One of my 2026 book goals is to visit and support 12 new-to-me independent bookstores in different cities. In this post, I share my picks for January and February.
Tag: Reading Community
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
★★★★☆ In this psychological thriller, author Grady Green has writer’s block after his wife mysteriously disappears. To help him get his writing groove back, his agent arranges for him to use a cabin on a remote island in Scotland, where he runs into a woman who looks exactly like his disappeared wife.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
★★★☆☆ How wild would your dating life be if you knew precisely how long each relationship would last before your first date? That’s Daphne's situation in this novel.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
★★★☆☆ Yours Truly was my first read by contemporary romance writer Abby Jimenez. Featuring lovable characters, this novel was an endearing story about embracing the messiness of life.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
★★★★★ I was familiar with Ina Garten from watching a few episodes of Barefoot Contessa on The Food Network with my mom. While I found her show pleasant, I wouldn’t have called myself a huge fan. After listening to Be Ready When the Luck Happens, I'm officially a fan.
Other Birds by Sarah Allen
★★★★☆ I was introduced Other Birds, Sarah Addison Allen’s quirky, magical realist novel, through my book club, which reads books by women authors and/or that feature strong female characters. I was thrilled to be introduced to a new author for me, especially one from my home state of North Carolina. Other Birds by Sarah Addison … Continue reading Other Birds by Sarah Allen
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
★★★★☆ I kept seeing Carley Fortune books, with their dreamy pastel watercolor covers, on the front table of my local bookstore. After the cover and the blurb on the back caught my eye several times, I decided to give the Canadian author’s debut novel, Every Summer After, a try.
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
★★★★☆ Named after the number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine, this drama centers on a family that owns a winery in Sonoma County. The drama primarily comes from complexities in the romantic relationships of everyone in the family.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
★★★☆☆ Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica This suspenseful thriller immerses us in the cases of Shelby Tebow, Meredith Dickey, and her six-year-old daughter Delilah, who go missing from a quiet town. Shelby disappears after going for a late-night run. Shortly after, Delilah and Meredith vanish. Delilah returns eleven years after the disappearances, reigniting interest … Continue reading Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
★★★☆☆ Though living worlds apart, Augustine, an astronomer living alone in the Arctic Circle in his twilight years, and Sully, an astronaut who left her young daughter to embark on a two-year mission to Jupiter, have more in common than their love of the stars.