Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 10

I’m back with my second annual Christmas in July compilation post. Hooray! It remains a new blog post tradition, but I hope more will pop up in the years to come. In the meantime, hope you’re having a happy Christmas in July! (^-^)

The Christmas House (Sept. 2, 2025) by Beverly Lewis.

<This is a standalone holiday novella with recurring characters from previous books.>

With Christmas fast approaching, 22-year-old Liz Lantz’s Christmas House Buggy Tours are booked up. Her younger brother, Adam, typically helps her, but he and their dad have been called away to help a relative with a house addition. Dat finds a young Amishman to work alongside her, but not knowing Matthew Yoder, she is apprehensive about this stranger coming on board. Matt proves to be charismatic, good with the customers and hard-working, taking care to groom King, the horse pulling the buggy. The buggy tours make it a point to go by the extravagantly decorated “Christmas House,” set up by the only non-Amish family (the Hyatts) in that area of Hickory Hollow. While nothing is wrong with a festive spirit, the ensuing traffic causes headaches and concerns for the area Amish. When Liz gives Ashley Hyatt a lift home, she learns more about them and the reason for their overdone Christmas display. It’s eye-opening, and she wonders how she can help their non-Amish neighbors feel welcome in their tightknit Amish community. Liz also struggles with her deepening feelings for Matt, whose faith and care for others lights up her heart like she never knew it could.

            Christmastime beckons readers to Hickory Hollow, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and a snowy winterscape. Lewis wins yet again with her homespun, Christian Amish romance. The contemporary holiday novella is unpretentious even with the loud light display and charms throughout. It highlights community, family and, of course, Christmas. Little though this book is, there is abundant holiday cheer, a strong faith base amongst the main and supporting characters and a generous assortment of homemade goodies. Tuck into this sweet tale, but don’t forget a sweet treat, too.

The Christmas Ring (Oct. 21, 2025) by Karen Kingsbury.

<This is a standalone holiday novella.>

Four years have passed since Vanessa Mayfield lost the family heirloom, a piece of costume jewelry christened the Christmas ring by her great-grandfather when he found it on D-Day. Four years since she became a widow. Vanessa meets Ben Miller (a widower) when she happens into the vintage store run by Ben and his father in Marietta, Georgia. Vanessa’s just dropped off her daughter, Sadie, at Reinhardt University and happens to need fuel while driving through Marietta. Their friendship easily turns into a whirlwind romance, but romance may not be meant to happen. Vanessa continues to wear her wedding ring. She also hasn’t told Sadie about Ben, and the annual Columbus Cares Military Dance approaches, which Sadie will be home for. Ben’s dad finds the item of a lifetime, a ring appraised at $25,000. It’ll fund the dream trip he’d always hoped to take with his wife and son to Italy, though his wife is also gone. Ben’s worked up the courage to take Vanessa on a real date and declare his love when he learns a terrible truth. It’s one he cannot ignore and finds him rushing back to Marietta the day before the annual military dance and fundraiser. “Love is the greatest diamond in the rough.” Love wins all ... hopefully.

            For those looking for a sweet and clean holiday romance, this might be the Christian fiction tale for you. The drama is never overly dramatic, the plot is uncluttered, and the novella’s whirlwind romance is whirlwind-y. It’s family-friendly and Hallmark-ready. Faith runs deep, compassion rings true, and appreciation for those serving and their military families is authentic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into the story. This Christmas tale is too sweet, the whirlwind romance not convincing enough, which may be due to the lack that can happen in a shortened tale. I don’t regret reading it, but I’m glad that I checked it out from the library versus spending my own money on it.

Once Upon a Christmas Carol (Sept. 2, 2025) by Melody Carlson.

<This is a standalone holiday novella.>

She hates Christmas. With a Christmas Day birthday growing up in a dysfunctional home, Carol Langstrom’s birthdays were never days of celebration and excitement. She’d skip the holiday altogether, but as someone working in the interior design industry, the Christmas holiday is a decorating extravaganza for her rich, entitled clients. This year she’s fleeing to the Bahamas, but bad weather re-routes, and then subsequently strands, her to Michigan. She winds up connecting with an aunt she’s never met and takes shelter from the storm at her place in [fictional] Miller’s Creek, Michigan. She encounters Victor Clarkson when he picks her up from the airport. It turns out he’s the handsomest guy in the community and has a heart of gold. She expects to fly out as soon as flights start up, but there is a charm in this town that Carol’s never experienced. Her mom made out Aunt Maria O’Harney (née Banducci) to be the most selfish, but she’s quite the opposite. It’s with her aunt that she’s wrapped up in a new kind of Christmas, one with family at its core.

