Romantic, Gothic Suspense by Mary Stewart

 

 I've been re-reading some of the Mary Stewart mysteries written in the 1960s. They combine mystery, suspense, romance, and great settings. 

Here are some of the titles. 

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart, set on the Greek island of Corfu.  Mystery, suspense, and gothic romance.

Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart, set in southern France. 

Romantic suspense set in England.

Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart, set in Vienna. Romantic suspense, Gothic suspense.

 The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart, set on the island of Crete, Greece.

Romantic suspense, Gothic romance

Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart, set in the Isle of Skye, Scotland.  Romantic suspense, mystery 

 

The author also wrote an outstanding Arthurian saga of five books, including the following.

 

 The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga #1) by Mary Stewart, historical fiction, mythology, classics, fantasy. Set in 5th Century Britain, the series centers on Merlin the magician and the coming of King Arthur. 

The Hollow Hills (Arthurian Saga #2) by Mary Stewart, Arthurian, mythology, historical, fantasy. 

Merlin must find the magical sword, Caliburn, which Arthur must claim in order to become the true High King of Britain. 

I haven't yet read any of this series but it's on my list!

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves

 

Thrillers by Freida McFadden and More

 Review

I enjoyed this book so well, I went out and borrowed three more by the author. 

Brain Damage by Freida McFadden

Genre: suspense thriller, to be published Aug. 25, 2026, NetGalley

Review: Charly wakes up in a hospital with a feeding tube in her stomach and no memory of why she is there, what happened to her, or who she is. As she slowly regains her strength, some memories come back as she tries to put together who had shot her in the head and left her for dead. 

The amnesiac angle of the story made it suspenseful and had the reader eagerly waiting for the protagonist to figure out what happened to her. This trope is becoming more used in thrillers and I am a fan. Enjoyable and well written, plotted, with realistic characters, the book made me look for the author's previous books.

Listening to:

I'm listening to the audiobook in spurts. It's another suspenseful and mysterious novel by the author. 

The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden

Genre: thriller 

Published March 23, 2020

Brief description: Victoria is confined to her room, unable to speak or walk after a terrible accident. Her husband hires a woman, Sylvia, to keep her company, read to her, and be a friendly companion. 

Sylvia soon discovers Victoria's diary, written before the accident, and tries to piece together the mystery behind the silent woman, who keeps trying to communicate something to Sylvia. 

Next on the list:

I enjoy the thrillers by Camilla Sten. This is a new one that I hope to read soon.

The Break-Up Retreat by Camilla Sten

Publication: June 9, 2026, Minotaur, NetGalley

This book is described as a "creepy thriller" about an undercover journalist who visits a women's psychological wellness center that caters to those who want to recover from heartbreak. I'm curious about it. 

And something more relaxing inbetween thrillers:

Out of Her League by Ava Rani

May 12, 2026, Avon, NetGalley

To make her ex jealous, an ambitious young surgeon recruits a charming star soccer player to be her date to a lavish Parisian wedding—but love might have a game plan of its own, in this stand-alone romance (publisher)

Tropes: fake dating, only one bed, fancy Paris hotel, and more. 

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves

What to Read Next?

 

The Washashore

by Christopher Mirabile, Aprpil 7, 2026

Genre: mystery, thriller, adult fiction

Description

A fatal late-night hit-and-run shatters the quiet of Provincetown, drawing interim police chief Silas Lopez into a case that appears straightforward—until the cracks begin to show. 

From windswept dunes and secretive cranberry farms to the gritty docks of New Bedford, Silas chases a trail of shifting lies.

I'vee heard a lot about Provincetown, but I didn't know about cranberry farms and the gritty docks, if these are real and not fiction. 

I finished the 

Littlest Library, a cozy romance set in a small town in England. About a librarian who moves to the town and lives in a cottage that has a red phone booth in the front yard that she turns into a grab and go community library.

My NetGalley haul - next to read

This women's fiction was published March 22, 2026 by Books Go Social. I love the idea of Greece, so the description of a woman empty nester who travels to Greece to find her new self really made me want to read it. 

Published June 9, 2026 by Berkley, the mystery thriller looks fascinating, judging by the title and the cover illustration. Makes me want to know more about the story behind it. 

A love triangle in NYC has me intrigued. Sounds like a gossipy kind of novel. Published June 16, 2026 by Knopf. 

I should get back to the unfinished books on my ereader! These new ones are piquing my interest too. 

