Gulp by Mary Roach

Title: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. 2013

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 348

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader - Science

Where I Got It: Library

“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: the questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? In Gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of―or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. With Roach at our side, we travel the world, meeting murderers and mad scientists, Eskimos and exorcists (who have occasionally administered holy water rectally), rabbis and terrorists―who, it turns out, for practical reasons do not conceal bombs in their digestive tracts.

Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies.

Another book full of Mary Roach’s dry wit and interesting science stories. I will admit that this one made me a bit uncomfortable a few times. Reading about the alimentary canal can get gross sometimes. But the interesting facts and the stories are so involved and fascination that I got over my gag reflex. I will be continuing to slowly make my way through all of Roach’s books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Through Gates of Garnet and Cold by Seanan McGuire

Title: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2026

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 149

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Published in 2026; New Releases

Where I Got It: Library

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?

I didn’t realize that this series was continuing until I saw it on a featured Goodreads list. I immediately put a hold on it from the library. In this volume, we get to revisit the Halls of the Dead and solve a mystery of the hunger ghosts along with some character favorites. I loved see the ragtag group piece out the mystery and learn exactly who was behind the killings. Those parts were fun. My big complaint was that it felt like nothing was really resolved between the characters. Rather than a complete novella, it felt more like an intermediate chapter. Wondering if we are going to get another book and who it will focus on.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

• #9 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

• #10 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

• #11 Through Gates of Garnet and Gold

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 4

Title: Death Note Vol. 4

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 204

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

With two Kiras on the loose, L asks Light to join the task force and pose as the real Kira in order to catch the copycat. L still suspects Light and figures that this is the perfect excuse to get closer to his quarry. Light agrees to the plan in order to have free access to the task force resources. But when Light manages to contact the new Kira, he discovers that his rival is anything but as expected. Will Light escape from love unscathed?

I am left a bit out of sorts at the end of this volume. What happens to the new Kira? I really don’t want that storyline to be shelved… I’m hoping she plays a part in the upcoming power struggles between L and Light. And we get to see more from the various shinigamis.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 3

Title: Death Note Vol. 3

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2006

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 193

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light is chafing under L's extreme surveillance, but even 64 microphones and cameras hidden in his room aren't enough to stop Light. He steps up the game, but before the battle of wits can really begin, a family emergency distracts him. But even though Light isn't using the Death Note right now, someone else is! Who's the new "Kira" in town?

Oh who’s this new “Kira”? I am very intrigued by this turn of events. We get more back and forth between L and Light and their cat and mouse game that only Light knows for certain that he is playing. We get more information about the Death Note and more rules explained. Some of the scenes get a bit long-winded, but I’m still very much into the storyline.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 2

Title: Death Note Vol. 2

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2004

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 197

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light thinks he's put an end to his troubles with the FBI--by using the Death Note to kill off the FBI agents working the case in Japan! But one of the agents has a fiancée who used to work in the Bureau, and now she's uncovered information that could lead to Light's capture. To make matters worse, L has emerged from the shadows to work directly with the task force headed by Light's father. With people pursuing him from every direction, will Light get caught in the conflux?

Still into this story. I love the inclusion of a new character and giant wrinkle to Light’s plans. That was fun while it lasted. I’m interested to see where the story goes next…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 1

Title: Death Note Vol. 1

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2004

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 195

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

This series has been on my TBR list for years now. I finally got around to actually starting it this week. We jump right into the story and immediately I was intrigued by the characters and ethical questions. Light thinks of himself as a good person and a hero in this story, but is he really? The audience definitely has some questions about his behavior. I am very interested in seeing how he grows and changes throughout this story. And Ryuk is such a great “devil on his shoulder” for Light. I cannot wait to learn more about the Death Note and the rules that haven’t been revealed. I will be continuing reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Title: Lights Out (Into Darkness #1)

Author: Navesaa Allen

Publisher: Slowburn 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Dark Psychology (Mirror Wing: Stalker romance or romantic thriller); Cover Lover - Minimal cover art/design