            I hail from and live in a winter climate, but even I would be aghast if my tropical getaway became a stranded stay-in. The Christian Christmas novella is decked out in holiday spirit, the joy of family and the comfort that comes in being loved, and it’s wrapped up in the peace of faith. That doesn’t mean the tale is without blustery winds, icy roads and small-town drama, but it strengthens the story’s charm and cheer. The pleasant, contemporary romance would fit right in as a Hallmark movie. Who knew that a wintry wonderland could transform holiday blues over a missed tropical escape into a Christmas that’s merry and bright?

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 9

Welcome to this year’s first “Happy Hodgepodge” post! I started working on it in the last third of 2025. At least for now, these Hodgepodge posts will continue to feature stories for young and younger readers, which can so easily be overlooked compared to their middle-grade and YA “older sibling” counterparts. What have you been reading so far in 2026? Any recommendations?

100 Things to Know About Food (Nov. 4, 2025) by Sam Baer et al.

   Federico Mariani & Parko Polo, illustrators.

Junior nonfiction book.

This is a book filled with 100 facts about food. They are all fun and fascinating, and some may seem so out there as to be fantastical. For example, did you know that handkerchiefs and radiators are types of pasta? Yes! Handkerchiefs = fazzoletti and radiators = radiatore. Or that can openers were invented 48 years after the invention of cans? Find that hammer and chisel. Did you know that three billion cups of tea are drunk every day all over the world? Per person, Turkey leads the charge, followed by Ireland and the UK. How about that Michelin stars were invented to sell cars? Or that a fungal disease makes corn more nutritious? Hello, huitlacoche (or “corn smut,” which tastes “like a cross between mushrooms and corn”). A mud pie could be a healthy snack (if prepared properly) and milk from sleepy cows actually makes you sleepy!

            Beyond early-reader nonfiction, this is a junior nonfiction title, chock-full of 100 food facts. I knew a smattering of them, but there was a whole lot that I learned, too. The infographic-style illustrations catch the eyes with their bright, colorful palettes and varied page layouts. Some of the infographics take up the entire spread AND one might even have to turn the book the long way! The facts are fascinating and not because they’re designed to be, but because they just are. It’s an excellent book to read or peruse, and it’s definitely not only for older youth. Certainly not all of those facts made me hungry, but several of them did. Is it time for tea yet?

Earl & Worm: Snow Problem and Other Stories (Nov. 11, 2025) by Greg Pizzoli.

Early-Reader fiction chapter book.

<This is the third book in a series.>

In this collection of three stories, Earl and Worm are best friends, but it isn’t “snow” easy for Worm to wish Earl a happy birthday as evidenced in Snow Problem. Worm is excited to give Earl birthday wishes, but there’s snow to shovel and a path to salt. Earl gets what he’s always wanted in The Perfect Present. A camera! It gives him and Worm 10 pictures (like Polaroids), but none of them are turning out perfect. And then, in The Perfect Wish, Earl won’t tell Worm right away what he’s wished for in case it doesn’t come true. Worm becomes paranoid and fears that Earl wishes she’d made a different cake. Or, new fear unlocked, maybe he wishes he had a new best friend?!

            The second early-reader collection that I’ve read from Pizzoli is perfect for reading aloud and is accompanied by uncomplicated but complementing illustrations. The collection is simple but fun. Each story reminds readers of something different: how excitement may not be matched at the exact same time, that something perfect may not look exactly so and how a mind can find the worst scenario out of worry instead of waiting patiently for the answer. It is another charming story collection, and I’m glad that my local library carries it.

            Also by Greg Pizzoli: Earl & Worm: The Bad Idea and Other Stories

Fairy Tale Fixers: Cinderella (Aug. 12, 2025) by Deborah Underwood.

   Jorge Lacera, illustrator.

Junior fiction graphic novel.

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

Zicka Bicka Bow! Zacka Backa Bean! Zooka Booka Bim! Fairy is a rodent detective in a trench coat, and Mouse hires him to fix a fairy tale. Cinderella lives in a house with a stepmother and two stepsisters, and they are always so loud. They shout all the time! They shout when they’re mad, they shout when they’re happy. They shout when they’re elated about going to a royal ball where the prince plans to find a wife. Fairy and Mouse come to Cinderella’s “rescue” by swishing her into a ballgown, whisking her into a pumpkin carriage (“Uh–I was planning to bake a pie with that, but okay.”) and granting footman status to a cockroach. Also, she has big feet. Prince Edward, far from charming, is a “blathering banana brain.” Cinderella’s dream is NOT to marry a prince, though Phil, who doesn’t get out much (or ever), is, happily, quite the opposite of his princely cousin. The Fairy Tale Fixers will fix the story up, but it’s not the happily ever after you think you know.