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada: Memoir

 

Book Review

The Bookshop Woman: My Year Transforming Lives—One Book at a Time by Nanako Hanada
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: memoir, biography, publication Sept. 15, 2026; Dutton, NetGalley

I was intrigued that this story is a true one, about a woman who builds connections with unknown book readers by recommending books to them that will "change their lives." Rather than being alone and homeless after a failed relationship, she finds a way to meet hundreds of people with the same idea in mind, finding the perfect book for them.

Nanako Hanada shows the reader how she met people through chats offering a service like book recommendations. As bookstores start closing around town and novelty goods take over the stores, Nanako details how to have a more successful bookshop by engaging the visitors in talking about the books and by using sales techlniques that worked for her. She becomes manager of a bookshop in the end.

An interesting novel that shows how a woman succeeded in her life with book recommendations, after dismal failure in her previous personal relationship. One can only cheer her on.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for making this advance copy available to readers

Currently reading

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander, July 19, 2022, Avon

Genre: adult fiction, romance, women's fiction

Loving this story of a woman who buys a little cottage in an English town that comes with an unused telephone booth. She changes the smelly structure into a cute and unusual library where one can borrow and leave books. See my full review on goodreads. 

It's Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh, Sept. 22, 2026, NetGalley

Nadeeka comes home to find police at her doorstop and an ambulance taking her boyfriend away. Her new boyfriend, Jamie, has been killed while she was away. 

I'm eager to find out what's going on! 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, published April 29, 2025; Crown

Genre: literary fiction, adult fiction

As letters go, I am reading  them one at a time and not all at once. Letters from and to an elderly woman, Sybil, who writes with a world of experience behind her.

Missed Connections by Aimee K. Runyan, May 26, 2026; Harper Muse, NetGalley

Genre: romance, magical realism

The cover of this one appealed to me right off. Who wouldn't like a table for two with a bottle of wine and a vase of flowers? 

Sabrina's goal has been to become an inspector for a Michelin guide to the best restaurants. When she is let go from her job as manager of a posh restaurant, she is at her wits end. She is given the chance to see whether all her sacrifices toward this goal was worth it. 

I normally don't read magical realism, but I am putting that idea aside for this book. 

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

Nonfiction, Travel, Stories

 

Japan, Beyond the Genkan

An Insider’s Guide to the Soft Power, Strong Market, and Social Harmony of America's Asian Partner

by Joshua W. Walker, PhD

June 2, 2026, Amplify, NetGalley

Book description: Part memoir, part diplomatic and political treatise, and part love letter to a culture he lived in as a bicultural and bilingual American, Dr. Walker shares the tools to fully comprehend and appreciate what Japan offers to the United States and the rest of the world today.

He explores Japan’s notions of soft power and social harmony, and the robust markets that help the nation to have global standing as America’s largest investor. In Japan, within a house the genkan is the semi-public lobby entrance that goes into the private space  where guests are greeted. Dr. Walker as an adopted dosanko—the title of someone from Hokkaido, Japan—invites us beyond the genkan into a rare insider’s view of the country.

West Meets East: Stories of Americans in China

by William N. Brown

July 28, 2026; Amplify Publishing, NetGalley

Book description: Author Bill Brown, who planned to stay in China for two years and ended up staying for thirty-five, knows the power of intercultural exchange first-hand. In this intimate collection, he shares the stories of twenty Americans who have lived long enough in China to truly understand it. 

Despite an at times fraught relationship between the two countries, these people have discovered up close that the China Dream and the American Dream are both the universal dream of peace and prosperity for our families and our nations..

Nice Places

by Vincent Chu

June 2, 2026; Forest Avenue Press, NetGalley

Genre: world travel, satire, humorous fiction

Advance Praise

A must-read book of 2026, The Sunday Times

"The Californian writer Vincent Chu pokes fun at the tired clichés of therapeutic retreats and transformative 'gap yahs' in this punchy satire."

—The Sunday Times

“Vincent Chu manages to recover the art of the travel narrative, dusting off the ashes of our expectations and capturing, with humorous, cutting prose, a picture of the places and people who might yet revive us."

—Tupelo Quarterly

"The jovial novel Nice Places finds philosophical gold beneath a surface of absurdity."

—Foreword Reviews

"Hilariously sharp, Nice Places is an anthem for anyone who has felt like a cog in the machine. Vincent Chu delivers a profound, high-stakes meditation on the identities we curate and the messy realities of finding where we truly belong.

What are you reading this week? Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday