and imaginative dangers. I did find the back and forth between the real world and the mirror world occasionally hard to follow… but then again, I was slightly under the weather when I read this book, so this could be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Hemlock & Silver. It’s not every book that can make you laugh out loud on one page, leave you entirely creeped out on the next, and provide a baffling array of twists and turns to confuse readers before tying the plot up with a convincing conclusion.

Highly recommended!

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Title twins two-fer: Battle of the books about battles between bookstores

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Two new releases with titles so close to being identical that I’m constantly having to check to see which is which!

It looks like battling bookstores are all the rage… or at least, the hot topic of summer 2025, as both of these new books seem to prove.

I’ve read them both. Neither ended up being a stellar read for me, but I have a clear preference between the two. Which battling bookstore book comes out on top? Read on for my thoughts!

Title: Battle of the Bookstores
Author: Ali Brady
Narrator: Karissa Vacker, Brandon Francis
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 3, 2025
Print length: 432 pages
Audio length: 9 hours 32 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley; audiobook via library
Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer. 

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.  

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.

This was one of my most highly anticipated summer reads, given how much I enjoyed this author duo’s previous three books. Sad to say, Battle of the Bookstores just doesn’t measure up.

This story about rival bookstore managers — one manages a romance bookstore, the other a store focused on literary fiction — embraces pretty much every trope under the sun. It’s done in a cute, self-aware sort of way (the characters talk about how they’re living out the enemies-to-lovers trope, for example). The story also includes the stereotypical extremely tall male love interest, fake dating, just one bed, corresponding with someone online without realizing they know each other in real life, and so much more.

On the plus side, the focus on reading, books transforming lives, and getting to truly know a person by reading the books they love all really appeal to my book-loving soul.

However — what I loved about the other Ali Brady books was the strong focus on friendships and family dynamics as the central storyline, with romantic plots being more secondary. Here, the romance is all there is. Honestly, we barely get to know anyone else in either main characters’ lives, and all issues and considerations are secondary to their enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story trajectory.

Add to that some over-the-top sex scenes and awkward lines (“My pants grow tight in anticipation”), and I just couldn’t get past the sense that this story was somewhat (to use one of Josie’s put-downs) run-of-the-mill.

The audiobook wasn’t fabulous either — the narrators are okay, but a few mispronunciations (like saying the CH in “Chanukah” like the CH in “cheese”) felt like sheer laziness to me.

Overall… Battle of the Bookstores get a lukewarm “meh” from me. Which makes me sad — as I’ve said, I adored Ali Brady’s three previous books and recommend them wholeheartedly!

Title: The Battle of the Bookshops
Author: Poppy Alexander
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager
Publication date: August 19, 2025
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.

The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…

The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.

Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.

To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.

Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.

Let the battle of the bookshops commence…

I did NOT realize this was going to be a Romeo and Juliet retelling before picking up the book (guess I didn’t read the synopsis very carefully… Montbeaus and Capelthornes, indeed!). I still would probably have requested this ARC, but might not have groaned out loud once I realized the central plot device.

In this battling bookstores book, Jules’s family has run Capelthorne’s Books for one hundred years, but it’s getting shabby around the edges. And now the wealthy Montbeau family has opened up shiny new Portneath Books right across the street — and what’s worse, they own the land on which Capelthorne’s stands. It seems that this small town isn’t big enough for two bookstores, but which will prevail?

Jules wants to hate Roman Montbeau — for everything his family stands for, for his perceived snobbishness, and for trying to ruin her aunt’s business — but she’s also had a crush on him since they were teens, and it appears that he’s felt the same way all these years. Jules and Roman go from business adversaries to lovers in the blink of an eye, but they still have to contend with centuries of animosity between their families.

I did so want to like this book! Sadly, it was pretty much a bust. Jules and Roman have no chemistry, and we only know that they’ve fallen in love because they tell us so. There’s no discernible build up or early sparks or any sign of growing feelings. Very unconvincing.

