I chose this one on the off-chance it might actually be a ghost story. While it sort of is, I’m not actually going to count it as my ghost story, as I feel the final emphasis is on something much more psychological and emotional. Let me explain. The premise of this novel is fairly simple. Lainey Taylor’s husband is an alcoholic and someone who has become a danger to her and her daughter. Her threats to leave have merely sparked threats from him and his rich and powerful mother to deprive her access to her daughter. As any other rational woman would think, the obvious answer is to set up an elaborate fake haunting in order to torture an already mentally disturbed man into tucking his tail between his legs and heading for the hills. I mean, that doesn’t over-complicate things at all, right? It’s completely and normal and rational for a suburban mom to go to such lengths to get away from a terrible man.
As you can see, I was very turned off by this premise. Even if I didn’t like Callum and recognized the importance of removing him from the family environment, Lainey’s methods were so unhinged that I wasn’t sure either was an appropriate caretaker for a child. This whole novel is a testament to how toxicity breeds more toxicity. The supernatural elements were much more rooted in the actual shitshow being manifested by these two people who were no longer good for each other. It’s not lost on me that there’s an element of reality to this outlandish plot, especially when it comes to divorce and custody matters. Feuding parents can sometimes allow their own issues to spiral out of control twisting their originally good intentions for protecting their children into something that is more harmful to the children in the long run.
It can be quite ugly to confront those inner demons that twist us into someone we never thought we were capable of becoming. The grotesque and frightening aspect to the haunting in this novel becomes a very personal and uncomfortable image when framed in this light. When viewing the book from that perspective, I gained a lot more respect and insight into what Carmen was trying to accomplish, and it made my own discomfort with the main character and her actions much easier to stomach. Lainey’s best friend and partner in crime? Well, I think she may be a sadist. She enjoyed torturing a man way too much. That’s a matter for another day. She certainly helped keep things interesting. It’s clear Lainey (for all intents and purposes, a doormat) would have never taken such drastic steps without someone pushing her gullible butt into it. If anything, I didn’t really like how this third party’s role in all the chaos was just swept under the rug and forgotten. There are more than two people here who need therapy.
Overall, I found this book highly frustrating but I appreciate what it tries to say. I wasn’t overly fond of any characters, but that’s sort of the point. It may not make for more enjoyable reading, but it does give the reader something to ponder.
Published October 7, 2026 by Thomas & Mercer. ISBN 9781662530746. 337 pages. Paperback.
Arthur Pepper, aged 69, is at a pivotal time in life. Recently widowed, he wakes every morning wanting little more than to slog through his daily routine with little contact with the outside world. He wakes at the same time, wears the same clothes, and cares for his only companion, Frederica the fern. Oh, and he attempts to avoid the well-meaning also-widowed neighbor who has adopted him as her current “lost cause” in need of fresh baked goods. On the one-year anniversary of his beloved wife’s death, however, he finds a beautiful piece of Miriam’s jewelry he’d never seen hidden inside an old shoe. Attached to a lovely gold bracelet are a series of charms, each of which holds a story that will lead Arthur on a journey to discover Miriam’s secret past.
I originally chose this novel as a Haunted House book for my reading challenge, but I have changed my mind. While there is that element of the creepy family home of hidden terrors that plague the nightmares of the now-grown children, that’s not really what this book is about. People looking for tense moments of aching dread, jump scares, and ghoulish imagery will need to look elsewhere. This novel is so much more introspective.
If you’ve followed my blog a while, you may have noticed I don’t read a lot of science fiction. I’m far from an aficionado, but I do have some favorites in the genre. Andy Weir comes to mind as someone who’s blown me away with his tightly-crafted and scientifically-convincing works. I love when someone can lay out for me a scientific future that really makes sense. It feels possible and concrete. It doesn’t really take much, as I would be rubbish at explaining the mechanics of anything involving space or space travel. I find it fascinating but know nothing. That’s sort of why I added galactic science fiction to my reading challenge this year, hoping to maybe find my next Project Hail Mary-esque obsession.
Alka Joshi has this knack for creating memorable narratives. This novel, loosely based on the story of the artist, Amrita Sher-Gil, a celebrated female painter of the early 20th century, follows Sona, a nurse in a hospital in Bombay. When Sona meets the famous painter, Mira Novak, the fictionalized character drawn from the inspiration of Sher-Gil, Sona finds herself sent out on her own journey of self discovery that leads her out of India on a trek across some of the most famous and culturally rich cities in Europe. 
Boy, do I have mixed feelings about this one. Voyage of the Damned is the debut 2024 novel by Frances White, and her second novel is slated for a 2026 release. On her goodreads profile, this novel is described as a “magical gay murder cruise.” That is an incredibly apt surface description, but there is a lot more going on here.
How many authors can continuously churn out books that rake in well more than a 4 star average? Not many, but Fredrik Backman is one of them. He’s a prolific author, and it’s amazing he’s able to have the kind of quality to his writing considering the quantity of work he’s released. I have literally never read a Backman book I didn’t love. And I’ve never read one that didn’t make me cry, that’s for sure. This novel may very well be his best in overall depth of feeling. Like all his others, he crafts a story not with action sequences, thrills, and mysteries. He makes a work of art. Shades of people, light and dark, that all blend together to make something perfect and powerful. 
I can safely say this is unlike any other book I’ve read. For being billed an adult novel, it certainly has a very middle-grade children’s book vibe. The story is very sweet but simple and exudes magic from every angle. It imagines a lovely world in which an eager young woman goes to work in a department store that sells dreams. Each night every man, woman, child, and animal can visit and buy dreams of their choosing. They do not remember the purchase, but the dreams are experienced as designed. The cast of characters is as colorful as the cover art, and the concept is extremely compelling. 
A Librarian and Her Books 