2026

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

Affiliate purchase link: Amazon

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:

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%.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

25Jan2026

Beautiful book alert! A Jane Austen Year, by the curators of Jane Austen’s House

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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:

To learn more, visit the Jane Austen House website: https://janeaustens.house/
You can buy this book and other lovely items directly from their giftshop: https://jane-austens-house.myshopify.com/products/pre-order-a-jane-austen-year-hb
They’ve also got a podcast! Find out more: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2434395

To order via Amazon: Amazon
Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link. I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

24Jan2026

Book Review: The Man Who Died Twice (The Thursday Murder Club, #2) by Richard Osman

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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.

23Jan2026

Book Review: Murder at Haven’s Rock (Haven’s Rock, #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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.

Interested in the worlds of Rockton and Haven’s Rock? Check out my reviews of these previous books:
City of the Lost (Rockton, #1)
A Darkness Absolute (Rockton, #2)
This Fallen Prey (Rockton, #3)
Watcher in the Woods (Rockton, #4)
Alone in the Wild (Rockton, #5)
A Stranger in Town (Rockton, #6)
The Deepest of Secrets (Rockton, #7)
Dead Letter Days (Rockton, #7.5)

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.

22Jan2026

Birthstone Book Covers: January = Garnet!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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?

21Jan2026

Audiobook Review: 107 Days by Kamala Harris

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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:

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.

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20Jan2026

Top Ten Tuesday: Even more books releasing in the first half of 2026!

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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.

19Jan2026

The Monday Check-In ~ 1/19/2026

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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%.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

18Jan2026

Book Review: Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Detour
Series: Detour, #1
Authors: Jeff Rake & Rob Hart
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Publication date: February 4, 2026
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Science fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in the first book of this emotional, mind-bending thriller series from the creator of the hit Netflix show Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

“If The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby, it would be Detour—a thriller that messes with your head as you scramble to piece together what’s really going on.”—Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

Ryan Crane wasn’t looking for trouble—just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan’s quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife—and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son—he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins.

Detour is an absolutely addictive science fiction thriller — and it’s totally on me that I didn’t realize until about 10 pages from the end that this book isn’t a stand-alone. More on that later… meanwhile, here’s what it’s all about.

Planet Earth is in dire trouble as Detour opens, with the collapse of a huge Antarctic glacier spelling a major escalation of the world’s climate catastrophe. Life on Earth may be unsustainable; science is now looking beyond the planet for a new home for humankind.

Enter billionaire and presidential candidate John Ward, a man with the deepest of pockets, limitless ambition, and a huge ego. He’s funding a project to send a space crew to circle Saturn’s moon Titan, to leave behind satellites to report back on Titan’s ecosystem and help plan for future human settlement there. Thanks to advances in power sources and radiation shielding, a new spaceship has been built that can make the journey to Titan in a year, which means the ship’s crew will have to commit to a two-year journey away from home and loved ones.

In addition to three experienced astronauts, three civilians have been chose to join the expedition: Padma, a scientist who has done pioneering work on the viability of Titan for human habitation; Ryan, a DC cop who just happened to be in the right time and place to save John Ward from an assassination attempt; and Stitch, a graffiti artist who won a lottery for a seat on the mission. With only the briefest of training periods, this motley assembly is soon on their way off-world, each leaving behind complicated work and family situations.

As the synopsis indicates, something goes wrong during the mission, but the crew is able to avert disaster and return home as scheduled. But for the astronauts, there’s something wrong about “home”. Nothing is quite as they left it. Their family lives are different in key ways. The world is mainly the same… but it’s not. And their treatment is decidedly suspicious — rather than getting a heroes’ welcome, they’re warned to avoid the press, stay quiet, and no matter what, not to contact any of the other members of the crew.

The final quarter of the book is a mad rush of action and investigation, as the six astronauts struggle to understand the lives to which they’ve returned, while also trying to piece together exactly what happened out there near Titan, and why powerful forces seem to be gathering to stop them.

And then the book stops! Which I did not expect. When I first requested this book on NetGalley, I didn’t see a mention of this being the first in a series — and I did not go back to re-read the synopsis, either there or on Goodreads, before starting the book. If I had, I might not have been so surprised, somewhere around the 90% mark, to realize that there was absolutely no way this story would be wrapped up by the last page. My bad. Let this be a lesson to me — always read the synopsis (again) before starting a new book!

In any case… Detour is thrilling page-turner, and I’m so glad I read it. I’m a sucker for a great space travel story, and this book delivers. The authors skillfully establish the stakes of the mission right from the start, as well as establishing the core main characters and their individual struggles and backstories. As they depart on their mission, we know them — their strengths, their doubts, what they leave behind, and what they hope for upon their return.

The story is told through vignettes that shift the action between all major players, as well as involving John Ward, some side characters, and a few shadier people as well. The mystery of what happened on the journey and why the world seems changed when the astronauts return isn’t resolved (must leave content for the next book!), but there are enough hints and partial theories that leave a reader with a sense of tantalizing information still to come.

I appreciate that the personal isn’t sacrificed in favor of the action. The action is terrific, but a large part of my enjoyment stems from feeling invested in the characters themselves and caring about each of their lives and their futures.

The authors’ credentials alone let us know that we’re in for a great ride in Detour. Jeff Rakes is the creator of the TV series Manifest, which was one of my pandemic-era binges. Detour has elements that remind me of some elements of Manifest — not in a repetitive way, but more in the sense of themes and the underlying mysteries. Co-author Rob Hart is the author of a bunch of very popular books — of which I’ve only read The Warehouse, but I do have several other of his books on my TBR, and now I’m even more motivated to read them. (There’s a very fun little moment in Detour when both Manifest and Assassins Anonymous get shout-outs — yay to the authors for including this!)

