I must have somehow missed the announcement… but I stumbled across this book on a retail site this week, and jumped for joy!
The October Daye series is one of my favorites, and it’s always a thrill to see that the next book has a cover and a release date.
Book #20, A Divided Duty, will be released September 29th:
Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series finds Toby Daye torn between caring for her newborn daughter and keeping the world of Faerie—and her found family—safe.
October “Toby” Daye is settling into life with a baby, remembering the ins and outs of motherhood, and trying to find ways to balance her work with her desire to keep her baby safe at home and away from all the terrors Faerie has to offer. Her whole household is pitching in, from May all the way down to Raysel, the estranged daughter of Toby’s liege lord who is currently serving out a term of offense in Toby’s home.
Naturally, as everything is beginning to find a balance, it’s time for Raysel’s term of offense to end, and Luna Torquill very much wants her daughter back.
But Toby has been helping Raysel get the help she desperately needs, from giving her a safe place to hide all the way to finding her a licensed therapist who works with the fae, and Raysel isn’t ready to leave. Luna isn’t taking no for an answer, and before anyone can realize what she’s planning, she steals her own child away to Blind Michael’s lands.
Not even Luna knows all the terrible secrets her father and his works hid from the world, and not even she can protect her daughter from the monsters in their lineage. All too quickly, Toby must race the clock to save Raysel—before it’s too late for her to ever come home.
It’s been years, but now the question will be asked again: can she get there and back by the light of a candle?
I’m so happy to have “discovered” that this book is on the way! I’ll be keeping an eye on NetGalley for the ARC… meanwhile, A Divided Duty is available for preorder and to be added to our TBR lists.
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 Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2025, with the prompt New-to-you authors you discovered, new genres you learned you like, new bookish resources you found, friends you made, local bookshops you found, a book club you joined, etc.
I always enjoy taking a moment to reflect on and appreciate new-to-me authors whose books I experienced for the first time… and there were quite a few in 2025!
Here are ten new-to-me authors I read in 2025 — all of whom are authors whose books I’ll be looking for in the future as well:
Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding (co-authors)
Freya Marske
Mike Gayle
Richard Osman
Liz Moore
Kirsty Greenwood
Janelle Brown
Ariel Lawhon
Rachel Koller Croft
Kiersten White
Do you have other books by these authors to recommend?
Which new-to-you authors did you discover in 2025?
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.
Sadly, winter sniffles caught up with my household this past week — just enough to keep us housebound and force us to cancel some plans, but fortunately, not bad enough to cause any real problems!
The upside for me was lots more reading time than I might otherwise have had… although on the negative side of the scale, barely leaving the house meant that I barely listened to audiobooks, so I’m way behind where I thought I’d be.
Puzzle of the week:
Being home all week gave me extra time for puzzling — yet another silver lining! This week’s puzzle was from Cobble Hill. I loved the intricate design, and it was nice to shift to another puzzle company after doing a bunch of Ravensburger puzzles, to get to enjoy different shapes and connections.
As always, my puzzle photos are never good enough to really show how pretty they are in person… so here’s what it’s supposed to look like:
This puzzle is hereby approved by our kitty. Or anyway, the puzzle box gets the stamp of approval!
What did I read during the last week?
For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd: Free via Amazon’s Prime Reading program. This short fiction with a unique time travel twist packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch. I’m so glad I read it! And now, I’m eager to try more by this author.
107 Days by Kamala Harris: I found this political memoir to be informative, but of course also quite a bittersweet experience. My review is here.
Murder at Haven’s Rock (Haven’s Rock, #1) by Kelley Armstrong: I wasn’t at all surprised to find that I loved this book! A great start to a spin-off from one of my favorite series (the Rockton books). My review is here.
The Man Who Died Twice (The Thursday Murder Club, #2) by Richard Osman: Just as much fun as the first book! I’m eager for more. My review is here.
A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Year of Jane Austen: I also thoroughly enjoyed leafing through this gorgeous coffee table book! I took a slow, leisurely approach, and loved it — find out more here.