I also intensely disliked this moment of high drama (spoiler: there’s a fire) when Jules seems intent on fulfilling her role as a Juliet stand-in:

It was too hard to breath, too hard to keep going. Roman must have perished, and Jules knew, in that moment, life without him was impossible. She was done.

I’m sorry, what? I just can’t…

Meanwhile, the families’ feuding and backstory is a yawn, mainly just a device to shoehorn in the Romeo and Juliet theme. Some intrigue about an antiquarian book found on the Capelthorne’s premises seems to be meant to add excitement — but again, it’s just not particularly convincing

There’s a sweet, small-town-UK vibe to the story, and the village and its people are rather charming. A nice setting doesn’t compensate for lack of an interesting plot. Unfortunately for me, I have two other books by this author in my Kindle library (grabbed based on cute covers and steep price drops) which I now doubt that I’ll want to read.

So which book comes out on top in the battle of the bookstore battle books?Save

Save

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Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

Is this a perfect book? No.

Is it this author duo’s best book? Again, no.

But, in the battle of the bookstore battle books, this is the one that kept me entertained, had a fun, upbeat tone, and made me care about the characters and their silly competition (and their romance).

Also, the Ali Brady book clearly revels in a love of books, with the characters engaging in endless swooning over their favorites novels and authors and characters, and with plenty of terrific mentions of great books. The Poppy Alexander book is sadly lacking in this area, which is downright odd for a book about bookstores.

As I mentioned right from the start, Battle of the Bookstores is not my favorite Ali Brady book — I adored their three previous novels, and wholeheartedly recommend any or all of them. But, as a light piece of summer entertainment, this book is sure to please booklovers with a soft spot for book-centric love stories.

Final verdict: If you’re looking for a bookstore battle book for your summer reading, check out Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady!Save

Book Review: The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

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Title: The Mystery Writer
Author: Sulari Gentill
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication date: March 1, 2024
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

A literary thriller about an aspiring writer who meets and falls in love with her literary idol—only to find him murdered the day after she gave him her manuscript to read.

There’s nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother’s doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?

What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die.

The Mystery Writer was my book group’s pick for July, and as with many of our group reads, it’s unlikely that I would have picked this one up on my own. Unfortunately, while many of our book group books end up being surprise hits for me, this one just didn’t quite work, despite some clever hooks and unusual story beats.

Theo Benton, approximately 20 year old, drops out of law school in Australia to show up at her older brother Gus’s home in Kansas. Gus and Theo were both left trust funds by their American grandfather, requiring them to become lawyers in order to inherit. Gus did, and is a partner in a local practice. Theo, however, has realized that she doe not want to become a lawyer; instead, she wants to write. Gus agrees that she can stay with him while she pursues her writing goals.

As she starts writing at the cafe where she’ll soon become a regular, she encounters another writer — an older man whom Theo eventually identifies as successful author Dan Murdoch. Theo and Dan form a friendship, and he takes an interest in her writing, offering her tips and encouragement. Finally, when Theo finishes her manuscript, she gives it to Dan to read. He’s enthusiastic, but declines her request to send it to his high-powered literary agent. And the very next day, Theo discovers that Dan has been murdered.

Theo and Gus become entangled in the unfolding mystery as more murders occur — and the two of them appear to be the connection between all the dead bodies. With the police focusing on them and their lives in danger, Theo takes a drastic step to keep them safe.

That’s about enough plot summary to get the general gist without getting into spoiler territory. The plot revolves around convoluted conspiracy theories, and hinges on Theo making some truly ridiculous decisions. So many elements require a complete suspension of disbelief that it becomes harder and harder as the book progresses to take it seriously in the slightest.

