Category Archives: News and Fun

January 2026 Reading Recap

By | | ,
4 Comments

January 2026 Reading Recap

January 2026 Reading Recap

January has been a whirlwind month. I started the month with extra work from a client, which is great, but came with a bit of a learning curve. Some unexpected opportunities have come up, so I’m excited to see how those things turn out.

Reading-wise, this has been a great month. For the first time ever, I have a spreadsheet listing the unread books I own (and it’s embarrassingly long), and a plan to read more of them this year. I finished my January review requests by the middle of the month and started on February requests, though my reading has slowed down this week.

My littlest is still on a mystery reading … Continue reading →

Review: Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow

By | | , , , ,
Leave a comment

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight
Alechia Dow
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 3, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Until the Clock Strikes Midnight

The Good Place meets the Brandy version of Cinderella in Until the Clock Strikes Midnight, a cozy, romantic fantasy from award-winning author Alechia Dow.

Darling is the most talented—and unusual—Guardian to get a chance at winning the coveted once-in-a-generation Mortal Outcome Council mentorship. Getting the spot would mean having the opportunity to shape the future happiness of all mortal realms—if she succeeds at her first assignment, Lucy Addlesberg. Darling thinks it’ll be an easy razzle-dazzle … Continue reading →

Review: The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

By | | , , , ,
Leave a comment

The Swan's Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

The Swan’s Daughter
Roshani Chokshi
Wednesday Books
Published January 6, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

The Swan’s Daughter

In this lush and romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi, a prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse …

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. Thanks to a poorly worded wish to a sea witch, all one needs … Continue reading →

Review: Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

By | | , , , ,
2 Comments

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

Song of a Blackbird
Maria van Lieshout
First Second
Published January 21, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Song of a Blackbird

Fictionalized but based on true events, Song of a Blackbird has two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other a thrilling tale of a WWII-era bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters.

In the present day, teenage Annick is desperate to find a bone marrow donor that could save the life of her grandmother, Johanna. She turns to her family history and discovers a photograph taken by Emma Bergsma.

Decades earlier, … Continue reading →

Review: As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow
Zoulfa Katou
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published September 13, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her … Continue reading →

Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

By | | , , , ,
4 Comments

Night by Elie Wiesel

Night (Night Trilogy #1)
Elie Wiesel
Translated by Marion Wiesel
Hill and Wang
Published January 16, 2006 (Orig. 1956)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Night

Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. 

Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man.

This new translation by his wife and … Continue reading →