⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Midnight Estate is a fresh departure for Kelly Rimmer, and I was here for it. Known for emotional historical fiction, Rimmer shifts gears with a dual-timeline mystery full of family secrets, buried truths, and a book that just might know too much. When Fiona inherits her family’s crumbling estate, she also discovers an unfinished manuscript that echoes her own life. The story-within-a-story device is a fun twist and adds another layer of intrigue. I appreciated how the timelines played off one another, slowly revealing hidden connections and long-held grudges. While some call it “gothic,” I didn’t really get that vibe. Yes, there’s an old house and some dark […]
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Lost Books, Found Ambition: A Look at The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
⭐️⭐️ I’ll admit it—if a book involves a library, I’m probably going to read it. So Eva Jurczyk’s The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections had me from the title alone. It’s set in a dusty, prestigious university library where a rare manuscript disappears, and a quiet, second-in-command librarian named Liesl suddenly finds herself in charge. The mystery is a good one. The missing books aren’t just generic plot devices—they’re authentic historical works, and Jurczyk (a librarian at the University of Toronto herself) clearly knows the world she’s writing about. That behind-the-scenes look at special collections was easily my favorite part. Where it fell short for me was tone and cohesion. […]
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Smart and Sassy: A Book Club Worth Joining
This one reminded me so much of Lorna Landvik’s Angry Wives Eating Bon Bons—strong women, suburban setting, and a whole lot of heart. Set in early 1960s Virginia, The Book Club for Troublesome Women follows four women who start reading The Feminine Mystique and suddenly start seeing their own lives in a new light. From tea and cake to personal revolutions—it escalates quickly. The real beauty of this novel is in the friendships. Margaret, Bitsy, Charlotte, and Viv are flawed, funny, brave, and loyal. Their bond feels authentic, and their individual arcs show how liberating (and scary) it can be to start dreaming again after years of playing it safe. […]
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The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) This novel had so much going for it—a dual timeline, a real historical figure, and a mystery rooted in the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. I went in eager to learn more about Eleanor Dare, a woman I find absolutely fascinating. And while the premise had great potential, the execution didn’t quite live up to it. The story follows Alice, a war widow, and her daughter, Penn, as they return to their family’s ancestral home in the 1940s. There, they begin to uncover secrets tied to their lineage and the legacy of Eleanor Dare. The emotional threads—grief, identity, forgiveness, and healing—are the strongest parts of […]
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A Willy Wonka-esque Premise
Lucy Hart knows all too well what it’s like to grow up without loving parents. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found solace in books, especially the Clock Island series by reclusive author Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she shares her love of reading with her young students, particularly seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who tragically lost his parents and became an orphan. Lucy dreams of adopting Christopher, but she lacks the funds and stability to make it happen. Jack Masterson, the mega-bestselling author of the Clock Island series, quit writing under mysterious circumstances and for the past six years has been drinking himself into an early […]
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A Magical Journey of Love, Loss, and Connection
The Lost Bookshop is a heartwarming blend of mystery, historical fiction, and contemporary storytelling, woven together through a magical bookshop brimming with secrets. The novel follows three storylines: In 1921, Opaline defies societal norms by escaping a forced marriage and finding refuge at a bookstore in Paris. In the present, Martha rebuilds her life after fleeing an abusive marriage, and Henry searches for a missing manuscript tied to the enigmatic bookshop. At its heart, the story centers on a hidden bookshop that transcends time and space, offering solace and second chances. Woods’ vivid descriptions bring the settings to life, from Dublin to Paris, and the bookshop itself, with its dusty […]
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A Novel About the Power of Books
3.5 rounded up to 4 If you love the smell of old books and the worlds they unlock, The Bookbinder will resonate with you. Set in 1914 Oxford, the novel follows 21-year-old twins, Peggy and Maude, who work at the Oxford University Press bindery. Peggy, captivated by the books she binds, longs for an education beyond her reach as a working-class woman. Meanwhile, Maude, who is developmentally disabled, finds contentment in their simple life, leaving Peggy to shoulder the responsibility for her sister. As World War I looms, women keep the nation running while men fight. Williams weaves historical detail with themes of class, gender, and literature’s transformative power. Peggy’s […]
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A Tale of Mystery and Enchantment
As a follower of Christ, Patti Callahan Henry understands our purpose and the promise of eternity in Heaven. Viewing The Secret Book of Flora Lea through this lens enhances its power. In this mesmerizing novel, Hazel Linden’s world is upended when she discovers a rare book revealing long-held secrets about her missing sister, Flora. The story begins in 1939, with fourteen-year-old Hazel and her five-year-old sister, Flora, evacuated to the English countryside during World War II. The sisters find solace with Bridie Aberdeen and her son, Harry, in a village along the River Thames. Hazel creates Whisperwood, a magical fairy tale world, to distract Flora from the war. But their […]
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The Last Chance Library
“Libraries are like a net, there to catch those of us in danger of falling through the cracks.” ― Freya Sampson, The Last Chance Library. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson casts a warm glow on the cozy little world of June Jones, a shy librarian in a quaint English village. The library is June’s safety net until it’s not. The threat of losing her beloved library to budget cuts forces June out from the stacks to stand up for her community’s beating heart. This book wraps you up in its comforting embrace like a well-worn cardigan. With a quirky cast of oddball patrons that feel lifted from a village party, […]
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The Reading List
“It was strange, the idea that this book wasn’t just for him, it was for everyone. All these people who had taken it out before him, people who would take it out after him. They might have read it on a beach, on the train, on the bus, in the park, in their living room. On the toilet? He hoped not! Every reader, unknowingly connected in some small way. He was about to be a part of this too.”—Sara Nisha Adams, The Reading List. Aleisha, a teenager working as a library clerk in Wembley, North London, stumbles upon a life-changing discovery—a list of eight classic novels titled “Just in […]
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