Friday Fives - Five Books I Need to Read By the End of the Year

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. My theme for my November Reading is Catching Up so here are 5 books I need to read by the end of the year.

1.  Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams - This is the third book in the Schuyler Sisters trilogy and I've read and enjoyed the other two so it's time I finish this up.

2.  The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell - This was the first Lisa Jewell that caught my eye but I've still yet to read it.

3.  Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima - This series looks so good but I need to read the first book first!

4.  The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor - I've had this on my TBR since it came out and decided this was the year to read it - now I need to actually do it.

5.  The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller - This has been on my TBR since I read a previous book by her and it looks like a perfect winter read.

Do you have any books on your list that you need to get read by the end of the year?

Road Trip Thursday - Books Set in Missouri

Every year I track the states and countries that I visit in my reading.  I'm trying to visit a few more states and countries so I'm looking for places I haven't visited yet this year.  Last month was Mississippi which is pretty close to home.  This month I'm going a little farther afield but not by much and looking for books set in Missouri.

1.  Family Skeletons by Rett MacPherson - I've had this genealogy focused cozy mystery series on my TBR forever.  It was published awhile ago so it can be a bit tricky to find but now that I see that it takes place in a state I haven't "visited" yet I might have to make more of an effort.

2.  A Good American by Alex George - I haven't heard anything about this one but I do love a family story and this looks like a good read.

3.  The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson - This is another one I haven't heard of before but it looks really good.

4.  The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean - I love a good middle grade adventure story and this looks like a fun one.

5.  If Bread Could Rise to the Occasion by Paige Shelton - I've read the first two in this cozy mystery series and enjoyed them so I should get back to it.

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2026.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Blurb:  Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible — a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

My Thoughts:  I've actually read this author before when I read Daisy Darker but she wasn't an author I really had an opinion about so I wanted to try more by her.  This was an interesting read with a very unlikable narrator and I was never quite sure what I thought of him or really any of the characters.  I did guess a lot of what was going on but there were a few spins that surprised me.  The pacing was good if a little repetitive and the ending was a little more open ended than I prefer.  This was an enjoyable read but I'm not sure this author's writing style and stories really work for me.  I'm glad I read this and would recommend it if you're looking for a quick psychological thriller (especially in the audio format) but I think I'm good without more of Alice Feeney's books.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Characters I Wish Were Real

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Ten Characters I Wish Were Real.  I read a lot of mysteries so most of the characters I interact with fictionally aren't always the best people but there were still a few that I wouldn't mind knowing in real life.

1.  Meg Langslow and Family from the Donna Andrews cozy mystery series- I don't think I want to be a close friend or even an acquaintance as they tend to be murdered or suspected of murder but I would love to visit any event Meg's mom organizes, buy some of Meg's ironwork or visit the zoo run by her grandfather.

2.  Phee and the Book Club Ladies from J.C. Eaton's Booked 4 Murder series - I would love to hear Phee's everyday stories involving her mother and the rest of the crew.

3.  Dolly and Stewart from Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan - They were both just such lovely people I'd love for them to actually exist.

4.  Jane Marple from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series - I would love to sit next to her on the veranda of some beachside resort.  Her observations and stories would be amazing.  I would even learn how to knit for that!

5.  Evelyn Sharpe from The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson - I really want to visit a sentient building and this is my favorite one at the moment and Evelyn seems absolutely lovely with a good dash of brains and grit.

6.  Mrs. Pollifax from the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman - How many people can you get both gardening tips AND spy stories from?

7.  Pretty much every character Heather Webber has ever written - I love pretty much all her characters and would love to live - or at least visit - some of her worlds.

8.  Sonya MacTavish from the Seven Brides trilogy by Nora Roberts - I liked Sonya fine but I would 100% be using her to explore that house!

9.  Jessica Fletcher from the Murder, She Wrote series both in book and TV form - Again, I'm not sure I'd like to even be an acquaintance as the chances of being murdered or accused of murder are very high but I would like to hear all the gossip about what she's doing and I would definitely pick up her books. 

10. Molly Kimball from The Cambridge Bookshop series by Elizabeth Penney - This is another place more than person.  Molly seems nice but I really just want to visit the bookstore.

