Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 1

Welcome to the first picture books compilation of the new year! This compilation features a broken cup, a humble pie, a kitty camp, a strong father/daughter bond and a baby with a library card (maybe).

Broken (Oct. 14, 2025) by X. Fang.

Here is a story of Ama’s cup. That Mei Mei accidentally breaks when she tries to surprise Mimi, Ama’s cat. Mei Mei feels terrible and so she runs away, because she’s scared that Ama will be so mad that she’ll yell at her or kick her out of her house. Innocent Mimi is blamed by Ama, and Mei Mei feels certain that Mimi is staring at her with accusation, because the cat knows the truth. Finally, the guilt overwhelms young Mei Mei and the story pours out. What will Ama’s reaction be? Will she yell? Kick her out? Take away her piece of cake?

            Author and illustrator Fang presents readers with a well-paced story that is easy to follow. Children and adults who remember being children will relate to the weight of guilt that unexpected accidents can cause. The illustrations are vivid but also moody. Mei Mei’s weighing guilt shows through with darker tones. There is compassionate drama in this picture book of fault and forgiveness. There’s also a lot of love and a little glue to mend what’s been broken and give the cup its own story to tell.

            Also by the author: We Are Definitely Human

The Humble Pie (Nov. 4, 2025) by Jory John.

   Pete Oswald, illustrator.

<This is the eighth book in the Food Group series.>

For the Humble Pie, humble looks like meek, the one always hiding in the shadows. When he pairs with his best friend, a cake named Jake, on a major science project for Mr. Berryman’s class, they’re thrilled to be a dream team together. Unfortunately, Jake’s a busy cake, participating in most extracurriculars in existence, it seems like, and eventually, Humble Pie is doing all of the work alone. There’s much yet to do, and he isn’t going to complete it in time alone. They’ll be mincemeat if that happens. All this time, Humble Pie has thought that being humble meant being unseen and sometimes getting walked all over like a rug. He’s going to need to push up his hypothetical sleeves and have that tough conversation with his best friend. Will he learn that always being the side dish takes the cake? Or will this Humble Pie learn to fly?

            The eighth in the Food Group series is a sweet little delight of a picture book. Oswald’s illustrations complement John’s writing superbly. I love all of the color and the bright-eyed classmates in treat form. This is a kid-friendly story about learning the importance of advocating for yourself. Advocating for yourself can include asking for help instead of tackling it all on your own when you’re struggling, and it can mean sticking up for yourself so you’re treated fairly. This book also serves up how great it is when best friends are there for each other, especially in a time of need. It’s a charming story to sweeten up anyone’s day.

            Also from the author: The Smart Cookie

Kitty Camp (Apr. 29, 2025) by Drew Brockington.

It’s camp day. Hooray! One girl is so excited to attend her first summer (day) camp. She’s going to arts & crafts and can’t wait to hike, swim and sing. She’s in for a big surprise when she accidentally gets on the wrong bus and ends up at … Kitty Camp! Arts and Crafts is disorganized, hiking is nap time, her tuna sandwich lunch is nabbed, and no cat wants to go swimming with her. She’s about decided that Kitty Camp isn’t so fun until she comes across the best idea. Superfort, anyone?

            As a cat person, yes, please, sign me up for Kitty Camp! Author-illustrator Brockington creates an entertaining tale accompanied by colorful, lively illustrations. There is enchantment in the story’s hilarity and delight through the hijinks. My first story from Brockington tells me I’ve been missing out. This one is full of feline friskiness and friendly fun.

My Daddy Tells Me (2022) by Thuba Nguyen.

   Serena Lombardo, illustrator.

Young Mai is a precocious girl, curious about life and well-loved. She’s a biracial Vietnamese African American being raised by her father. He showers her with positive affirmations and encourages her bright personality and myriad interests. And Mai is the light as they emigrate from Vietnam for a new life in the United States. Mai’s life isn’t going to be without toxicity surrounding color, culture, tradition, gender and more, but with her dad’s enduring love and support helping to shape a healthy and self-assured self-image, Mai will grow up with a strong sense of identity and self-worth.

            Nguyen’s picture book is a celebration of fathers and daughters and the importance of having that strong bond. The power of love and the impact of parental support is life-changing. Sure, Mai and her father are connected by blood, but that connection is cemented by trust and knowing one is loved. This story is sweet, tender and heartwarming, but it’s also infused with strength, perseverance and integrity.

            Bonus: Nguyen is a Minnesota author!

Never Give a Baby a Library Card (Oct. 21, 2025) by Erin Sandberg.

   Tom Booth, illustrator.

Give a baby a library card? What a thought! Because “…what if a baby learned how to make clothes?/We’d all look ridiculous!/Who’d want to wear those?” A mother and grandmother have come to the library to get a baby its first library card, but Shouty Man wants none of that. He’s galled at the idea of babies running barbershops after learning to cut hair “just a moment ago” and adults walking about in the latest $400 diaper fashions. Or of babies finding inspiration that trigger their imagination. The chaos! The horror! But a practical child contradicts him and asks if he hasn’t also learned from the books he’s read?

            This rhyming picture book is a lively romp that’s perfect for reading aloud. It promotes libraries, the power of books and the significance of learning at every age. The story from this married duo is colorful, the rhyming tempo is spot-on and little details in the illustrations like PRADADA and GUGUCCI are hilariously adorable. For someone like me, who loves books and libraries (and currently works in one), this book is a celebration and a joy. It empowers readers and library users and reminds us all that access to knowledge should not be limited. Keep on reading, and get your library card if you don’t already have an active one!

"The Poisoned King" by Katherine Rundell

The Poisoned King (Sept. 11, 2025) by Katherine Rundell.

<This is the middle novel in a trilogy.>

The call to return to the Archipelago comes when Christopher Forrester wakes to find Jacques the jaculus dragon chewing on his face. Finally! A summons! He’s joyful to return, but the news is grim. Someone has a poison strong enough to kill the dragons. Such poison does not exist in the Archipelago, so it must’ve come from the Outerlands. The great red-winged dragon Sarkany states that she’ll only trust Christopher because he’s from the Outerlands and not of the Archipelago. After correctly answering Naravirala the sphinx’s question (and thus preventing being eaten), he travels on her winged back. Before making course for Sarkany in Edem (a dragon island), they detour to save Princess Anya Phoebe Cornelia Argen of the Island of Dousha, Duchess of the Silver Mountains, Countess of the Winged Forests. The Argens are the last royal family in the Archipelago. Anya’s dad is being held prisoner, set up for a murder he didn’t commit, and Anya is about to be murdered. She’s a 12-year-old with nothing but the clothes on her back, a flock of royal gaganas at her side, a newly-hatched gagana chick called Koo in her pocket and a thirst for revenge so strong that her throat burns with injustice. One wants to save the dragons, the other wants to rescue her father, but both need the other’s help, as the avarice-filled killer connects them.

            Rundell’s sequel suffers no second-book syndrome in this mythological, magical thrill ride in a world of creatures both gentle and dangerous, intelligent, cunning and helpful (depending on the species). The fantastical fantasy adventure includes corruption in a royal family, dragons of all sizes, retribution and friends new and old. There’s triumph and new life, grief and peril, advice and wisdom. It’s emotional, cheeky, high-spirited and fast-moving. With brilliant illustrations, magnificent world-building, heart-tugging scenes and continuous adventure, this story is a resplendent return to a wondrous world. As with the previous story, there is a Guardian’s Bestiary of magical creatures at the back.

            Book One: Impossible Creatures

HNY 2026

 

Happy 2026!

Photo by Atlantic Ambience via Pexels

Happy New Year!

Look at us. We made it through 2025. I hope your year was filled with shining moments and not 365 Mondays. I hope your 2026 is full of goodness and gladness, wellness and well-being. Don’t stop chasing dreams and don’t be afraid to try something new. In fact, go DO something new, something that gets you out of your comfort zone. Drive someplace you’ve never been. Tackle that challenging recipe. Jump out of an airplane. Eat squid. Whatever that something is for you, go do it, and please let me know about it!

