Month: February 2026

#YoungExplorersAroundAthens #NetGalley

This book is part of a series which has also included New York. Paris, Venice, Rome, Barcelona and Berlin. I will certainly look at some of the other titles. Each is geared to helping a young traveler enjoy a visit to a new city.

I found this title to be most inviting. The note to adults feels spot on and I liked the owl who leads the kids around. Throughout there are vibrant and appealing illustrations. Kids can follow four itineraries with a good amount of information on a number of attractions. There is also information on nearby places like Crete and Santorini, to name just two.

Adults and kids can definitely enjoy this book together. I am happy to recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and White Star-White Star Kids for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 14 April 2026

Description:

from the publisher

A kid-friendly guide to Athens packed with fun stories, secret spots, and hands-on adventures!

This interactive guide turns Athens into a playground for young explorers and their families. With fun itineraries, children can uncover the secrets of mythology, learn about gods and heroes, and discover archaeological sites while learning fun stories about the city’s history and legends. Packed with games, curiosities, and hands-on activities, it makes cultural exploration exciting and educational while adults enjoy practical tips and insider insights. Perfect for families ready to turn travel into an unforgettable adventure!

• A Guided Tour of Athens: A journey into the heart of mythology, with gods, heroes, and must-see archaeological sites
• Educational and Fun Content: Introduces culture and history in a kid-friendly way
• Perfect for Family Travel: Simple, stimulating itineraries make trips enriching for both children and adults
• Practical Format: Lightweight and compact, perfect for carrying during explorations
• Part of the Young Explorers Series: Discover the other travel guides made for kids to enjoy and learn about the world’s most unique cities!

This title is published on 3 February 2026 and is highly recommended!!

#ThisBookMadeMeThinkofYou #NetGalley

I was so very excited when Berkley approved me for this title as I have enjoyed Libby Page’s novels ever since I came across The Lido. Picking a favorite book of hers is not easy but this one might just be it. It was sooo good.

This is a story for anyone who can imagine a tragic loss and the need to find a way forward. It is also for anyone who loves books. The intersection comes in this novel when the books lead to healing for Tilly Nightingale.

Not a spoiler because readers know this almost immediately, Tilly is a young widow. She desperately misses her husband Joe. He is very much a presence throughout this story.

Joe has left a unique gift for Tilly. Every month for a year, there will be a book waiting for her at a local bookshop. I do not want to spoil the fun by revealing any of these (real) book titles.

Each book leads to something for Tilly. There is growth through travel, for example. Again, I don’t want to spoil the reader’s pleasure by saying more.

For each month of the year, Page also has a list of books by topic. Readers will get some good suggestions in these.

Even though this title is predicated on loss, in some ways it felt like a fairy tale to me. Readers will hope for something of a happy ending by the novel’s end.

Meet Tilly and a rather special bookshop owner. Spend time with Tilly’s family and friends. Finish this book and start asking when will a new book by Libby Page come out?

I highly recommend this title. I loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 03 February 2026

Post first published on 15 December 2025

About the book:

from the publisher

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.

Reviews:

“A beautifully crafted tribute to books, booksellers, and the transformative power of reading… Readers of all kinds will be captivated by this tender exploration of loss, healing, and the enduring connections that books create.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Page creates a cozy world that shimmers with whimsy even as she delicately explores grief… The novel serves as a reminder that books have the power to shape lives… The perfect cozy read for book lovers, sure to break and heal hearts.”—Kirkus (starred review)

About Libby Page:

from Amazon

Libby Page is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose work has been published in over 20 territories around the world. Before becoming an author, she worked in journalism and marketing. She is a keen outdoor swimmer and lives in Somerset with her husband and young son.

Other books by Libby Page:

A Lido worth celebrating (Libby Page)

Can a person go back? The Island Home by Libby Page

The Vintage Shop by Libby Page

Many things might be: The Lifeline by Libby Page

#TheAccidentalRewrite #NetGalley

Milly Johnson is a writer whose books I always enjoy. Anyone who reads books by authors like Katie Fforde or Erica James, to name two, will most likely want to spend time in Johnson’s world.

Here is a story of reinvention, not all of it actually planned. Therein lies the plot.

Protagonist Polly wants to change her life for reasons that many will find quite believable. Maybe not completely believable is what happens to Polly when she leaves. It does make for a fun story though with good settings, characters and plot.

