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Book Reviews: It’s Cold Outside — Are You Looking for Something to Read? Six Books to Consider!

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Below is a list of wonderful books to warm you up on a cold day or night. Curled up under a quilt, I read them while sipping hot tea, hot chocolate, or the occasional cold beer. I loved each of these books. (Listed alphabetically by author’s last name.)

Incident at Twin Lakes Resort by Colleen Alles is a fast-paced, thought-tickling, engaging novella.

It’s Labor Day weekend in Michigan. Cassie, a naive twenty-one-year-old senior in college meets up with her new boyfriend, Ethan, at a rustic lodge on the shores of a sparkling, picturesque lake. They’ve only been dating for a New York minute, but he invites her to be his plus-one for the holiday weekend at a retreat sponsored by the law firm where he works. The firm’s getaways are designed to give employees a chance to bond. Cassie, who is excited to be invited to the retreat, quickly discovers most of Ethan’s coworkers and spouses are jaded by their past experiences at the outings. Her hopes for a romantic weekend with Ethan are dashed by the drunkenness, back-biting, and cynicism of his coworkers, and Ethan’s hot-and-cold behavior. Looking for kindness and connection, Cassie befriends a new mother with an infant and one of Ethan’s male coworkers, who has come to the retreat alone.

I loved this book because while it might read like a placid little story about a disappointing romantic weekend, it has thematic chops. We are asked to think about the choices we make, about what it means to be happy, and about how success is measured. Alles’s choice of Cassie, a naive young woman, to narrate the story is perfect. She is the fish-out-of-water character in this story. She is youthful innocence peering into the world of jaded adulthood.

Incident at Twin Lakes Resort won the Etchings Press novella prize in 2025, and was published by that press at the University of Indianapolis.

33 Place Brugmann, a novel by Alice Austen, takes readers back to 1939. Nazis and fascists, after stripping people of their freedoms and humanity, plunge the world into WWII. As they conquer Europe and send people to death camps, readers can’t help but think of current times and ask themselves, “Can this happen again?”

The story begins in Brussels just before the Nazis invade and occupy Belgium in May 1940. It follows the lives of fourteen residents who live in the apartment building at 33 Place Brugmann. The Raphaëls, a Jewish family of four disappear during the night, along with Mr. Raphaël’s art collection. Masha Balyayeva, a Jewish refugee from Russia, soon leaves for France, where posing as a Christian, she joins the French Resistance. The Everards, DeBaerres, Colonel Warlemont, Miss Hobert, and Sauvins remain at 33 Place Brugmann. War, hunger, and fear reveal the best and worst in the residents. As WWII drags on, Jewish people are arrested and transported, food shortages worsen, and bombs fall. The remaining non-Jewish residents of 33 Place Brugmann still have plenty to fear. Perhaps a neighbor or co-worker will turn them into the Nazis because of something they’ve said or done. Who can they trust? Who might betray them?

I loved this book because of its tightly-woven plot, its beautiful writing, and its richly-drawn characters. My favorite character is Charlotte Sauvin, who is seventeen years old when the story begins. I also loved this book because it accomplishes what excellent historical fiction should always do — make readers reflect on current times and timeless themes while learning about the past.

Recognition for 33 Place Brugmann — A New York Times Editor’s Choice, Shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award, and Longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award.

The Book of Ruth, a novel by Jane Hamilton

“Weddings don’t have one thing to do with real life” (p. 143). This one quote says it all and could easily be the tagline for Hamilton’s deeply moving story.

This novel is a literary delight. It’s a bit of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and a bit of John Williams’s Stoner and a whole lot of its own hauntingly told tale. Ruth narrates the story, and through her Hamilton creates an astonishing voice. Readers follow Ruth through her relationship with her mother, May, then with her husband, Ruben, whom everyone calls Ruby. After Ruth marries Ruby, they live with Ruth’s mother, a situation that slowly spirals out of control. May detests Ruby, and after he and Ruth have a baby boy, May belittles Ruby, sabotaging his relationship with his wife and son. May’s, Ruth’s, and Ruby’s relationships are beset by verbal abuse, violent outbursts, drinking, and addiction to pills, personifying the weariness of poverty, grief, and broken dreams.

I loved this book. It’s a sad tale, like a Biblical tragedy. But Hamilton’s beautiful writing, universal themes, and captivating story carry readers through to the end.

In 1988, Hamilton’s novel won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for best first novel. In 1995, it was an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida is a warm-hearted novel with a touch of magical realism.

