Merlin’s Tour of the Universe by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Posted on 01/26/2026 | Leave a comment
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Subtitle: A Traveler’s Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far

Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: Black Stone Publishing, 2024

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Nonfiction

Source: Personal Collection

This was a clever way to deliver complex concepts in astrophysics in bit-sized morsels.  It’s nonfiction delivered by a fictional character in an advice-column format and the anecdotal nature of the book is quite accessible.  It was an easy two-sitting read and I enjoyed jotting down new-to-me tidbits, like only one in six people live in the southern hemisphere, and Pluto’s demotion had less to do with its size and more to do with its orbit.  It’s fun, simplified introduction to the universe and I’m looking forward to reading the second volume.

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Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

Posted on 01/24/2026 | Leave a comment
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Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: St. Martin’s Press, June 2026

Format: ARC

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher

Decades after tragedy chased her away from Beauport, Massachusetts, Holly is returning to her family’s summer cottage to settle affairs following her mother’s death. With great reluctance, she settles in to write her next book.  Her mediocre writing career isn’t supporting her financially, so she needs to come up with something exceptional.  Luckily, drama has followed Holly to Beauport – or maybe it never left.

The Carmichaels are the richest family in Beauport and they’ve kept their secrets well-hidden for years. More than twenty years ago on the Carmichael’s estate a freak accident/possible homicide took the life of Holly’s sister Anna, and Holly is unsatisfied with the results of the investigation.  Someone is watching Holly and warning her away from Beauport in sinister ways.  This was an entertaining mystery with many seemingly unconnected threads that came together in the end. 

I liked the spunky teenage runaway, Jade, that Holly takes under her wing.  Jade had come to Beauport to solve her own mystery – the source of a Jade pendant with Beauport, Mass stamped on the back that she found hidden in her parents’ drawer.  Jade’s origin story has more to do with Holly’s past than anyone could realize and the conclusion offered a nice explanation. I enjoyed how the chapters were interspersed with chapters from the book Holly had been writing prior to Anna’s death.  The psychic spin was a little corny, but otherwise, the characters were decent, the locale was atmospheric, the mystery was solid, and I appreciated the idea of a book within the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Also by Jamie Day:

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The Dahlia Suite by Carinn Jade

Posted on 01/15/2026 | Leave a comment
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Rating: * (1/5)

Published: Atria Books, July 2026

Format: ARC

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover, the title, the locale, and because one of the main characters was a writer.  The story alternates between three women’s first person perspectives.  Paige is hoping for some inspiration for her book while she’s staying at the exclusive Beck Island resort of Suenos.  Actress Lindsay Law is hiding out there after a devastating Oscar loss.  The third character is the resort’s concierge, Gabby.  Oh, and Beck Island used to be owned by Oscar-winning actress Mara Morgan who tragically died when her house burned down.

Get ready for a hot mess.  I knew as soon as they started referencing Zodiac signs and had psychic readings done that this was going to be a bit ridiculous.  I had no idea how bad it was going to be (“divine feminine power,” eyeroll).  Mediums and tarot cards aside, the plot holes and inconsistencies were infuriating.  The way the characters interacted was frustrating, too.  One chapter they are encouraging and empowering each other, the next they are backstabbing and condescending, then they’re besties again. 

If this had been a straightforward murder mystery in a beautiful location, it would have been successful.  But Jade tried incorporating too many elements, including the supernatural mumbo jumbo, and the storytelling was just convoluted and bad.  I literally kept looking up from reading to declare, “This is so stupid.” 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

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When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

Posted on 01/11/2026 | Leave a comment
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Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: St. Martin’s Press, February 2026

Format: ARC

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher

Nell Masters is an unreliable narrator.  15 years previously, she was Elle Nugent.  Elle witnessed a woman getting in a stranger’s car and the next day that woman was found murdered.  As a potential witness, Elle is sure she identified the stranger and that he is the woman’s killer.  Taking maters into her own hands, her actions have devastating consequences, so devastating that she has to change her name and assume a new identity.

Nell is convinced her past is back to haunt her and that someone who knows who she was is stalking her.  Her paranoia borders on delusional, and the unassuming life she thought she created starts to crack.  But is Nell really being targeted, or is she just being obsessive?

I liked how the first half alternated between Then and Now to establish Elle/Nell’s unreliability.  She becomes suspicious of everyone in her small social circle, even her boyfriend Alex.  When she learns that Alex’s last two relationships ended in tragedy, she becomes even more paranoid and we can’t entirely trust her rationality.  I enjoy British domestic thrillers and though Elle/Nell’s behavior is sometimes exasperating, it was overall entertaining.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Also by B.A. Paris:

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The New Neighbors by Claire Douglas

Posted on 01/04/2026 | Leave a comment
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Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: Harper Perennial, February 2026

Format: ARC

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher

I love a good British domestic thriller and this was my first encounter with Douglass. I was not disappointed.  She sucked me in to the multilayered story of Lena and her growing suspicion of her new neighbors, the Morgans.  Marielle and Henry Morgan are just a bit too polished and when Lena overhears a conversation between them that she thinks is “sus,” everything they do going forward arouses even more distrust. 