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

I have seen this book absolutely everywhere, which of course made me very suspicious that it was any good. I finally picked it up after a friend confirmed that they liked it. We dive right into a stalker romance with two very strong leads. I immediately fell for Aly and her dark humor and resilience. It took a bit more for me to warm up to Josh, but that was mostly due to the constant reminders of his insecurities. Once he started opening up, I was all in. The conceit is a bit ridiculous and definitely leans fantasy as opposed to realistic romance. But, I was all in for the fantasy this week. I loved the push and pull between the lead characters. The tension and play was perfect. I will admit that once we get the mob involved in the storyline, I ended up taking off a star. The story almost turned into a comedy and I wasn’t loving the tone shift. I still really enjoyed this one and will read more from the author.

Into Darkness

• #1 Lights Out

• #2 Caught Up

• #3 Game On

Next up on the TBR pile:

Voices in the Snow by Darcy Coates

Title: Voices in the Snow (Black Winter #1)

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press 2019

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR - Snowy Setting; Cover Lover - Ice in some form

Where I Got It: Library

Clare remembers the cold. She remembers abandoned cars and children's toys littered across the road. She remembers dark shapes in the snow and a terror she can't explain. And then... nothing. When she wakes, aching and afraid in a stranger's gothic home, he tells her she was in an accident, a crash in the snow. He claims he saved her. Clare wants to leave, but a vicious snowstorm has blanketed the world in white, trapping them together, and there's nothing she can do but wait.

At least the stranger seems kind... but Clare doesn't know if she can trust him. He promised they were alone here, but she sees and hears things that convince her something else is creeping about the surrounding woods, watching. Waiting. Between the claustrophobic storm and the inescapable sense of being hunted, Clare is on edge... and increasingly certain of one thing:

Her car crash wasn't an accident. Something is waiting for her to step outside the fragile safety of the house... something monstrous, something unfeeling.

Something desperately hungry.

I wanted something wintery. I wanted something propulsive. I wanted something creepy and maybe even a bit scary. I got everything I wanted in this book. I loved the mounting tension through the majority of the chapters. We really do not know if Clare is a reliable narrator for almost the entire time. It created a sense of unease that I ate up! And Dorran was such a mystery. I kept going back and forth about him until the end. As it stands, the creepy appearances were perfectly creepy. My only complaint was the reveal of who was controlling the “people.” I didn’t love that. But I will keep reading in this series.

Black Winter

• #1 Voices in the Snow

• #2 Secrets in the Dark

• #3 Whispers in the Mist

• #4 Silence in the Shadows

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hooked by Emily McIntire

Title: Hooked (Never After #1)

Author: Emily McIntire

Publisher: Bloom Books 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 397

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Romanceopoly - Velvet Room (Dark romance with walking red-flag love interest); Fairytale retelling - Peter Pan

Where I Got It: Under the Cover, Kansas City, Retreat Weekend 2025

Spice Rating: 6

James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.

I picked this up last Bookish Retreat at the romance book store, I do love a morally grey love interest and a romance filled with dark themes. I was excited that this was a Hook centered romance. But somehow I completely missed that this was a straight romance, no fantasy elements at all. Thankfully I still really enjoyed this one. Hook is out for revenge and thinks Wendy is going to be the perfect tool to achieve that revenge. Instead, Hook finds himself drawn to Wendy. On the other side, Wendy breaks out of shell and figures out what she wants. I loved the twists and turns and all the murdery bits. I love the combination of murder and romance. I think the genre mashup is my sweet spot. This volume ends with a HEA, but I’m excited to keep reading McIntire’s redone fairy tales.

Never After

• #1 Hooked

• #2 Scarred

• #3 Wretched

• #4 Twisted

• #5 Crossed

• #6 Hexed

Next up on the TBR pile:

What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

Title: What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3)

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2025

Genre: Horror

Pages: 179

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR - Horror; Cover Lover - Compound word in title or author’s name

Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin―who went missing in that very mine―well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do...