Pop culture & TV:
I’m slowly working my way through a selection of Oscar-nominated movies and roles. This week, I watched One Battle After Another. I can see why it’s getting so much buzz! It’s action-packed and, on the surface, not something I would typically gravitate toward, but there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye, and the individual performances are terrific.
After that, I finally sat down to watch Frankenstein on Netflix. What a gorgeous production! It’s visually stunning and so well done. Honestly, Oscar Isaac was robbed by not being nominated for the best actor Oscar for this film, and same goes for a lack of a best director nomination for Guillermo del Toro.
I’m certainly not trying to watch ALL the nominated performances — there are plenty that just don’t interest me. Besides these two, I’ve also seen Sinners (which was excellent). Hamnet is high on my list of movies to watch, but I’m waiting for streaming, so it might be a while. Same for Marty Supreme. And I still need to watch KPop Demon Hunters!
How about you? Have you seen any of the other nominated movies or performances? Any you’d particularly recommend?
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon: My book group’s January pick. My library hold came in later than I’d hoped, so I’m behind… but made good progress over the weekend.
Now playing via audiobook:
Version 1.0.0
Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra: I missed out on most of my usual audiobook time this past week, so I really only got to start this one a couple of days ago. I like it so far!
Ongoing reads:
My longer-term reading commitments:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 51%. Coming up this week: Chapters 17 & 18.
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group’s journey through the LOTR books continues! Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 68%.
Title: A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Years of Jane Austen Authors: Jane Austen’s House curators Publisher: Pitkin Publication date: March 11, 2025 Length: 208 pages Genre: Non-fiction Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
This beautifully illustrated book charts the life of one of the world’s most beloved authors through the letters, objects, and manuscripts that shaped her life.
Published in partnership with the curators of Jane Austen’s House, the enchanting Hampshire cottage where Jane Austen’s genius flourished that now attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Arranged over the course of a calendar year, from snowy scenes in January to festive recipes in December, specially commissioned photography of Austen’s home and possessions are brought together with extracts from her books, reproductions of her letters, and stories of her life throughout the seasons. Highlights include the first time Austen read a published copy of Pride and Prejudice to an enraptured audience in her drawing room, affectionate letters to her sister Cassandra reproduced in full and an exquisite miniature portrait of Tom Lefroy, the man she nearly married.
Read this book for a unique and intimate insight into Austen’s world. Dip into it as you will, or visit each month, and enjoy a full year of Austen—her life, works and letters, people and objects she knew, and of course her idyllic, inspiring home.
Note: Photos from book page on Amazon and the Jane Austen House website, plus a few photos I took myself…
If you’re looking for a special gift for the Austen-lover in your life — or if you’re just in the mood to treat yourself! — then look no further! A Jane Austen Year is a gorgeous illustrated book that’s perfect for anyone who loves the works and world of Jane Austen.
Put together by the curators of Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, this coffee table book is a delight to read through cover to cover, or simply to open at random to enjoy a page or two at a time.
The book is organized by month, highlighting a combination of historical events in the author’s life, seasonal references from her books, letters she wrote at that time of year, and other tidbits about the environment and the countryside where she lived. Photos, recipes, and book excerpts offer something different on every page.
I read through A Jane Austen Year over the course of about a week and a half, reading one month at a time, and savoring the photos and other content. The monthly approach is an interesting way to organize the material. I suppose it could be a bit confusing, since as a whole it’s not chronological — Jane’s birth and death, for example, are discussed in the months when they occur, as are other events from her life, so that we’re constantly jumping between years. That’s okay: If you’re looking for a biography of Jane Austen, this isn’t it. Nor does it pretend to be!
A Jane Austen Year truly is what its subtitle promises — a celebration. The variety of material is an absolute treat, which left me hungry for an opportunity to finally travel to Chawton and visit the Jane Austen House!
I’ll close by sharing a few photos that I took while leafing through the book one more time:
Title: The Man Who Died Twice Series: The Thursday Murder Club, #2 Author: Richard Osman Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books Publication date: September 16, 2021 Length: 355 pages Genre: Mystery Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It’s the following Thursday.
