I'm late to post again this month. September is already getting away from me and it's barely even started. Yikes! This is going to be a quick post, too, because I only read two bookish books in August. They were:

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows—This historical novel, which I listened to on audio, takes place in a small West Virigina town in 1938. When a wealthy socialite from Washington, D.C. is cut off by her father, who insists she needs to learn how to live independently, she is forced to take a job with the Federal Writers' Project. She is tasked with writing a town history of a berg in the middle of nowhere, exactly where she does not want to be. As she gets to know the quirky Romeyn family, however, she finds her attitude toward many things changing. 

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman—Goodman's newest mystery/thriller stars an antiquities museum director who is invited back to the privately-owned Greek island where she once lived for a summer during a writers' retreat. Unable to write after suffering a heartbreaking betrayal, she has done her best to put the whole terrible experience behind her. Now, fifteen years later, she vows to go back and confront those who did her wrong. She counted on drama, but not a dead body...

Those are the only bookish books I read last month. How about you? What bookish reads did you enjoy in August?

I'm not sure yet what exactly I'll be reading this month. Here are three possibilities:

The Lamplighter's Bookshop by Sophie Austin—I like the sound of this historical novel. It's about a woman who is left penniless after her father wracks up enormous debts with his gambling, leaving her and her mother destitute. In order to keep them from the poorhouse, the daughter applies for a position at a bookstore. Much to her chagrin, she's not the only one who wants the job. Can she and her handsome, enigmatic competitor find a way to work together so they both win? 

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas (available September 30, 2025)—I was fortunate to receive an e-ARC of this novel from NetGalley. When a murder at their workplace shatters the peace and refuge they've found at the library, a ragtag group of librarians must band together to save the library they love.

The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble (available March 3, 2026)—Okay, so I don't actually have a copy of this book, which doesn't come out until next year, but I'm praying to the gods of NetGalley and Edelweiss that I can snag an e-ARC. It sounds like a great bookish read.

Based on real circumstances, this historical novel is set in 1915 Manhattan where a vicious censor named Anthony Comstock is eagerly outlawing the publication of any works he deems inappropriate or dangerous. The three Applebaum sisters, owners of a Book Row bookstore, are determined to stop him at any cost.

July was a crazy month for me, but I did manage to read four bookish books. Not too bad. I didn't love any of them, but I enjoyed all of them for the most part. Here's what I read:

Rabbit, Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler and Sunshine Bacon—This middle-grade book is about two cousins who barely know each other because their mothers have been estranged for years. When the girls are brought together for their grandparents' anniversary celebration, they become quick friends. Together, they vow to get to solve the mystery of why their mothers can't stand each other. 

Bee is a voracious reader. Her cousin, Alice, isn't so hot on books, but her parents encourage their children to read by having a weekly family readathon. The girls talk books and swap their favorite reads.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark—This mystery/thriller stars ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, whose been blacklisted after accusing a colleague of misogyny. Unable to get work, she reluctantly agrees to take a job working for a famous horror writer who happens to be her estranged father. The ailing man is finally ready to write a tell all about the mysterious deaths of two of his children decades earlier. He needs Olivia's help. For professional and personal reasons, she can't refuse.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego—In this And Then There Were None-ish mystery, a group of writers are invited to attend a themed house party on a remote island owned by a famous author, whose identity has remained hidden for decades. The writers are challenged with puzzles and games that quickly become sinister in nature. When guests begin dying, it becomes clear that there's much, much more to this party than meets the eye.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack—The second volume in an entertaining murder mystery series, this book also features a group of authors gathering for a special event—a wedding on California's Catalina Island. Things start going awry from the get-go and only get worse as a storm descends, trapping everyone on an island with a killer.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt—Set in 1967-1968, this middle-grade historical novel is about a seventh grader who is convinced that his English teacher hates him. While all the other kids get to leave school for religious school, he is stuck with a woman who makes him do classroom chores and, even worse, read Shakespeare. To his surprise, Holling takes a shine to the Bard. As he finds wisdom in the poet's words, he also learns valuable lessons as he faces all the challenges of middle school and life in a turbulent time in history.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read in August, but I'm considering these:

The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell (available January 13, 2026)—In turn-of-the-century Oxford, Lily Delaney is frustrated by her stunted life. She's bound to her father's failing bookshop while not being able to progress in a male-dominated field. When she discovers a 50-year-old letter hidden in the binding of a burned book, her curiosity is piqued by its contents, which tell a tale of love and murder. As Lily looks for more letters, she finds herself embroiled in what soon becomes a very risky search for some dangerous answers.

