Review: The Fever of the World

The Fever of the World by Phil Rickman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Fever of the World is the 15th book in the Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman. I would not start the series with this book even though you probably could. Mainly, the characters have really evolved over the course of the series and you would be missing out on how important those changes are to where we are today. But also, you would be doing yourself a disservice not to read all the books. I was drawn in by the idea of a female minister who specializes in deliverance (aka exorcisms). The other characters are equally interesting. The writing is beautiful, a bit gothic, a bit haunting, a bit folksy. They are the perfect books to read in fall and winter. It's a whole vibe. There is just one more book in the series, and I will be saving it for a special moment because I don't want to say goodbye just yet.

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Review: The Lover

The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Lover is a short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It is part of the Amazon Original Stories series and perfect for spooky season! This is definitely giving dark fairytale vibes. Easy to read in one sitting. You aren't quite sure where it is going, but you want to find out! I put off reading this for a long time because I thought it might be too "romantic" for me. Despite the title, it was not!

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Review: Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Warm Bodies is a novella by John Marrs. It is part of the Amazon Original Stories series. Even at a little over 100 pages, you can easily get through this in a sitting. The writing moves at a fast clip and uses some epistolary devices to alternate between viewpoints. Moral of the story: Mind your own business. Oh, and even if you don't like your neighbors, don't be actively mean to them unless you really know they are up to no good.

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Review: The Cure's Disintegration

The Cure's Disintegration by Andi Harriman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Cure's Disintegration by Andi Harriman from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley.  This book will be published around October 15, 2026.

The Cure's Disintegration by Andi Harriman is part of the 33 1/3 series.  It focuses on one album and its place in music history.  In this case, Harriman chose to look at Disintegration through the lens of Charles Baudelaire's "Spleen."  I hadn't read Baudelaire, but I understand the sentiment.  I think of Disintegration like upbeat melancholy if you can have such a thing.  You might be sad, but you still want to dance around the room. Fans of The Cure will understand what I mean.  I find learning more about the behind-the-scenes of the album gives me an even greater appreciation of the music.  If you are a fan, you will want to read this when it comes out.  And then listen to Disintegration on repeat.

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Review: 26 Beauties

26 Beauties by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

26 Beauties is the 26th book in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson.  You could read this as a standalone.  I enjoy this series and think each book is a fast read, so it is worth it to start at the beginning in my opinion if you haven't read any others.  I read this series for the characters.  I am invested in what happens to each of them.  This time we are dealing with human trafficking.  I don't know if people realize how prevalent it can be in the U.S.  or how easy it is for any young person to get caught up in it, especially in a world where so many young people dream of being influencers.  While low income or unhoused youth might be easy targets, they aren't the only ones.  It is an eye-opening case.

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Review: Sharp Force

Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sharp Force is the 29th book in the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell.  You don't necessarily have to read the whole series to understand this book. It could be read as a stand-alone, but I probably wouldn't start the series here.  It has all of your favorite characters if you are a series regular.  There are some dynamics playing out that you may not totally understand if you have never read the books before.  The case is interesting with its use of advanced technology to stalk victims.  It is crime of the future that is totally possible now.  The resolution was not my favorite, BUT I would still read it because I always want to know more about Kay and her crew.

Bonus points for Merlin, one super smart kitty.  I also love how much Kay cares about him even though he isn't her cat.  I would be the exact same way.  

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Review: Wordhunter

Wordhunter by Stella Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wordhunter is the first book in the Wordhunter Mystery series by Stella Sands.  You will want to start reading here.  

Wordhunter is a very clever concept, profiling criminals based on their writing.  I'm a little surprised we don't hear more about this with all the CSIs and forensic crime shows and podcasts.  It is a very compelling idea.  As much as I never liked diagramming sentences, I loved the inclusion of the main character's habit of sentence diagrams.  I could see where it could be soothing like how some people enjoy sudoku or how I feel about jigsaw puzzles.  The crime under investigation is quite disturbing and toss in a creepy professor who is just the absolute worst, this book is not for the sensitive.  

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Review: Platform Decay

Platform Decay by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Platform Decay is the eighth book in The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.  I recommend reading all of the books because they are fairly short, and it will give you a good sense of who the characters are in this one.  You could read this as a standalone, but I think you would wonder why you should care about some people.  

As always, Murderbot is hilarious and deadly.  I like the addition of having Murderbot check in their emotions periodically.  I was often, "same Murderbot same."  I love seeing the growth in Murderbot's character.  Also, how often can you read a book that is essentially a sci-fi thriller with incredible violence and belly laugh at the same time?

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Review: The Rose Field

The Rose Field by Philip Pullman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Rose Field is the third book in The Book of Dust series by Philip Pullman. I wouldn't read this as a standalone, and I wouldn't read it if you haven't read His Dark Materials. This book builds on the foundations of those other books and includes references you won't get if you aren't familiar with the universe. As always, the writing and the philosophy are super compelling. Pullman's books make you think. They are epic and sweeping. Without spoiling anything, I was relieved at the end. Lyra and Pan grow through their adventures, but they had to make big sacrifices to get there.

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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: Three Bags Full

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Three Bags Full is the first book in the Sheep Detective Story series by Leonie Swann.  They did just make it into a movie (which I haven't watched).  You can read this as a standalone.

When their shepherd is murdered, his flock takes it upon themselves to solve the mystery because they feel they owe it to him for being good to them.  Also, they are a little afraid of ending up on the butcher's block if they don't.  They can tell that not everyone has their best interests at heart.  The sheep are fun and interesting characters.  We get to delve into their inner lives and back stories.  They all bring something to the table to help solve the mystery.  While it is mostly funny, it was also sad.  Whether people believe it or not, animals do grieve.  There were some very touching moments.