Another really good novella featuring the indomitable Alex Easton! This time finds our hero deep in an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia searching for a friend’s cousin. Of course Easton is going to find something creepy and probably dangerous down in that mine. I love how Kingfisher can ramp up the tension throughout the chapter until the big reveal to Alex and the audience. This one wasn’t quite as terrifying as the first one or as atmospheric as the second one, but it was definitely a solid horror novella. I cannot wait to see what Kingfisher dreams up next for our favorite Sworn Soldier.

Sworn Soldier

• #1 What Moves the Dead

• #2 What Feasts at Night

• #3 What Stalks the Deep

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sphere by Michael Crichton

Title: Sphere

Author: Michael Crichton

Publisher: Ballantine Books 1987

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal - Leftover from 2025; Cover Lover - Does not include the words “and” or “the”

Where I Got It: Library

A classic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, Sphere is a bravura demonstration of what he does better than anyone: riveting storytelling that combines frighteningly plausible, cutting-edge science and technology with pulse-pounding action and serious chills. The gripping story of a group of American scientists sent to the ocean floor to investigate an alien ship, only to confront a terrifying discovery that defies imagination, Sphere is Crichton prime - truly masterful fiction from the ingenious mind that brought us Prey, State of Fear, and Jurassic Park.

It had been probably 20 years since I had read Sphere. I had decided that 2025 was the year to reread but never got around to it. Finally accomplished it this week. This is definitely in the top of Crichton books. It’s no Jurassic Park. or The Andromeda Strain, but it’s still a very solid scifi adventure story. Crichton is definitely an ideas man with his books. I don’t come for the characters or the dialogue. I come for the interesting questions he raises through adventure stories. In this one, we get an interesting take on reality and power with some great twists and turns. J and I rewatched the movie. till holds up!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Title: Binti (Binti #1)

Author: Nnedi Okorafor

Publisher: Tordotcom 2015

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 96

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Speculative Novella

Where I Got It: Library

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself ― but first she has to make it there, alive.

Our book club selection for January and it was a novella. I was glad for the shorter length after a frantic holiday season. We are dumped into a very strange world based partly on our own history and partly on imagination. It took me a few pages to get my bearings, but once there, I really enjoyed this short story about a woman discovering herself and the world outside her planet. I loved watching Binti transform in just a short amount of pages. She truly feels like a new character but also the same by the end. I am interested in seeing where this series goes. I may just pick up the other two books soon.

Binti

• #1 Binti

• #1.5 Sacred Fire

• #2 Home

• #3 The Night Masquerade

Next up on the TBR pile:

All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: All These Worlds (Bobiverse #3)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Worldbuilder Press 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Scifi with Spaceship or Space Station Setting; Cover Lover - X, Y, or Z in author’s name

Where I Got It: Our server

Being a sentient spaceship really should be more fun. But after spreading out through space for almost a century, Bob and his clones just can't stay out of trouble.

They've created enough colonies so humanity shouldn't go extinct. But political squabbles have a bad habit of dying hard, and the Brazilian probes are still trying to take out the competition. And the Bobs have picked a fight with an older, more powerful species with a large appetite and a short temper.

Still stinging from getting their collective butts kicked in their first encounter with the Others, the Bobs now face the prospect of a decisive final battle to defend Earth and its colonies. But the Bobs are less disciplined than a herd of cats, and some of the younger copies are more concerned with their own local problems than defeating the Others.

Yet salvation may come from an unlikely source. A couple of eighth-generation Bobs have found something out in deep space. All it will take to save the Earth and perhaps all of humanity is for them to get it to Sol - unless the Others arrive first.

And with this book, we come to the end of one arc in this series. I was definitely wanting to know what would happen with the Others, the Deltans, the last Earthlings, and every other random storyline. This book wraps many of those stories up with plausible endings. There’s no big deus ex machina here, just realistic space battles and human (Deltan, etc) failures and triumphs. I don’t think I love this series quite as much as J, but they are good fast-paced space centered scifi. The audio is well done and I can read one of these in a weekend while cleaning, organizing, or crafting. I will probably keep going after a short ear break.