            I’m always up for a fairy tale twist, though I didn’t foresee that I’d capture one in graphic novel form. This Case File #1 in The Fairy Tale Fixers is craftily imagined and wonderfully retold. Naturally, it reads quickly due to a lack of words compared to full novels, but the pacing is energetic, the colorful illustrations are playful, and the overreactions are dramatic. It’s an entertaining, high-octane adventure that buzzes with charm, wit and snark. It’s a winning series opener. Does anybody want pancakes?

This Book is About Nothing (Nov. 25, 2025) by Marco Anderson.

   Erica Salcedo, illustrator.

Children’s picture book.

Young Rio declares that this book is about absolutely nothing. It’ll be peaceful, and his quiet will be uninterrupted. So, naturally, everyone disrupts his story. From a turtle wearing a pot on its head to a dragon with an impressive beard and a unicorn with a flowing rainbow mane, it’s chaos. Rio wants it to STOP. The turtle thinks nothing is boring. Why can’t this book be about everything?

            Zip. Zero. Zilch. Rio has main character energy but in an introvert’s body. It’s a speedy story, but an entertaining one. The illustrations are wonderful accompaniments. There are “boring” pages with not much on them and busier pages infused with color and commotion. The story is simple, so it won’t overwhelm young readers, but also tastefully imaginative. I didn’t know this when I checked out the book from the library, but the author is a 14-year-old!

What Is Lunar New Year? (Dec. 2, 2025) by Vivian Jun Kirklin.

   Gregory Copeland, illustrator.

Early-Reader nonfiction chapter book.

<This is an official Who HQ book.>

Learn how many Asian communities celebrate Lunar New Year in Asia and around the world and how celebrations have evolved in major cities outside Asia like San Francisco, New York City and London. The book covers everything from the Chinese Zodiac animals to modern celebrations to the meaning of red envelopes in various cultures, the significance of honoring one’s ancestors and cleaning to sweep away bad luck. Readers learn about celebrations in other countries. For example, it isn’t called Lunar New Year in Korea, but Seollal. In Vietnam, it’s Tết Nguyên Đán (or Tết for short), and in Thailand, it’s Songkran, to name a few. It’s an important and beloved holiday, and this book looks to share its significance widely.

            Always informative in an easily understood way, this Who HQ series book celebrates a holiday that is culturally significant to over a billion people on this planet. Marketed as a book for young readers, its value isn’t only for the young, but for anyone who wants and needs to learn more, not just about holidays in other countries, but ones that may be happening in their own states. Kirklin’s writing and Copeland’s illustrations celebrate the gift of Lunar New Year and the first new moon of the year. If you’re fortunate enough to live in or near a big city that celebrates, I encourage you to join in the festivities!

Happy 250th Birthday!

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 8

Will this finally be a year with two nonfiction posts? Who’s to say for certain at this point, but at least I’ve got one done. For the nonfiction readers out there, what do you like to read?

Accidentally on Purpose (Apr. 22, 2025) by Kristen Kish.

   With Stef Ferrari.

She once thought her trajectory would find her as a globe-trotting businesswoman. When Kristen Kish was a teen working a pretzel stand or doing some modeling, she never pictured herself as a winner of Top Chef and, later, an Emmy-nominated host. Kish grew up in the Midwest (Michigan), a Korean adoptee trying to fit in with her female peers who were obsessing over dating boys and dressing in the latest trends. When she drops university, it’s her mother who suggests culinary school. She recollects her days as a proud 22-year-old looking for an executive chef role despite her lack of experience and reminding herself of the importance of line cooks and being willing to work as one. Kish reflects on her introduction to Top Chef and the process it took to become a contestant. She shares her inner turmoil growing up a closeted queer and how freeing it was to share the news with those closest to her. She talks about the opportunities that have opened up to her since her Top Chef win. She reminisces how she met her wife, that it wasn’t love-at-first-sight or an adorable meet-cute. It began with a professional hug and an Arlo Grey plate.

