The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

THE PIRATE QUEEN is another amazing work of historical fiction by Ariel Lawhon; my favorite titles by her include Flight of Dreams and The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress. THE PIRATE QUEEN is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for September 2026 and received a starred review from Booklist. This novel tells the story of a storm-born girl with a special affinity for the sea, Grace O’Malley (Grainne Ni Mhaille), an Irish contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I. As such, she lived during violent times and was “a woman who took two husbands and birthed four children; who was taken captive and who took lives; a pirate; a mother; a rebel; a sacker of castles and captain of ships, of battles and blades.” There is much adventure, bloodshed, heartache, and joy in Grace’s story. It is mesmerizing, but a bit difficult to follow as Lawhon purposefully skips back and forth between chapters which recount Grace as a Maiden, a Mother and a Matriarch. She helpfully provides a long list of characters (including fictional servants Ultan, Gutty, and twins Finn and Murray), family tree, and pronunciation guide. Historical fiction fans and book groups will truly enjoy THE PIRATE QUEEN.

Snowed Inn by Valerie Bowman

I recently listened to SNOWED INN by Valerie Bowman with Andi Arndt as the narrator. This festive, small-town romance works as a stand-alone, although it is the second book in the Honeycrisp Orchard Romance series (and a third appears on the way). Maria is a driven New York City public relations professional who is trapped by a blizzard at her best friend’s inn. She finds the bartender, Jesse Butler, to be especially obnoxious until they are thrown together repeatedly after her friend becomes ill and Maria helps to keep the inn functioning. The story is cute and certainly has a holiday flavor (and a Christmas Eve kitten), but the slow burn is really sloooow. Arndt is an excellent narrator, differentiating between speakers, but I found myself listening at 1.5 times regular speed in an attempt to move the angst along. Still, the beautiful cover may grab your attention, especially if you like winter romances like Borison’s Lovelight Farms or Gilmore’s The Christmas Tree Farm or titles from Beth O’Leary. Jesse and Maria have a special chemistry with lots to learn about themselves and each other.

Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo

ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW by Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X) is an emotional story about Lil, a high school student, and her friends and family. Everything, including the beautiful, eye-catching cover, combines to produce an extremely high quality, engaging read. In fact, ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW received at least SIX starred reviews (Booklist, BookPage, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Kirkus (“handles the issues Lil faces with believable sensitivity and insight”), Publishers Weekly (“a striking and nuanced portrait of the realities of juvenile detention and mental illness”), and School Library Journal). Lil (Liliana Teicuh Pantaleon-Ortiz) faces some daunting circumstances, including family economic stresses, a food truck crash and subsequent arraignment, as well as trying to help her older brother through his own mental health crisis. Set in the Washington, DC area, ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW chronicles Lil’s coming of age as she struggles with her impulsivity, building strength from her family, a love of books shared with a supportive school employee, and a new set of friends. Her mixed heritage and cultural myths are woven throughout, but award-winner Acevedo truly excels by using poetry to express Lil’s thinking:

I Am Not From

people who
can fix clocks.
I wish I could touch the big hand
and turn it back,
loop the yesterdays
to a time when things were simple.
Reset the rotating Earth,
and unwind my biggest mistakes.
They say time heals all wounds. 
I am not from people
who can fix clocks,
make it so there was never a wound
to begin with.

ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW is a story of resilience which should be in all high school libraries.

Situated by Angela Duckworth

SITUATED by Angela Duckworth is her first full length book since 2016’s Grit and she builds on that bestseller by arguing that “grit is necessary—but not sufficient.” Duckworth, a psychologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, encourages her readers to think about the three box problem: the Situation – Thoughts – Response sequence and how changing the situation (e.g., removing tempting foods or keeping your phone farther away when studying) can result in better thoughts and an easier response (less temptation to actively avoid). In fact, SITUATED is subtitled “Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best.” Duckworth references scientific studies (notes and an index comprise roughly twenty percent of the text), but she is more apt to illustrate a point with a story (e.g., Michael Phelps’ development as a winning swimmer). Relying on others and asking for help are key components of her advice, as shown in the recent New York Times article, “I Study Successful People. They Have One Habit in Common.” Want to learn more about her thinking regarding culture, mentors, teammates? Duckworth will be discussing SITUATED with fellow author Nicholas Epley at a Family Action Network event on Thursday, evening October 22, at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

For those who are interested in her earlier work, here is her TedTalk, which has almost 40 million views:

Meals You Can't Mess Up by Shay Spence

MEALS YOU CAN’T MESS UP by Shay Spence is one of several cookbooks I will be reviewing in the near future. Spence, a food and travel writer, delivers “100+ Actually Easy Recipes for Big Flavor with Little Effort.” A few examples are sweet potato & asparagus fri-tot-a, muffin-tin honey-butter ham and cheese biscuits, and lemon chicken tortellini soup or chicken enchilada tamale pie. Most serve a minimum of four and often six or eight. He divides the cookbook into sections labeled for breakfast, soups and salads, sandwiches, pasta & pizza, chicken dinners and other meats, plus seafood & vegetarian, party snacks, and desserts & cocktails. One aspect that surprised me (in a good way) was that Spence did not hesitate to mention brand names or use already prepared ingredients; this reinforced the idea of being “actually easy” and mirrored the type of recipe that one might receive from a friend. In addition, most recipes in this cookbook can be prepared in one pan; plus, none of them has more than ten ingredients. MEALS YOU CAN’T MESS UP includes colorful photos for practically every recipe and a helpful index, although there is no nutrition information.

The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Wellington Rollins

THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins shares the intergenerational story of three women who carry the same name: Graziella. Graziella Valentini, ninety-six years old, is full of purpose as she directs life in her New York City neighborhood, at the church’s food pantry, and within her family. Her daughter Grace is a psychology professor and struggling with her own identity issues after a failed marriage. Granddaughter Ella is a brilliant scientist who lost her way at MIT and, with few options, returns to stay at her grandmother’s home on Pearl Street. At first, this novel was difficult to read due largely to the sadness, despair, and miscommunication experienced by the characters. But gradually, the three women begin to better understand themselves and each other, as told in chapters which alternate perspective. They strengthen a bond while learning new skills, whether it be cooking or using a computer. THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET is a wonderful debut novel and received starred reviews from Booklist (“this comforting family tale is full of heart and humor”) and Library Journal (“With as many layers as Graziella's lasagna, this is a story that will satisfy readers for a long time.”). Readers intrigued by an Italian heritage may also want to look for Adriana Trigiani’s novels like The View from Lake Como; others seeking an intergenerational tale should look for Catherine Newman’s Sandwich or Randy Ribay’s Everything We Never Had.

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

THE DYING LIGHT is the latest Detective Matthew Venn novel from prolific author Ann Cleeves (in her fortieth year as a published author). This new mystery follows The Heron’s Cry and The Raging Storm, both of which were also narrated by Jack Holden. Once again, he does a superb job of conveying the emotions and backgrounds of Venn and his team, Sergeant Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May, supplying local accents as needed. In this case, the police are investigating the death of two seventeen-year-old girls, Hannah Armstrong (daughter of a UK politician) and Lottie Cauldwell (who craved attention as her parents are divorced). Cleeves excels at introducing well-rounded characters, including the grieving parents, local business owners, school friends, and Hannah’s boyfriend and his family. It’s a jumble of motives and relationships, laced with resentment and secrets which Cleeves’ many readers will enjoy. I am already looking forward to the next in this series.