Survivalists and preppers, Australian hippies (“ferals”), crazed fans, sinister secrets of the publishing world… there’s a lot going on, and yet, not much of it makes any sense. Theo’s ability to sit down and pound out a potential bestseller over the course of a few months doesn’t feel credible, and neither is her connection to the writer whom she just happened to stumble across. Her gullibility in dealing with the agency felt like a breaking point for me (as was her brainless decision to give someone the address of the secure location where she was hiding out). If not for the book group commitment, I likely would have quit somewhere in the middle.

Still, I finished the book. The story itself moves quickly and it’s a fast read, so I was able to get through it without too much effort. At some point, I felt invested enough to want to see it through and see how it all wrapped up.

I can’t say that I actually recommend The Mystery Writer. There are some interesting facets to the story, but overall, it’s simply not believable and strains much too hard to make it at all convincing. I just didn’t buy it.

PS — Why did the publisher stick this cover on the book? There are no typewriters involved in this story! Feels like a lazy way to say “hey, this book is about a writer!”

Given my lukewarm to not-so-great reaction to this book, it may seem like a contradiction to say that I’d still like to read more by this author! Having read some interviews and other materials on the writing process for this book, I get what she was trying to do, even if I didn’t especially love it. I’d be willing to try again with another of her books, possibly her upcoming new release, to see if a change of topic works better for me.

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Book Review: The Last Wizards’ Ball (Gunnie Rose, #6) by Charlaine Harris

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Title: The Last Wizards’ Ball
Series: Gunnie Rose, #6
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Saga Press
Publication date: July 22, 2025
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy / speculative fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.

Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris has crafted a murderous and magical family drama in this sixth and final installment to the beloved and bestselling Gunnie Rose series.

As if there were any doubt… Charlaine Harris knows how to tell a story! As the Gunnie Rose series demonstrates so well, this author is a master when it comes to creating fascinating new worlds, familiar yet decidedly other, and filling them with characters we readers can’t help getting involved with.

The Last Wizards’ Ball is the sixth and final book in the Gunnie Rose series. To provide a quick refresher/overview: The Gunnie Rose series takes place in an alternate world in which the United States fractured during the 1930s. The continent is now divided into separate, independent countries, among them the Holy Russian Empire (our California and Oregon), New America, Dixie, Britannia, and Texoma (our Texas and Oklahoma), home to main character Lizbeth Rose.

Lizbeth is a “gunnie”, a talented sharpshooter for hire who earns a living protecting people and cargo. Over the course of the series, she’s met and fallen in love with Eli Savarov, an aristocrat from the HRE and a gifted “grigori”, a term used for Russian magicians. In this world, magic is real and powerful, and while in some circles grigoris are esteemed, in Texoma, they are generally feared.

As book six opens, the world is on the brink of change. It’s apparently the late 1930s, and the rise of Germany’s new leader is causing fear and uneasy alliances around the world. Closer to home, Lizbeth and Eli are escorting her sister Felicia to the Wizards’ Ball in San Diego in the Holy Russian Empire — an event through which powerful magical families introduce their eligible younger members to one another in hopes of securing marriages that will enhance their families’ strengths, abilities, and influence. As the most gifted magician among her peers, with a terrifying talent for death magic, Felicia is highly sought after… but potentially also a target.

As the week of the ball unfolds, Lizbeth and Eli fend off threats and outright attacks — and meanwhile, Lizbeth must try to fit herself into the refined, snobby atmosphere of high society in the HRE. If not for Felicia’s sake, she’d much rather be back home living her simple life in Texoma, but she’s becoming increasingly (and uncomfortably) aware that what she wants might not match up with what Eli wants. What does this mean for their future as a couple?

Meanwhile, events of the outside world exert a huge amount of pressure on what Lizbeth had originally envisioned as a fancy mating ritual. The German and Japanese contingents at the ball seem to be plotting something, and appear to be focusing in on Felicia for their own purposes. Lizbeth and Eli must figure out who to trust if they’re all going to make it through the ball alive.

