Three Reviews: Win Me Something; Liar's Dice, This Book Made Me Think of You

 Three Five Star Book Reviews

Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu

Genre: adult fiction, literary fiction OwnVoices

Published Nov. 2, 2021, Tin House

This intriguing novel nevertheless left me disturbed and slightly anxious. The well written novel is about a biracial young woman who battles feelings of loneliness in New York City. Being the only child of a Taiwanese dad and a white American mother, she feels left out when her parents divorce and have new families and children. Not feeling a part of either her dad's new family or her mom's new family, her feelings of loneliness intensify.

Battling racial discrimination or misunderstandings only adds to Willa Chen's feeling of isolation and wanting to be seen as a person in her own right. 

Her new experiences being nanny to a well off family with a young daughter broadens her horizons a bit, but she is eventually let go when the child becomes too old for a nanny. Left again to her own devices, there is hope she can move forward into a fuller life of her own and see and accept herself for who she really is. 

 

 Liar's Dice by Juliet Faithfull

Publication: April 28, 2026; Random House, NetGalley

Genre: adult fiction, lit fiction


Teenage Dolores feels the loss of her identical twin, Mita, who was sent away to live in a hospital in London because of a serious illness. Dolores learns to read with the help of a sympathetic teacher, and begins to write letters to Mita, but receives no replies. She aims to find the money to travel to London by writing love letters on the beach for eager patrons, pawning what jewelry she can find at home, even playing poker at a casino, etc.

I found that the story was not so much Mita's illness, but the separation of the twins and what it meant to the healthy one, Dolores. Dolores must eventually come to terms with her sister's situation and the solutions that her parents had found for Mita's long term car e.

The setting of the beaches and rural areas of Brazil added to the interest of the story. Dolores is a well drawn character with whom the reader sympathizes and admires for her closeness to her imperfect twin.

 


This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Published Feb. 3, 2026, Berkley, NetGalley

Genre: adult, romance, lit fiction

When Mathilda Nightingale lost her husband, Joe, to cancer, her grieving is soothed by the gift he left her. Alfie, the bookstore owner, was asked to give Mathilde (Tilly) a book gift each month for twelve months. The books are meant to mean something to Tilly or to send messages to her from Joe. She had, after all, lost her interest in reading since the time Joe became sick.

I loved anticipating the books that Joe gifted her each month in advance. Visiting Paris after reading a romance, trying running after a book by Murakami on the topic, trying camping in the Scottish wilds, and books on various other topics seemed to change Tilly a little bit each time, with her new experiences and travel.

It wasn't a surprise that Alfie had so much input in the choice of the books, as Joe was never much of a reader. This of course led, no surprise here, to a romance developing between Tilly and Alfie.

An interesting plot for a novel and intriguing reasons for book choices for Tilly. I enjoyed reading this, being a book lover myself.

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

The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland: a Review

 

The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland, Dec. 13, 2022

Genre: cozy mystery, England

Several seniors form their own detective agency based in a charity shop for dogs that one of them operates. The group wants to solve the stabbing death of a senior female in their village and start by listing possible suspects and spying on possible future victims. 

The Domino Murders are so called because the killer leaves at each crime scene the name of the next victim, etched on a domino tile. The group intensifies their sleuthing when one of their own, Fiona, is listed as the next victim. Fiona declines safe house protection by the police, intent on finding the killer. 

 I enjoyed how the group went about finding the killer's tactics that made the unsuspecting victims open their doors and invite him in. The whys and who of the case eluded them till the end, when they are come face to face with the dangerous perpetrator. It was interesting that the crime motive was such a simple one.

All in all, an enjoyable cozy mystery with elderly and sometimes quirky sleuths. I gave this four stars.

Asian Authors and a Brad Meltzer Thriller: Sunday Salon

 Now Reading

NetGalley ebooks

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu, April 26, 2026; Berkley, NetGalley

Book Description: One woman's drastic fight to be seen as an Interesting Asian Female versus a Boring/Stereotypical Asian Female. With dramatic and tragic consequences.....See my review

The Social Circle by Sophie Wan, March 3, 2026; Harlequin, NetGalley

Book description: Maggie Tang and friends create Circle, the world’s first major social media platform. But when her creative ambitions alongside love and friendship collide, Maggie leaves Circle in dramatic fashion. Until the friends meet again a decade later....

Jan. 6, 2026; William Morrow, NetGalley

Feb. 17, 2026; Henry Holt &Co., NetGalley 

Book Description: 

A tale of friendship and family: "Can the same people who made you who you are end up keeping you from who you’re meant to be?"