Detour was just the sort of compelling, drop-everything-and-read book that I needed this week! I enjoyed every moment, and will absolutely be back for book #2. Here’s hoping the wait for the next book will take less time than, say… a mission to Titan!

16Jan2026

Book Review: The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Ivy Tree
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 1961
Length: 391 pages
Genre: Suspense/thriller
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Mary Grey had come from Canada to the land of her forebears: Northumberland. As she savored the ordered, spare beauty of England’s northern fells, the silence was shattered by the shout of a single name: “Annabel!” And there stood one of the angriest, most threatening young men Mary had ever seen. His name was Connor Winslow, and Mary quickly discovered that he thought she was his cousin—a girl supposedly dead these past eight years. Alive, she would be heiress to an inheritance Connor was determined to have for himself. This remarkably atmospheric novel is one of bestselling-author Mary Stewart’s richest, most tantalizing, and most surprising efforts, proving her a rare master of the genre.

A slightly different synopsis for another edition of the book:

An English June in the Roman Wall countryside; the ruin of a beautiful old house standing cheek-by-jowl with the solid, sunlit prosperity of the manor farm – a lovely place, and a rich inheritance for one of the two remaining Winslow heirs. There had been a third, but Annabel Winslow had died four years ago – so when a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow comes ‘home’ to Whitescar, Con Winslow and his half-sister Lisa must find out whether she really is who she says she is.

The Ivy Tree opens with gorgeous scenery: A woman enjoys the peace of a pastoral view in Northumberland, savoring the quiet and solitude. But a man shows up and immediately begins yelling at her. He thinks she’s his presumed-dead cousin Annabel, who disappeared eight years earlier. With their grandfather ill and nearing death, her reappearance can’t be coincidence. Connor and his half-sister Lisa have been tending the estate for the old man all these years; it should be theirs. With Annabel’s return, Connor’s inheritance is very much on the line.

But there’s a catch. This woman isn’t Annabel. Although she bears a remarkable resemblance to Annabel, she introduces herself as Mary, a descendant of another line of the family which emigrated to Canada a few generations back. Mary has heard stories of Northumberland all her life, and has come seeking a fresh start.

Almost immediately, Connor proposes a plan. He and Lisa can teach Mary all about Annabel — and if she’ll impersonate her for a brief time, just long enough to convince their grandfather, they’ll make it worth her while. Connor fears that the grandfather has never believed that Annabel truly died, and worries that he’ll leave his fortune to her anyway. With a stand-in, that fear can be addressed. If their scam works, and even if Con himself is left out of the will, “Annabel”‘s inheritance will go to Connor, and fake-Annabel will get a hefty payout for her efforts.

It’s a marvelously twisty scheme, and Mary — who has little money and no real plans — agrees to go along with it. After all, the real Annabel is dead. Who would be hurt by this? After three weeks of intense training, the plan is put into motion, and Mary — now going only by Annabel — arrives at the Whitescar estate to fulfill her role as the returning prodigal.

Annabel’s impersonation is successful with the grandfather, household staff, and visiting younger cousin Julie. But Annabel herself is wracked by guilt and worries as she ingratiates herself into life at Whitescar. Can she succeed, and should she? What does Connor stand to gain? What will this mean for Julie. And what really happened on the night that the original Annabel ran away and left Whitescar behind?

The Ivy Tree is a wonderful example of 1960s-era romantic suspense, verging on the gothic. The old estate makes for a picturesque, lush setting, even while the neighboring estate, Forrest Lodge, lends an air of haunting decay, with the manor house in ruins after a devastating fire years earlier, and an overgrown old tree wrapped in ivy holding up the remaining walls.

For a 21st century reader, this book has an old-school feel to it. The pacing, descriptions, and narrative approach feel very much like throw-backs — which, of course, they are. The Ivy Tree is a great example of its genre and era. There’s an undercurrent of desperation and hidden desires and dire motives. It’s all quite grand and dramatic, but never too over the top.

While the plot moves forward at a mostly fast clip, the author also provides breaks in the action fairly regularly to set the scene. Descriptions of overgrown forests or a centuries-old quarry or even the condition of the roads all add to the overall atmosphere of the book, firmly grounding the characters in their environments and making clear where the beauty and the threats are to be found. A final set-piece involving a mad dash through a terrible storm adds to the overall gothic effect, and is both exciting and chilling.

I loved all the dramatic confrontations, the subterfuges and hidden (and revealed) identities, and the conflicting needs and thwarted ambitions of the various characters. It all adds up to a delightfully suspenseful reading experience. For me, The Ivy Tree feels like an excellent introduction to Mary Stewart’s books.

As far as I can recall, my mother and aunt — two avid readers! — were both fans of this author, and I’m quite sure that at least a few Mary Stewart books were on the shelves of my childhood home. Perhaps that’s another reason why I feel drawn to her novels and want to read more!

Question: Do you have a favorite Mary Stewart book to recommend?

About the author:

Mary, Lady Stewart (born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow; 17 September 1916 – 9 May 2014) was a British novelist who developed the romantic mystery genre, featuring smart, adventurous heroines who could hold their own in dangerous situations. She also wrote children’s books and poetry, but may be best known for her Merlin series, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and fantasy.

Her obituary from The Guardian offers a great deal of insight into Mary Stewart’s life and writing career. In addition to the Merlin books (The Crystal Cave and four others), her well-known mysteries include Touch Not the Cat, Madam, Will You Talk?, Nine Coaches Waiting, and many more.