Following up from Sandwich, we continue to witness the everyday lives of middle-aged Rocky, her grown children, husband, and now-widowed father. Told with tongue-in-cheek humor and a dry wit, Rocky is dealing with a mysterious rash and is also a bystander to her community’s grief when a young man, and high school friend of her son’s, was killed when his car was hit by a train. Complicating matters are the fact her diagnosis remains elusive and the company where her son works is the one who consulted with the railroad corporation before the wreck about efficiency and downsizing. This novella was a great kick-off to the Fall season!
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper for access to the digital ARC.
This is a Door by Daniel Nayeri
Much acclaim is surrounding this imaginative middle grade story of adventure and found family for good reason, which releases on October 27. Described by Nayeri as “an illustrated story with no pictures,” we meet a boy named Nothing, who long believes his name indicates his worth and his future. However, when he and his friends Pöppy (a dog), and mOmO (a mouse), go on an adventure together, he learns how his name does not define his value or purpose. Told with gentleness and hopefulness, I so enjoyed the creativity of this unique format in story telling.
My thanks to NetGalley and Stonefruit Studio for access to the digital ARC.
The literary talents of Pulitzer Prize winning author Lahiri know no bounds as she self-translates her short novel written in Italian into English. Told in a series of connected vignettes, an unnamed English professor in an unnamed European city makes observances about her daily life and relationships through an internal monologue.
Read via: home library
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Recommended by Annie B. Jones from The Bookshelf, the story opens as divorcee Nora has written an autobiographical screenplay of the dissolution of her marriage, “The Tea House,” which is to be filmed in her actual backyard. Playing the part of her ex-husband is Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, who turns out to be an unexpected love interest – good to Nora and kind to her kids Arthur and Bernadette. With a strong sense of place and characters for whom you’re rooting, especially when a miscommunication threatens their new relationship, I inhaled this happily ever after romance, and is a favorite read of 2026! (Open door.)
Read via: public library
Sophie Standing There by Meg Mason
Highly regarded by Ann Patchett, I personally found this story sad and depressing about Sophie, a divorced woman who works as a literary event A/V tech. To help her cope with so much loss, she inadvertently becomes obsessed with a female author – her writings, her podcast interviews – whom she later meets at a local literary festival. Despite this not being a book I would recommend, there were hopeful moments for Sophie: her close relationship with her brother, a supportive best friend, and newfound love interest.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper/Harper Audio Adult for access to the digital and audio ARCs.
Featured in the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2025 Summer Reading Guide, after many years of being a newspaper journalist specializing in ecological stories, Rhys Kinnick has had enough of far right-wing politics and modern technology, and has gone off the grid in rural Washington on a rural and spartan plot of family land. Unexpectedly, he is visited by his young grandchildren, whose mother Bethany has gone missing and, despite his estranged relationship with this daughter, he must be the one who steps up to not only find her, but protect them, with the help of a group of his ragtag friends.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper for access to the digital ARC.
It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh
Told from four characters’ viewpoints, a murder has to be unraveled and a terrorist plot thwarted: Nadeeka suspects her partner is cheating on her, the unfortunate paranoia of how her former marriage ended; Lauren is the lead police detective, trying to unravel the truth of the murder; Fraser is Lauren’s fiancé and a fellow police officer, with access to a lot of sensitive information; and Jamie is a kind-hearted man determined to take down New Dawn, a white supremacist organization.
My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Audio for access to the audio ARC.
Second Generation Blues by Julio Anta & Red Dryer
Published yesterday, Luis is a Cuban American teenager who lives in New York City and, although it’s his summer break, and his sole aspiration is to spend time reviewing local bands as a burgeoning music journalist, his obligation to his immigrant family’s restaurant restricts him from having much free time. His strict father misunderstands Luis’ good intentions, but finally does come to see his son cares for the family business and desires for it to be successful.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for access to the digital ARC.
The Luckies: Rumor Has It #1 by Sarah Mlynowski and Christina Soontornvat
Soon to be step-sisters, Annie and Leela, their parents and siblings, are all starting over as their families combine and move to a new, small, southern town. They’re all getting used to everyone knowing their business, attending Friday night football games, navigating cute boys, figuring out family secrets, and hosting a schoolwide party at their house…which may or may not turn out to be a disaster. Releasing on October 6, this is a new literary partnership by two beloved award-winning authors, with a legion of fans who will likely be very interested in the first book of this series!
My thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for access to the digital ARC.
I’m wrapping up the month in sunny California, working my way through Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns, next week’s book club selection, and Trust Fall by Lynne Painter, The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham, and A Season for Falling by Kate O’Shaughnessy are on my October TBR. What about you, reader friend?
