Mini Book Reviews: January 2026

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Strangers, Scavengers, Women of a Promiscuous Nature, and How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

I sure didn't expect another 10 book month, but when you're stuck inside due to bad weather, Covid, oral surgery...you get me? While it wasn't the best of circumstances, I'm not complaining about all the time I had to knock off some good books on my TBR! 

I also read some backlist books as well as a few spontaneous selections I'd been eyeing. My favorite book of the month? Raising Hare. I never thought a book about a hare--it's not the same as a rabbit--would be so engrossing and endearing. Another favorite of mine was Women of a Promiscuous Nature--an interesting historical fiction novel that is a reminder of how far we have come and a good reminder of that in light of current events.

As always, I read a variety of books and there should be something here for every reader!

Belle, her husband, and 3 children are living a beautiful life of privilege. A home in Manhattan and a beach home on Martha's Vineyard. Successful careers and a vibrant social life. One day, a phone call from a jilted husband uproots everything. Set during the pandemic, Strangers beautifully captures the devastation left in the wake of James' departure. Belle is left to pick up the pieces of their shattered family while trying to make sense of things and kick herself for not protecting her finances. James' icy detachment and apparent cluelessness about the pain he wrought upon the family couldn't help but make me wonder--did he plan this all along? The writing is beautiful, and I found it hard to put this memoir down. The NYT reviewed this one and loved it. As did I. 

Out for a walk in the meadow during the pandemic, the author of Raising Hare comes upon a baby hare, also known as a leveret, abandoned. Her first instinct is to rescue the tiny creature, but knowing that the mother would reject it should she detect the human scent, she walks away.. But after weighing the possibilities, she takes the leveret home to raise it, but not to be domesticated. What follows is a touching account of a relationship between a wild animal and a human. The author's observations of the hare, its habits, and its relationship with nature open up an awareness of the world around her. This is a beautiful story, and I am so glad I read it. It was such a good reminder that the world would be a better place if humans adapted their lives to nature and wildlife and not try to change nature to fit into our lifestyle. 

The blurb for Scavengers sounded so intriguing! A mother/daughter road trip across the country to find buried treasure? Quirky characters? Unfortunately, the execution of this heavily character driven novel didn't live up to the promise. After a slow start, the story picked up, but the perspective changed randomly, and I wasn't always sure who was telling the story. Also, there were a few reflective sections when it wasn't evident who the narrator was. Another quibble of mine was that the book was divided into three chapters (with subsections) without any clear indication as to why. Still, I did get a kick out of the characters. This was a great idea for a book, but the delivery needed some work. 

Twice is a feel-good novel about Alfie, who has the gift to 'do over' a situation in his life that doesn't work out well. All he has to do is say 'twice' in the moment and receives an instant rewind to the beginning of the situation. Because he doesn't know how things will turn out, he carries a notebook where he keeps track of the before and after. His gift gets him out of trouble, but he can't stop someone from dying. He also can't undo a situation after he's changed it. The narrative is simplistic but effective--there's a lot of food for thought here. What would you do over if you had the chance? This would be a great book club read!

Based on actual events in the past, this historical fiction novel shares the story of women suspected of lewd behavior or infection with STIs who are captured, imprisoned, and subjected to medical treatment for these presumed infections. The story centers around Ruth, a young independent woman, who was walking down the street by herself and arrested by the local sheriff. She tested 'positive' for syphilis, even though she had never done anything more than kiss a man. The abuse of the women by the administrators and the rules they were forced to follow were demeaning and, at times, painful to read. Good character development and an engaging narrative made Women of a Promiscuous Nature hard to put down! 

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is a coming of age story about two sisters living in Wyoming and their cousins, who have come to live with them from India. Sadly, the girls' uncle is an alcoholic who is molesting the sisters. They decide to murder him, slowly, using antifreeze. Right?! While the plot of the story is dark, the narrative is darkly funny. After all, one of the girls' names is Agatha Krishna. But it is also, at times, hard to follow. The narrator talks about the difficulty they have assimilating into a mostly white society, which confuses them with Native American Indians. There was some 80s pop culture thrown into the mix, including little quizzes at the end of some of the chapters, which reminded me of the ones I'd find in magazines from those days. I was entertained by this book and rewarded by that ending--OOOF! 

On the surface, The Hounding seems like a simple story. Set in 18th century England, the ferryman, a slimy-type man, shares a story about the five Mansfield sisters. He claims to have seen them turn into dogs. The story spreads like wildfire through the little village, and out of fear for their safety, on the day of Pete's wedding, the girls' grandfather, who is blind, locks the girls in the house and asks the houseboy to stay with them while he attends. During the wedding, the groom hears the barking of dogs, and panic ensues in the church. The situation continues to escalate, to no good end. This was a great read that left me with lots of thoughts; in fact, I feel as if I need to read it again to better grasp the meaning. This short little book would be a great book club read!

These Summer Storms is billed as a romance, but really, it's more of a family drama. The story starts out with some spicy sex, so yeah, there's that. The Storms are uber wealthy, thanks to their father's ingenuity, and the family is all gathering for his funeral on their private island on the East Coast. The story centers around Alice, the prodigal daughter, who literally told her father to f-off to take control of her life. Alice moved to NYC, worked as a teacher while pursuing an art career. She is summoned to the island because her father required all the children to be there for one week to receive their part of the inheritance. Lots of turmoil, lots of secrets, more hot sex, and a shocking ending. This was a surprisingly fun and engaging read; I was thoroughly entertained. 

When I first started Half His Age, I thought it was destined to be a DNF. The story about a lonely teenage girl, who has one friend, whose mother is never around because she is chasing a man who doesn't love her, who sleeps with boys because she thinks they are her boyfriends--this story was uncomfortable to read, especially the graphic sex scenes that kick off the book. When she pursues her teacher, a middle-aged married man, and he responds- it's as awful as you might expect. It made me squirm, and yet, I kept reading. Stick with it-as with every coming-of-age story, lessons are learned, and it's worth the journey. Having loved her memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, I was happy to see the author again brings her storytelling skills to her first novel. She nails the awkward teen years completely, so well that I can't help but wonder if this was autobiographical. 

This book wasn't on my radar, but I picked it up based on all the rave reviews. A woman washes up on an island off Antarctica, and the family who lives there, the father and his three children, work to help her survive. A storm is threatening their existence, as well as a vault of seeds meant to outlast humanity and save humankind. Wild Dark Shore is a warning, it's an apocalyptic tale, it's climate fiction. It's also suspenseful, as the woman they rescue holds many secrets necessary to their survival. The story is told from alternating viewpoints, which some may find confusing. The author throws a lot of side plots at the reader--maybe just go with the plot, okay? Beautifully written, some might find it slow-paced. The story picks up towards the end, it all makes sense, and as much as I enjoyed this book, that ending came a little too quickly for me. 

What are you reading? Have you read any of these? Any recommendations for me?

I'm linking up with Jenn and Jenny for Tuesday Topics!  I'm also excited to join Farrah for My Month is Booked! Also with Share Your Shelf with Slices of Life, Memphis Bridges, Overflowing with Thankfulness, and The Other Side of the Road.