            Have a year of successes and core memories. Make lemonade out of lemons. Break those eggs so you can make that omelet. Be a creative potato. Have a year of sunshine days and wind-at-your-back moments. Fulfill all of your resolutions. Cheers to us and the light that we’ll all bring to 2026!

            Love and sparkles,

            Lisa

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 20

The year will soon come to a close, but here I am with a second “Happy Hodgepodge” post! As with previous Hodgepodge posts, this is geared for younger readers. What would a Hodgepodge post look like to you? What sorts of genres and age groups would you include?

The Fintastical Tales of Mari A. Fisch: Mermaid Mission (May 27, 2025) by Monica Brown.

   Emily Mendoza, illustrator.

Junior fiction chapter book.

<This is the first book in a series.>

Mermaid Mari Triton is trading in her mermaid tail for human legs and the moniker Mari A. Fisch. She’s been sent on a top secret mission by her parents above water a.k.a. on land. Her dad is King Adair Eryx Neptune Triton of the Land of Mer in the Kingdom of Oceana. Mari is investigating why humans pollute the ocean, but it’s a super confusing mission. Humans aren’t easy to comprehend. Her host sister, Stevie, worries about something called “popularity” and being cold, er, “cool.” And what’s this about having to be funny-mean, which is totally different from mean-mean? How can Mari complete her mission in getting people on land to care about the ocean when all they seem to care about are themselves? At least she has Blub the blobfish – undercover as Blub the bulldog – with her.

            Mermaid magic and relatable elementary school tussles combine in The Fintastical Tales of Mari A. Fisch series opener. This fantasy features playful, black-and-white illustrations, and the writing is manageable for emergent readers. The dozen chapters are all brief and end with a progress bar. Mari’s naivete in the human world offers good-natured humor, while the story overall gives caring guidance in navigating the bumps of growing up. This is a sincere introduction for the promotion of environmentalism. Even when readers don’t live near an ocean, there’s still plenty to be done to reduce waste and understand the importance of recycling and upcycling.

            P.S. I thought the end bit regarding the total reading progress was a fantastical idea! I would love knowing how many words I’ve read in each book I’ve read over the years. In this one, I read 5,783 words.

Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom (July 15, 2025) by Jessixa Bagley.

Junior fiction graphic novel.

<This is the first graphic novel in a series.>

Thorny squashbottoms! In a town full of witches, Jazzy Ophelia La Luna St. James has always been unique. Her two moms and her grandma run the town’s broom (or besom) shop, but she has zero interest in flying. When it comes to flying lessons, to her extreme embarrassment in class, she’s unsuccessful. At the Enchantra School of Craft, Jazzy simply doesn’t excel (e.g. she forgets spells in spell-ing a.k.a. spellcasting). She acts as though it’s no big deal, especially once she discovers that she was born to cycle (i.e. ride a bicycle), until she goes one straw too far and Aggie, her best friend, puts her in her place with words and a spell. Despite Fiona, her pet bat, reminding her of her dire need to practice flying, she ignores her wise pleas. Fiona also hides her love of cycling from her two moms and Granny Titch (Mama Esmeralda’s mom), thinking there’s no way they can understand her love of cycling and her not-love of besoms. When the night before the Supermoon and the special flying parade are “suddenly” here, a desperate Jazzy goes to Aggie for help. Aggie, still hurt and angry at Jazzy, tells her, “You want to be your own witch? Then figure this out for yourself.” In tears, she meets Mimms, an older witch with her own unique interest, and is later reminded that, “A true witch makes her own magic.” Can she find the magic within herself in time for the Supermoon parade? Or will she be the only one with her besom still on the ground?

            I’m not familiar with this author/illustrator, and I don’t consistently read graphic novels, but this one is a delight. Bagley’s graphic novel about a young witch struggling with expectations versus her own passion is so realistic and very on par in our contemporary, very un-magical world. Young or young-at-heart, questions about who to be and how to be can pop up at any age. Bagley writes the affirming story in a way that’s playful with a darker color palette (purple, green, charcoal), the characters emotive and sweetly witchy. Themes explored include honesty and self-confidence. Jazzy is often one-track and narrow-minded, thus subtly encouraging readers to understand and embrace flaws as well as strengths. It’s a lively series opener.

Pumpkin Party: Ready-to-Read Level 2 (July 15, 2025) by Joe McGee.

   Ethan Long, illustrator.

Early-Reader fiction chapter book.

<This is part of an unnumbered series.>

With Halloween coming means party preparation is underway at Castle Dracula. Youths Vampyra, Franky and Wolfy are very excited. They have the wonderful idea to each choose a pumpkin from the castle’s pumpkin patch, carve them up and set small lights in them for the pumpkin-carving contest. They excitedly pick out their preferred pumpkin, but the pumpkins aren’t having it. Be carved with tools? No, thank you! Vampyra, Franky and Wolfy are disappointed. They really think decorating pumpkins will be fun. What if they can decorate them without having to carve them? Might they still pull off a pageant featuring the pumpkin patch?

            The not-at-all spooky Halloween story in the Junior Monster Scouts series is sweet and thoughtful. For anyone who enjoys Halloween, this story will be right up their alley, perhaps inspiring them to host a Halloween party, come up with the coolest costume, best games and awesome contests. It’s themed around finding a solution to an unexpected issue with the monster youth exhibiting thoughtful consideration of the pumpkins. The illustrations are bold with a twilight setting to help capture the sweet monsters and giving it a spooky, but not ever downright scary, edge. Now, who’s ready to decorate some pumpkins?

The Smart Cookie (Nov. 2, 2021) by Jory John.

   Pete Oswald, illustrator.

Children’s picture book.

<This is the fifth book in a series.>

On the corner of Sweet Street in a bakery near a river lives a cookie who hasn’t always felt smart. Cookie didn’t get the best grades. Cookie once wrote “doe” instead of “dough.” Another time, she added instead of subtracted. It felt like, “…my desk was a raft and that I was completely lost at sea.” When Ms. Biscotti assigns the class to create something original, Cookie is stressed until the right idea pops up. Not only will Cookie discover that one doesn’t have to be great at everything, she’ll also discover that one can be smart in many ways. Just like the Smart Cookie she is.

            The fifth book in the Food Group series whisks anxiety and insecurity with growing splashes of confidence and a generous portion of creativity to bake a delightful confection that is this picture book. It’s relatable, and John’s honeyed puns work well with Oswald’s playful, buoyant illustrations. There’s no room on this menu for woe. The story serves a plate of empowering and uplifting lessons and shows readers that we don’t need to measure ourselves by our successes. We all enjoy different things and are good at different things, and that is what makes us all smart cookies.

Where Is Tornado Alley? (Jan. 7, 2025) by Wes Locher.

   Dede Putra, illustrator.

<This is an official Who HQ book.>

The term “Tornado Alley” was coined in 1948 after Captain Robert Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush did a cram session of studying tornadic patterns around Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. They determined that many tornadoes in the United States were concentrated in states like Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa, though tornadoes aren’t exclusive to certain states. There are no official boundaries for Tornado Alley. It’s simply a nickname that “refers to an approximately 500,000-square-mile area within the United States.” This Where Is? book gives readers a history of Tornado Alley, the shift in tornadic patterns since Fawbush & Miller coined the term and advises readers on how to respond when there is a tornado in one’s area (and no, it isn’t to jump in your vehicle and be a storm chaser ... unless, of course, that is your passion and you have the armored vehicle and equipment to support it). The book also explains how tornadoes are formed and more.

            No matter where we live, we’ve all experienced weather phenomena. Minnesota has been my home virtually all my life, so tornado season has never been the exception, but the expectation. As with all Who HQ books, this one is informative in an easily understandable way (they are, after all, geared for youth ages 8-12). Tornadoes are impressive, but they are intimidating and terrifying, and the destruction they can cause should never be taken lightly. It’s an educational book that keeps the attention of the reader with illustrations and riveting facts. There’ll be no storm chasing for me, though. I’ll leave that to the passionate professionals.

Christmas 2025

Rutabaga's Reads 2025: Part 19

A third adult fiction compilation post?! I’m surprised, too!

