I totally slacked on writing a March post for the Bookish Books Reading Challenge—oops!—so this one will be a March/April combo. How are you doing on the challenge so far? I've read eight bookish books in 2026, three of which are from the same bookish cozy mystery series. I'm trying to finish up a cross-stitch birth sampler for my granddaughter, who's 2 1/2 (!), and binge-listening to the series has been keeping me entertained while my hands are busy.

Set in a Victorian mansion that has been remodeled into a charming Agatha Christie-themed bookstore, the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander is warm, fun, and bookish. It stars Annie Murray, a bookseller and budding private investigator who solves mysteries in her quaint town of Redwood Grove, California. I started listening to it last year. This year, I've listened to these three (installments 3-5):

Right now, I'm listening to The Body at the Book Fair, which is the final book in the series. Luckily, Alexander is in the process of penning a spin-off series about Annie's adventures as the co-owner of a private investigation agency. I'll definitely keep listening/reading because the books are light, clean, and entertaining, the exact vibe I'm digging right now.

I won't talk about the five other bookish books I've read in the past couple months, but I do want to mention the one I'm reading now. Carol Goodman is one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors, and her forthcoming novel is very bookish. Our Marriage is Murder (available July 21, 2026) stars a husband and wife who have been co-writing a popular, bestselling mystery series for the entire two decades of their marriage. As they travel to Italy for a book conference, they're contemplating ending both their working relationship and their personal one, which has become a sham anyway. These issues are hanging in the air between them when the first murder at the conference occurs. As more follow, they begin to wonder if they are the actual targets. 

Our Marriage is Murder is moving a little slower than some of Goodman's other books, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless. I'm about halfway through, and I have no idea whodunit. We'll see if I can figure out what's happening before the writer couple does!

I'm not sure exactly what I'll be reading in April after I finish The Body at the Book Fair and Our Marriage is Murder, but hopefully, it will include some bookish books.