            The life of a chef shall never be for me, but Kish’s insight into the high-octane, high-stress, frazzling world of food is fascinating, tender and tricky, but once Kish finds her food-centric path, that’s when her passion and determination shine. It’s a story of growth and a search for the self. Yes, it’s about her culinary journey, too, and the unexpected ways in which doors can open when you open yourself up to possibilities, even knowing the anxiety it will/can cause. Kish’s road has been winding, as most paths tend to be, and while it looks like she’s had a whole lot of luck on her side, she’s dealt with disappointment, high expectations, sexism, disrespect, trash talk, fear and shame and manages to rise above it all, taking the high road and not letting small-minded people derail her. She doesn’t get into the nitty-gritty like some readers might prefer, especially when she’s mad, and as detailed as her account is, it can feel like some details are still missing. All that said, her memoir is authentically her and, because of that, triumphant as well. Her life of aspiration is also one of inspiration.

The Blood Countess (Feb. 17, 2026) by Shelley Puhak.

It’s said that she tortured and killed over 600 girls. It’s said that she bathed in the blood of her virginal victims. When Countess Elizabeth Bathory was found, she was allegedly caught in the act of murdering another of her maids and had blood on her hands. She was captured and walled up in a tower, never to be seen again except in an uppermost barred window. While so many in the late 1500s and early 1600s believed this to be true, and even the Guinness World Records book listed her as the “Most prolific serial killer (female)” for 50 years, historians raise doubts as to the legitimacy of these claims. Was the Blood Countess the monster that many people (mostly men who didn’t know her) accused her of being?  Could the Blood Countess have been a victim herself, made part of a witch-hunt after she became a widow with a Hungarian aristocratic lineage that went way back? She might’ve been the target of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns in history. For her book, Puhak traces the Countess’ well-to-do early life through her significant marriage to Count Francis Nadasdy, the Black Lord, to her downfall. She’s assertive and smart in a time when neither trait is expected or appreciated in women, and it is a tumultuous time.

            While this book is not overly long (only 210 pages through the Epilogue), it is weighed down by doubts and questions, plus too many men who lust for power/money/favor/land. Puhak’s extensive research takes what’s been written before and factors in new archival evidence to shed light on centuries-old assumptions. Reading it is hard, and it’s hard to imagine what it must’ve been like for the Countess to feel attacked from so many sides when all she’s doing is trying to manage her substantial landholdings, protect and raise her kids and oversee the people around her who also depend on her. She’s feisty, but she’s also a worrier. This reads like a revelatory whodunit that’s turning fabrications and blood-soaked mythology on its head. It’s a sordid, grim legend and an enraging, eye-opening journey that reveals how far some will go to destroy a woman in power.

Every Day I Read (Dec. 2, 2025) by Hwang Bo-Reum.

   Shanna Tan, translator.

In this nonfiction book, the author invites readers to reflect on one’s relationship with reading and the books one chooses. There are “53 Ways to Get Closer to Books.” In other words, this book contains 53 short chapters. It encourages readers to read bestsellers as well as beyond bestsellers, to read classics, poetry and novels, to read what you’re interested in along with books beyond what you’re interested in. It prompts readers to read aloud and not only to oneself, to read widely and deeply, to collect quotes and write book reviews. It nudges readers to join book clubs, to not be afraid to discuss books and to take time for difficult books. And she asks, “What Have You Been Reading?”

            When I first started this book, my initial reaction was that it might not be for me. I felt it might feel too philosophical. Fortunately, I don’t like to quit books and so I can now rave about this one’s significance. I love books, and I love reading, but Hwang loves both more. This love letter to reading celebrates books of all types, even down to reading multiple books at once (a norm for me). Reading is intimate and personal, but it’s also a shared experience, one that can include a community. Here is a book that makes you reflect; it is highly introspective. It ended up being absorbing, and I flew through it. Hwang reminds us that “reading helps us confront our inner selves,” but we must also realize that we can only do that if we’re willing to challenge our reading selves. I can’t say I’ll regularly push myself to read deeply, but I do know that, like the author, I will live my life reading. Always.

            Powerful lines: “We see what others choose to show us. We see the curls in their hair, but not the tangles in their hearts.”

            Also by the author (fiction): Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

"The Midnight Train" by Matt Haig

The Midnight Train (May 26, 2026) by Matt Haig.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

It’s the three-cylinder passenger express engine of Wilbur Budd’s childhood, the Duke of Gloucester, except this one has carriages trailing behind, and the gray nameplate on the side of the boiler reads The Midnight Train. The station location isn’t SHEFFIELD, but WILBUR. Wilbur has just died, you see. Dead or not, no one can change a past that’s already been, but the Midnight Train can take you to all of those places where there is something to be observed and learned. It’s a chance to relive the moments that meant the most. With Agnes Deborah Amaryllis Bagdale (a.k.a. Mrs. Bagdale) of Bagdale’s Bookshop as his guide, Wilbur’s about to take a really hard look at the person he was in life. He’ll visit his best days with Maggie Shaw (eventually Mrs. Budd), the love of his life, when their love was young and their compasses centered. Then there was after. The shop expansions, the trips, more business trips, a husband that is never home and a wife who no longer feels like she has a husband. He wants more, more, more, but pushes Maggie aside as he achieves all of that more-ness. He loses his compass. Referring to his deceased self as the Ghost, he anticipates the memories he’s about to relive and there are those he wishes he could skip over (but he can’t). The regrets he didn’t have in life are staring back at him through his memories. He wishes he could go back and live better. He has an idea ... but the risk might be too great.

            Penned as the second novel in The Midnight World series but easily read as a standalone (Nora Seed makes an appearance), this is a time travel fiction novel of fantasy and magical realism that gives readers an interesting take on a journey after death. This love story is an adventure, as well as an exploration of what’s truly important in a lifetime. Through Wilbur, Haig reminds us that we should remember to live in the moment, but not in a way that feels clichéd. The love story is an appreciation expedition, a journey, a lesson and a reflection. It’s an adult fiction novel that makes readers think and encourages us “...to be nostalgic about the present.” Let none of us ever be in the sidecar of anyone’s ambition!

            Book One: The Midnight Library

Summer 2026

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 7

It is a commitment to begin a new series, but this one is comprised of short novels. I tend to gravitate toward fantasy stories, so this series is right up my alley. As of this posting, there are 11 published books with the twelfth slated for publication early next year. I plan to read and review each of them. Thanks to my coworker, Brittany, for the recommendation!

            FYI: The write-ups are in chronological order.

Every Heart a Doorway (Apr. 5, 2016) by Seanan McGuire.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

There sits an elegant manor. It houses Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. Eleanor – once little Ely West – has a door that remains open, though that is not the norm for most who cross the threshold of her house. They come desperate to return to the worlds they have visited. They are desperate to find their doors. This includes Nancy Whitman, who’s just arrived. She went to the Halls of the Dead and plans to return to the darkness and stillness and right otherness of that Underworld. All this color and fast movement is as nonsensical to her as terms like Nonsense, Logic, Wickedness and Virtue (world types). But Nancy’s only just arrived, and three students are murdered in quick succession. Who’s an easier target to blame than the new girl with darkness in her veins? Fortunately, Nancy has comrades in Kade (Prism: a Fairyland), Jack Addams (the Moors with a mad scientist) and Christopher (Mariposa/Country of the Bones: a world of happy, dancing skeletons).

            Here is a gothic fantasy series opener for adults that is a grown-up version of holding childlike imagination. When one door closes, the door each of these people want may not actually open again. Or it may be lurking, but the traveler isn’t looking in the right place. This short novel is a gem of darkness, yearning and hope. The story can be mean, and it isn’t typically pretty. It’s a portal fantasy that’s “Grimm” but strangely charming, too. It is for every person who’s ever felt out of place, but I hope you, dear reader, don’t have to portal to another world to find your home.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (June 13, 2017) by Seanan McGuire.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

When Chester and Serena Wolcott got pregnant, it was for the convenience of a handsome baby boy or a beautiful baby girl. When they were told they were expecting twins, they were smug about the idea, how it “smacked of efficiency.” Instead of a girl and a boy, out came two girls: Jacqueline and Jillian. While Louise Wolcott (a.k.a. Gemma Lou) tried to raise them with love, she was kicked out by her son after five years. The twins were given a type according to their parents’ whims: Jacqueline got the frilly dresses and long tresses, while Jillian got the pixie cuts and sports gear. When they’re 12, Jack and Jill open an old steamer trunk holding an impossible stairway instead of clothes and costume jewelry. They find the Moors. They are promised three safe nights, but Jack leaves with Dr. Bleak after only one, and Master despises being selected second. Jill had already chosen him, though. The same of face, Jack and Jill are competitors as well as companions, but here, where a vampire and a mad scientist reside, they are as different as night and day in a land of eternal twilight. Jack learns of love from Alexis, a plump, well-endowed teen whom she and Dr. Bleak once resurrected, but Jill does not. Yearning to become Master’s daughter, she chooses ruthlessness. She also chooses desperation, and it has devastating results for the both of them.