Bobiverse

• #1 We are Legion (We are Bob)

• #2 For We are Many

• #3 All These Worlds

• #4 Heaven’s River

• #5 Not Till We are Lost

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Title: Tourist Season (Seasons of Carnage #1)

Author: Brynne Weaver

Publisher: Slowburn 2025

Genre: Horror Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal Winter - Romance; Romanceopoly - Secret Stacks Club (Plot Twist Pages); Cover Lover - Weapon from the board game Clue

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever.

You can hide in the farthest reaches of the deepest hell, and I will still drag you out. Even the devil can’t save you from me.

Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colorful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. With tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won’t let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary—and her aging mentor with a fading memory—at any cost. Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds.

But Nolan Rhodes isn’t your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. On every anniversary of the hit-and-run accident that fractured his life, Nolan slays another target. And he’s saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. The problem? Harper isn’t the monster he expected. And she won’t go down without a fight.

When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she’ll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage—including their fragile love.

Not quite to the level of the Ruinous Love trilogy, but I did thoroughly enjoy this book full of more murder than spicy scenes. I enjoyed the strange cat and mouse game the leads played throughout the chapters. We get to see two very broken people deal with traumatic pasts and find romance along the way. The murder scenes were delightful. My favorite was the hands clapping. Morpheus the murder bird was a great addition to all of those scenes. I loved the interactions between Harper and Arthur. The few spicy scenes were very strong. But I felt that the chemistry between Nolan and Harper was lacking a bit. I would have liked some more conversations and/or pining from either of them. The ending does have a cliffhanger, but Nolan and Harper gets a HEA or at least a happy-right-now. I will definitely be picking up the next book when it releases in June.

Seasons of Carnage

• #1 Tourist Season

• #2 Harvest Season

• #3 TBD

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Author: Megan Bannen

Publisher: Orbit 2022

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Historical (sorta)

Where I Got It: Rainy Day Books, Kansas City, MO June 2023

Spice Rating: 5

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.  

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. 

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.  

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

This is a very loose retelling of You’ve Got Mail, which honestly did not encourage me to read this book. I was not a fan of the movie and hesitated with this one. Thankfully the book is a very loose retelling with a lot more fantasy plot. I wasn’t quite sure about our main characters at first, but they quickly grew on me. I loved Mercy and her take charge attitude and drive. I loved her care for her family and the business. Hart was a little less likable, but he really started to warm up after being paired with Pen for work. And boy does this book have some great side characters. Zeddie and Pen were definitely my favorites, but there’s also something to be said for the nimkillin. Loved them! And throughout the interpersonal relationships and a bit of romance, we get a big mystery of the increase in drudges. I loved finding out all the threads were interconnected. After the success of this volume, I may just have to pick up the other two in the series.

Hart and Mercy

• #1 The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

• #2 The Undermining of Twyla and Frank

• #3 The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Title: Bingsu for Two

Author: Sujin Witherspoon

Publisher: Union Square & Co. 2025

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Foodie; She Reads Romance - New Adult

Where I Got It: Library

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

Completely by chance I happened upon this book at the library. And I’m so glad that I actually checked it out and dove in a few days ago. This is a typical angsty teen romance, but it also has a lot of heart and great banter in between ridiculous situations. The book reminded me of Emma Lorde’s Tweet Cute, but even more updated for today. We get two teens trying to find their own identities through the process of saving a family coffee shop. The characters are cute but also very real and relatable. They make mistakes but also grow and change for the better throughout the story. Witherspoon has crafted a cute story with propulsive writing that kept me turning the pages. I’m excited to see what the author writes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 9 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 9

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Inklore 2025

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

“The Underworld has a queen!”

Persephone and Hades are finally reunited when the banished goddess of spring returns to the Underworld to claim her rightful place as queen. Now that Hades and Persephone have defeated and imprisoned the power-hungry Kronos once more, nothing can keep them apart, and years of being separated have only made their desire for each other grow. But the other Olympians can’t help but meddle, pushing the pair to make things official with a coronation—and a wedding.

