Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 12

It is a rare post that features one author. Here is one of those posts. The author is Evie Woods. The first book I picked up caught my eye when I was wandering around Barbara’s Bookstore at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport early spring of 2025.

            The books are in order by publication/US publication date.

The Lost Bookshop (Nov. 7, 2023) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Three characters in two timelines have been supporting characters in their own lives. Opaline Carlisle/Gray faces an arranged marriage to a leering man by a misogynistic brother. Martha Winter has fled a marriage filled with domestic abuse, and Henry Field is fanatically searching for a lost bookshop while avoiding his alcoholic and emotionally abusive father. Opaline’s timeline starts in the 1920s and wraps up years after World War II. She’s a progressive woman of her time, opening her own bookshop and becoming a leader in rare book dealings. She also experiences tremendous loss and years of time when life seems to stop (but no spoilers).

            In the present day, Martha has taken work as a live-in housekeeper for Madame Bowden (first name: Eileen). It’s never what Martha would’ve chosen for herself, but she needs work. Meanwhile, Henry’s obsession crosses paths with Martha’s; she originally thinks he’s a pervert trying to peer in her window. He’s merely obsessed with the location of where Martha is living on Ha’penny Lane. Unfortunately, his fanaticism is costing him, not only financially, but in his relationships with others. The characters are all lost, but not all is lost, and the lost bookshop will prove it.

            This adult fiction novel is historical and contemporary with magical realism and splashes of romance. Despite traversing themes of domestic abuse, alcoholism and misogyny, this is an enchanting story that means to transport readers to a spellbinding Dublin that highlights the wonder of books and storytelling. It’s a story meant for bibliophiles that’s delightfully written and has a captivating warmth at its heart. While not always easy to read, it’s an absorbing novel of escapism. There is joy in storytelling and delight in reading books that capture your imagination.

The Story Collector (Aug. 13, 2024/US edition) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

In present-day New York, influenced by inebriation, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland and not to Boston, where her sister and brother-in-law are expecting her. While staying in the modest Butler’s Cottage in Thornwood, she finds the 100-year-old diary of Anna Butler, a teenaged farm girl who’s helping Harold Griffin-Krauss, an American visitor, who’s seeking fairy stories that have been kept alive. Anna translates the stories from Gaeilge (Irish) to English. The American is handsome and well-educated, while Anna and her family are working class. She laments that she has no real hope of catching the eye of Master George Hawley, who resides at the Thornwood mansion with his twin sister, Olivia, their father and all of their finery. That is, until she does. Oh, how tickled she is to have caught the eye of such a gentleman. But is George the gentleman he comports himself as? Will Anna trust Harold enough to share the secret of her older sister? Back in 2011, Sarah is weighed down by her own grief, questioning the wisdom of her hasty choice to fly to County Clare. Fortunately, she meets good folks like Marcus O’Brien (hotel manager), an upbeat sort, and Hazel Sweeney, who appreciates stories of The Good People. Her dad, Oran, is a good man who continues to sort through his own grief. Myth and magic in the everyday are par for the course when in Ireland.

            A standalone that is part contemporary romance and part historical fiction contains elements of fantasy and magical realism with the cottage life lending a domestic fiction feel. I didn’t fancy this tale as well as Woods’ other two books in this compilation, but the magical feel of the story is tantalizing. There is mystery and darkness, yes, but also beauty and light and, of course, the folklore and otherworldliness of fairies. The story is a tale of grief, but it’s also one of new hope, brighter days and the uplifting power of friendship. If this story were set to music, it would be haunting and lyrical, crescendoing at the highest turmoil and in the deepest grief. It is bewitching.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris (Apr. 8, 2025/US edition) by Evie Woods.

<This is a standalone novel.>

It’s been over a year since Edith (Edie) Lane’s mother passed away. She doesn’t regret helping to care for her mom, but she knows she used her caretaker role to put her own life on hold on purpose. Now life’s staring her in the face in a big, big way and so she accepts a position in a bakery on the Rue de Paris in Compiègne, France, despite lacking strong fluency in French. The proprietor, Madame (Genevieve) Moreau, is disdainful toward her at best, and Edie’s room is the lonely attic at the top of the building, which sits over La Boulangerie et Pâtisserie de Compiègne. Edie wonders if she made a mistake, but after she makes new friends in Nicole and her husband Johnny and meets Hugo Chadwick, life seems more than a sprinkle brighter. The recipe book that Edie finds with a dash of magic in the ingredients spells deliciousness, but a recipe for disaster waits around the corner, and it involves the last person she’d suspect. Going through it also helps her see that she is exactly where she needs to be, not on the bustling streets of Paris, but in a small, locally-owned bakery on Paris Street in an entirely different town. She’s in a magical place where hot cocoa can unlock a precious memory, and a residual mystery resides in the basement.