Yes, Lena is a flawed and nosey character with too much time on her hands to snoop on the Morgans.  With her estranged husband having moved out and her teenage son busy with college courses, she takes it upon herself to learn more about the Morgans and the lies she thinks they’re telling. It wasn’t super suspenseful, but it was entertaining to see how wrong Lena was in some aspects and how right she was in others.  I enjoyed how the mystery incorporated Lena’s past as a midwife-in-training and how all the threads tied together in the end. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

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1491 by Charles C. Mann

Posted on 12/31/2025 | Leave a comment
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Subtitle: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: Vintage, 2005

Format: Trade Paperback

Genre: Nonfiction

Source: Personal Collection

I’m not particularly a connoisseur of American history, but I did appreciate learning about the pre-Columbian Americas.  Considering how many different cultures and communities evolved on the two continents, Mann makes the vast scope of this history accessible.  I was impressed by how sophisticated these societies were and how they shaped the land to their benefit.  From Peru to Bolivia, the Yucatan to Atlantic Northeast, I was fascinated to see how the people lived before they were exposed to the disease and degradation of European explorers.  This is far beyond anything I ever learned from my text books!

Also by Charles C. Mann:  1493 

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The Fair Weather Friend by Jessie Garcia

Posted on 12/30/2025 | Leave a comment
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Rating: *** (3/5)

Published: St. Martin’s Press, January 2026

Format: ARC

Genre: Mystery

Source: Publisher

The city of Detroit adores their channel 9 meteorologist Faith Richards.  Her coworkers, however, not so much.  Her charming on camera persona certainly clashes with her diva antics in the studio and when she’s found murdered, Detroit is shocked, but not everyone is surprised.

Told from multiple perspectives, we can see how the weekend meteorologist, a station intern (and her fangirl aunt), a creepy stalker, and others perceived her.  I had a pretty good idea that Faith’s death was not as straightforward as we were led to believe.  Then again, how straightforward is being strangled in your car?  And of course, you have the annoying characters who think they can solve a murder investigation better than the police.  Despite the clunky dialogue and a few cliché plot points, it was a decent domestic mystery with a predictable twist.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

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Tombland by C.J. Sansom

Posted on 12/24/2025 | Leave a comment
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Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: Mulholland Books, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

Matthew Shardlake is back in what I thought would be a Tudor-era murder mystery.  But historical events intervene and put Matthew and his compatriots in the greatest dangers they have yet faced.  Initially, Matthew is summoned by Lady Elizabeth to investigate the murder of a distant Boleyn cousin’s wife.  When they get to Norfolk and start making inquiries into the lady’s death, they are swept up in a rebellion.

This is a relatively unheard-of episode of Tudor history that I was previously unfamiliar with.  During Edward VI’s minority reign, the head of his council, his uncle Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, promises reform for landowners who are illegally enclosing sheep pastures and evicting their poor tenants.  When these lower classes revolt against Somerset’s inaction despite his guarantees, Matthew, Nicholas, and Jack are swept up in the hysteria.  They are taken into the rebels’ camp to provide legal guidance to their leader who is putting captured gentlemen to trial in the name of the king and Protector.  What follows is not concession, but a series of horrible battles. 

I’m not going to lie, it was a long, demanding book, but incredibly detailed and involved, considering Matthew is in the thick of things.  Even as he is entrenched with the rebels, he pursues the mystery of the true murderer.  I was really pleased with how things turned out for Matthew, but I am disappointed this will be the last of the Shardlake books upon Sansom’s death.  I am curious how Matthew’s life will fare beyond the rebellion now that he is much changed.

Also by C.J. Sansom:

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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer

Posted on 11/30/2025 | Leave a comment
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Subtitle: A History of Nazi Germany

Rating: **** (4/5)

Published: Simon & Schuster, 1960

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Nonfiction

Source: Personal Collection

It took me over a year to finish it, but I finally got through the most comprehensive book of the Nazi regime ever written.  I learned more about the Rise than anything else and took the most notes about the pre-war ascent of Hitler and his cronies.  I have a better understanding about how strategic and patient Hitler had been to achieve his unfathomable goals.  But it was a slog, with nearly 300 pages of posturing for power before achieving totalitarian leadership. 

The most successful part of this narrative was how Shirer outlined the specific chains of events that had to occur so precisely for Nazi success.  Additionally, I was previously unaware of how many missed opportunities there were to avoid Hitler’s dominance, war, and mass murder.

I don’t need to summarize the bulk of this behemoth, but I do feel quite proud of having tackled it! It was challenging, it was incredibly detailed, and it was an accomplishment…

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Queen Esther by John Irving

Posted on 11/21/2025 | Leave a comment
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Rating: *** (3/5)

Published: Simon & Schuster, November 2025

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

As much as I adore Irving, I was mildly disappointed in Queen Esther.  It is not a prequel to Cider House Rules.  Dr. Larch is merely a vehicle in which our titular character is delivered to the Winslow family to be a nanny for their youngest daughter, Honor.  Esther isn’t even our main character – the story primarily focuses on Jimmy Winslow and the complexities of his origin.  Jimmy is Esther’s son, and though she gave birth to him, she gives him to adult Honor to raise and skedaddles to Israel to fulfill her obligations to her Jewish heritage.

The first part of the book was standard Irving hilarity and I loved getting to know the Winslows and Esther’s backstory as an orphan in Dr. Larch’s institution.  When Jimmy is in college, he spends a year abroad in Vienna, and that is the bulk of the book.  We meet his roommates and an array of other characters he encounters in the city.  They spend most of their time pondering who Jimmy should knock up so he can be exempt from the Viet Nam draft.  Not much happens for a couple hundred pages and it’s not as charmingly anecdotal as Irving’s other novels.

When he returns to the States, the rest of Jimmy’s life is quickly summarized in the last few chapters. I thought it was rather anticlimactic and lacked the clever Irving-esque punchlines I have come to expect.  I never thought Irving could let me down, and as much as I liked his characters, I didn’t love the story.

Also by John Irving:

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