Finished Reading

March 3, 2026; HarperVia, NetGalley

Book description: A beautifully told tale about the magic and mysteries of familial love, from one of Japan's most acclaimed writers. At the heart of the family is Sakura, the dog who keeps them together in several ways.

April 28, 2026; Berkley, NetGalley

Review:  Mebel's husband in Indonesia leaves her for another woman. To win him back, she enrolls in a culinary school, not in Paris as she thought, but in England, just outside of Oxford. Can she follow this path to become a chef, and does she change in the process to find a new, independent self? 

I enjoyed Mebel's journey to new hobbies and career and independence. I cheered her on all the way, through all her self doubts and angst. 

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

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

Like a Wave We Break: a Memoir by Jane Chen - Sunday Salon

 

Like a Wave We Break: A Memoir of Falling Apart and Finding Myself by Jane Chen, Oct. 14, 2025; Rodale, NetGalley

A memoir of a woman trying to heal from a father with unreasonable expectations for his child and who routinely dealt out physical punishment, slapping and hitting her for any mistakes.

Themes: - surviving the emotional consequences of unusually harsh treatment of a father to a child

           - ways the author tried to compensate for her lack of self-worth in her adult life        

           - what worked temporarily for healing, and what seemed to work finally, in the end

I was moved by the writer trying so hard in different places, countries, to find some way to put her mind at ease. Meditation, retreats, visits with various gurus and persons who claimed to be able to cleanse - all these helped only a little, and only for a while. 

The accomplishments that gave her joy were a new found love of surfing, in many different places and countries. And her very worthwhile work in developing and distributing an incubator for at risk newborns in third world countries.

Her journey of self discovery and self healing took a while. I admired her grit and determination, and the way she handled her terrible childhood memories. So well written, this book was read in almost one sitting, as I became more and more intrigued and caught up in her story.

ARC from Soho Press

What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax

Not yet published

Expected Jan. 6, 2026, Soho Press

A twisty, jaw-dropping psychological thriller that unravels a mother's worst nightmare—that her child is capable of terrible violence—when her teenage son becomes a suspect in the murder of two classmates, from the author of The Deepest Lake
Over one terrible weekend, two teenage girls are found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb. As the community mourns, Abby Rosso, the girls’ high school counselor, begins to suspect that her son was secretly involved in their lives—and possibly, their deaths. (publisher)

I have heard of films and other books with the same theme: when a parent or parents suspect their child of murder, how do they cope?

Have you read books with this theme?

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

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

Sunday Salon: Thrillers and Literary Fiction

 

Not Yet Published Mystery Novels Read

The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera 

Feb. 10, 2026, Berkley, NetGalley  Not yet published

Genre: mystery and thrillers, multicultural interest

Sri Lankan-American taxi driver Siriwathi is one of the few NYC female taxi drivers, but she is determined to help her struggling family by driving at all hours of the night. Her love of true crime podcasts, which she listens to in her taxi, helps her when a midnight passenger in her locked cab is stabbed and killed while she is driving him to his destination. She meets another Sri Lankan in NYC, public defender Amaya Fernando, who offers to represent Siri pro bono. Together they set out to solve the crime themselves. 

As there is no obvious reason, method, or culprit for the murder, the dead man's past and his acquaintances probably hold the key to the solution of his murder.

This is the first in a mystery series featuring Siri. I am looking forward to reading more adventures with her and Amaya. These two characters are realistic and likeable, and Siri in particular is a sympathetic and gutsy personality. Her descriptions of NYC and its areas are an interesting part of the novel, as she narrates the book.

How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield 

March 10, 2026; Harper, NetGalley  Not yet published

genre: thriller, mystery 


I was intrigued by the story of hunter turned prey turned hunter again in this novel set in the Maine wilderness of the Appalachian Trail. Emma and her friend Taylor gang up on Emma's tyrannical and abusive husband Logan and plan to get their revenge on this trip. The story of the three, the women against the lone man, has a lot of twists and turns that make it interesting. Getting lost, trying to survive each other and the harsh wilderness, makes for suspenseful reading.

Even though the ordeal in the woods seems similar to other wilderness mysteries, there is still good storytelling that will keep the reader interested in the outcome. I liked that the trail itself turned out to be an important part in the mystery . The last leg of the trail, the Hundred Mile Wilderness, plays a key role in their survival or death.

