The Book Club Murders, by Maggie Allswell , AUDIO BOOK Narrated by Jilly Bond

 

Available May 23, 2026   Both Audio and print/ebook

I fully expected to like this book. I mean, a small town book club focused on murder mysteries, quirky characters of a range of ages, and some budding romance. What's not to like? Much to my surprise, while I certainly didn't dislike the book, I never fully got into it, either. In other words, I didn't much care whodunit. Don't let that reaction detour you from it, however, as there's every chance you'll fully enjoy it. For me, I have decided that I need to be more careful about requesting books with a hoard of characters to keep track of as I had trouble sorting out who was who and how they were all connected. The main characters, Judy and daughter Sarah, of course, were easy, albeit maybe that Sarah has a dog named Gordon had something to do with that. She's also suffered loss, a recurring theme, and Judy worries about her. Sarah created an online site for those who've lost a spouse. Judy, on the other hand, is co-owner/operator of a funeral parlor, not the usual job for even the quirkiest amateur sleuth, I'd say.  In any case, aside from Jack, who I kept wishing someone would put a sock in his mouth given his tendency to complicate questioning by his habit of blurting out things better left unsaid, the others sorta drifted in and out of my mind with me having to refresh my memory of who they were. They were all generally likable, even Jack, but would have liked more character development. 

The mystery was fine, albeit it sorta faded into the background when potential issues with Sarah's new beau popped up. Too good to be true? Maybe, but back to the murder. Who killed seemingly harmless librarian Wendy? Judy is convinced it was murder although the police are calling it suicide. It was fun to read the text chain the book club members utilized, particularly Judy's frequently almost nonsensical texts. Spell check seems to have had no chance with her. That said, her skills in seeing things others miss or misunderstand are excellent. Even though she wouldn't have considered Wendy among her close friends, her observations of the death scene prove helpful. Despite this, her skills and those of the rest of the book club are, at best, feeble. Obviously, reading about solving a case and actually doing so are two very, very different things. 

Bottom line, without revealing much more of the plot, there are several suspects. These range from a mysterious possible romantic interest to others who've had disagreements with her, however minor. Judy is a bit distracted by Sarah's romance, not sure of the prospective son-in-law. There are reasons, as you'll discover as you read. As for the murder, convincing the police that there is evidence that suggest murder, not suicide, might be the first step, though the club members ineptness doesn't help move that along much. I had both the ebook and audio for this, btw, and give kudos to narrator Jilly Bond for her ability to differentiate the multiple characters as well as capture the humor or drama of the moments. Since the plot evolves primarily around the dialogue, even the seemingly mundane, unrelated chatter, having a good narrator was a perk. The audio flowed along nicely and was easy to listen to and, in fact, may have helped me differentiate characters better than the text. Toss in a bit of a twisty ending and while I was never quite fully drawn in, it was still an enjoyable read/listen. Thanks #Bookouture for making this available to me for an early read. Given that ending, I'm leaning toward thinking I'll be ready to give the next book another chance, too. 

Dog Person: A Novel, by Camille Pagán

Publication April 4, 2026

First, a personal note. While I was initially psyched to read an entire book/romance through the eyes of a loyal old dog, my enthusiasm dimmed with the passing of my own loyal old dog. As such, this was an unexpectedly tough read for me. It was a good story, however,  and I, of course, adored Harold, the old dog. It was fun to see his doggie take on things both profound and mundane, from squirrels to books and romance. Tasked by Miguel's late wife Amelia May, Harold is determined to help Miguel find his way through grief and find love again. Of course, it has to be someone Harold approves of, too. Hey, he is a dog.

The story centers about Miguel realizing he's about to lose his beloved bookstore that Amelia May and he started. She was a romance writer and had adopted Harold despite his less than cute looks and quirks. While I was a bit mystified about why she didn't ensure that her writer's royalties didn't go to Miguel given that she did have time, one must cut her some slack given the circumstances. Now Miguel's maybe last shot at saving the bookshop, the appearance of a popular author who bailed on him, leads Miguel to set out with Harold to find that author and convince him to appear. Well, he doesn't exactly find the author but maybe the next best thing is he finds the author's sister, Fiona, and her young daughter, conveniently named Amelia May, too. Oddly enough, Fiona doesn't much like dogs but, hey, her daughter does and falls in love with Harold. And this is where the story takes off.

Bottom line, I won't detail the plot, it's probably predictable  While it's certainly a romance, it's also multi-layered, dealing with grief, loss, and how to find one's way out of the shadow of grief. I liked the dog's point of view although I occasionally wished we could get more of a feel for what was going on in the humans' minds. You'll definitely feel the pain and hope of these characters, not to mention Harold's emotional roller-coaster perspective, too. Dog lover's, make sure you have tissue handy as you read the epilogue. There's more I could say but for now will leave this as it stands. I liked it but didn't enjoy it, if that makes sense, but that's on my own personal path, not the book. Thanks #Ballantine - #DelacortePress for making this early peek available to me. The timing didn't work as it turned out but I enjoyed the read nevertheless, which speaks highly of the author's talent. 

 

Christmas in Aspen, by Anita Hughes

 

Publication October 8, 2024

There's a lot going on in this story. It starts with Caroline Holt finding a letter in a Santa Claus envelope to her late mother. A man, who didn't sign the letter, says he loves her mother, Anne, and will be waiting for her at Santa's Little Red Mailbox in Aspen on New Year's. Caroline decides she must be there to meet him. In the meantime, her sister announces she's getting married. Caroline's idea of romance is to date someone for a month, then dump them, and finds the concept of marriage difficult to understand. And, thus, begins a story of love lost, found, family, balancing life and work, and, well, so much more. What mostly pulled me to the book was the idea that Caroline words as a book editor for a prestigious firm in New York, hence we'd be getting to see some of what goes on behind the scenes that brings books like this to us. 