I just received an ARC of The Bookbinder's Secret from the publisher and I'm eager to dig in!

The French Bookshop Murder by Greg Mosse (available September 18, 2025)—This upcoming cozy series debut sounds fun. It's about an Englishwoman who decides to open a bookstore in a village in the South of France. She's settling into her new town when a dead body is discovered in the local church. As a stranger and the last person to see the deceased alive, the Englishwoman becomes the prime suspect in the victim's murder. She didn't do it. Who did?

Happy Tuesday, book people! Can you believe it's the first of July already? It's hotter than the dickens here in the Arizona desert. It's 110 degrees outside and, after running errands out in the heat (not my idea), my brain is officially fried. Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie and since I do a post for the Bookish Books Reading Challenge on the first day of each month, I'm going to make things easy on myself and combine them. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Seven Bookish Books I Read in June and Three I Want to Read in July

I went crazy with bookish books in June. Here are the seven I read in the order I finished them (title links lead to my reviews on Goodreads or here at BBB):

1. The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (available November 18, 2025)—Macmillan is one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors because her novels are usually engrossing page turners. Her newest is different than her previous books, more cerebral and less edge-of-your-seat exciting. It concerns an ancient piece of fabric that is said to contain a clue to the whereabouts of a rare manuscript that two warring female secret societies would kill (and have killed) to possess. When a grad student receives international attention for her translation of an important folio, she unwittingly lands herself in the middle of the societies' deadly feud. What exactly is she dealing with and how can she protect herself and those she loves from some very dangerous women?

2. Same Page by Elly Swartz—This middle-grade novel centers around a timely topic: book banning. Bess Stein, who has just been elected 6th grade class president, is dismayed when the book vending machine she installs at her school comes under fire for containing "inappropriate" literature. How can she convince the powers that be that banning books is wrong?

3. Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (available August 26, 2025)—Tory Van Dyne is a book conservator who lives and works at her family's private library. When a knowing British woman appears after hours in the Christie Room claiming to be the Queen of Crime's ghost, Tory reluctantly humors the eccentric stranger. "Mrs. Christie" informs the conservator that she's come to help Tory solve a murder that is about to be committed. Tory dismisses the woman's loony talk—until a murder occurs and the "ghost" offers observations so spot on that Tory can't help believing that "Mrs. Christie" may just be telling the truth about her otherworldly identity. 

4. A Death At Seascape House by Emma Jameson—The first book in a cozy mystery series set on an idyllic British island, complete with white sand beaches (Yes, they really exist in England. Who knew?), this opener introduces us to Jemima Jago. The librarian is sent to St. Morwenna to catalog a private collection of historical documents about Cornish history. Before she can get started, she discovers the dead body of a crotchety old busybody. Thanks to the reputation Jemima earned as a teenager on St. Morwenna, she quickly becomes the prime suspect in the victim's murder. In order to clear her name, she'll have to find the real killer before she's next.

5. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict—In order to prove their worth to their male colleagues, five female crime writers come together to solve the real-life mystery of a young English nurse who was murdered while on a quick holiday in France. As Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham put their heads together to track down a killer, they also find friendship, empathy, and support.

6. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery—Written almost 20 years after Anne of Green Gables, this children's novel is the first in a series starring a newly-orphaned girl who is sent to live with her estranged family in an unfamiliar town. As she tries to get used to her new life, the imaginative child experiences many ups and downs.

7. Murder Past Due by Miranda James—This book is the first installment in a cozy mystery series that revolves around Charlie Harris, a Mississippi librarian, and his Maine coon, Diesel. When an old classmate of Charlie's, now a famous author, is killed, the librarian finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. Although the detective on the case demands that he leave the sleuthing to the professionals, Charlie can't seem to stop himself from playing Hercules Poirot. Whodunit?