            While someone could read this without reading the first book, I’d still start at the beginning. Jack and Jill are 17 in the series starter, but this is the story of what happened first. It gives context to why they wound up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. The Moors are dark and fantastical, but they aren’t the only land through that doorway, and I do wish more had been said about the werewolf lords of eternal winter in the mountains and the Drowned Gods of the sea. McGuire’s prose is lyrical even when upset and is lush in its discontent. The second short novel in the Wayward Children Series is richly crafted, a gothic fantasy charmer with horror always at its heels.

Beneath the Sugar Sky (Jan. 9, 2018) by Seanan McGuire.

<This is the third novel in a series.>

<Alert: Potential spoilers ahead.>

A girl falls from the sky and lands with a splash in the pond behind Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, her sugary dress dissolving and leaving her [confidently] naked. The girl is Onishi Rini, from Confection, a “land of the culinary art become miracle.” She is looking for Sumi, her mother (who was in political exile per the Countess of Candy Floss), not expecting to hear that her mother was murdered. Rini is from a Nonsense world, and Reality cannot stop her quest. But without Sumi existing, Rini’s story is dissolving. Rini sets off with Kade (Goblin Prince: Prism), Cora (Mermaid: the Trenches), Christopher, beloved of the Princess of Skeletons (Mariposa) and Nadya (Drowned Girl: Belyyreka). They travel to the Land of the Dead to meet with Nancy, who was at the Home, but was able to find her door again, but there is a cost. One of them must stay behind. With Sumi’s walking skeleton (it cannot talk and has no soul), the group falls into Confection. Literally. Here, the world rearranges itself so that anywhere is within a day’s walk from one’s starting point: “A good day’s journey is like baking soda: use it well, and the cake will rise up to meet you.” To everyone’s dismay, they’re captured by the Queen of Cakes’ soldiers. Without Sumi to overthrow her, she’s back in power. They’ll have to escape a jail of baked gingerbread bricks “glued” together with hard-packed frosting and trick the cakey queen if they’ve any hope of finding the mythical Baker and baking Sumi back to life.

            The third in McGuire’s Wayward Children Series is a magical, restorative tale of adventure, baking and friendship. The gothic portal fantasy exists with reality, even when reality for one world is nonsensical to another, and this story homes in on a character’s struggle with self-acceptance as readers are wooed by robust and zesty prose. This installment is another diverse one, and it happens to contain a world where milk grows on trees and candy corn farms exist. It’s a world where brownies are perfect treats that also double as roofing materials. It’s a world where the Wizard of Fondant can whip up sugar traveling beads. It’s a world where one might go to great lengths to save Confection, even if it means, “I was just a candy shell filled with shadows.” Most importantly, it’s a world where “...everything was different, and everything was finally the same.”

"A Touch of Blood" by Sajni Patel

A Touch of Blood (Feb. 25, 2025) by Sajni Patel.

<This is the second novel in a duology.>

<Note: This novel does contain a trigger warning.>

“Potent. Deadly. Inevitable.” Before Manisha was sent to hide on the floating mountain, her elder sister, Eshani, made a deal with the shades to provide safe crossing across the marshlands for the naga during the Fire Wars. Now years later, the shades expect Eshani to fulfill her promise and seek to bring her to the Nightmare Realm and the Gatekeeper. The “little goddess of spring” is said to be the key to fulfilling the Nightmare Realm’s prophecy, and the Shadow King wants her, because he covets immortality. Eshani is separated from Lekha, whom she raised from a scared kit (she’s a golden tiger), and is stolen to the realm and chased by monsters. She must evade the Shadow King, a brutal being who thinks Eshani’s fertility is part of the prophecy. The Gatekeeper, meanwhile, has his own problems. Hiran isn’t supposed to be alive, having been immolated as a child by his own half-brother, the current Shadow King. His sister Holika, a dreamreaver, also lives, though her physical form lies captive at the bottom of the Court of Nightmares’ pool of dreams. The Gloom follows Hiran everywhere (and has a dark sense of humor). Hiran refuses to meld with it, as he fears that he’ll become as monstrous as the current and former Shadow Kings. The Nightmare Realm isn’t overly partial to a particular Shadow King so long as there is one, and it will get what it wants. The hidden stowaway, long thought dead, and the science-loving nagin must save entire worlds.

