Fantasy

Rating: 9/10

This is The Book Of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. The books true power? It can open a door to the past, allowing the borrower to travel in time. And thus begins this wondrous adventure with Cassie, the borrower. Along the way she meets the librarian, a sad and frayed man tasked with keeping watch over these rare volumes. Together, along with a ragtag group of friends, they set out to return the books stolen over the centuries to their proper place. A brilliant concept executed with stunning precision, cleverly plotted and cast with vivid characters. This read has it all, magic books, intricate time loops, mesmerizing villains, protagonists you will adore and so much heart!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Full disclosure, I was skeptical about a plot set in the world of the ‘80’s space program. Was I really interested in a book about something so niche? I was all set to give it a pass, but then it was in my hands, and they were powerless to avoid opening up that cover. And thank God they did. If you have read this author, no matter the setting, you know that her books will draw you in and spit you out in the best possible ways. Honestly, we should all be so lucky as to live in a Taylor Jenkins Reid world!

Thriller

Rating: 9/10

When Penny finds herself on the lam with the hot guy, who everyone thinks is her boyfriend anyway, she never expects to discover that he is a “fixer”. She figured she would end up with a Tweed clad academic, not dodging a ruthless billionaire with unlimited resources and failing spectacularly at not kissing the hot guy. This is the action packed, screwball romantic comedy I didn’t know I needed!

Mystery

Rating: 9.5/10

The plot in a nutshell; Amy, a bodyguard assigned to protect a Jackie Collins-esque novelist, finds out that her past clients are dropping like flies. And someone seems to be framing her the grisly killings. She reaches out to the only person she trusts, her father-in-law (not her husband, but that’s a question for another day). Osman hits it out of the park with this book, the first in a new series. A savvy departure from the shenanigans of his Thursday Murder Club, sacrificing none of the crisp plotting, razor sharp wit and intimate character portraits that infuse every page of his books.

Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Who knew that the story of a deadly assassin trying to quit killing people would end up being so good! This read is the whole package; perfect pacing, nail biting action, lovable characters (even the killers, maybe especially so), and even a furry friend. A support group for assassin’s trying to get out of the game? Oh to be a fly on that wall!

Horror

Rating: 9/10

This book brazenly borrows tropes from fairytales. Happily Ever After is not one of them. This book was all kinds of nasty fun, full of unabashed and relentless bloody carnage. The sort of epic horror we got in the ‘80’s that came out swinging and left nothing unscathed. Ah, the good old days. Is it any surprise that Stephen King was an inspiration? Not to this reader!

Horror

Rating: 9/10

Celebrated children’s author Annie has had a dreadful year. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her young son Charlie to a charming small town. But small towns always have secrets. Secrets that seep into everything and everyone one. Secrets that might play tricks with your mind and make you act in unusual ways. There is a kind of spectral creepiness to this book. The way in which the author has teased out the tale is pitch perfect. A gem!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

One morning, Maggie is caught in an act of meddlesome behaviour and a battle of wits ensues. Blackmail notes begin to arrive at her door, someone has clearly been in her room, snooping, searching, and has someone changed out her medication? The sociopathy in the one upmanship these two engage in is mind-blowing. Each more twisted than the other with every move. Have I mentioned that one of them is an eight-year-old? No? My bad.

Thriller

Rating: 9/10

A Hitchcock inspired thriller that borrows from the premise of Strangers On A Train. Where two strangers meet and come to an arrangement. I’ll kill yours if you kill mine. You might be thinking, oh god, not another predictable spin on this classic. But that is the last of the similarities. Hitchcock himself could have never predicted where this story was going to take us. A summer must read!

Fantasy

Rating: 9/10

They have loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They have killed each other in every one of them. Lovers. Soulmates. Assassins. Enemies. The story opens with Evelyn and Arden exchanging their wedding vows; I love you. I have loved you. And I will love you again. Minutes later they lie dead after slitting each other’s throats. Talk about romance am I right?

Mystery

Rating: 8.5/10

Joe and his twin sister Meredith are celebrating his remission by taking a trip on the iconic Orient Express. Not remotely prepared for the ways in which life is about to imitate art. As they sit down to their first meal on board the luxurious train, they can’t help but cast their fellow travelers as players in a mystery. A game both wonderfully fitting and spectacularly inappropriate. Ticket for me please!

Language

Rating: 9/10

This delightful volume shows us that everywhere we look, we’re confronted by sneaky differences. Do moral dilemmas differ from ethical ones? If we make an assumption, do we presume as well? The author puts language under a microscope, teasing irony apart from sarcasm, elaborating on guilt versus shame and sussing out the difference between conflation and confusion. Reading should always be this fun…happy hairsplitting!

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

One spring night, Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart. A night they have never spoken about. Decades later, when their attacker is caught, will the divorced couple finally tell the story of that night? Not to the world, but to each other? As they wait to give their impact statements, all they have been wanting to say for years comes pouring out…

Fiction/Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

Secret society…check. Cryptic clues…check. Buried treasure…check. Think Goonies for grownups. Maple Bay has a story to tell, at the turn of the century a pirate ship crashed and sunk, its treasure lost forever. Or was it? Five teenage boys stumble upon the riches and agree to bury them somewhere safe and go back for it when they all turn eighteen. But it’s long gone before they get there!

Hitting The Books-June 2025

This month’s read-a-likes are curated for the release of King Of Ashes by S.A. Cosby, sure to be a contemporary masterpiece. It tells the gritty story of a prodigal son returning home to help run the family crematorium. Full of the complexities of the relationships that are foisted on us at birth and how far we might be willing to go to protect them.

Quick Lit: A Common Thread

As mentioned, I love a small-town story. Even with the understanding that rarely are they easy ones. That often the only thing that thrives in these places is the past; never to be buried, never to be forgotten. Cast with characters that always have one foot in the past, unable to ever let it go. With resentments that have been allowed to fester and flourish. With endless machinations to avoid the contemplation of the sins of the past ensure the reader an absorbing narrative. Come along, if you’re up for it!

Fantasy

Rating: 9/10

There are many reasons to love the Empyrean Series; room wrecking sex, hero’s with “I’d die for you” energy, smartass dragons, jaw dropping endings, and a bookish and brave protagonist. What’s not to love?! If you think you learned everything there was about this world in book one, think again. If you think there can’t possibly be any more secrets to be laid bare, think again. If you think the author can’t top the ending of the first book…shame on you!

Historical Fiction

Rating: 8.5/10

Who would have thought a tale of the secrets behind some long-forgotten dollhouses would be a page turner? Not me that’s for sure. I was happily proven wrong. The story moves back and forth in time between a librarian and an artist. An artist that used her talent to help keep other women’s secrets, making miniatures that document it all. Accomplishments, betrayals and forbidden loves. Enchanting!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

I adored twenty-three-year-old Joe and his beautiful, big-hearted story about friendship, resilience and empathy woven with gems of wisdom that stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. To keep company with someone who sees the best in everyone, even if they aren’t being their best selves, is something we should all be lucky enough to do. Joe’s rules for true friends are ones we should all follow! Read with tissues!

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

Frank arrives at his estranged daughters wedding to find a secluded private estate, a mostly absent and evasive groom, a mother of the groom being kept away from the guests, neighbors with accusations of murder, and that’s only the beginning. I had serious Get Out and Glass Onion vibes as the story unfolded. Keep in mind that old adage…maybe it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.