Welcome aboard the Hankyu Line train!

Come along on a heartwarming, funny, and perfectly cozy voyage with the charming and relatable passengers—including one dashing dachshund—whose lives intersect and affect each other on one of Japan’s most romantic railway lines from international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa.

Between the two beautiful towns of Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, in a stunning mountainous area of Japan, rattles the Hankyu Line train. Passengers step on and off, lost in thought, contemplating the tiny knots of their existence. On the outward journey, we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters, and on the return journey six months later, we watch them find resolutions.

A young man meets the young woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can check it out himself, a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad, a university student heads home after class, a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend, and an old lady discusses adopting a dog with her granddaughter.

With stories that crisscross like the railway lines, the Hankyu train trundles on, propelling the lives and loves of its passengers ever forward.

Thanks to the generous folks at Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of The Passengers on the Hankyu Line to spotlight and review.

2. The Enemy's Daughter by Anne Blankman—This middle-grade historical novel is about Marta, a young German girl who is traveling on the Lusitania with her father in 1915. Although they've kept quiet about their identities to avoid being accused of espionage, her dad is detained after the ship sinks. Clare, an Irish girl, believes Marta to be a Dutch refugee and brings her home to be taken care of by Clare's family. While struggling to keep her true origins a secret, Marta must also wrestle with the idea of what an "enemy" is. Her family and Clare's are on opposite sides of the war, but how can she hate people who have been so kind and welcoming to her? And what will happen if Clare discovers who Marta really is?

3. Murder Past Due by Miranda James—In this cozy series opener, we're introduced to Charlie Harris, a librarian in small-town Mississippi who's known for walking his cat, Diesel, around town on a leash. When Charlie's former classmate, now a famous novelist, is killed, it's up to Charlie (with a little help from his favorite feline) to find a killer.

4. The Experiment by Rebecca Stead (available September 16, 2025)—This middle-grade science fiction tale doesn't come out until the Fall, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get my hands on an early copy. The story revolves around Nathan, a boy living on Earth who is secretly from another planet. When other members of The Experiment suddenly start disappearing, Nathan's family is called back to the mothership. Confused and frightened, Nathan begins to question everything he knows about who he is, why he was on Earth, and just what he's supposed to do now.

5. Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes—It's 1948 and Mercy Windsor is fleeing Hollywood after a scandal knocked her from her glamorous life as a leading lady. She purchases an abandoned estate with a mysterious past in an isolated Colorado town and throws her efforts into restoring it. The more she works, the more she uncovers about her new home, including rumors of a disappearing train and the priceless treasure it carried. As Mercy mines the past for answers, she finds renewed purpose and hope in her present.

6. The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly—When Lila's grandfather dies, her family heads to Ohio to figure out what to do with his creepy old Victorian inn. On the way, they get into a car accident, after which things start to get decidedly weird. Lila is seeing things, ghostly things. Like her grandfather, who tells her he was murdered, probably by someone who wants to control his inn, which isn't just a hotel, but a portal between the lands of the living and the dead. Now Lila has to find his killer and stop evil spirits from wreaking havoc on her world.

7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie—I've read several Hercules Poirot novels, but I've yet to read the one that started it all. In this most classic of mysteries, Poirot's wealthy benefactor is poisoned in her home and the Belgian must use his little grey cells to pick out a murderer from among a plethora of suspects, all of whom have something to hide.

8. A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver—This is the first book in a historical mystery series featuring Electra McDonnell, a thief who is caught while trying to steal valuable jewels from a posh home. Instead of incarceration, Electra is given a reprieve. If she will help the British government by stealing an important set of blueprints before they're delivered to a German spy, her attempted theft will be pardoned. With little choice in the matter, Electra accepts, only belatedly realizing just how dangerous of a mission she's been given. 

9. Dead As a Door Knocker by Diane Kelly—The first in an older cozy mystery series, this opener introduces Whitney Whitaker, a Nashville house flipper who discovers a dead body buried in the yard of her new fixer-upper. Who is the stiff and who is responsible for their death? Whitney is determined to find out.

10. Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (available July 22, 2025)—I've got an e-ARC of this up-and-comer, Jackson's first novel for adults. The story concerns 27-year-old Jet Mason, who suffers a deadly head injury after being attacked by an unknown assailant. Jet's doctor is sure she will be dead of an aneurysm within the week. That may be, but until then, she is alive and determined to solve her own murder.

There you go, ten more books I'd like to read this summer. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which titles are you planning to read over the next few months? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!