What characters from fiction do you wish were real?

Jay to the World - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Jay to the World (Meg Langslow #40) by Donna Andrews

Rating:  Really Liked It (4.25 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description: The Christmas season is underway in Caerphilly. The members of the Hollingsworth clan, Meg’s mother’s family, are beginning to arrive in force, and Mother has several special projects underway this year. One is the playhouse she’s having built for Brynn, her two-year-old granddaughter. Brynn is a bright, lively child who loves animals, especially a wounded jay that she and Meg are trying to rehabilitate. She’s also hoping to play matchmaker and set up her cousin with an old friend of hers who was recently widowed.

But all is not going smoothly in Caerphilly. Someone vandalizes the playhouse and sets a dangerous trap that injures and could have killed Mother. She reveals that she has been getting nasty anonymous letters, and it’s obvious that someone is targeting her. Meg realizes she has to do something to figure out who could possibly have it in for her mom.

Meg juggles holiday preparations and celebrations while investigating these potential enemies – not to mention helping repair the damaged playhouse, taking her turn at nursing the wounded jay, and trying to coax Mother’s elderly cousin into a reunion with his long-lost love. When one of Meg’s suspects is found dead under suspicious circumstances, the family rejoices that Mother is out of danger. But Meg isn’t quite sure they’re out of the woods just yet.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book: I've really enjoyed everything in this series that I've read and the holiday mysteries are always my favorite.

My Impression: This series always has a strong theme of chaos and this one is no different.  When I start a Meg Langslow book I know there are going to be a bunch of subplots and even more cousins and other random side characters with a helping of birds.  This was no different.  The mystery itself was a bit different though.  There's no dead body but there is quite a lot of mystery - someone is targeting Meg's mom and everyone is determined to figure out who it is and prevent them from doing their worst.  There are also missing angels, a sabotaged pollinator bed, blue jays both real and fake, and Meg's mom is busy matchmaking trying to fix a breakup that she feels shouldn't have happened.

The mysteries are entertaining and some touch on much darker issues. It was fun to watch everything unravel as the group rushes to make sure nothing worse happens.  I always enjoy this series and this was no different.  I love the main characters and the writing always pulls me in.  I liked that Minerva had a larger role than normal and I'm hoping that Lori and Graham will show up in future books.

This is a long running series with a huge cast of characters.  This one may be an easier one to jump in with as long as you don't get too caught up on figuring out who all the minor characters are.  I've enjoyed all the books I've read so far in this series though I'm missing most of the middle books and it is a series that's getting more enjoyable as it goes on.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to the next book and am excited to catch up on the earlier books in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy cozy mysteries, I would definitely recommend this series and while this is one you could start with the more in the series you read the more invested you are.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Month in Reading - October 2026

Monthly Reading Total: 15

Type:

Print - 5

Ebook - 4 

Audio - 6

Genre:

Mystery - 9 

Fiction - 4

Nonfiction - 1

Romance - 1

Favorite Books of the Month:

The Third to Die by Allison Brennan - This police procedural was such a page turner and I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author.

Favorite Audio:  The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston - I'm not a big fan of time travel but this was more of a timeline slip and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Monthly Armchair Reading:  

Domestic Travel:  I visited Washington for the first time this year and revisited Arizona, Maine, New York, North Carolina, and Massachussetts.

International Travel:  I went to England 4 times, Ireland, Scotland, and Austria

Friday Fives - November TBR

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. Since this is the first Friday in November, I'm planning my November TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in November.

1.  Birth of the Witch by Nora Roberts - This is the first in Nora Roberts' latest trilogy and I'm so excited to read it.

2.  The Luck Runs Out by Charlotte Macleod - This is the next book in the Peter Shandy series and I really enjoyed the first one so I'm looking forward to it.

3.  A Gala Event by Sheila Connolly - I'm on the downhill slope of this series with only two left.  This is one of the first cozy series I started reading and it'll be nice to finish it.

4.  The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor - This month I'm focusing on books I've been meaning to read and this book is at the top of that list.

5.  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - This is another book I've been meaning to read and one I've heard nothing but good things about.

What are you hoping to read in November?