Currently reading

  

Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh

April 1, 2025, Little, Brown & Company, NetGalley

Genre: adult fiction, literary fiction

Description

A tense, propulsive drama set in Shanghai, about a fractured American family, secret lives, and the unbreakable bond between two sisters, from the bestselling author of Mercy Street.

One daughter is in a coma after a serious car accident in Shanghai; the other daughter, an adoptee from China, is in the US at summer camp. The parents rush to their injured daughter, Lindsay, an ESL teacher.  

Read my review on Goodreads...

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

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

Books Reviewed - Thrillers and a Rom-Com: Sunday Salon

Books I recently reviewed

After the Party by C.L. Swatman, NetGalley book

The book theme is not unusual in thrillers. Several people get in touch with each other again after many years, in this case, 20 years, because the cause of the death of one of their group that long time ago has resurfaced. Hannah is knocking on their doors, intent on writing about the death of the girl found in the lake. When everyone starts getting anonymous notes that threaten their loved ones if they reveal anything to Hannah, things become difficult for the group.

I was surprised by the so called culprit in the death, but the twist at the very end really threw me for a loop, so to speak. A book not only about a mystery death, but also a look at individual personalities, how they interact or fit together, and some times the unintended consequences.

The Dinner Party by Viola van de Sandt, NetGalley book

Franca's experience with fiance Andrew at a dinner party she is cooking for leads to her sessions with a psychiatrist Stella. 

The back and forth in time in the telling of Stella's past and present made me skip pages and fast forward to get to the heart of the story. The book is more than that dinner party, however, but the problems Franca has with Andrew and male aggression is clear cut. I was glad to see how she manages to find her true self and her future going forward.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone, NetGalley book 

Chicky Diaz, the doorman at an exclusive New York City building, has all the info on the famous and wealthy tenants to give him insights into their lives, their prejudices, their penchants. 

The tenants of each apartment are varied, but in total they show much of current big city culture, lifestyle, prejudices, attitudes, likes and dislikes. We also see society and its levels and their interactions or non-interaction. The exclusive apartment building and its tenants' attitudes and lives show many aspects of modern society as it is.

Love and Other Brain Experiments by Hannah Brohm, NetGalley book

Frances Silberstein and Theodore Lewis North, two neuroscientists, sit next to each other on the plane heading to a scientific conference, and begin their academic-rival-to-lovers romance in this rom-com novel.

At the beginning, Frances is angry with Theodore, aka Lewis, because he used some of her research in his own very successful paper four years ago without giving her credit for it.

I liked the slow way these two worked their way towards each other, in spite of Frances' resentment. They begin by fake dating at the conference to protect their reputations and jobs. The ending was a little slow in coming, but this was a satisfying rom com read overall, especially as the main characters were brain scientists who shared aspects of their knowledge, of memory and how it works, with the reader.

Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum, NetGalley

Sam Vetiver, a fairly new author, with a writing block meets successful writer, William Corwyn, who promises to help and mentor her while she finishes her book. They become close and romantic, even when they become threatened by a stalker they call The Rabbit.

The suspense that builds up in the novel, with the stalking of the couple and the break ins, leads to an unexpected ending, which I loved. The surprise was really that, a genuine and genius surprise!
I loved the inside look at how authors work and write, and the publishing world of editors, book agents, publicists interacting with writers to produce a printed book.

NOTE: The above books are Not yet published

Currently reading

The Once and Future Me by Melisssa Page, NetGalley

Genre: sci-fi, thriller, mystery 

Description

Dark Matter meets Girl, Interrupted in this gripping psychological thriller about a young woman teetering on the edge of reality.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

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

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, a review

 Book post reprinted from my other book blog, BookBirdDog (Book Dilettante)

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Published June 11, 2020; Mariner Books

Genre: Indian literature, historical fiction, award winning novel

A young Indian marine biologist, Piya Roy, travels to the remote Sunderbans area of West Bengal, India near the border with Bangladesh, to find and study the habits of two rare river dolphins, one of them the Irawaddy dolphin. She gets help from an illiterate yet knowledgeable boatman, Fokir, who knows and understands the extensive mangroves, the shifting tides of the river, and the multiple small islands that make up the marshland area. He is able to take her to where the dolphins regularlly gather to feed.

I loved the extensive and detailed descriptions of the Sunderbans islands, the poetic vision of man and nature and their interactions. The tenacious and determined personality of Piya and her bravery and courage in her research fits well with the astute and competent boatman Fokir, and their attraction to each other does not come as a surprise.