Dreadful (May 28, 2024) by Caitlin Rozakis.

<This is a standalone novel.>

You know it’s bad when you wake up in a partially-destroyed workshop with no memories and no eyebrows. There’s an abducted princess in a cell of the evil wizard’s castle and the goblin workforce fatalistically expects to one day be immolated on the whim of the evil wizard. Also, the evil wizard is ... him. What is his name? Others refer to him as Dread Lord Gavrax, but as he has no memories of the time before, he refers to himself as Gav. He plans to fake it until he makes it, but he might still die a horrible death at the hands of the evil wizard leader, Zarconar. Or maybe the moat squid will succeed in eating his face. Or he’ll self-immolate accidentally. He doesn’t want to die, and he also doesn’t want to be like Gavrax. He wants to be a, well, not a good wizard, but also not an evil wizard. He wants to be a wizard Orla will talk to about a hosting menu in her gamboling monster kitty apron that her granddaughter made her. And a wizard that Grrribeetle isn’t afraid of and will do more than mumble to. And a wizard that Princess Eliasha (apprentice name Wren) wants to be friends with. There is something truly evil at work. The princess is definitely only there for a nefarious purpose, which will assuredly mean her death. There’s a gathering of evil wizards, an upcoming summoning of demon evil, the arrival of hero types doing Artharno the White Wizard’s bidding and a village garlic festival. Candied garlic or garlic brittle, anyone? Gav has lots more to worry about than his flames-adorned cloak. He needs to decide who he wants to be going forward.

            I definitely judged this book by its sprayed edges, which are black and include skulls in the decorative edge-work, but I only bought it after I read the jacket copy and found myself intrigued. This adult fiction novel is a comedic fantasy with splashes of violence. There’s even a little gore, but it’s a quick scene, so it can therefore be sometimes spicy with dashes of darkness. Gav, with his missing memories, is more a bumbling fool than any threat to anyone – except the guy he turned into a chicken – so the story’s more entertaining than anything and not scary. I don’t know that I’d call it cozy, but it is genuinely funny. It contains wit, self-awareness and empathy, giving a fresh take on fantasy tropes. This book won’t bite, but if you’re not careful, something from the story might, so beware!

Gone Before Goodbye (Oct. 21, 2025) by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben.

<This is a standalone novel.>

A renowned combat surgeon with a renowned combat surgeon husband and co-founder of a successful medical mission called WorldCures, Maggie McCabe was making a positive impact, and she had it all. Her reality now is a life where her medical license has been revoked, her husband is dead, her sister is going through a messy divorce, and both sisters are struggling financially. She’s thrown a mighty lifeline, and when she accepts, debts are erased, litigation against her is suddenly resolved, and she has a whole lot of money in her bank account, and that’s only half the payment. Absolute discretion is imperative, but she knows HIPAA. She arrives at a remote location in Russia. It’s a palace, and one of her clients is a reclusive oligarch. When he goes missing while he should still be under her care, Maggie becomes a fugitive herself around people who can afford Bugatti Tourbillons that cost $4.1 million (starting) and can jet-set in their own private planes with their own Michelin-star-level personal chefs. Her combat training as well as her medical expertise are going to be tested, and the truths she might uncover may cost her her life.

            There’s cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art equipment and people who can live in gluttonously opulent luxury in this adult fiction, mystery and medical thriller by Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and internationally bestselling thriller author Harlan Coben. The novel is action-packed, though it really didn’t pick up for me until an intense escape about 150 pages in. It’s also part globe-trotting adventure, part psychological thriller. The story contains twists and suspense, the plot is high-stakes, and the story is dynamic and pedal to the metal. It has me wondering what I’ve been missing out on since this is my first Coben novel, and I don’t know how much of the writing Witherspoon did, but this collab really works.

The Second Chance Convenience Store (June 17, 2025/US edition) by Kim Ho-Yeon.

   Janet Hong, translator.