Patel’s YA dark fantasy/mythology tale is as lush as it is sinister with vivid world-building and slow-churning affection. It combines the Indian mythology of the naga and the Greek mythology of Persephone. There is dark rage and the light of healing. As with its companion in the duology, there are upsetting scenes, and I wouldn’t recommend this story to anyone who gets queasy easily. The fury and survival is terrifying and compelling. Eshani’s journey is tragic but also triumphant, and reading her story is intense. Destiny is calling Eshani and Hiran. For one, a kingdom awaits, and for the other, a goddess arises.

            P.S. As I understand it, this is still considered a duology, but the author has clearly set up (Eshani’s twin) Sithara’s story and the conclusion to the Fire Wars. Fingers crossed!

            Book One: A Drop of Venom

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 6

Welcome to this first edition of adult fiction titles for 2026. I actually have more adult fiction than usual plotted for this year, but some are saved under different nicknames and not specifically as adult fiction posts. Stay tuned, my fellow readers! I didn’t plot the post this way, but each of the short novels is from a Japanese author.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Nov. 17, 2020) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

   Geoffrey Trousselot, translator.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Clang-Dong. Customers at Funiculi Funicula can go back in time, but there are unbending rules to be followed, including the one that states the trip will only last until the coffee gets cold. The cafe in Tokyo is small and unassuming, but it’s significant for four people one sweltering summer. She knows she can’t change the present, but Fumiko Kiyokawa still wants to tell her boyfriend Goro Katada how she feels. Kohtake, a nurse, wants to retrieve a letter from Fusagi, her husband battling dementia. Yaeko Hirai runs a successful bar after leaving her family’s inn, but is desperate to connect with Kumi, a sister six years her junior. Kei Tokita, the wife of proprietor Nagare Tokita, wants to travel to the future, but not to know if she’s alive. She knows her heart is weak, and she isn’t afraid of dying. They will be guided by Kazu Tokita, cousin to Nagare, and the only one who can serve the transporting coffee. There’s also a teenage girl looking for someone, but no one knows who she is when she turns up in that seat, the one normally occupied by the woman in the white dress (she’s a ghost). It remains to be seen if the travelers will find the answers they’re looking for, but one thing’s for sure -- they must all return before the coffee gets cold. Clang-Dong.

            The first in a series of the same name is a short, adult fiction, Japanese literature novel centering on magical realism and time travel. It’s as immersive as one’s favorite cup of hot coffee/tea/chocolate and is wistful, delightful and totally individual. It’s also heartwarming and heartrending, and it made me teary, but I can’t deny its charm and simple beauty. The story is engaging and highlights the power of human relationships and love. Based on one of the cafe’s rules, it reminds readers that you can’t change what’s already happened, but you can change yourself.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop (Aug. 20, 2024) by Mai Mochizuki.

   Jesse Kirkwood, translator.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Welcome to the Full Moon Coffee Shop. There are no set hours, no fixed location, and it typically appears without notice. The shop is currently appearing under a Kyoto moon to people feeling lost who are also interconnected. The shop doesn’t have a menu, but guests will be served by talking cats who will discuss astrology and natal charts and say things like Mercury is in retrograde and With Venus in your fifth house. There’s Mizuki Serikawa, a scriptwriter down on her luck, Akari Nakayama, a director who isn’t as goody-goody as she presents herself despite the perfectionism she places on herself and others, and Satsuki Ayukawa, a lead actress crumbling under a public scandal. There’s Jiro, a stylist whom someone hasn’t admitted she has romantic feelings for, Takashi Mizumoto, co-owner of M Y Systems and its server security engineer who feels like things go wrong more for him than his partner, and Megumi Hayakawa, a hairdresser who’s made a rather impulsive career choice based on a dream. They will be served delectable, otherworldly treats like Astral Milk from the Milky Way, Aquarius Trifle, Mercury Cream Soda and Sunrise Syrup (none of which can be replicated with regular, mortal ingredients). It may be served by Master, a six-foot tall tortoiseshell cat; Caelus, a Singapura; Cronus (Saturn), a tuxedo cat; Venus, a Persian; or Mercury, a Siamese. With varying personalities and cryptic wisdom, these working lost will reclaim their paths.

            Although I don’t drink coffee, I do love cats, and with cats on the cover, I was drawn to this short, adult fiction novel of contemporary fantasy and magical realism. It’s a cozy Japanese literature story and a gentle one. Even though I’m not into astrology, this tale is charming and well-crafted. Reading it goes down smooth like a luscious milkshake and dazzles like diamond stars in the night sky. Clever celestial confections, unruffled fantasy and enchantment create a feel-good story, despite the woes of the human characters. The magical cats are a delight, too. I will be continuing this series.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (Oct. 8, 2024/US edition) by Hisashi Kashiwai.