The force of nature and its effects on humans and their frail habitations in a wilderness of wood and water is made over and over again when the incoming tides completely cover many of the islands each day. The main event for the inhabitants is when a cyclone threatens their lives and houses in the Sunderbans. The mangroves are also home to ferocious tigers, crocodiles, and snakes.

The main character is the land - the land of wood, water, and the tides that swallow them up at will. The love story between Piya and Fokir is also heart breaking. But the redemption of having environmental groups fund Piya's further study of the Sunderbans is a reward for her efforts.

 

AMITAV GHOSH was born in Calcutta, and grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; he studied in Delhi, Oxford and Alexandria. He is the author of several acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction including the Booker-shortlisted Sea of Poppies, the first novel in  The Ibis Trilogy, The Glass Palace and The Hungry Tide. His non-fiction writing includes The Great Derangement, The Nutmeg’s Curse and Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories, which was shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize.
Amitav Ghosh’s work has been translated into more than thirty languages. He was a finalist of the Man Booker International Prize and was the first English-language writer to be the recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honour. In 2024 Amitav Ghosh was awarded the Erasmus Prize. 

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat and Other Reviews

 

Multiple Book Genres

I've been jumping around genres recently, from Japanese literary fiction to thrillers and cozy mysteries, to historical fiction. 

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida, Sept. 2, 2025, Berkley, NetGalley

Genre: magical realism, contemporary Japanese fiction

The doctor and nurse at The Healing Clinic for the Soul lends out Bengal cats for a week, prescribing a cat for those with problems at home that could be fixed with a cat in the house. The stories are clever and cute, and I loved the magical and fantasy aspects of both cats and clinic, and the doctor who does the prescribing. If I did not have allergies, I'd prescribe myself a cat!

 

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman, July 30, 2024; Ballantine

Genre: thriller, suspense

Two women, Nina and Maria, are caught up in a house that they cannot fathom, it's secret so huge literally and figuratively. Both women are warned not to enter the basement or enter any of its doors, but they don't comply, being too curious and overly adventurous.

Maria's ordeals in the basement and Nina's bewilderment at the house that her dead father bequeathed her, turn out to be a puzzle the women must play and win. The author's plot around this house as the scene for a dangerous game is intriguing and original.

Thrilling and suspenseful, the story is surprising and the ending shocking.

 

Currently reading

The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel, June 24, 2025; Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley

Genre: historical fiction, Shanghai

Description: the epic story of a brilliant young woman’s rise to fame in the perilous world of jewelry in 1920s Shanghai.

Harbin, China, 1925. Fifteen-year-old Anyu Zhang discovers a priceless Fabergé egg in the snow and returns it to the owner, Isaac Mandelburg, a fugitive former master jeweler for Russia’s imperial palace. In gratitude, he leaves her his address in Shanghai and a promise of hospitality, forever altering her fate.

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

Sunday Salon: Swallows: A Novel by Natsuo Kirino, and Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

 Two reviews

Swallows by Natsuo Kirino

Genre: Japanese literature, adult fiction, contemporary fiction


Riki comes to Tokyo not knowing anyone and needing to find a job, but the only thing she can find is a job as a surrogate for famous ballet dancer Motoi and his wife, Yuko, who cannot have children. Riki provides the egg, and she is artificially inseminated with Motoi's sperm. The dancer and his wife agree to take care of all Riki's surrogacy expenses and to raise the child as their own.

However, when Riki discovers she is carrying twins who may not have been fathered by Motoi but possibly by one of two other men with whom she had brief affairs just before insemination, things become complicated for all concerned. And especially for Riki whose maternal instincts kick in later in her pregnance, leading her to maybe consider the idea of raising the twins by herself.

The complications of surrogacy is explored in this novel, not only the physical demands and procedures, but the emotions of the people involved. Changes of mind by all three, from one state to another, make this novel a study in personalities and characters in a difficult situation. I read on, mesmerized by the story and the final resolution. It was not a disappointment.

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

Genre: thriller, mystery set in Bora Bora

Erin and Mark on their honeymoon and sailing in Bora, Bora, find a heavy, bulky bag floating in the water far away from land. They decide to turn it in to their hotel front desk, but Erin, ever the curious one, tears open the bag and makes an irresistable find. They try to keep the bag for themselves, but Erin digs into the background of the possible owners by powering up a cell phone left in the bag and talking to someone on the other end.