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?
But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?
Another outstanding adventure with the dynamic foursome of the Thursday Murder Club! We’re back in the world of the Coopers Chase retirement village, where Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron enjoy their comfortable surroundings, good friendship, and solving murders together.
When former spy and all-around bad-ass Elizabeth receives a letter from a man she knows to be dead, it sets of an unlikely chain of events involving an arms dealer, the mafia, stolen diamonds, and local drug dealers… to say nothing of chess matches, home-baked goodies, and various outings in the Coopers Chase minivan.
It’s always great fun to see these characters in action. Their group dynamics, with room for each of their distinctive personalities to shine, are a hoot. This book’s escapades are unpredictable, convoluted, and a winning combination of silly and dangerous. There are high stakes… but also plenty of laughs.
Count me in as a new-ish fan of this delightful series! With three more books currently available, it’s great to know that I have more murders and adventures to look forward to!
Up next: Book #3, The Bullet That Missed
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – 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: Murder at Haven’s Rock Series: Haven’s Rock, #1 Author: Kelley Armstrong Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: February 21, 2023 Length: 340 pages Genre: Thriller/mystery Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven’s Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start… with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins.
Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0
Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.
There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town’s construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate the still missing man. The woman stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see, and the longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.
What do you do when you reach the end of a terrific series? If you’re author Kelley Armstrong, you spin off into a new (equally terrific) series! The Rockton series wrapped up in 2022 after seven strong novels, and was then followed by a novella (Dead Letter Days) that serves as a bridge between Rockton and Haven’s Rock.
And here we are, with a new town and new series to explore! The Haven’s Rock series starts with a bang (or kind of a crash and a thud, if we’re being literal) with the first book, Murder at Haven’s Rock.
A quick “history” lesson to set the stage: Rockton was a secret town hidden in the Yukon wilderness, a place where those needing sanctuary could live off the grid for a couple of years. Rockton’s day-to- day needs were overseen by Sheriff Eric Dalton and his partner/lover/wife Detective Casey Butler. The town functioned, but not always smoothly, while the powerful, remote council that controlled the town’s funds made shady decisions about who to allow in, leaving the town to deal with fallout from a variety of criminals and generally bad eggs who also found shelter in Rockton.
The Rockton series ends with the dismantling of the town. Eric, Casey, and a small group of close allies move forward with establishing a new, better version of Rockton: Haven’s Rock, where the town will be built to their specification, and where they’ll have better control over ensuring that only those who truly need refuge are allowed in.
As Murder at Haven’s Rock opens, the new town is still in the final stages of construction, with move-in dates quickly approaching. Eric and Casey make their first visit to Haven’s Rock when the construction project manager requests help. Two of her crew — the head architect and engineer — have gone missing. Venturing into the forest is forbidden, but it appears that that’s where they both went… and then disappeared. Eric and Casey are delighted to get a first look at their new town — although they would have preferred that it not come with missing persons, dead bodies, and potentially multiple crimes to solve.
The mysteries in Murder at Haven’s Rock are doozies. First, it’s not clear that crimes have even occurred, and even if they have, under whose jurisdiction they’d fall. Once Eric and Casey start investigating, they find dead ends and conflicting trails, possible motives, and unwelcome surprises in the shape of outsiders in what they’d believed to be an unpopulated area.
The crime and mystery aspects of this story are superb, with twists and confusion around every corner. The who’s-who of suspects and victims and interpersonal connections is complicated, and the author does an amazing job of keeping it all manageable, even when it seems like there are almost too many options at play. There’s a really satisfying and convincing resolution, even while the ending of the story introduces what’s sure to be a major source of danger and conflict as the series moves forward.
Meanwhile, we get an excellent introduction to the new town of Haven’s Rock. It’s really fun to go alongside Eric and Casey as they explore their new home, especially when their key people start to arrive as well.