This is just a nice read, something that I really want these days and suspect that others do as well. Escape into this one and feel just a bit cheerier.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 30 September 2025

Post first published on 2 February 2026

Description:

from the publisher

From the Sunday Times and internationally acclaimed author Milly Johnson comes her charming US debut–a witty, heartwarming tale that combines the humor and charm of 1980s rom-com Overboard with classic British flavor. Dive into this remarkable women’s fiction novel and join heroine Polly on her hilarious, touching journey to rewrite her own story.

What if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

Polly Potter is losing the plot of her life. At work, her jerk of a boss is making her days unbearable. At home, she’s trapped in an unappreciated relationship with a man-child of a partner. She’s left completely drained by always putting others first. Amid this chaos, Polly finds solace in one place: the pages of her novel, where she shapes the world of the fearless and triumphant Sabrina Anderson, a character who embodies everything Polly wishes she could be. And thus a plan is born: Polly Potter is going to stop writing the life she wants and start living it.

Just as she makes her move–quitting her job, leaving her partner, and embarking on a road trip to start over–fate turns everything upside down. A wild turn of events leaves her far from home along the Yorkshire coast, in the hospital, waking up from a concussion, believing her name is Sabrina Anderson. She doesn’t know where she’s come from, but she feels she could heal in that seaside town, with the fresh air, seagulls, and a few kind strangers who take her into their lives. And into the heart of their joyful, boisterous Italian family restaurant–run by Teddy, the warmhearted son of her new landlady. When the restaurant is threatened, she knows she has the skills to help–and as her memory slowly returns, she must choose between Sabrina’s life or Polly’s. With her identity in question, Polly wonders: what if this new life could truly be hers? What if she could rewrite her story with a happier ending?

Previously published in the UK as The Happiest Ever After.

From the Publisher:

Also by Milly Johnson:

An enjoyable read: The Magnificent Mrs. Mayhew by Milly Johnson

#BookPeople #NetGalley

Imagine a small village. It has a very traditional bookshop that has been in one family for generations. It prides itself on being serious and is run by a Darcy like owner.

Imagine that a new bookshop opens and that it is right across the street. It is run by an Elizabeth Bennett like young woman. She stocks all of the genre books that a reader might dream about. She also offers many types of meetings and activities.

Imagine also that there is going to be a book event that these two may need to both embrace. And…imagine sparks flying in what is justifiably described as a “spicy” romance title.

Add to all of this, a collection of love notes from the traditionalist’s great grandfather and a mystery woman. They refer to each other as H and C-Wuthering Heights anyone? They add some intrigue to the plot.

Mix all of thesetogether to find an enjoyable read that will appeal to its intended audience. There may not be suspense but there most definitely is fun in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 28 January2925

#LastOneOut #NetGalley

Jane Harper is one of my favorite Australian mystery authors. As a recent article in the Australian Women’s Weekly noted, she and others including Dervla McTiernan and Sally Hepworthare having their moment. For me, a new title by Harper is always welcome.

The narrator of this title has the Australian accent that lends veracity to the narration. She drew me right into this story and its characters. I so wanted and dreaded finding out what happened to Ro’s son Sam who had disappeared. I was immersed in getting to know all of those around Ro including friends and family members.

Sam’s story is important but other events that affect characters in the story also very much draw the listener’s attention. This leads to a more complex work.

The setting of this book is an almost ghost town. The narration allowed me to visualize the landscape both in nature and as a place of vanished dreams and unoccupied homes.

Anyone who likes Australian crime fiction will, I think, enjoy this audio book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Release date: 14 April 2026

Description:

from the publisher

From the New York Times bestselling author of Exiles and The Dry comes a captivating new novel set in a modern ghost town.

Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company operating at its borders. A decade into its slow death, surrounded by industrial noise and swathed in thick layers of dust, the skeletal town is all but abandoned, with just a handful of residents clinging onto what remains.

After years of scorning those who left the Ridge behind as it fell into ruin, Ro never imagined she’d become one of them. But everything changed when she lost her son. Five years ago, Sam vanished while visiting during a break from college, leaving behind a rental car with his belongings inside. Sam had loved Carralon Ridge, and had been working on an oral history of the town to preserve its legacy before it vanished altogether. It wasn’t long after his disappearance that the rest of the family began to crumble away too.

But when Ro returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her husband and daughter on the anniversary of Sam’s disappearance, she begins to suspect that something important was overlooked in his case. Because while nothing can stop Carralon Ridge from dying, someone seems to want to make sure that its secrets die with it.

poisonedpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BN-Feb-26.pdf

The novelist Robyn Gigl picks her favorite courtroom dramas and legal whodunits — some of which may surprise you.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/books/review/legal-thriller-books.html