Friday Favorites: Beach Books

 

For Friday Favorites, I will be sharing some books or authors or genres that I find interesting and enjoy. Please feel free to leave a book/blog related comment.

This week's subject is Beach Reads.

If you were going to the beach today, what would you pack to read?

I ran a poll on Threads asking what genre people would read for their beach reads.

The results were interesting. I expected light reading material. That much was true. The genres were mixed . Keep in mind that this poll had a low turnout. I still found the results interesting. The winning genre was Romance followed closely by Science Fiction and Fantasy. Mystery came in third, and Horror last. I am wondering if people had a particular book or author in mind when they answered or if it was just a general answer. I should've included more genres in my poll as well.

I haven''t read a straight up romance book in ages. So, I will leave it to y'all to make suggestions. I've read some romantasy. Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde trilogy is excellent. There's tons more out there.

As for light science fiction and fantasy, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells make for good sci-fi on the light side. And for fantasy, I've read Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree and other books in the same world. And if you want something that is sometimes silly, sometimes serious, I would think the Fool series by Christopher Moore would make for good reading. There's Fool, The Serpent of Venice, and Shakespeare for Squirrels.

For mysteries, it depends on what kind of book you really like - light, cozy mystery, police procedural, etc. In the last year I discovered Caleb Wygal has a series that takes place in Myrtle Beach where a widowed bookstore owner tries his hand at solving mysteries. Other books and authors I've read or had recommended to me are Susan Boyer with her Low Country mystery series and Larissa Reinhart's Cherry Tucker mysteries. Those are pretty much cozies. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn and the sequel Kills Well with Others are more of a thriller type mystery. There's these older women who were assassins and have been retired, but now someone is after them.

And, for horror,  Grady Hendrix's How to Sell a Haunted House or The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires are good horror beach reads. I've also had Preston & Child recommended to me in this category or the previous one. Maureen Kilmer has a few: Nightmare of a Trip, Suburban Hell, and Hexed all make for good reading on the lighter horror side.What kind of horror do you consider a good beach read? Do you prefer light horror, chilling horror, or something else?

Some older books I'd like to plug for beach reading are Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody mysteries, Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson books, as well as the Southern Sisters mysteries by Anne George and Joan Hess's Arly Hanks or Claire Malloy mysteries.

What's in my beach bag? 

The most recent Elle Cosimano book - Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen. and Rich Girl: a Country Club Murder Novella by Julie Mulhern.

What's in your beach bag? Please share it in a comment. Thank for stopping by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #610: Finlay Donovan Plays with Fire by Elle Cosimano

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

When Finlay Donovan showed up at Stacey Pickens’s house to defend herself and her loved ones against Stacey’s vicious rumor mill, she uttered a veiled threat, never daring to imagine she might be one of the last people to see her busy-body neighbor alive.

News gets out that Stacey has vanished and there are signs of foul play. Her jacket and keys were found discarded in the woods behind the community playground, covered in blood. To make matters worse, the forensic photographer documenting the crime scene is none other than the ex-fiancée of Finlay’s hot cop boyfriend Nick. The only bright spot is that no one seems to know about Finlay’s altercation with Stacey, except Finlay’s loyal nanny, Vero, who’s hiding a combustible secret of her own.

As the missing persons investigation escalates to a possible homicide, Finlay and Nick become the top suspects when a dogged detective learns Nick had beef with Stacey too. Determined to get him off their back, Finlay, Nick, and Vero discover more than they bargained for when they launch their own investigation into Stacey’s disappearance—their quiet suburban street is a tinderbox of scandals, blackmail, and lies, and the former president of the neighborhood watch could be holding a lit match . . .

Pitted against a mountain of evidence against them—and backstabbing neighbors with plenty to hide—Finlay and Nick are in a race against the cops to solve Stacey’s case before they both go down for the crime.

Finlay Donovan Plays with Fire by Elle Cosimano is expected out March 16, 2027 from Minotaur Books. It will be the seventh installment in the Finlay Donovan series.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've been following Finlay and Vero's adventures for some time now. Nick has become increasingly involved in Finlay's life. This book sounds like there might be less Vero and more Nick than in past books. I'm looking forward to finding more out about Nick other than that he seems to have the patience of a saint, is good looking, and is a good cop. I'm expecting humor and hijinks as they try to solve what happened to Stacey.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 The paper was so virgin, so unnaturally white, that anything she placed upon it--graphite, ink, watercolor--seemed an intrusion, a desecration. Any line she might draw would seem no better than a child's crayon marks on a kitchen wall. 

p. 12  The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint

The Wild Wood was published in 1994 by Bantam Books.

