Month: March 2026

The past year brought a lot of ups and downs, with seemingly more downs than ever.  But one thing I’ve always been able to count on is escaping into a good book.

When it came to FICTION, I found myself branching out from my usual horror and thriller/mystery choices.  I sought out lighter comedies, family dramas, even a few romantasies.  Thanks to the quarterly Goodreads reading challenge prompts (and my local library), I discovered some true gems that I probably would have otherwise overlooked.

When I was putting together my favorites from the past year, these are the first five titles that jumped to mind.

AFTERTASTE by Daria Lavelle — 5 out of 5 stars

Kostya has always been surrounded by ghosts.  While he can’t see them, he can make contact with them by eating their favorite foods.  He opens a restaurant devoted to helping others make contact with their late loved ones.  However, there is chaos erupting in the ghostly realm, and Kostya finds himself caught in the middle.        I went into this one pretty much blind, and wound up loving it so much!  The foodie in me enjoyed all of the wonderful food descriptions, while my inner horror and magical realism fan was caught up in the strange world Lavelle created.  At its core, though, this is a story of grief, acceptance, and love.  Well worth checking out.

BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL by V.E. Schwab — 5 out of 5 stars

A vampire tale set in three different timelines (1532, 1827, 2019), with three very different women and their interwoven stories.  I had been hearing a lot of raves about this one so I chose it for a Halloween read…and it definitely lived up to all the hype!  Haunting and mesmerizing are the first two words to come to my mind when trying to describe it.  The characters are well fleshed out, although I would have liked a bit more about Charlotte.  Highly recommend.

TO THOSE WILLING TO DROWN by Mark Matthews — 5 out of 5 stars

It’s difficult to describe this book without spoilers, but here are some key elements:  grieving parents, a mysterious pastor, and an unknown entity at the bottom of Torch Lake.  A blend of horror and folklore (one of my favorite combinations), this is by far my top read by Mark Matthews to date.

THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by T.J. Klune — 5 out of 5 stars

T.J. Klune has quickly become one of my must-read authors.  This delightful story of Linus, Arthur, and six magical orphans truly warmed my blackened, broken heart (and that is saying A LOT in this day and age).  I laughed, I cried, I loved every single character.  I can’t recommend this one enough.

THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley — 4.5 out of 5 stars

When Gay Uncle Patrick, a 43-year-old former sitcom star, suddenly finds himself caring for his beloved young niece and nephew, well, you just know there’s going to be some hijinks, hilarity, and family bonding.  The whole “person without kids suddenly has to care for kids” storyline is not new to books or movies, but there’s something truly charming about The Guncle that has me still thinking about it several months after reading it.

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Some other titles I would recommend checking out…

WHEN THESE MOUNTAINS BURN by David Joy

THE BRIGHT YEARS by Sarah Damoff

THE UNWORTHY by Agustina Bazterrica

TOO OLD FOR THIS by Samantha Downing

COUNTRY by Michael Hughes

Now that I’ve caught up a bit, and with April just a few hours away, I’ll be starting back with my Reading Mash-Ups, monthly TBRs, and perhaps a few other surprises!

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Support your local library.

Stay safe, and Happy Reading!

While I’m putting together ideas and reading lists to go forward with this blog space, I decided to share some of the great books I read over the past year.  There were a lot, so I’m going to focus on the ones that really stood out and the ones I still can’t stop thinking about.

First up, I’ll start with NONFICTION, mainly memoirs and autobiographies.  I always love reading celebrity memoirs.  I mean, who doesn’t want to find out the dirt on their favorite (or even their not-so-favorite) stars?

These are my two most recent reads…

LAST RITES by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres  * 5 out of 5 stars*

Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath were true rock legends, inspiring countless musicians over the decades and paving the way for heavy metal.  In his final memoir, Ozzy talks about the health problems that plagued him over the last few years.  He also shares various stories from his past, including some truly heartbreaking details behind the death of Randy Rhoads.  Highly recommend.

FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough  *4.5 out of 5 stars*

Shortly before her untimely death, Lisa Marie Presley asked her oldest daughter, Riley Keough, to help write the memoir she had been wanting to do for years.  After her passing, Riley listened to her mother’s recordings and interviews, then went on to share them in this book.  Most of the book is Lisa Marie’s voice, with Riley adding extra information and her own recollections of certain events for clarity.

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Some other great titles worth mentioning…

I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy  *5 out of 5 stars*

Jennette McCurdy hadn’t been on my radar before her memoir came out, but the title intrigued me so I decided to check it out.  Wow.  Even all these months later, I am still feeling angry on her behalf, as well as sad, but also cautiously optimistic for her future.  A difficult read at times, but well worth reading.

TREJO:  MY LIFE OF CRIME, REDEMPTION, AND HOLLYWOOD by Danny Trejo with Donal Logue  *5 out of 5 stars*

Everyone’s favorite bad guy gone good.  What I’ve always liked about Danny Trejo is that he seems so down to earth and truly appreciative of his success.  He tells his story, from the street gangs and his time in prison to his surprising break into the Hollywood scene.  A mix of gritty and inspirational.

CHER:  THE MEMOIR, PART 1 by Cher  *4.5 out of 5 stars*

Imagine having such a full life that you need two books to write your story?!  In part 1 of Cher’s autobiography, she talks about her childhood, her relationship with Sonny Bono, and other events through the Gregg Allman years (late 1970’s if I remember correctly).  I have to say, I really felt my age when she talked about certain episodes of The Sonny and Cher Show that I remember watching as a kid!  Entertaining, and I can’t wait for Part 2 (I believe is set to release in May).

BROTHERS:  AN INTIMATE ACCOUNT OF BROTHERHOOD AND ROCK MUSIC by Alex Van Halen  *4.5 out of 5 stars*

Edward Van Halen (Ed or Edward, NEVER Eddie) was a guitar icon who, with his brother Alex, formed a band that helped define a generation.  In this book, Alex  shares stories of their upbringing and their journey into rock n roll stardom.  There are some truly wild and entertaining tidbits, but Alex will always be the protective big brother of Ed, so don’t expect too much scandal.  However, you will find out the story behind the famous “no brown M & M’s,” which is probably not what you would expect, yet it makes so much sense.

FACE IT by Debbie Harry  *4 out of 5 stars*

The first rock album I bought with my own money was Parallel Lines by Blondie (I believe I was around 9 years old, using birthday and Christmas money gifts).  I fricking loved their sound and I was in love with Debbie Harry’s style, so this was a must-read for me.  I enjoyed this one overall, but at times she seemed disconnected from her own narrative.

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Support your local libraries!

Until next time, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Watch out, I’m back…and I’m here to stay.

So, a year ago I was not in a good place.  From personal issues to the daily news, I was feeling drained.  Every time I read a great book, I couldn’t find the energy or the words to write even a basic review.  So I let my blog slide.

Then around May I found some inner strength and wanted to revive this blog.  I wanted to share good things with others.  That is when I found out that my website had been hacked and was offline.  I still had my second wordpress account, but my website had all of my drafts, unpublished pictures, etc.  I was pissed and I was devastated.  My computer-savvy husband tried to fix things.  He thought it was a problem with the hosting system as one of his accounts was down as well.  But after two months, I still didn’t have my site, so I threw in the towel and said fuck it.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago when my husband wanted to know my user name and password for this site.  He told me he had potentially fixed things, then logged in with my information and showed me that my site still existed.  I actually started crying.  I didn’t realize how much I missed sharing my love of books, how much I really needed this in my life right now.

I know I will never be an influencer.  That was never my goal.  My goal has always been to share my love of reading, and to maybe point someone to a book that they will enjoy as much as I did.  I think this is even more important now.

Going forward, while I usually avoid making political posts, I want to make it  clear that this is a safe space .  And if you identify yourself as MAGA, get the fuck off of my page.  Believe me, you don’t want to open that can of worms with me.

So, for the immediate future, I will be recapping some of my favorite books from the past year that I didn’t have the opportunity to share.  I am still planning monthly themes/goals (starting with April), and I’ve been thinking about some other features as well.  But, baby steps at the moment.

Thank you for reading this, and for your support!

Stay safe everyone!  And, as always, Happy Reading!!