Tag: Five Star Novels

October 2026–Part One:

October 16, 2026

Book #74:

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (339 pages).  I am a big fan of this author as I’ve followed her on Instagram beginning during the pandemic. A former government teacher, the author here has several vignettes on lesser-known historical figures. For example, while most of us are familiar with Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon who refused to give up her seat on a city bus, many of us aren’t aware of her 15-year-old predecessor, Claudette Colvin, who also refused to vacate her bus seat for a white person. These stories are simply fascinating to read, and I especially loved Sharon’s tone of voice here, modern and so familiar to those of us who follow her online. I’m so glad I learned about these (often forgotten) people in our nation’s history. 4 stars.

Book #75:

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain (Length: 411 pages). This was this month’s book club pick for my local club, and while most attendees didn’t care for this historical novel, I enjoyed it. I listened to this on audio and the narrator does a great job. The author alternates between two female protagonists, Anna, a young muralist in 1940 North Carolina and Morgan, a young woman in modern day, who was convicted of a DUI collision which resulted in a paralyzed victim. Morgan wasn’t driving but took the rap for her boyfriend who was heading off to law school. Morgan is paroled early, with the agreement that she is to restore a mural, originally painted by Anna (who won a contest run by the federal government). Anna mysteriously disappears and the mural she left behind seems to have been strangely altered from its original plan. There are indeed some unbelievable coincidences that occur in this novel (which is why many of my book club members disliked this novel) but I found it to be well-written, and very easy to listen too. The author ties the two protagonists together very skillfully and I kept wanting to turn the audiobook back on, always a good sign. 3 stars.

Book #76:

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai (Length: 448 pages). This novel has been on my TBR for a few years so I finally picked it up. This is a contemporary mystery featuring Bodie Kane, a podcaster who is looking back at her time at Granby, a boarding school where Bodie’s roommate was brutally murdered. Told in the form of letters (or emails) to someone who was at Granby at the same time the murder occurred, the author slowly reveals to the reader what likely happened that day. I found this to be very well-written, sufficiently literary, with a propulsive plot that I couldn’t stop reading. I did enjoy the flashback scenes much more than I did present-day, but I am so glad I finally gave this one a go. 4 stars from me.

Book #77:

The Wave by Susan Casey(Length: 434 pages). I don’t recall where I first heard about this non-fiction account, but I put a hold on it with my local library and after a month or so, I was able to read it. The author’s initial focus here is on Laird Hamilton, the world-class surfer who is known for his big wave surfing but very quickly she pans further outward and discusses the history of big waves, the science behind them as well as how climate change may be causing even more of these behemoths. This is a bit stressful to read as the author breathlessly details how large and how destructive these waves are. One almost 1,800-foot wave in Alaska is one that will appear in my nightmares. Definitely read this in print or on a Kindle as the author includes photographs mid-way through. 4.5 stars from me!

September 2026–Part Two:

September 30, 2026

Book #69:

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (678 pages).  I listened to this novel on audio, narrated by Paul Michael, and it’s a fantastic listen! I haven’t read Dan Brown since his first novel in this series of 6 books: The Da Vinci Code. I was inspired by a friend to pick this one up, specifically on audio, and I really enjoyed it. This one, I’m told, is more closely aligned with the first book, in terms of how well-written it is. Just as with The Da Vinci Code, this mystery thriller is fast paced has lots of interesting history packed within and here, the plot focuses on cognition and consciousness. Set in the gorgeous setting of Prague, Robert Langdon and Dr Katherine Solomon work together to solve the mystery and save humanity, or at least some people in Prague. This is a great read/listen with several fun twists and turns. 5 stars.

Book #70:

When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams(Length: 433 pages). I adore this author’s One Hundred Summers, so when I heard her newest contemporary fiction offering is found to be just as good, I had to pick it up. This novel is set on Winthrop Island in New England and alternates between modern-day and 1717, jumping between a modern day and a pirate romance. The author skillfully ties the island the estate in which both timelines are set together, with a through-line about buried treasure. My favorite character here is the precocious Punkin as well as the characters of Lucy and Ben, the modern-day couple. This is a fun, fast-paced read and would be perfect for a long airplane ride. 4 stars from me.