<This is a standalone novel.>

The owner of the Second Chance Convenience Store, Mrs. Yeom, is a retired history teacher who keeps her store open in Cheongpa-dong to keep her few employees employed. She’s distraught over the loss of her purse until she receives a call from Seoul Station. Dokgo is an unhoused man who can’t remember his past or his actual name due to alcohol-related dementia. To thank him for returning her purse, she invites him to come to her store every day to receive an unexpired boxed lunch free of charge. He comes, but insists on only eating the expired boxed lunches. He even cleans up the picnic table, though it’s wintertime and very cold. When Dokgo saves the store from a robbery attempt, Mrs. Yeom offers the big, bear-like Dokgo the night shift. She requires him to stop drinking alcohol, but she buys him new clothes and a haircut. He learns fast and quickly wins over the denizens of the neighborhood, though his coworkers are slower to warm up to him. He’s grateful to his new boss, and business sees an uptick with his customer service, slow and methodical though it may be. The better business upsets Mrs. Yeom’s ne’er-do-well son, Minsik, who wants to try to convince his mom to back his latest venture (and they either tend to fail or turn out to be scams). Minsik hires a man to look into Dokgo’s past, because his mom’s convenience store is an inconvenience store to him.

            In this adult, cozy, urban fiction story, already an international bestseller from Korea, readers will find a broken man who gets his life back, a store owner with a kind soul and a wayward son, a caustic morning shift employee and a mid-shift employee who’s questioning what to do next. The fiction is realistic and sometimes unpleasant, but it’s encouraging and compassionate, too. It’s a story of community and healing. Overall, it’s a soft, heartfelt novel.

"The Otherwhere Post" by Emily J. Taylor

The Otherwhere Post (Feb. 25, 2025) by Emily J. Taylor.

<This is a standalone novel.>

It’s been seven years since Inverly was lost and the Written Doors were destroyed. Maeve Abenthy became an orphan and was sent to the Sacrifict Orphanage, where she took a different name to avoid being associated as the daughter of a murderer, the “world killer.” Now 18 years old, Maeve has received a letter that’s seven years old. She has no idea who’s sent it, but it declares that, “Your father was innocent.” To uncover the truth, she dupes her way into Leyland’s College of Scriptomantic Arts, which houses the Otherwhere Post’s headquarters in Leyland, and becomes a courier apprentice to an infuriating mentor who’s handsome under his ink-splattered wardrobe. Tristan Byrne has secrets of his own. But it’s here that Maeve – attending as Eilidh Hill – will learn scriptomancy, “the art of enchanting any piece of existing handwriting, from a penned novel to a scribbled grocery list.” Couriers are able to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. Finding the sender of the anonymous letter will prove tricky and not least because she’s not yet a scriptomancer. Someone is threatening her, and although arcane magic isn’t infinite, it still has the power to do irreparable harm or even kill. She’s spent these seven years moving around and never letting anyone close to her. Her roommate at the Post, Nan Ferro, is determined that they will be friends and has the outgoing nature to persevere. Nan’s mentor, Shea Widden (she hails from a rich family which owns buildings across Leyland and Barrow, another of the known worlds), also has no problem counting Maeve as a friend. Tristan could be a friend, too ... or more, but Maeve doesn’t need friends. Because then their lives will be in danger, and she’ll have to share her biggest secret.

            Having loved the author’s previous YA novel, I expected to be enthralled by this YA dark fantasy that steps into a world of dark academia and does contain a multiverse. And enthralled I am by the ingenuity of a story that’s part mystery and a little bit romance. Taylor is a builder of worlds that I feel like I could easily live in. My only needle with the story is in Maeve’s underhandedness in landing an apprenticeship. I get that her character is desperate for answers, but that doesn’t make her deceit copacetic. Fortunately, the story, much like I’d expect scribing to be, is complex in its plotting and its characters. The mystery is high-stakes with the adventure rush-hour and perilous. The magical fantasy tale dazzles, the banter delights, and Taylor’s world-building is detailed without being convoluted. It was hard to put down. I loved it.