For July, I'm planning to read:

8. Rabbit Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler and Sunshine Bacon—I just started this middle-grade book about two 12-year-old cousins who are communicating in secret in order to find out what happened between their mothers to tear their family apart. Bee is a voracious reader, while Alice is such a reluctant one that her parents pay her for each book she reads. Books are one of the things that the girls, who come from very different backgrounds, bond over.

9. The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso (available August 26, 2025)—The time space is a library of books filled with the memories of the dead, one that can be accessed only by special timepieces that were passed down from father-to-son, although they're now mostly possessed by the government. Lisavet Levy is an 11-year-old girl who was hidden in the time space in 1938 by her watchmaker father, who never returned to collect her. When she discovers that government agents are destroying books in the time space, she sets out to save the precious volumes. 

10. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2 by Beth Brower—It seems like everyone I know IRL loves this series. The first book was a quick, fun read, so I'm up for continuing on. In this second installment, Emma continues to get used to her new life living under the thumb of her insufferable uncle, who has squandered away her inheritance. Although she can't afford to buy even one beloved book to keep her company, Emma finds amusement in the eccentric people around her.

There you go, seven bookish books I read in June and three I hope to read in July. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What's your favorite bookish book? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's hard to believe it's June already. Where did May go? It zipped right on by me! I did manage to read five bookish books during May, though. Here they are:

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman (available August 19, 2025)—This middle-grade novel is set in the Oklahoma Panhandle in 1935. In the midst of interminable dust storms, failing crops, neighbors leaving en masse for California, and dust sickness felling friends and family, the Stantons are desperately trying to hold onto their farm. Joanna and Howe, 12-year-old twins, are trying to keep their parents' dream alive, but with their father off looking for work in the West, one disaster after another strikes, leaving only worry in its wake. What will happen to the Stantons if the dust doesn't stop blowing?

Howe would rather read and write poetry than farm any day. He's too afraid to tell his hardworking father that he wants to be a writer when he grows up, so he reads Emily Dickinson in secret and pens poems that he hides in the hayloft. When Joanna discovers his notebook of poems, he's forced to confess his secret to his sister. 

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware—I read this thriller when it first came out way back in 2016. Ware is publishing a sequel (The Woman in Suite 11, available July 8, 2025), so I decided to reread this one. It's about Lo Blacklock, a journalist who is invited on the exclusive maiden voyage of a small, luxury cruise ship. One night, she hears a scream coming from next door followed by what sounds like a body hitting the water. When she raises the alarm, she's told no one is staying in the cabin next to hers—in spite of the fact that Lo met the room's occupant the previous day. Although she had been drinking too much and taking anti-depressants, Lo knows what she saw. She's not going crazy. Is she?

Lo is a journalist who writes for a living. She also loves to read. One of her favorites is Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, which plays an important role in the story. (I also read The Woman in Suite 11, but books are barely mentioned, so I'm not counting it as a bookish book.)

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack—This murder mystery involves a group of mystery writers who are brought together for a promotional book tour in Italy. Connor Smith—a major drama king—insists that someone has been trying to kill him. He enlists the help of Eleanor Dash, his archenemy, who becomes convinced that Connor is actually telling the truth. As the tour participants are plagued by odd, unlucky "accidents," Eleanor realizes that Connor's not the only one in a killer's crosshairs. Someone is trying to eliminate her as well, but who? And why?

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lyon: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower—As indicated by its title, this short historical novel is told through the journal entries of the titular character. Without a farthing to her name, Emma is forced to live under the critical eye of her miserly cousin in the home that is her inheritance and his residence. While she makes desperate attempts to access her allowance, with which she would like to accumulate a nice library of her beloved books, she makes observations about the quirky people around her. 

Emma is a very bookish character. She is constantly woe-is-me-ing over her empty bookshelves. She also refers non-stop to literary works.