Murder at Haven’s Rock is a terrific kick-off to this new series, and I’m delighted to be digging in. As of this moment, two more book are available, with another set for release in February 2026. And even though I have a ton of other reading commitments, I can’t help but admit that I won’t be able to hold off for very long before picking up book #2, The Boy Who Cried Bear.
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – 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.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. HAVE FUN!
January is my daughter’s birth month, so I’ve been buying her garnet-colored gifts all her life! I must say, though, that I’ve never given her a book with a garnet cover! Clearly a major oversight!
According to Thomas Michael Jewelry:
Garnet is January’s birthstone. Garnets symbolize eternal friendship, loyalty and a light heart. There is evidence of garnet jewelry found in Bronze age burials in Eastern Europe. Garnet jewelry has been discovered in ancient Egypt and Sumeria. Garnets were treasured in jewelry by the Greek and Roman cultures as well as Pre-Columbian Aztec and Native American cultures. In Medieval times, garnets were thought to possess medicinal powers and were thought to protect one from poisons, wounds and bad dreams. They were thought to relieve fevers, hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases.
Samples of garnet jewelry:
Found on Pinterest…
Onward to the books!
Garnets! Garnets everywhere!
Or at least, on two Outlander series book covers, which makes me very happy.
But I suppose I should include some non-Outlander books too… so here are a few more with hints of garnet that I found on my shelves:
Do you have any favorite garnet book covers to share?
Title: 107 Days Author: Kamala Harris Narrators: Kamala Harris Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publication date: September 23, 2025 Print length: 304 pages Audio length: 9 hours 58 minutes Genre: Non-fiction / political memoir Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, former Vice President Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.
Your Secret Service code name is Pioneer. You are the first woman in history to be elected vice president of the United States. On July 21, 2024, your running mate, Joe Biden, announces that he will not be seeking reelection. The presidential election will occur on November 5, 2024. You have 107 days.
From the chaos of campaign strategy sessions to the intensity of debate prep under relentless scrutiny and the private moments that rarely make headlines, Kamala Harris offers an unfiltered look at the pressures, triumphs, and heartbreaks of a history-defining race. With behind-the-scenes details and a voice that is both intimate and urgent, this is more than a political memoir—it’s a chronicle of resilience, leadership, and the high stakes of democracy in action.
Written with candor, a unique perspective, and the pace of a page-turning novel, 107 Days takes you inside the race for the presidency as no one has ever done before.
In 107 Days, Kamala Harris takes us through her experiences during the dramatic presidential campaign of 2024… from the day Joe Biden officially dropped out of the race and she became the Democratic candidate for president through election day (and slightly beyond). Day by day, she shares the highs and low of the campaign trail, as well as personal reflections on her career, her family, and the hopes she carried into the race for president.
It’s a revealing look behind the scenes. If nothing else, listening to this audiobook gives me a new-found appreciation for how much candidates endure for the sake of their party and their country. The lack of privacy or downtime is astounding, as is the absolutely intense scrutiny of every word and every gesture.
I suspect how you react to this book will depend largely on how you voted in the 2024 election. If you weren’t a Harris supporter then, I’m sure you’ll either avoid this book or find plenty to criticize. As someone who voted for Harris, I found a deeper sense of appreciation for her expertise, sense of values, and commitment to a campaign that was an uphill battle from the start.
Early critics of this book seem to take Harris to task for not owning more of the failures of the campaign. I don’t believe that’s entirely fair. She does examine the ways in which her messages didn’t land, places where she wishes she could go back and rephrase or re-do a key interview or speech. She reminds the reader/listener continuously of just how little time there was to campaign — hence the book’s title. Sure, she could go deeper on content: Were there themes or issues that her campaign didn’t fully embrace, or where they miscalculated the importance to voters? Endless political analyses post-election say yes, but these do not get addressed in depth in this book.
Still, what she does reveal is informative. The odds were always stacked against such an abbreviated campaign. Harris is careful to hold back on criticisms of Biden — for the most part — although it’s clear that some of his actions, statements, and decisions caused great frustration and obstacles for her as a candidate. It was interesting to hear about her approach to combatting the lies and slurs directed toward her by the opposition, refusing to engage in rebuttals and keeping the focus on her own agenda and values.