            Also from the author: Hotel Magnifique

"Dreamslinger" by Graci Kim

Dreamslinger (Apr. 29, 2025) by Graci Kim.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Restrain. Contain. Maintain. Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers in Texas. It’s a safe haven for children born with a genetic mutation. It transports them to a magical realm while they sleep, but in its raw form in those untrained, it is unpredictable and can be deadly. Already a decade has passed since members of the Royal League of Dreamslingers caused the Great Outburst, a tragedy that killed many, including Aria’s mom. Aria’s dad, Jack, is the leading expert on dreamslinger welfare, but the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk in Seoul announces the first Dreamslinger trials to teenagers around the world, and Aria must join them. As the home of the Royal League of Dreamslingers, she pictures shutting it down from the inside by providing intel to her dad through butterflymail. But the trials introduce Aria to a world where her mutation doesn’t make her a villain; it is a gift that makes them exceptional. Bloom dragons, frost turtles, solar phoenixes and harvest tigers aren’t beasts, but dreampanions. She has friends in fellow trialeers Tui Walker from New Zealand and Lion Lee-Hendrick, a heritage trialeer. Her gung-nyeo (like a lady-in-waiting), Junghee, is a confidant and friend. Even her driver and his daughter fold them into their found family (Nam Samchon and Saemi). She finally feels like she belongs. She’s got work to do to gain the trust of her seedling, Rio, and there are secrets coming to light, including one that will cause Aria to question her own identity.

            In a world where contemporary fantasy twines with Korean mythology rises the starting middle-grade adventure novel in The Slinger Series. Mythical creatures, deadly magical trials and meal options that appear based on your mood are just a few facets of this charming and inventive story. The main character enters Royal Hanguk boldly believing one thing but falters when what she’s been taught contradicts the appeal of the trials and what she wants. The drama is political and familial, and Aria is learning what it is to be an autonomous thinker. This is a bildungsroman that is executed brilliantly with world-building that is rich and thrilling. Highly imaginative and so wondrous to read!

"Remain: A Supernatural Love Story" by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night Shyamalan

Remain: A Supernatural Love Story (Oct. 14, 2025) by Nicholas Sparks.

   With M. Night Shyamalan.

<This is a standalone novel.>

New York architect Tate Donovan is in Heatherington, a [fictional] town on Cape Cod, meeting with his best friend, Oscar, and his wife Lorena. He’s designing their summer home and picking up Paulie, his cat. Tate’s aiming for a new start since losing his sister, Sylvia, to illness, then spiraling downward and being recently discharged from a swanky psychiatric facility. It’s said that Sylvia could see spirits trapped on this plane of existence, but he’s skeptical of her “gift” until he encounters a captivating woman doing yoga in the living room. After he speaks with Louise and Reece Gaston, the property’s caretakers, Tate learns that the woman is Wren Tobin ... and she’s been dead almost two years. Reece is Wren’s last-remaining blood relative. Tate comes to learn that there’s a Daytime Wren – who doesn’t realize she’s dead – and Nighttime Wren – who is terrifying and sometimes grotesque. Her death wasn’t gentle, and when Nighttime Wren finally communicates that she was murdered, Tate can’t help but do his own civilian investigation with Oscar’s help. He’s fallen in love with a ghost. Was it Griffin, Wren’s estranged, alcoholic husband whom she wanted to divorce? Or Nash, the business partner who was stealing money from her, and she was preparing a civil suit against him? What about Dax, the substance abuse counselor and Wren’s friend who wanted to be more than friends despite both being married? Tate will try to free Wren from what still tethers her here, knowing that that will mean the end of their strong, yet tenuous, relationship.

            A collaboration between romance author Nicholas Sparks and supernatural genre filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan? Talk about a plot twist! A collab such as this one I couldn’t pass by. Yes, I did find the paranormal love story to be a little weird sometimes, but the relationship remains a moving one. I did enjoy the supernatural element, and the contrast between Daytime Wren and Nighttime Wren is as different as a warm, sunny beach and a blizzardy winter night. There is strength in loving others, as this adult fiction standalone showcases. I’m pleased that I read this haunting and emotional love story. For those who startle easily, there are small sparks of horror. But worry not, for “Remain” is a reminder to “live well and love deeply. Look for reasons to be grateful. Treasure your friends. Embark on wonderful adventures.”