   Jesse Kirkwood, translator.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

In this second helping, Chef Nagare Kamogawa and his adult daughter Koishi continue running the unassuming but incredible Kamogawa Diner and the Kamogawa Detective Agency, respectively. Nagare’s turned his past as a former detective and his passion for food into a culinary sleuthing business. He serves a mouthwatering set menu to first-time customers. They might be served miso-marinated pomfret, deep-fried Manganji peppers, hamo eel and chilled tofu, but they seek lost recipes. An Olympic-level swimmer looks for nori-ben (nori seaweed on a bed of rice) made by his estranged father as a gray pantsuit-ed woman always in a hurry looks for a Japanese-style hamburger steak recipe that she thinks her father made. A couple who run a traditional bakery are hoping for a Western-style Christmas cake as an offering for their young son’s shrine (he died in a car accident six years ago) while a model friend longs for fried rice made by her deceased mother. A managing director of a printing company seeks ramen from a yatai (food cart) existing during his university days over 30 years prior and a singer pursues ten-don (tempura served over a bowl of rice) she once had after her one hit from a restaurant that’s no longer open. Each of these characters longs for lost recipes. They need help finding them again.

            When you’re on Karasuma and reach Higashi Honganji temple, turn onto Shomen-dori to find the tucked away Kamogawa Diner. The second novel in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series is as comforting as rich hot cocoa and as healing as any balm. The adult fiction, cozy mystery highlights the marvel of delectable food. I love the details of the served food as well as the found food. This short novel is easy to devour with a lot of flavor and nourishing to boot. The only unfortunate part isn’t the story, but the lack of any Japanese restaurants near me.

            Book One: The Kamogawa Food Detectives

"The OKs Are Not Okay" by Grace K. Shim

The OKs Are Not Okay (Mar. 3, 2026) by Grace K. Shim.

<This is a standalone novel.>

She’s the life of the party. Truly. Seventeen-year-old Elena Ok (pronounced “Oak”) is such a financially savvy, socialite party “it” girl that people and companies pay her to appear at their events. After turning a What’s that? embarrassment as a 14-year-old into a trademarked phrase, Elena has artfully and carefully curated her perfect self. From her luscious hair to her dewy skin to her toned physique, she is the envy of all, and she adores the attention. Her livelihood depends on social media and being in the spotlight. All of that comes crashing down when It’s Ok! (pronounced “Okay”), the fast-fashion family business, comes under scrutiny from the IRS. Their fortune is completely gone, except for what Elena has earned on her own, which is considerable, but not close enough to keep them in luxury. Elena, Gavin (her big brother) and their parents, Dale & Gloria, end up on a dusty plot of land that Dale & Gloria own. It’s in (fictional) Blaire “... in central California, west of Bakersfield, north of Santa Barbara.” Population: 150. It’s in a National Radio Quiet Zone, and now their family “vehicle” is a two-seater tractor, as vehicles in this zone need to run on diesel.

            Elena is distraught over their circumstances and suddenly having to live like “regular” people. Not only is she stuck in the middle of nowhere without Wifi and all of her fluffy conveniences, her parents and Gavin seem to take to their Korean farming heritage with ease, while their family dynamics unravel. It gets better meeting fellow 17-year-old Callie Hartford, lifetime Blaire resident and intern at the Blaire Observatory, and she really likes meeting Brennan, an observatory intern from NOVA (Northern Virginia). She even discovers, albeit in an at-first unwilling, dragging-her-feet sort-of-way, that her entrepreneurial spirit helps sell more at the farmers market. She’s got business savvy, but no one in her family acknowledges it. Their parents enthuse over Gavin, who’s set to take over the business someday, but he’s got a big secret, too. Out of the crumbling, the Oks must find a way to rise to new successes.

            I read the entirety of this YA contemporary, realistic fiction novel, but I struggled for much of it. For Elena’s mom to be surprised at what her daughter doesn’t know about anything in the kitchen is ridiculous, because it’s by her parents’ own hiring of nannies and personal chefs, etc., that Elena’s never had to do anything for herself except make herself pretty. Elena is also incredibly self-absorbed, beyond anyone I’ve met in real life. My parents would never have tolerated such behaviors or attitudes, and I won’t, either. To be fair, there is self-discovery, but it comes pretty late and at the cost of Elena hurting others. The novel also shows that hard work does pay off and this fish-out-of-water can find understanding within her family. I get that not everyone can manage farm/rural community life, but sheesh, this girl needs to learn basic life skills.