            While this standalone novel read slow out of the gate for me, it picked up the whispers of wistfulness and whimsy that I felt when reading “The Lost Bookshop,” and then I got lost in the deliciousness of homemade bread and pastries. There is magic in a fresh croissant or a perfectly made macaron. Grief is at the forefront of the story, no matter the façade one puts on. A brave face still has struggles and sorrows, and the story balances that with secrets and sweets aplenty. The novel is a delight to the senses, even when you must use your imagination, and a literary tribute to hardworking, family-owned bakeries and all who love carbs (this includes me). Go ahead and eat a profiterole for luck!

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 11

The year is scooting along, isn’t it? How are we halfway through August already? What have you been reading? I always welcome recommendations, though I never promise that I’ll get them read, knowing the length of my TBR (To Be Read) list at any given moment. Here is this year’s second adult fiction compilation.

            P.S. Although other posts are technically also adult fiction, I did not nickname them under that banner, making this post still the second.

The Charmed Library (Jan. 26, 2026) by Jennifer Moorman.

<This is a standalone novel.>

The public library in [fictional] Blue Sky Valley, North Carolina, is a sanctum for readers, as libraries should be. Unlike other libraries, fictional characters can step off the page into the contemporary world. Greetings, Mr. Darcy! Hello, Ichabod Crane! Ahoy, Robinson Crusoe! Thirty-year-old assistant librarian Stella Parker is oblivious to this. She’s living in the outdated house inherited from her late father, and she’s holding onto bitterness from a breakup. So she burns one of her journals. She’s always seen actual words rising from people, places and objects, but once she “murders” the words in her journal, she experiences purple words that physically hurt as they arise. Words matter, but why these ones? The truth starts coming to light when Arnie (Arnold) Cohen, the 68-year-old head librarian, has a medical emergency, and he needs her to keep his friends in the library. Suddenly, Stella is faced with her fictional crush, a 27-year-old WWII soldier named Jack Mathis. He is her ideal man: heroic, handsome, kind. It’s too bad that there’s a time limit. Like a library checkout, characters must return to their books after two weeks, and characters can only “visit” once a year. Jack’s already been out for 11 days. With a villain on the loose (Stella’s fault) and the annual Blue Sky Valley Festival coming up this weekend, Stella must maintain control while keeping the library’s secret. She must also face the reality that all stories come to an end, no matter how good. All magic comes with a price.

            An adult fiction novel of contemporary romance and magical realism, it honors libraries, favorite stories and anyone who’s ever fallen for a fictional character. The title caught my eye, but it’s the idea of favorite characters wandering around where you can interact with them that really struck me. This story should’ve been wondrous, but Stella is a woman who’s stuck and is so fixated on romance that she’s miserable. I’ll admit that if she was my friend, I’d be struggling with her. Frustrating Stella aside, this is a novel of hope and renewal that brims with magic, the wanderlust found through reading and book boyfriends come to life. There is whimsy and heartbreak and quite a bit of charm.

Menu of Happiness (Oct. 14, 2025/US edition) by Hisashi Kashiwai.

   Jesse Kirkwood, translator.

<This is the third novel in a series.>

Anyone for thirds? The food detectives and father-daughter duo are back at the Kamogawa Diner serving up lost recipes and reviving suppressed memories. They may not realize it, but their clients aren’t just hungry for food; they’re hungry for nostalgia. A professional dancer looks for kake soba (plain noodles in hot broth with no trimmings) as an upscale lacquerware artisan wants curry and rice made by his estranged daughter who’s currently in prison. A former piano prodigy who injured her own hand for love seeks yakisoba made by the man she loves but hasn’t seen in 15 years while a man unhappy in his decades-long marriage yearns for gyoza served by the parents of the woman he once had an affair with in his student years. A businessman wants omurice (an omelet on fried rice) made by the mom of his best friend growing up and a popular romance author desires croquettes that she serially stole from a stall as a desperately hungry child. They come for the sustenance and will return for the solace.