Book #71:

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood (Length: 363 pages).   This is the third Ali Hazelwood novel I’ve read and this rom-com focuses on an NIH neuroscientist (Bee) and her long-time enemy, a NASA engineer (Levi). This enemies-to-lovers trope features the same clever banter and electric chemistry on the page that the other two novels I’ve read by this author, but in this book, there’s a miscommunication subplot that is not my favorite. I also became annoyed with how angsty and in her head Bee is throughout the novel, especially as we are led to believe she’s an incredibly smart woman. Having said all of that, this was hard to put down and I did enjoy my experience reading this. 3.5 stars from me

Book #72:

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Length: 591 pages). I’m a fan of narrative non-fiction on audio, so that’s how I read this chunky book. The author explores the year of the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression in this expansive book by focusing on specific people who had a stake in the stock market, or who were titans of industry and controlled the stock market as well as various historical figures in this time period. The audio is fantastic, the narrator does a fantastic job of keeping the listener’s attention, the narrative is very skillfully drawn out and even given its length is perfectly-paced. 4 stars from me!

Book #73:

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey (284 pages). I’ve had this paperback sitting on my bookshelves for a while, so I decided to finally pick it up, and once I did, I just never put it down. This cute romance is set in Columbus, Ohio, and features Annie Cassidy (an aspiring screenwriter) who scores a temporary job on a movie set in her town, a romantic comedy featuring the very hot Drew Danforth. Annie has been waiting to meet a Tom Hanks movie lead, like in her favorite rom-coms she watched with her now-departed mom, and in this quick-read, similar rom-com hijinks ensue. There are cute supporting characters (2 of them appear in the second novel in this duology), there is solid writing and lots of fun banter (my favorite). I give this closed-door romance with a cute premise 3 stars.

September 2026–Part One:

September 15, 2026

Book #65:

The Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Jamie McGovern (379 pages).  This charming novel features two residents of Garden Grove retirement home who become friends while playing Scrabble. Their games lead to Walter teaching Sally how to play competitively in local tournaments. This is a sweet novel with some deeper themes such as unhappy marriages, worries over adult children and Parkinson’s disease. The Scrabble games are a delightful thru-line and the author excels at writing witty dialogue. This is a fun, quick yet memorable read. 4 stars.

Book #66:

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Length: 807 pages). This is Book #2 in the Crescent City series and it’s another behemoth of a book with the same main characters as the first installment yet is a much fast read now that the world-building has been established. I loved the ride in this one and couldn’t wait to pick it up again to read even more. The pacing is fantastic, the romantasy is much more open-door in this one, and the character arcs are developed even further. The ending of this fantasy novel has revealed a major plot point plus a wild cliffhanger (if you’ve read the author’s ACOTAR- A Court of Thorns & Roses series) so the reader faces yet ANOTHER 800 pages for more resolution. 5 stars again from me.

Book #67:

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie (Length: 433 pages).   This book has been on so many “best of summer” lists so I was happy to finally pick it up, and WOW. I love this romance! It’s more literary than most and is set in the world of theater/improv/SNL but is very accessible to the layperson who isn’t super familiar with these worlds. The two romantic leads here are AJ and Noah, who we meet when they are 17 and 21 respectively, and we check in with them again through the years. There is a (valid?) issue keeping these star-crossed lovers apart, making it truly a right people, wrong time scenario. The writing is so smart here and I loved all of it (even with a bit of a mid-novel lag). 5 stars and I’m guessing it makes my top 10 list for this year.

Book #68:

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan (Length: 345 pages). I finally got around to reading one of the “it” books of the summer of 2024 and I adore it! This very charming and well-written contemporary romance features a soon-to-be divorced 45-year-old professional organizer with three kids who finds romance with someone she grew up with in her small town. He happens to be an attorney, so they barter their services, her to help him clean out his parents’ inn and him to help her negotiate the final terms of her pending divorce. I love the witty banter, the cute dogs, the small-town details of it all and the professional organization fun (my jam!). This romance is closed door and it reads like it would be great on audio! 4.5 stars from me.

July 2026–Part Two:

August 1, 2026

Book #56:

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (304 pages).  I’m a big fan of this author’s historical fiction novels (including The Huntress and The Diamond Eye) so I was excited to pick up her first foray into magical realism. This novel features Alix, a young adult who’s aged out of foster care and is barely making ends meet. She has multiple part-time jobs, including one with the Boston Public Library. Attached to this library is the Astral Library, a magical realm where people seeking refuge from their own lives can literally escape into a book. Alix stumbles into the Astral Library one day and discovers it’s under attack, and Alix may just be the heroine to save it. This is such a fun ride, it’s well-written (and I would expect nothing less from Kate Quinn) and I hope there’s a sequel coming. 5 stars.