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Review: The Devil's Bible: A Cotton Malone Novel

The Devil's Bible: A Cotton Malone Novel by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Devil's Bible is the 20th book in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry.  I wouldn't start here unless you want some serious spoilers.  Fans of the series will recognize flashbacks to previous books. 

The Devil's Bible or the Codex Gigas is an actual manuscript from Bohemia that has quite an interesting story of its own.  While it is the title of this book, I didn't find it played as much of a role as I anticipated.  Or at least, it wasn't as prominent in the story.  There was much more about the Swedish royal family or this fictional version of it and spycraft.  Without giving anything away, this book also changes the course of the series whether you were ready for it or not.  It was a gut punch for me, but I respect Steve Berry and trust he has a plan!  

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Review: Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome is the prequel novella to the Lock In series by John Scalzi.  I haven't read the rest of the series yet.  This could definitely be read as a standalone story.  I'm not sure if it has any spoilers for the rest of the books. I really enjoyed this novella and finished it in one sitting. It reminded me so much of the COVID times I had to go see when it was written.  It was published way before COVID which makes it even scarier to think John Scalzi warned us of what was coming.  Haden's Syndrome is not COVID though.  If it doesn't kill you, there is a chance it will leave you "locked in" your body.  Your mind works just fine but your body won't move.  This creates a whole host of other issues for the entire world. The history is told through a series of interviews with various people who were touched by Haden's in some way.  So good!

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Review: Identity Unknown

Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Identity Unknown is the 28th book in the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell.  You could read this as a standalone, but it will have a few spoilers from earlier books.  You also wouldn't have quite the idea of how important one character is.  I won't say who because I don't want to spoil it for you.  If you read the series, all your favorite characters make an appearance.  This is a tough one though because the initial case involves suspected child abuse.  There is also a very emotional death.  Again, no spoilers, but it hits Kay hard.  I wasn't sure how it was going to all come together, but it did!  However, I don't think things are going to be quiet for long.

Bonus points for Merlin, a very smart kitty.

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Review: A Parade of Horribles

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Parade of Horribles is the eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.  You do need to read these books in order, but I guarantee it is worth the investment.  You will look at the number of pages and say NO WAY AM I READING 784 PAGES!  Then, you will start reading, finish, and be sad that there are not 784 more.  Seriously.  These books fly by so fast even when I force myself to put them down because I don't want to finish because I don't want to wait however long until the next one and I have to do things like sleep and eat.  

We are now at the 10th floor of the dungeon.  It is like the most twisted and deadly version of Mario Kart you can imagine.  If you survive, you get a brief respite to participate in a celebration on the extremely short 11th floor.  There is a parade!  Yay?  I remember making floats for parades when I was in high school.  Good luck, Donut!  Also not sure why everyone has an aversion to peach-flavored beer.  Of all the things to be tortured with, it doesn't sound that bad.

Bonus points for Penelope and all the other critters that make an appearance in this book. I don't think I could choose a biological mount because I would be too worried about their safety to race.  

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Review: The Silent Appeal

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett from Atria Books via NetGalley.  This book will be published around August 2, 2026.

The Silent Appeal is the second book in The Appeal series by Janice Hallett.  There is also a Christmas story that features the same characters so really, three books? Doesn't really matter how many.  You will want to read them all.  I recommend reading in order too since there are references to the previous stories in this one.  Since they are mysteries, you probably want to reduce the number of potential spoilers.  Janice Hallett writes some of my favorite books.  They are mysteries with plenty of humor and interesting characters while also written in an epistolary way so you are getting multiple perspectives while having to piece together everything.  And because everyone has their own perspective, their conclusions may not be reliable.  I find it fun to draw up my own theories.  Because there are also multiple mysteries, we don't know which one we are actually trying to solve until almost the end.  Can't recommend this book enough!

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Review: House of Splinters

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell is the prequel to The Silent Companions.  I would probably read The Silent Companions first so as not to spoil anything.  But if you like The Silent Companions, this is a great way to learn the history behind the story and how we got there.  It is dark and gothic.  Not as mysterious as The Silent Companions but definitely has a spooky vibe.

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Review: Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.  This book will be published around August 25, 2026.

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop is the third book in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series by Mai Mochizuki.  I recommend reading the books in order because the stories build on one another.  For those that have read the other books, Dreamers is slightly different.  I highly recommend reading the acknowledgment section where Mai explains why it is different.  While different, it is still a soothing read.  It is a reminder that there are many types of love, and they are all meaningful.  The astrology is also still there but less detailed than before.  Again, the acknowledgments really helped elucidate the astrological aspects.  

Bonus points for a gorgeous cover!

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Review: The Indigo Room

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones is part of the Shivers Collection of Amazon Original Stories.  It stands alone, so you don't need to read the rest of the collection if you don't want to.  This was not nearly as gory as I have come to expect a Stephen Graham Jones book to be.  It goes fast, and the end is a surprise.  I snickered at the representation of office life.  There is always that one person who never seems to have to work on Fridays.  

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Review: Compulsory

Compulsory by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Compulsory is a prequel short story to the Murderbot Diaries by Marth Wells.  This is very short, like 8 pages.  Just a taste of what Murderbot is like.  You can read it first or go back and read it if you read need a hit of Murderbot while waiting for the next story to come out.  I enjoyed it because it is all the things I love about Murderbot, humor and soap operas.  

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