            This is the third novel in Kashiwai’s Kamogawa Food Detectives series, and it’s the third of his I’ve read. The adult fiction, cozy mystery is one to warm you up on a chilly day and bring you the luxury of comfort food, even if one isn’t familiar with all of the food in these books. Step into the diner on Shomen-dori and sit yourself down. Might Chef Nagare serve you omi beef with miso sauce and tempura vegetables? Will you wash it down with the hojicha (a Japanese green) tea Koishi brings you? Or do you prefer sake? A nice cava? The entire book is succinct and reading it makes me feel nutrient-rich. Hungry, too!

          Book One: The Kamogawa Food Detectives

          Book Two: The Restaurant of Lost Recipes

Tales from the Cafe (Oct. 12, 2021) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

   Geoffrey Trousselot, translator.

<This is the second novel in a series.>

<Alert: Potential spoilers ahead.>

Clang-Dong. Return to Tokyo’s Funiculi Funicula to meet four new patrons looking to travel back in time. There are familiar faces, too, in Kazu Tokita, waitress and coffee pourer, and Nagare Tokita, Kazu’s cousin and proprietor of the cafe. There’s Miki, Nagare’s daughter, who’s eager to become the cafe’s pourer (when she’s seven). Gohtaro Chiba wanders into the shop wanting to meet Shuichi Kamiya. Gohtaro’s been raising Shuichi’s daughter all these years as a single dad, and she’s about to get married. Yukio Mita’s life isn’t going according to plan. He isn’t the successful potter he thought he’d be, and his mother (Kinuyo), his biggest champion, passed away from cancer without her or his sister (Kyoko Kijima) ever telling him she was sick. Katsuki Kurata wants to travel to the future to see Asami Mori, but he doesn’t want to meet her if either of two circumstances has come to pass. Kiyoshi Manda, a homicide detective at Kanda Police Station, wants to give his wife (Kimiko) a birthday gift, but he needs the advice of those at Funiculi Funicula. And ever present is the woman in the white dress: Kaname. Kazu’s mom. Clang-Dong.

            The follow-up to “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” is a short, adult fiction, Japanese literature novel that isn’t limited to one genre. There’s time travel in a contemporary setting with dashes of magical realism and patrons who each must face their past (or, for one, his future) in order to move on with their lives. It’s wistful and charming, deeply moving and sometimes sad. The story contains the multitudes of life and death, love and loss, the gladness of renewal and the awe of happiness. It manages to show pragmatism within the magic of the cafe.

            Book One: Before the Coffee Gets Cold

"The Beheading Game" by Rebecca Lehmann

The Beheading Game (Mar. 24, 2026) by Rebecca Lehmann.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Disgraced, beheaded, died. Awoke, sewed on ... survived? The story starts in the hours after Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, has been beheaded. She’d been falsely accused of incest, adultery and high treason. And she hadn’t given the king a male heir. She finds herself unceremoniously in an arrow chest, grabs her head and borrows a woman’s sewing kit to sew it back on. Just another day of a woman being proactive! She’s gone from a genteel upbringing to a royal life and now has to disguise herself as a commoner to blend in. She’s learning as she goes, and she’s got a lot to learn. She knows her world as a living, breathing queen, not as the dead returned to life dressed like a working-class woman. She doesn’t realize the shopkeeper is sizing her up for weaknesses, and the fenlanders are not the simpletons she envisions. A prostitute who saves her becomes a trusted friend, but she hesitates to tell Alice her biggest secret. Anne tells her that she needs to find her daughter before harm comes to her. While she would truly love to see Elizabeth, she means to exact revenge and set in motion Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne. She’ll have to sneak into Whitehall Palace and slip into the one place Henry VIII is ever alone (and no, that place is not the bathroom). Anne is out for revenge. An eye for an eye ... or how about a head for a head?

            Wander through the wilds of England during the Tudor reign of 1536. The adult fiction tale blends speculative fiction and magical realism in a historical fantasy with an alternate history. It is crafty and inventive, vicious and macabre. There is danger and unpleasantness, and no one who’s easily queasy should read this. Lehmann’s novel is bold, upsetting, triumphant, vulnerable and strong. She fashions a new future for one of history’s most maligned women. She gives voice to one who was historically mouthy.

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.”