Book #57:

One Way by S.J. Morden (Length: 358 pages). This book entered my orbit as a great read for people who enjoyed The Martian but want less discourse on the science behind surviving on Mars and more about how a base can actually be constructed on Maras, so of course I snapped this up. The greedy, money-hungry XO Corp (think: SpaceX) is a corrupt space technology company that convinces the federal government to bankroll their excursion to Mars and also convinces 8 convicts to travel to Mars on a one-way ticket to build the first base for NASA to follow and then populate. One of these convicts is Frank Kittridge, a former architect who shot and killed his son’s drug dealer. The convicts receive training on how to construct the base, are put in a deep sleep, and wake up on Mars. Murder and mayhem quickly ensue, all whilst the building of the base continues. This is a fascinating novel as the author does get into the technology and science required to build a base (again, low-level so it’s not confusing to the average reader) and it’s a lot of fun to follow the construction. The writing is excellent and the plot is very propulsive. It does end on a cliffhanger, but the sequel is also out, in this 2-book series and I immediately downloaded it from my library after I finished this. 5 stars.

Book #58:

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley (Length: 352 pages).   I hugged this book (my Kindle) after I finished it. I LOVED it! This is a cute novel where the protagonist is a 57-year-old magazine therapist (think: modern-day advice columnist) who commutes via train in London. Iona meets a varied cast of characters during her daily commute, and this novel is about their interactions as well as their own lives and problems. The writing here is clever, with occasional commentary that links a few of the characters’ behaviors, like literary Easter eggs, as well as some lines that made me chuckle out loud. I loved learning about every character, especially Iona, and I wish this novel was even longer as I’d like to spend more time with all of them. This memorable novel is the perfect beach or vacation read. Five stars!

Book #59:

No Way by S.J. Morden (Length: 345 pages). This is Book 2 in the Frank Kittridge series, a sequel to One Way, reviewed above. WOW. This is such a satisfying wrap-up of the events that transpired in Book 1. The character development, the action, the setting are all top-notch here. This would make a fantastic TV series or movie and is especially timely given the ascendancy of Elon Musk’s Space-X. The warnings shouted here by this author should be heeded by our government, as what happened in these books may happen someday in the future. 5 stars!

July 2026–Part One:

July 14, 2026

Book #53:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (864 pages).  This Pulitzer-Prize winning Western novel has been on my TBR for years but its monster-sized length has scared me off. A family trip to Montana earlier this month was the perfect excuse to pull it out and I devoured this tale while in a hammock alongside the Bitterroot River (AKA, a reader’s dream spot to read). The hefty page count belies a very propulsive plot with multiple interesting, fully drawn characters who are on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, specifically Yellowstone. The way the author refers to people of color and sex workers is very of the time but is a bit jarring to the modern-day reader, so be forewarned. All told, this was a completely immersive read, beautifully told and I will remember this forever. This is officially in my top 3 favorite books, so I’m absolutely glad I decided to finally tackle this masterpiece. 5 solid stars from me.

Book #54:

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (Length: 301 pages). This book keeps getting recommended to me so I finally picked it up thanks to a $2.99 Kindle daily deal. Lula Dean is the neighborhood “Karen” who marshals banned books as her topic de jour, and in support of encouraging “other” types of reading, installs a free little library in her front yard, stocked with garbage books from the local thrift shop like “Art of the Deal” and “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. An enterprising freethinker quickly rescues the banned library books from storage and replaces the thrift store books with the banned books behind the thrift dust jackets. Thus, unsuspecting readers find themselves reading literary classics such as “Beloved” and gay romances and even Judy Blume, causing them to challenge their own mistakenly held beliefs. I thought the concept here is a lot of fun, and I appreciated that it’s essentially an anti-MAGA playbook via a fun story. Where it falls short for me is its execution: the writing is a bit stilted and one-note and it makes me think of an adult version of those Mrs. Piggle Wiggle kids’ books where each chapter covers an etiquette or manners lesson via a cute story. Overally, I found this to be an impactful, enjoyable read. 4 stars from me.

Book #55:

Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey (Length: 329 pages).   I adore Tessa Bailey for my brain candy reads, as they are always full of heart and solid writing, and her ancillary characters are typically former romantic leads in previous books, or they are leads we will see in future books. Here, in the #4 book in the Big Shots series, Skylar Paige is a Division 1 softball pitcher who enters into a fake dating scheme with Robbie Corrigan, a Bear Cat professional hockey player rookie who is mentioned in Book #2 The Au Pair Affair (reviewed here). The banter, chemistry and writing are all solid and this is another fun rom-com to throw in your beach bag. 3.5 stars.