The Last Wizards’ Ball is an interesting wrap-up to this unique, highly creative and engaging series. It’s a bit startling to find elements of our own world seeping into this fictional alternative reality. There are little benign moments, such as Lizbeth ruminating that the Wizards’ Ball reminds her of the London Season as presented in Georgette Heyer’s books. Wait, Georgette Heyer books exist in Lizbeth’s world?? That’s pretty awesome.

But on a more serious note, it’s shocking to see Hitler’s rise, foretellings of the Holocaust, and the beginning of war in Europe within this alternate world. While there’s no United States in Gunnie Rose’s world, the various countries and territories that occupy this section of North America still face choices that feel familiar from our own history — who to back, whether to join the fight, or whether to stay out of it altogether and stick to an isolationist policy.

Thrusting Lizbeth, Eli, Felicia, and all the other characters we’ve come to know into the WWII build-up is an interesting move which creates new sets of stakes. It does make the series feel like it’s taking a very different turn than expected, with a geopolitical focus that’s a departure from the emphasis on competition for magical power. Still, as each character faces challenges and choices, it’s rewarding to the reader to see how what we’ve come to know about them all plays out along this new and different story trajectory.

I was sorry to see this book come to an end, knowing that this represents the end of the Gunnie Rose saga. Many characters’ future are left up in the air as war looms. We’re left knowing their general intentions, but I’d certainly like to see what happens next in their lives. I think some readers will feel frustrated or upset by certain developments in the characters’ personal lives. I don’t want to get spoilery, so I’ll just say that I understood why things turned out as they did and possibly even feel like the outcomes are the most logical choice, but still had a bit of heart-ache along the way (and a bit of a flashback to some of my more upset feelings about certain outcomes in the Sookie Stackhouse series).

All in all, I’m very happy that I chose to start this series two years ago, and I’ve loved following the story from beginning to end. The world of Gunnie Rose is fascinating, and I’ll miss it — and especially Lizbeth — very much.

I’ll look forward to whatever new worlds Charlaine Harris creates in her next book! Meanwhile, if you’re a Charlaine Harris fan, which are your favorite books or series of hers? Beyond Sookie Stackhouse and Gunnie Rose, I’ve also read the Harper Connelly books — I’m open to suggestions on which others to try!

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Top Ten Tuesday: Genre freebie — time travel (and other time oddities)!

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a Genre freebie, with the prompt: Pick any genre you’d like and build a list around it. You can even narrow the topic if you’d like, such as: thrillers with unreliable narrators, fantasy romance with fae characters, or historical romance with suspense elements.

I considered and discarded a bunch of options before settling on time travel as my theme for the week. I’m sure I must have covered this topic before — many times!! — but it’s just such a good one, and there are always more books to add.

Here are some favorite, beloved time travel books*… plus a smaller handful that I read but didn’t love, although in most cases, there were at least a few elements to appreciate.

*Technically, these aren’t all exactly time travel. Some just have time-related weirdness (such as extraordinarily long lives) that make me include them in this category!

LOVED:

Best of the best:

**Which I read because of my undying love for the gorgeous movie version! Which I really must watch again one of these days…

LIKED (or merely tolerated):

All of these have at least something interesting about them, but for various reasons, simply did not work exceptionally well for me.

Do you have any favorite time travel books?

What genre did you focus on this week? If you wrote a TTT list, please share your link!

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The Monday Check-In ~ 8/4/2025

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

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My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

It’s August! My summer travels are already over, but I’m trying to still squeeze in some outdoor time and appreciate the (slightly) slower pace at work while so many other people are taking time off. The fall rush is not far away!

A cuteness update: The kitty found a favorite new hang-out. We think he just likes to be able to look down on all of us puny humans.

What did I read during the last week?

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill: A fast-paced thriller that doesn’t quite deliver, but still makes for a fast, engaging read. Review to follow.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman: Loved this audiobook! Which wasn’t a surprise — I also really enjoyed the previous two by this author. My review is here.

Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar: I had high hopes for this book about a trio of Syrian Jewish sisters in a tight-knit Brooklyn community… but sadly, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. My review is here.

