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.

"The Escape Game" by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

The Escape Game (Apr. 7, 2026) by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss.

<This is the first novel in a duology.>

In the finale of the fourth season, contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set. Six months later and season five is now underway, and there is one standout team right out of the gate. Not for their solve times (which are dismal) or their immediate camaraderie (nonexistent), but for Sierra Angelos, younger sister of the deceased and one of multiple suspects in Alicia’s murder. Sierra wants justice and prize money as she distrusts everyone and hides behind thick makeup. Also on the team are Aditya (Adi) Parvesh, the cryptographer with the face of a model; Carter Kelly, the math whiz and highest-ranking Solve Specialist on the Domain; and Beck Matheson, dexterous synesthete (he can taste sounds) and aspiring game master. As Team Helsing starts uncovering clues and someone on the Domain going by the Real Game Master says all will be revealed in the finale, it’s clear that the stakes are deadlier than they imagined. To win this season of Hitflix’s The Escape Game, the team will also have to survive. Nothing is as it seems.

            The opening story in a contemporary YA, murder mystery thriller is sarcastic and sharp with treachery, drama and some of the best escape-room puzzles imaginable. As soon as I started the novel, I knew I was going to enjoy it. Untimely death isn’t a delight, but the writing is consuming, the solve story is nonstop, the drama is compelling, the room maps provide a nice visual, interviews punctuate the steady pace, and the puzzles are complex. But be wary, for those puzzles might get you killed. Thanks to this topsy-turvy page-turner with its twists and turns, I’ll definitely be putting the sequel on my TBR!

Rutabaga's Reads 2026: Part 5

It’s time for the first Christian/inspirational compilation post of 2026. Hooray (if you read that genre)! For those who read from this genre, who are your favorite authors? What or who inspires you to read these books?

All Booked Up (Mar. 17, 2026) by Melody Carlson.

<This is a standalone novel.>

Widowed for almost 18 months, 61-year-old Riva Owen lives in a historic Victorian house that’s been in her family for three generations, but she can hardly afford to keep living there. Riva doesn’t want to give up her impressive personal library. Her daughter, Kenzie, clearly a minimalist, tells her to have a book-burning bonfire (horrifying) and sell the place. Riva can’t just leave the decades of memories nor her books. On a prayerful whim, she opens up her home to renters. Women only. There’s Windy Brewer, who excels in the kitchen and the garden. There’s Laurel Wright, Riva’s friend who’s got her eye on Marcus Millican, Windy’s retired-teacher-slash-handyman big brother. Then comes Fiona Harris, an Irish fiddler who works at her relatives’ bistro. And finally, upon Laurel’s recommendation comes Kitty Brinson, salon owner and woman of a certain age who acts and dresses like she’s a 20-something. Going from one personality in a lonely home to a handful of personalities creates chaos. It’s mostly manageable, but Kitty is the firecracker, especially when she’s been drinking. She’s ultra self-absorbed even as her life is a mess, and she’s especially cruel to Laurel, including honing in on Marcus for herself. Marcus doesn’t seem romantically interested in Laurel or Kitty. Is he interested in ... Riva?

            The latest from Carlson is a Christian fiction, contemporary romance that is expectedly wholesome. There are themes of grief, found family and navigating different personalities under one roof. It’s a story where a bibliophile widow continues to work through grief while suddenly taking on the responsibility of landlord, and it’s also a story of taking second chances on oneself. Fictional Greenwood, Oregon, hosts unexpected changes under this roof, and there’s frustration as well as compassion, uplifting compliments and not-so-little digs. There’s struggle amid enduring faith. Drawn to the book’s title, I didn’t care for the book as much as I hoped I would. Much of it was Kitty, but it was also in part because the main characters are closer to my parents’ generation, so of an age range that I haven’t yet experienced but will, hopefully, one day (just not too soon, please).

Final Approach (Aug. 5, 2025) by Lynette Eason.

<This is the final novel in a series.>

It’s vacation time for Air Marshal Kristine Duncan and her friends. Kristine is on duty when a hijacker tries to get into the cockpit of their plane. Also jumping into action is FBI Special Agent Andrew Ross, and together, they thwart the attack and the plane returns safely to Lake City, North Carolina. Kristine and Andrew both acknowledge to themselves that they’d like to get to know the other, despite personal baggage, but first there’s an investigation to sort through. The two – with their colleagues and friends – are confused from the start. The hijacker only took the “job” out of desperation, but someone else was on the plane watching him. The connection between them is unknown. Andrew’s undercover friend resurfaces and is in danger, but it turns out that the target might not be the undercover agent. With shots coming from different directions and being run off the road, at least one someone is out to interfere with Kristine’s and Andrew’s lives in a big, big way. Then there’s the interference in their personal lives. For years, Kristine has been the moderator between her siblings and their dad, who’s become increasingly controlling since their mother died (and she blames herself for). Andrew is concerned about his parents taking in his wayward cousin with his drug (and therefore money) issues. Their skills will be necessary and vigilance is key to finding truth and justice.

            The final Christian romantic suspense novel in the Lake City Heroes series does not disappoint. It’s an adventure ride right from the launch and doesn’t slow down until the story concludes. Families are complicated, and this story demonstrates that, partly in an unexpected way. The leads must traverse guilt while also sifting truth from trickery. For those who enjoy edge-of-your-seat storylines and clean romance, this series with its satisfying conclusion is sure to sate your literary palate, at least until you pick up your next book!

            Book One: Double Take

            Book Two: Target Acquired

            Book Three: Serial Burn

A Lesson in Propriety (May 20, 2025) by Jen Turano.

<This is the first novel in a series.>

The family’s fortune has been stolen, her fiancé is now an ex, and Miss Drusilla Merriweather’s New York Four Hundred life has been upended. All she can think to do to provide for her mother and younger sister is to open a finishing school on an allegedly haunted castle estate in Chicago that the Merriweather sisters have inherited from an eccentric aunt whom they haven’t seen in two years and is rumored to be dead. There’s a seedy underworld containing unscrupulous developers coveting the valuable land the estate sits on, alarm goats in the spooky home and a neighbor by the name of Mr. Rhenick Wittenbecker. He’s a charming architect who considers Aunt Ottilie his friend but missteps when he proposes that he can solve Drusilla’s problems by declaring they should marry when they’ve only just met. Drusilla forgives him his blunder and declares that he should never broach the subject of marriage again. Trouble is, he’d really like to court this woman whom he finds most extraordinary (yes, all four of his younger sisters were surprised when he used that word, too), and Drusilla is surprised to feel disappointment when he doesn’t. Can this improper proposal be turned proper and the seedy characters of Chicago dealt with so that the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies can open?

            I can already tell this new series from Turano is going to be a fun one. The Christian fiction, historical romance with its strong female characters, laugh-out-loud banter and mischievous antics set in the Gilded Age is witty and fast-paced. The characters are easily distinguishable and human in their imperfectness. Rhenick stumbles with his spur-of-the-moment proposal, and Drusilla maybe shouldn’t be allowed a firearm. The story is gallant, heartfelt and thoroughly charming. The threatening situations never feel particularly dire, but that’s acceptable in this mostly lighthearted novel. I look forward to the second installment!