Ignoring the others who try to define their relationship, Hades and Persephone choose to take things at their own pace and focus on rebuilding the Underworld. They begin by investigating how Kronos was first able to escape, and they learn the horrifying truth that he has captured a powerful young god whose abilities help Kronos project his thoughts outside of Tartarus—thoughts he uses to plague Hera’s every waking moment. Though Kronos’s physical form is locked away, Olympus will never be free until they can rescue the child from the furious Titan’s grasp.

To save the realms, Persephone must figure out her fertility goddess powers and embrace her role as Queen of the Underworld—even as it takes her further from her mother’s expectations and her former place in the Mortal Realm.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 207–233 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Still really enjoying this series. I loved seeing Persephone start to come into her power and role as Queen of the Underworld. I loved seeing her take confident steps towards a full relationship with Hades. I loved seeing her stand up to some of the other characters, especially her mother. My biggest complaint is the seemingly confusing timeline. Some of the chapters are definitely not in linear order and it was a jarring transition to follow. I wish they had been labeled better. But I will keep reading this interpretation of the Greek myths. Only one more volume to go!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Lodge by Kayla Olson

Title: The Lodge

Author: Kayla Olson

Publisher: Atria Books 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read Around the USA - Vermont; She Reads Romance - Romcom; Cover Lover - Wintery Scene

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 2

Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.

Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.

But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.

Completely random holiday romance from the library that actually kept me interested and entertained. I didn’t even realize until the end that this book is essentially a closed door romance. I usually don’t read anything lower than a 5, but this one slipped through. Thankfully Olson has created a compelling story with some vivid characters and enough mystery to keep me picking it back up. I was sucked into the mystery of what happened to Jett and how as Alix going to ghostwrite Sebastian’s memoir. I was with the story until the third act. I was slightly annoyed by how Alix handled (or didn’t handle) her sister and then her sister’s photo leak. I felt like there needed to be a much more serious confrontation. But maybe that was just me. Overall, I enjoyed this snowy romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Title: Is a River Alive?

Author: Robert Macfarlane

Publisher: WW Norton & Company 2025

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Library

Hailed in the New York Times as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler,” Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.

Macfarlane takes readers on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada―imperiled respectively by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane’s house, a stream who flows through his own years and days.

The second Macfarlane book I’ve read, and while it’s not quite as good as Underland, it’s still an engaging piece of nonfiction science writing. This one is about rivers (of course given the title). He visits three river systems to try to understand the importance of rivers and their place in our world. I enjoyed the sections where he dive into the science behind the different rivers. The three chosen are vastly different and it was nice to dive into those differences scientifically. I loved learning about water systems and how they recycle and reuse the material around them. I enjoyed the history of each river system and learning how humans have altered those systems. Where the book started to fall apart were the longer sections at each section’s beginning where he spends more time telling you the history of a specific person. I’m sure they are all lovely people, but I wanted to get to the science and the nature. Overall, it’s a good read connecting humans and nature. I do want to keep picking up books by Macfarlane to sprinkle into my reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

Title: The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Royals and Romance #1)

Author: Sara Raasch

Publisher: Bramble 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 357

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Romanceopoly - The Holiday Spectacle (Holiday Theme)

Where I Got It: Library

Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

A random library find to bridge Spooky Season and Holiday Reads. Thank goodness it worked out. We get an alternate reality where all the holidays are embodied by ruling families. We meet the Princes of Christmas and Halloween and the Princess of Easter. From there we get some great situational romance opportunities and an underlying conspiracy. I loved the romance aspect. Seeing Coal and Hex get together was oh so cute and delightful. My issue came from the underlying conspiracy. Things just didn’t get revealed or come to a head until the last 20 pages. And then the book left off at a bit of a cliffhanger. I am interested in continuing to read the series with the sequel. Hopefully some of that plot line gets resolved in the next book.

Royals and Romance

• #1 The Night Before Kissmas

• #2 Go Luck Yourself

Next up on the TBR pile: