Review: Mystery Play

Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.  This book will be published around October 13, 2026.

Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova is the sequel to The Historian.  I really loved The Historian, so I was super excited to get a copy of Mystery Play.  You can read this as a standalone.  There are some references to things that happened in The Historian, but it won't affect your ability to enjoy this book if you haven't read that one.  Like The Historian, this book is a bit of a time investment.  There is a lot packed in here covering a giant span of time.  At the same time, it is engrossing, and I found that I wasn't ready to finish it when I did.  I am still thinking about it 10 days later and how I wish there was more.  I am doing my best not to give anything away.  There is a lot of time spent in the theatre, especially on Shakespeare.  There are journal entries for those of us who like a story told in various formats and/or points of view.  There are mysterious deaths and some very cool libraries.  Would it be too much to ask for a third book?

Bonus points for loyal canine companions who deserve our undying commitment.  

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Review: Automatic Noodle

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Don't read Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz on an empty stomach!  I was immediately craving Chinese hand-pulled noodles and had to make some to get through the book.  Spoiler alert:  There are noodles in the book.  This is a sweet book about robots who just want to do what they love.  It isn't hard to draw the comparisons to the current situation with immigrants in America, documented or not.  The bigger lesson, in my opinion, is how much are lives are driven by algorithms and how easy it is for someone with an agenda to influence our "reality."  Still, this book left me with a warm heart and a strong noodle craving.


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Review: The Unknown

The Unknown by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Unknown by Riley Sager from Penguin Random House.  According to the note with the book, it should be published today, August 4, 2026!

The Unknown by Riley Sager might be my favorite book by him so far.  The story is told through two points of view, one being a journal written by a woman who disappeared and the other by an actress rehearsing at the same location for a film based on that journal.  It just happens that the return to the island seems to be causing the mysterious disappearances to happen all over again.  Is the island haunted?  Just when you think you know all the answers, there are a few more surprises!  I actually would love to see this movie!

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Review: Reading behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

Reading behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian by Jill Grunenwald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever since my work with correctional institutions in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, I have been very interested in prison/jail reform and enrichment programs.  Even one of my dogs came from a prison rescue program!  Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian by Jill Grunenwald seemed like a good fit.  This is a memoir and Jill Grunenwald is not perfect.  There are definitely cringe moments, even in the interactions with the inmates.  I liked the inclusion of actual prison regulations at the start of chapters.  I learned some things about prison libraries that may help me make future donations from my own collection.  I enjoyed many of the literary references.  For those who have issues with J.K. Rowling, there are a lot of Harry Potter references in this book.  It was published in 2019, so I give the author some grace for possibly not having the foresight to know how alienating those might be for people.

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Review: Winterset Hollow: A Novel

Winterset Hollow: A Novel by Jonathan Edward Durham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Winterset Hollow: A Novel by Jonathan Edward Durham from Union Square & Co via NetGalley.  This edition will be published around October 6, 2026.  

I've been following Jonathan Edward Durham online for awhile because I think his posts are hilarious and often align with exactly what I am thinking.  It is kind of scary.  When I found out he wrote a book, I had to read it.  I felt like I won the lottery when I was picked to receive an ARC of it!  It is essentially two books in one.  There is Winterset Hollow, the children's book that is told part by part interspersed with the story of a group of fans taking a trip to the island where the author lived to pay homage to their favorite book.  What they come to discover is you should never meet your heroes and that fairy tales often have gruesome origins if they are sugar-coated for modern children's consumption.  Reading this is like going to Disneyland only to discover Stephen King designed the whole place, and you can't leave.  As dark and horrific as it might be, I still cried in parts.  Hit me right in the feels!  My edition had the whole Winterset Hollow story at the end if you wanted to read it from start to finish instead of broken up over the course of the book.  It is quite a beautiful story with a dark underbelly.

Bonus points for some fantastic animals and an amazing cover!

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Review: Play Nice

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison is the first of her books that I had a little trouble getting into.  I didn't really like the three sisters.  I'm not really into fashion even though I am sitting here in an Eileen Fisher dress writing this review.  I kept telling myself to give it a chance because it has a purple house on the cover.  I REALLY love purple.  Plus, I have really liked Harrison's other books.  Then the youngest sister, Clio, finds a copy of the book their mother wrote about the maybe haunted house they lived in when they were younger, and I was hooked.  I like a book within a book!  I like it even better when someone has made notes in the book that I can read to give me information about what was really going on.  Harrison and I share a similar sense of humor and seem to be into the same pop culture stuff because I appreciate so many of the references!  If you like haunted house books and family drama, this will be right up your alley.

Bonus points for Taylor Swift lyrics hiding in plain sight.  

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Review: The Examiner

The Examiner by Janice Hallett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been hunting for a copy of The Examiner by Janice Hallett for quite a while and finally found a library that had a copy!  I was beginning to think it didn't actually exist or was maybe only available outside the U.S.  I'm so glad I got to read it.  Like all of the Hallett mysteries I have read, this one is told in an epistolary fashion using a variety of media and view points.  I love it when a story comes in all shapes and forms.  Who would think that a master's program in art would have so much intrigue!  But also, just when you think you know what happened, there is another surprise that you didn't expect.  If you like a good mystery with a sense of humor and not too much graphic detail, you will want to check this or any other Janice Hallett novel out!

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