While there are sweeter moments shared, including time with her family and her husband, I could perhaps have done without an analysis of how and why she felt let down by her husband’s lack of plans for her birthday. But other than that, there’s a warmth that comes through while talking about her loved ones that helps ground this book in a sense of Harris’s commitment to people and community, not just to political success.
Overall, I’m not sure that I learned a whole lot from this book that I hadn’t come across, one way or another, during the presidential race or afterward, but I did find it an interesting, informative listen, and I’m glad I experienced it.
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – 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 is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Goals for 2026 (Bookish or not! Share your reading goals, personal goals, etc.).
Since I already shared my bookish goals at the start of January, I’m going rogue! Today’s TTT post is essentially part two of last week’s list (my most anticipated books for the first half of 2026). This week, here are even more upcoming new releases to look forward to! After all, I felt bad leaving some of my top choices off the list last week…
Here we go — EVEN MORE new releases for the first half of 2026:
Listed in order of release date:
Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra (1/20/2026)
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (2/17/2026)
A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell, #10) by Deanna Raybourn (3/3/2026)
Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz (3/3/2026)
Butterfly Effects (Incryptids, #15) by Seanan McGuire (3/10/2026)
Once and Again by Rebecca Serle (3/10/2026)
Love by the Book by Jessica George (4/7/2026)
Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell (4/14/2026)
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (4/21/2026)
Take Me with You by Steven Rowley (5/19/2026)
Are any of these book on your TBR? Which sound good to you?
And since I went off-topic this week… if you wrote about bookish goals, please share your link! I’d love to see thoughts and intentions about the year to come.
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.
Another busy week at work… but at least that was balanced by a really nice weekend, which included two opportunities to dance, a couple of nice long walks, and time to read!
With a day off today, I’ll be devoting the afternoon to watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on the big screen. My son and I have tickets already. 3.75 hours — here we go!
What did I read during the last week?
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart: A terrific 1960s-era suspense novel! I’m so glad I finally read it — now I’m eager to read more by this author. My review is here.
Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart: Smart, snappy, fast-moving sci-fi adventure! I do wish this book had been a stand-alone rather than the start of a series — that unresolved ending will make me batty until the 2nd book is released. My review is here.
I also read two graphic novels that I picked up at the library on a whim:
Fangs was pretty charming and funny, and super quick. Sunhead was fairly “meh”, but then again, it’s very clearly aimed for young readers, and the appeal was mostly lost on me. I suppose I’m glad that I gave these both a try — and I’m also glad that they both were fast reads.
Pop culture & TV:
I’m all caught up on Shrinking! I finished season two this past week, and really enjoyed it… and now I’m eagerly awaiting the start of season 3 at the end of January.
I tend not to go to many new movies in theaters these days, and even though there are a few I’d like to see (including some of the movies getting lots of awards buzz), I mostly hold off and wait for streaming. This week, I finally watched Sinners, and was blown away. Besides the sheer entertainment value, there so much more going on beneath the surface. After watching the movie, I fell down a fascinating rabbit hole of reading articles and discussions about the movie’s themes. I think this is one that will need rewatching!
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Murder at Haven’s Rock (Haven’s Rock, #1) by Kelley Armstrong: Yay! I’m starting the Haven’s Rock series, my #1 priority series to read in 2026. This series is a spin-off from the author’s Rockton series, which I loved. I started this book late Sunday, and I’m already hooked.
Now playing via audiobook:
107 Days by Kamala Harris: I’d hoped to have more listening time this week, but even so, I expect to finish within the next day or so. Really interesting audiobook, and I’m enjoying having Kamala Harris herself as the narrator.
Ongoing reads:
My longer-term reading commitments:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 43%. Coming up this week: Chapters 15 & 16.
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group’s journey through the LOTR books continues! Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 66%.
Bookshelf Fantasies 