To be honest, I was up and down with the book. I didn't particularly like Caroline in the beginning, finding her not only a downer but was put off by her overall attitude toward life in general, not just romance. She is still suffering from grief over her mother's death, yes, but Caroline seems to bring it up constantly, making it hard to root for her. She's also determined that since she doesn't believe in happily ever after, she needs to meddle in her younger sister's romance. And, even when she meets an interesting man, one she is definitely attracted to, she makes it clear to him that she has "rules" and they basically evolve around not allowing anyone to get close to her. I did like her determination to meet the mysterious man of the letter, however, so he wouldn't feel her mother had simply blown him off. In other words, there is a heart there, it's just well guarded. And, in the meantime, if she wants to keep her job, she needs to find a sensational new author to present to the publishing company's powers that be. That is complicated, of course, and there is also that series of letters her mother had kept dealing with a once beloved author's own love life. And, well, that's all I'm saying about the plot.

I envisioned the setting as sort of like being caught in the magic of a snow globe and living in Alaska, I do know a thing or two about "life in a snow globe". Aspen sounds lovely in the winter although the title is a bit misleading as much of the action occurs between Christmas and the New Year. There's a somewhat unexpected twist at the end and the overall plot was interesting, albeit I also found the way the stories merged confusing initially. Toss in the obvious impact grief was still having on Caroline and the bubbly, magical spirit of Christmas seemed a bit subdued, although Caroline's jaunt on a snow cat (snow machine in Alaska) sounded like fun. Overall, though, while not quite pulled in to the extent I'd hoped, it was an interesting read and I liked the peek at the pressure on editors to constantly produce the next best seller, so to speak, all the time. It was interesting to watch her work with the young author, for instance, ironically trying to lead him to ways to insert more feeling/emotion into her promising work, something largely missing from her own life. Thanks #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sGriffin and #NetGalley for this early peek at a holiday celebration.

Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, by Natalie MacLean

 

Available May 9 (Canada) and June 7 (US)

First, an admission. I know next to nothing about the wine industry, its marketing or community. I know the issues of women climbing the ladder in a largely male dominated area, however. That said, while I found the details of MacLean's climb as a wine writer and the obstacles she faced specific to that industry interesting, especially while dealing with the devastation of divorce, it was the human element that attracted me.

I'm not going to detail the story, others will have done a far better job of it than I could. Instead, I'm simply going to share some of my own reactions as I read. First, I was impressed by the brutal honestly of Natalie MacLean. She somehow came across as vulnerable and emotional while still showing strength and determination. Her husband's unexpected declaration that he wanted a divorce, during the Christmas holidays, no less, closely followed by attacks on her career by rivals, left her stunned. Yet, even as her world whirled out of control, her first thought was of her then young son. No matter what, she wanted to protect him. That made me like her and want to see her come out ahead. Mother first, business woman second, in other words. This is the story of how she got to that point and how she moved on, often stumbling, questioning herself, unsure, uneasy, yet determined to turn this disaster into victory. I wanted to see her overcome, so to speak.

It's an often emotional, intense read. She shares words of wisdom from friends and counselors. Given recent media attention to mental issues and depression where those seeking help are often scoffed at for being weak, she did what she needed to do. That said, she worried that people would think her a psychological exhibitionist by sharing her roller-coaster ride in a book, but pressed on. You'll like her counselor. It's an intensely personal story, one that will dazzle you one moment with peeks into the glamour of the wine industry, with hints on tasting and evaluating wine, but also tell you how she came to write about wine in the first place. Yes, it's all there. Laid out bare. 

Quite frankly, I've barely touched the surface of all I learned, experienced, and, yes, felt as I read. Her personal story isn't mine and while our worlds seem far, far apart, human nature and experiences are universal. Be prepared for quite the ride as you read. It won't be an easy read but you won't regret one moment of it.

Bailey Finch Takes a Stand, by Ingrid Laguna

 Publication Feb. 14, 2022

I wanted to give Bailey Finch a big hug. Several hugs, actually, plus some ear scratches to Sheba. Heck, the father needed a few hugs, too, so I guess I spent a good portion of the book imagining a hug-fest. 

Bailey's mom has died of cancer, leaving the family adrift in grief. Her father is lost in his grief, barely acknowledging Bailey. Too young to grasp how grief works, she feels he no longer cares. She tries hard to bring him out of his grief but feels her words don't penetrate and that he no longer seems to even see her. He just sits and stares at the television or the photo of her mom on the mantle. She fears he doesn't care about her.

Unable to reach through her father's grief, Bailey clings to Sheba all the more. Sheba, the dog, was a gift to Bailey from her mom on the day she learned her mom had cancer, so when Sheba becomes seriously ill, Bailey feels helpless. Helpless and alone. But, she isn't alone. She has a neighbor that cares, another subtle reminder to readers that one person can make a difference, and finds a sense of purpose when she teams up with a friend, Israel, to convince the town to clean up the creek where her beloved dog got into something harmful. It was one of her mother's favorite places.

Quite frankly, I cuddled my own dog closer as I read of Sheba's stay at the vet hospital. Yet, this story is more than a story about Bailey spear-heading a town clean-up of the creek and her grief. It's a reminder to us that we can all make a difference, however small. In the process of reading you'll encounter grief and loneliness, not to mention the role misunderstanding such intense emotions can make, but hope.

Thanks #NetGalley and #TextPublishing - #TextPublishingCompany for introducing me to Bailey and her dad, not to mention Sheba. This is a lovely story that reminds us not only do we all grieve differently but that while living isn't easy, we can all make a difference. Now I need to go hug my dog.