Friday Favorites: Horror with a Dash of Humor

For Friday Favorites, I will be sharing some books or authors or genres that I find interesting and enjoy. Please feel free to leave a book/blog related comment.

This week's subject is Horror with a dash of Humor. 

It seems from time to time that many people like to read a little horror while others prefer a steady diet of it. I  like it now and then, but don't read it constantly. And I prefer my horror to come with the occasional comic relief. It breaks some of the tension and sometimes sets you up for the next scare. 

Why do people like to read horror at all? There are many reasons. The one I found most interesting was that it gives people control. If it's getting too scary, you can close the book for a while. You can decide how scary the book you pick is. And sometimes this is the best thing we can do when the world around us is crazy. 

Some of my favorite horror/humor authors are: Lindy Ryan, Maureen Kilmer, Grady Hendrix, and Christopher Moore. Although Christopher Moore's books I think are more humor than horror. And full disclosure I haven't read Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines yet nor Anima Rising by Christopher Moore. And I have just dipped into the anthology Blood Lite from time to time.

I'm looking forward to Slayers of Old. Here's a quotation I found on Amazon from it. "As a Hunter, my body reacted to the presence of unnatural threats: monsters and demons and people who hung the toilet paper roll "under" instead of "over." My duty was to track down and end these threats." 

Lindy Ryan's stories of the Evans women - Bless Your Heart and Another Fine Mess were joined by Dollface this year in the horror with a dash of humor category. Dollface is not one of the Evans women, but it is a story about a serial killer killing off people in the PTA of an elementary school.

Christopher Moore's book, A Dirty Job, asks the question what would happen if you had to raise a toddler while perhaps being the personification of death. The Stupidest Angel - "a heart warming tale of Christmas terror" cautions be careful what you wish for and combines the undead with the holiday season.

If you haven't already, do also check out Maureen Kilmer and Grady Hendrix. For more on horror and humor suggestions, my post from this past October is still available to read, Spooky Season Recommendations. 

Do you like to read horror with or without humor? What are some of your favorite authors or books? Drop a line in the comments. Happy Reading!

Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

From the publisher:

From Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Good Sister, comes a twist-filled, darkly funny mystery about the two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth was published April 21, 2026 by St. Martin's Press.

My thoughts: Mabel is a very interesting character both in the past and the present. We get to read her creation story as well as what she has become. Her story has plenty of tragedy and death. But, there are lighter moments as well. This is less a mystery and more domestic suspense. I liked Mabel and Persephone. I thought Daphne was interesting as well. 

There are twists and turns that are revealed mostly through Mabel's interview and looking back at her life. There is tension about what she is revealing of her past as well as what's going on in her present.The plot moved along fast enough. Some things in the end were predictable while others were not.

I gave this book 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it. If you like domestic suspense with twists and some dark humor, then this could be a good book for you.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #609: Dead Lift by Clio Evans

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Lights Out meets Butcher & Blackbird in Dead Lift, a serial killer romcom from beloved author Clio Evans.

Murdering a man isn't hard. Getting rid of the body, though? That’s another story.

Forensic scientist Shelby has a simple plan. Get justice for her sister, kill the men who murdered her, and (hopefully) get away with it. But when a hot himbo with a man bun catches Shelby in the act—her simple plan becomes a lot more complicated.

With her pink hazmat suit and butcher knife, Shelby is the most alluring woman Brad has ever met. He’s in danger, but he’s never felt more alive. He needs to be in her life, even if it means risking his.

Brad offers to be her henchman. Shelby grudgingly decides to spare his life. What could possibly go wrong?

It turns out everything.

Will Shelby finally get the justice she’s sacrificed her future for? Or will falling for her hot himbo henchman ruin it all?

Dead Lift by Clio Evans is expected out January 5, 2027 from Bramble.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's really an absurd way for a couple to meet. The pink hazmat suit is funny. It's going to entail a sizable amount of suspension of disbelief, but it's meant to be entertainment not a how to or how not to book. I want to know if she gets away with it and just what goes wrong. And while it comes out in January 2027, I expect it will find it's way into a few beach bags come summer.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Pants on Fire by Alex A. King

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 

Nat is a Chihuahua, though. She'll never let this go. She's Katie's ride-or-die, and right now she's in her Die! Die! Die! mode. At this rate, Tyler won't be there for his child's birth. Not if she doesn't keep Nat away from sharp things. And poisons. 

p. 12 Pants on Fire by Alex A. King

Pants on Fire was published May 9, 2025. I think it would make a great Beach Read. It's the 10th book in The Women of Greece series and can be read as a standalone.