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens—I'm actually not sure whether to include this novel or not because, despite its title, it's really not about books at all. Reading is barely referenced in the story. The heroine does work in a library (although she has no library degree), but she's also a Bosnian refugee and that's what the book is really about. The Quiet Librarian is a gripping read; it's just not very bookish.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read in June exactly, although I did finish a bookish book yesterday, which I'll talk about in next month's post. Here are a few I'm considering:

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack—This is the second book in the fun murder mystery series starring Eleanor Dash that I mentioned above. Eleanor is a bestselling mystery writer who is attending the wedding of her best friend on Catalina Island. When Eleanor receives a note warning that someone is going to die at the event, she braces herself for another impending murder investigation.

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay—The first in a cozy mystery series, this book stars Lindsey, the director of a public library. When an editor comes to town, Lindsey's best friend, Beth, sees it as an opportunity to sell her children's book. Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, blocks her attempts. When he is found murdered, Beth becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Lindsey to clear her best friend of any wrongdoing. 

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (available August 25, 2025)—This murder mystery doesn't come out for a couple months, but I have an eARC. The story sounds like lots of fun! It stars a book conservator and the ghost of a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie who team up to catch a killer.

I just realized it's been a whole month since I published a post here at BBB. Such a slacker! I've been reading (that never stops), but I haven't been reviewing books except on Goodreads. (Are you following me there? You should be.) I've even been skipping out on my favorite meme, Top Ten Tuesday. Yikes! Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things soon.

At any rate, how are you doing with the Bookish Books Reading Challenge? (I would know if I had been visiting your review posts, which I haven't been doing either.) I'm doing fairly well with it, actually. So far this year, I've read ten bookish books. That's not so bad, right? 

In April, I read and enjoyed both of these: 

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes—This new historical novel is all about the power of stories to uplift and inspire. It features two women who brave all the challenges of the Montana wilderness to bring books to people in isolated mining camps. A third comes to Big Sky country in order to help with a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program aimed at employing jobless writers and editors to write travel guides for the American states. In doing so, she uncovers a mystery involving the two boxcar librarians.

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian—The second installment in a cozy mystery series starring an out-of-work magician who reluctantly returns home to work for her family's unique construction business, The Raven Thief is a murder mystery centered around an Edgar Allen Poe-themed party that goes horribly awry.

I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading in May since I really don't plan out my reading, but these two look good:

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (available July 15, 2025)—Goodman's one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors, so I'm excited for her newest. Hopefully, I can get an e-ARC sometime soon. The story is about a group of authors who were invited to an exclusive writing retreat on a Greek Island fifteen years ago. Something sinister happened then. Now, that same group of writers is being invited back for a cutthroat writing competition that, once again, turns bloody. Whodunit?

Just Another Dead Author by Katarina Bivald (available August 12, 2025)—This mystery has a very similar plot to the above book. It's about Berit Gardner, a mystery author who travels to the French countryside to attend a writer's conference. When the keynote speaker, a despised literary critic, dies suddenly after delivering his lecture, it throws the gathering into chaos. While the police launch an investigation, Berit decides to do her own digging. Plenty of people wanted revenge on the harsh critic, but who actually did the deed?

The Lady and Her Quill by Ruth A. Casie—I'm not much of a romance reader, but this one sounds fun. It's about two rival authors who design a competition to see who is the better writer. Both of them are to craft a story based on a newspaper headline about a stolen treasure. As they delve into the task, the contest gets more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. When Lady Alicia Hartley is captured by the thieves, it's up to her rival to rescue her. Can he save the woman he loves to hate? What if her adventure gives her the better story? Can he win at both writing and love?

If you are participating in the 2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your May reviews. If you're not signed up for the challenge yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join the party. 

I blinked and, somehow, it's April. Oof! How did March race by so quickly? I didn't have any specific plans to read bookish books in March, but I did manage to get to four of them:

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan—This book is a murder mystery that revolves around a mythical lost treasure. It's not super bookish, but one of the main characters is a novelist with writer's block who takes on a beachside house sitting gig in the hopes that the beautiful, peaceful surroundings will be the inspiration she needs to get her next book written. Instead, she gets caught up in trying to solve a murder. 

Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber—In this series debut, a pair of twin sisters are desperately trying to save their family's dying bookshop. Allie Catt, also a caterer, comes up with the idea of hosting mystery-themed dinners to raise needed funds. Things are going swimmingly until Allie's aunt is murdered and Allie's best friend is accused of the killing. The well-read caterer must summon all the knowledge she's gleaned from her favorite literary detectives to solve the puzzling crime and clear her BFF's name.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor—Gaynor's newest historical is about a ship carrying British children to safety in Canada during World War II that is sunk by a German U-boat. One lifeboat, carrying several children, their female attendant, and a handful of men is left floating in the ocean, forgotten. The passengers must survive, somehow, until they're rescued, but when—if ever—will that be? Books come into play because the female attendant is a big reader. She entertains the kids in the boat by telling them the story of Moby Dick from memory. 

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister—The star of this thriller, McAllister's latest, is a literary agent and her husband works as a ghostwriter. On the day she is supposed to return to work after nine months of maternity leave, she awakes to find her husband has left the house without saying goodbye, highly unusual for him. She soon learns that he is involved in a hostage situation taking place in another part of London. To her shock, her laidback, affable husband is not a victim, but the perpetrator. How can the man she loves be holding people hostage at gunpoint? Does she even know him at all?

I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading in April, honestly, but these two look promising:

The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White (available July 15, 2025)—When the Nazis begin banning books in Germany, exiled German writers start gathering in Paris, where they open a library to safeguard their books and ideas. Corinne Bastien has made the library her second home, but when Paris is overtaken by Nazis, she loses her precious escape. With the help of a reluctant German soldier, it's up to her to protect the precious library and all the secrets it hold from falling into the hands of the enemy.

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens—A librarian in the Midwest, Hana Babic goes out of her way to live a quiet, unassuming life. Her dark past is something she is desperate to keep hidden. When her best friend is murdered, Hana's afraid the secrets she's keeping about her previous life as a Bosnian militia fighter will make her a killer's next target. With her best friend's young granddaughter now in her care, Hana must protect herself and her charge at all costs. 

February is a short month and it sure whooshed on by for me! I'm still a bit startled that it's March already. It was 80 degrees outside yesterday here in the Phoenix area and I am not ready for that kind of nonsense. Good thing my husband and I are spending next week in Utah. It should be much cooler there while we attend two genealogy conferences. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for no snow. Last time we went to RootsTech, we drove home had to drive for an hour in a snowstorm. Yikes!

Anyway, I only managed to read one bookish book in February and, truthfully, it wasn't even all that bookish. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is about a mystery writer who's dealing with a recent, bitter divorce; two needy young children; an empty bank account; and a looming deadline for her a book she's already collected a hefty advance for but can't seem to get written. When a desperate woman overhears a plotting conversation Finlay is having with her agent, she mistakes the writer for a hit woman, and hires her to kill the woman's husband for a large sum of money. Finlay is only a murderer on paper, but she desperately needs the cash and the husband really is a scumbag. It may be an offer Finlay can't refuse...

Even though the plot is totally unrealistic and absurd, this novel is hilarious and fun. I loved it. It's the first in a series and I'm absolutely looking forward to reading more.

As for March, I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading exactly. I just started this one, which also features a writer as one of the main characters:

In The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan, the writer and several others are looking for a famous treasure in a small seaside town in Nova Scotia. As they soon find out, there's more to the treasure hunt than meets the eye. Folks in quaint Maple Bay are hiding dangerous secrets and someone will kill to keep them buried.

It's a fun read so far. Not all that bookish, really, but entertaining and compelling nontheless.

I'm not much of a romance reader. This one looks cute, though, and it's very bookish:

An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon stars quirky librarian Evangeline Kelly. After her fiancé abandons her at the altar because she's losing her hair due to alopecia, she swears off love. For herself, anyway. Instead, she launches a secret matchmaking service using librarian patrons' check-out histories to pair up suited readers. When Tai Davis offers to help with the scheme in exchange for dates with Evangeline, she finds herself reluctantly in league with him, which might just lead to a match of her own.

We'll see what I actually end up reading in March, but this one sounds fun, so it's a definite maybe. I'd love to know if you have any bookish books on your docket this month.