Scuba diving in the same area, they had also found the sunken wreckage of a small plane, with people inside.

This starts a cat and mouse game, with Erin digging herself deeper into the mystery and getting both herself and Mark in danger from the unknown persons connected to plane and the bag. They both decide to keep the information to themselves and return home to England with the bag's contents.

Needless to say, danger follows them, and the reader is left with a plot twist that is as mind boggling as it is unexpected. Excellent thriller.

 

Authors coming to our local library

June 17, 2025; William Morrow, NetGalley

Laura Lippman, mystery author visits our main library for her talk on June 26 featuring her books and most recent mystery novel.

Description: Muriel Blossom, a former PI and a middle-aged widow, takes a vacation on a Parisian river cruise, and finds a deadly international mystery only she can solve.

 

May 20, 2025; Sourcebooks, NetGalley

Kristina McMorris will discuss her historical fiction novels on July 22 at the library

Description: Portland, 1888. In the notorious Shanghai Tunnels in underground Portland, a drugged woman finds herself "shanghaied" and being shipped off as forced labor. She serves as a maid for the family of a dubious mayor and becomes entwined in a goldminers' massacre. Being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era of anti-Chinese sentiment, Celia must find a way to escape a place of unearthed secrets more dangerous than the dark recesses of Chinatown.  

In my mailbox

Thanks to Soho Press for a hard copy of the new mystery by Zoe B. Wallbrook, History Lessons, publication July 1, 2025.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to this week? 

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

Book Reviews: Sunday Salon

 

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Feb. 3, 2023; Forge Books

Genre: thriller

My thoughts: The plot was clever and the characters unusual.  I was however disappointed in the personality of deceived wife, Alyssa, separated from unfaithful husband Bill. Alyssa feels Bill is playing tricks on her from afar, testing and harassing her from wherever he is hiding out.

Her new house guest, Bree, is a strange one, and I was suspicious of her from the beginning, especially as she seems to be planning with her friend Dez, to maybe trick Alyssa in her home. Alyssa seems so clueless at times, unaware, and often too dense to take in her situation and dealing with the cops and Bree and Dez

There are plot twists that show the reader may not be always correct in making assumptions right off the bat. Yet Alyssa is naive enough that you have to root for her as the novel goes on.

Audiobook 

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman,  published January 7, 2020, Ballantine Books 

Genre: psychological thriller

Setting: Britain 

I reviewed this book on another blog five years ago and gave it a solid five stars. Now on listening to the audiobook, I'm just as impressed as I was when I first read the book.

Mr. Nobody is suffering from fugue, retrograde amnesia due to psychological trauma, which means he does not remember anything from his life before he found himself wandering on a beach in the north of England. Neuropsychiatrist, Emma Lewis, is called in to the hospital to diagnose and treat the patient, which becomes one of the most challenging cases in her career.

Mr. Nobody seems to know Emma, however, and maybe even her secrets from her past. Mr. Nobody may be a military man who has lost his memory. Nobody knows for sure. I don't recall the ending of the novel and am enjoying the audio and anticipating a dramatic ending.

Finished reading

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer; Sept. 9, 2025; Minotaur Books, NetGalley

This novel is about the disappearance of a famous Icelandic crime writer, Elin S. Jonsdottir, whose sudden absence is investigated by a young detective, Helgi.  

The story is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's famous disappearance and reappearance, but the fictitious story of Elin is quite different. Elin's private life and the people involved in her life are key to the mystery, and the result of Helgi's search then becomes plausible. 

Helgi's own private romantic life is a side story added to the main plot. It makes the detective more human, and contributes to the novel's interest. 

This mystery is a traditional mystery and not noir, as so many Nordic mysteries are, but it was an enjoyable read, nevertheless.

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa, (September 30, 2025; Knopf Canada; NetGalley

Genre: adult fiction, Canadian fiction, Laotian 

I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of a nail salon owner, Ning, how she deals with her staff and clients, and how she achieves the smooth running of her shop. Nings's observances of people and situations puts her on top of all possible scenarios that might crop up, and rewards the reader with astute and discerning commentary in this first person narration.

Ning is acutely aware of the biases and the stereotypes that the public makes of her occupation, even by her very own clients. This character driven novel is informative, giving us an inside look into a workplace and the staff and customers and their interactions or noninteractions as the case may be.

A highly recommended and unusual book.

About the author: Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of four poetry books, and the award winning short story collection HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE. She was born in the Lao refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand, and resides in Toronto.

What are you reading these days? 

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