This Fallen Prey (Rockton, #3) by Kelley Armstrong: This series continue to be excellent! It’s going to be hard to make myself take breaks and read other books, rather than continuing straight through. My review is here.

The Last Wizards’ Ball (Gunnie Rose, #6) by Charlaine Harris: Finished during my Sunday walk — review to follow later this week.

Pop culture & TV:

Still exploring (and bingeing) with my free trial of AppleTV+! I’ve now finished season 2 of Ted Lasso — still loving it! I’m going to catch up on a few other things*, then dive straight into season 3.

*… such as The Summer I Turned Pretty, season 3 (on Prime Video) — although based on watching one episode so far, I’m not sure I actually care enough to finish the series.

Since my book group recently finished Fellowship of the Ring, I took time this past week to watch the movie… probably my 4th or 5th time, but it’s always glorious.

Fresh Catch:

No new physical books this week… but there were a few great price drops on Kindle that I couldn’t resist, including Fredrik Backman’s newest. (Still available for $1.99, I believe, so go grab it if you’re interested!)

Retail therapy — (non-bookish) product placement time!

Over the weekend, I posted photos (and purchase links) for cute UV hoodies and other outdoor protective wear. I’m loving my new butterflies-and-flowers top!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher: This twisted/alternate version of the Snow White story is off to a great start!

Now playing via audiobook:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Don’t mock me! After driving through the town of Forks on my recent road trip, I was reminded of how all-absorbing this series was way back when, and thought it might be fun to revisit it. We’ll see… I’m just starting it today.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments (current and coming up):

  • Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 31%. Up next: Chapters 15 and 16.
  • My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell: My new Classics Club spin book! I’m putting it here as a reminder to myself to make time for it this summer — the target date to finish this spin challenge is August 24th. This week’s update: Still haven’t started this one! I need to get moving…
  • The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s shared reading journey, starting up in two weeks.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

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Book Review: This Fallen Prey (Rockton, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

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Title: This Fallen Prey
Series: Rockton, #3
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: February 6, 2018
Length: 359 pages
Genre: Thriller/mystery
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

In This Fallen Prey, the next installment of New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s thriller series, Casey Duncan is about to face her toughest job as police detective in Rockton yet. When Casey first arrived at the off-the-grid town, an isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect, with no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. She certainly didn’t expect to be the homicide detective on two separate cases or to begin a romantic relationship with her boss. But the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned and to keep others safe. Of course, Oliver Brady claims he’s being set up. But the longer Brady stays in town, the more things start to go wrong. When evidence comes to light that someone inside Rockton might be working as his accomplice, helping him to escape, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he’s truly responsible for committing. In the next page-turning entry in Kelley Armstrong’s gripping series, life in Rockton is about to get even more dangerous.

To say I’m hooked on Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton series might be an understatement. I’m obsessed! These stories build one upon the other, and so far, each leaves me thirsty for more immediately after turning the final page.

This Fallen Prey is the 3rd book in this 7-book series, and it’s a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled race through danger — and yet, it also gives us time to spend with the characters and in the town that we’ve come to know.

Quick recap (or see links below for my reviews of earlier books): Rockton is a secret hidden town in the Yukon wilderness, a haven for those seeking extreme shelter from dangers in their real lives — or those who’ve committed some sort of wrongdoing and need a place to start over. Rockton, population 200, is filled with an uneasy mix of crime victims and white-collar criminals — although as Sheriff Eric Dalton and Detective Casey Butler come to discover, the town council is willing to defy its own rules for a price and allow more dangerous people to take advantage of Rockton’s protection.

As This Fallen Prey opens, a plane arrives on Rockton’s hidden airstrip, delivering a man named Oliver Brady into the town’s custody. The note accompanying his arrival explains that he’s a serial killer, being sent to Rockton for detention by his wealthy stepfather, who hopes to shield Brady’s mother from the grief of a trial and sentencing. There are all sorts of problems with this, especially (a) Rockton was given no warning of his arrival and (b) the town has no detention facilities except one jail cell, typically used for those needing to sleep off a bar fight for a night. With no preparation yet no way to refuse or send Brady back, Eric and Casey are stuck with a dangerous killer to keep under lock and key.

Complicating matters is Brady’s insistence that he’s innocent, set up by his greedy stepfather who just wants him out of the way in order to grab his share of the family fortune. A further complication is that half the town seem to believe him. Some want to free him, but many others want to lynch him. Eric and Casey need to discover the truth, but when Brady manages to escape into the wilderness surrounding Rockton, they find themselves on a hunt for a man they can’t trust but can’t quite condemn.

As with the previous Rockton books, the danger ratchet up page by page, and the chase through the woods is scary and full of new threats and enemies with each turn of the path. The plot is twisty and misleading and full of contradictions, which all come together by the end with a bang.

This Fallen Prey wraps up the core mystery surrounding Brady, but leaves many more big picture questions hanging — which is probably what makes this series so additive. The main story has a conclusion, but there are several thing that occur that seem like critical new wrinkles in our understanding of how the town works and what the roles of various characters are. I’m desperate to know more!

Meanwhile, Casey and Eric’s relationship continues to be a wonderful centerpiece, as their two wildly different backstories add complications to their already complex work and love lives. I love seeing them navigate their differences, their needs, and their respective roles in the town, while also establishing a loving, respectful, supportive commitment to their lives together.

I can’t wait to start the next book in the series — although I’m trying to force myself to take breaks in between and enjoy a bit of the suspense!

Next up:

Book #4, Watcher in the Woods

Interested in this series? Check out my reviews of the previous books:
City of the Lost (Rockton, #1)
A Darkness Absolute (Rockton, #2)

Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

Retail Therapy: Sun protection with style!

Posted in Fun and Whimsy, Real Life by

This is going to be a rare non-bookish post… because I just have to share a new find that I’m a little bit in love with.

Note: See discount code and purchase links at the bottom of this post!

This past week, I treated myself to this adorable hooded top from Farmers Defense:

This lightweight UV hoodie comes in men’s and women’s sizes, with a variety of colors. I couldn’t resist the monarch butterflies!

Their website has this description:

✔ UPF 50+ Sun Protection – Blocks 98% of harmful UV rays, keeping your skin safe from sun damage.
✔ Scratch & Rash Defense – Shields your arms from scrapes, thorns, and skin irritants while outdoors.
✔ Recycled Fabric – Made from REPREVE® eco-dynamic material, designed to wick away moisture and keep you cool.
✔ Sorbtek Catch-Move-Release Tech – The moisture control technology that actively wicks sweat and keeps your cool

How is it in reality? Short answer: Wonderful! I hate having to layer on sunscreen every time I step outdoors. This hoodie is comfy and light, not at all bulky, so it’s suitable even for warm days. I ordered a women’s XL, because I like my tops big and roomy, but I think a slimmer, tighter fit would be cute too.

Farmers Defense has lots of products geared toward garden enthusiasts, including gardening sleeves, aprons, gloves, and hats. I’m not a gardener myself, but I could see the sleeves and hats as being good choices for any sort of outdoor time where you want protection (and a bit of flowery flair).

Purchase info:

Want a discount? If you purchase through my affiliate link, you get a 10% discount!

Or, visit the site (Farmers Defense) and use my code (LISA11425) for 10% off your purchase.

Farmers Defense products are also available on Amazon.

Note: Links above are affiliate links. When you click through a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Another option:

I’ve worn (and loved) items from REI’s Sahara Shade hoodie collection, which you can find here, with lots of color options and in men’s and women’s sizes. (I’ve found these occasionally on EBay/Poshmark as well!)

I’m looking forward to wearing my butterflies on lots of upcoming outdoor adventures! If you find something you like via Farmers Defense (or have other recommendations for tops with UV protection), please let me know!