As most of you know, I have edited the newsletter with an iron fist for many years now. I always write my piece last because I never know how much space there will be. This is also why you don’t see me in every newsletter, since if there is no room, I just save it. This month, there was lots of space, but it’s ok, because I’ve got lots to write about. I am in fact 7 books ahead of schedule to complete 50 books this year and given my ‘To Read’ pile, I think I’m going to more than hit it.

So, in the order that I finally read them…

April always provides the double-whammy of a new C.S. Harris ‘Sebastian St. Cyr’ book alongside a new ‘Lady Darby Mystery’ from Anna Lee Huber. Harris did not disappoint with Sebastian and Hero involved in some Bourbon intrigue in France in When Blood Lies (content warning if you’re squeamish about explicit descriptions of the guillotine). We still have copies in hardcover. It turns out I got behind on Anna Lee Huber and was missing book #10 in the series (A Wicked Conceit) so her newest, A Perilous Perspective is still on my to-read pile. We’ve got new and used copies of A Perilous Perspective in store. Who Cries for the Lost, St. Cyr #18, is coming in hardcover in April and A Fatal Illusion, Lady Darby #11, is scheduled for June.

(Brief pre-order side bar: Did you know you can pre-order any scheduled release on our website? Follow the links above and click ‘pre-order’. We’ll never take your money when you order online, but you’ll know that we’ll have a copy waiting for you on the shelf when the book is released, even if the date changes.)

I am having a big romance moment, so I love it when romance and mystery paths cross. Manda Collins’ An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire was a delight just like the first book in the series, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. Both are available in store in mass market and trade paperback respectively. Book #3, A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is coming in March 2023.

I’m so delighted that we carry pure romance novels now though and we’ve got some of my recent favorites. I loved Sophie Irwin’s A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting. This was a fun twist on a young lady being forced to marry for money. This is the perfect book for a quiet weekend inside. I was going to tell you it’s a standalone, but A Lady’s Guide to Scandal is coming in June, which looks like it might be in the same world?

But speaking of a fun weekend read, I don’t think you could do better than The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. These are such fun and smart modern romances, set in novellas in the same vein, Loathe to Love You, is coming in January.

That’s what I’ve read, but my To Read pile is constantly toppling. Did you know you can buy three floor to ceiling bookcases and still have books piled on the floor? Highest on the pile, in no particular order…

I think Jasper Fforde is tragically underappreciated but his writing is just so right on the edge of too smart and I love him. The fourth book in his ‘Last Dragonslayer’ series, The Great Troll War, is available in store in trade paperback. This is a great series for a grown up but it is technically YA and would be great for any precocious readers in your life. Such a fun series with Fforde’s trademark absurd world building.

Andrew Cartmel’s ‘Vinyl Detective’ books are also always a fun read. I’m looking forward to Attack and Decay, book #6, which is in store. But also Death in Fine Condition, which is a new series called ‘The Paperback Sleuth’, coming in March.

And then in titles coming soon, but much coveted, are Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander (Lady Emily #16, releasing October 4th) which is apparently an homage to Agatha Christie (although we can hope for some Elizabeth Peters vibe too, no?) and A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones (Sunshine Vicram #16) in December.

One of the hard things about losing my father is the constant reminder of the books he’ll never read. My sister Hannah brought us Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook, which he loved and is now one of my very favorite books. Book #3 in the series, Blitz, is coming at the end of October in hardcover. It looks like it’s in the same world although as yet unclear if my beloved Myfawny makes an appearance. We’ve got both The Rook and Stiletto (book #2) in store in both new and used trade paperback, so there is still lots of time to catch up. Please note the TV series is VERY different, so don’t judge a book by it’s TV series if you’ve seen it but not read it.