In a group of loosely connected stories, a series of frustrated, anxiety-ridden characters driven by desperation seek help from a mysterious clinic. Some of the characters are deeply distressed about their jobs, others have strained relationships with their families. Some of the characters have trouble at work and home. The clinic is nearly impossible to find, but when they do locate it, they expect to meet a traditional doctor who will provide therapy and dispense medicine to alleviate their symptoms. Instead, they are shocked when the doctor prescribes a cat for a specific length of time, along with instructions for how to care and use their particular cat. To begin with, each of the characters are reluctant to take their cat home, then fail to use their “medicine” as prescribed, causing “side effects” and follow-up visits to the mysterious clinic.

I loved this book because it’s sweet without being saccharine. It avoids predictability, providing twists that I didn’t see coming, and not everything is tied up with a neat little bow. It has touches of humor unique to having been prescribed a cat for what ails one. It was fun to meet the different cats, who all have their own personalities.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat was a bestseller in Japan, and it has been translated into over two dozen languages.

Rescuing Claire, a novel by Thomas Johnson, transports readers back to college life in the early 1970s, to the days of free love, drugs, the Vietnam War, campus protests, civil rights movements, women’s rights. Johnson nails the chaotic vibe that rippled through college campuses. I was twelve or thirteen years old at the time this novel takes place, old enough to have impressions and memories of the turbulent years of the counter-culture and social revolution, but too young to have participated.

Henry Fitzgerald lives and works in Northern Wisconsin, where he co-owns a lodge with an older couple. His days at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are behind him. But on a crisp autumn day, he receives two letters, one from his wife Elizabeth “Airy” Fitzgerald and one from his former college girlfriend Claire Cohen. Henry gives little thought to his wife’s words, but he takes issue with Claire’s letter. It’s been six years since he’s seen Claire. Her letter is friendly and upbeat as she reminisces about their past, but Henry disagrees with her version of their romance. So he takes a step back in time and tells us his story.

Henry is engaged to Airy, an archaeologist, who is often away on a dig somewhere in the world. He falls for Claire, a coed, who has an arrogant boyfriend named Nicky Waller. Henry’s brother, Milton, an attorney in Madison who champions the legal rights of economically and politically disenfranchised people, warns him to steer clear of Claire. Eventually, Claire goes to work for Leonard Lent, a slimebag. Henry decides he must rescue Claire from Leonard’s clutches, so he forms a dangerous liaison with Norman O’Keefe who wants to kill Leonard. Artfully developed, the supporting cast of characters come to life in the book.

Henry isn’t the most reliable narrator, and perhaps he doesn’t outright lie, but he has a skewed view of the facts. He doesn’t always come off well in the telling of his story because he is forthcoming about his faults and honest about some of the stupid stuff he does. He is likable, infuriating, astute, witty, and annoying in turns. But he is never dull.

One of the best things about this book is the first-person narration — I never tired of listening to Henry tell his story.

I See You’ve Called in Dead, a novel by John Kenney, is a funny, bittersweet coming of middle-age story that explores themes of male friendships, life’s disappointments, starting over, and mortality.

Buddy Stanley has reached his early 40s, and life isn’t going his way. He writes obituaries for a newspaper, a job he once liked but now sees as a sign of failure. It’s the kind of newspaper job up-and-coming journalists might cut their teeth on, but not one they want in perpetuity. Buddy’s marriage ended in divorce two years ago. His ex-wife has moved on with a tall, sophisticated British man, but Buddy has parked his life in a stall of melancholy and regret. Hoping to help him out, one of his friends sets him up on a blind date. When his date finally arrives, it’s to let him know she and her former boyfriend are getting back together. Depressed about his life, Buddy goes home. After a few too many whiskeys, he decides it would be fun to log into his work account and write his own obituary. After having his bit of hilarity, he reaches to delete his fabricated obituary, but in his tipsy state, things go awry, and he accidentally, irretrievably publishes his obituary online. His best friend Tim is concerned about him. His co-worker Tuan is angry and worried at the same time. Howard, his long-time boss and friend, is disappointed. He knows he’ll have to fire Buddy, even though he doesn’t want to. Howard’s bosses and the head of HR are incensed by Buddy’s flagrant disregard for company rules.

I loved this book because as I followed Buddy through his existential death and eventual “rebirth,” I laughed, and cried, and cheered. I also loved the New York-ness of this novel, a place where quirky people do off-beat things and converse in the language of sarcasm.

I See You Called in Dead was an NPR 2025 “Books We Love” selection, a USA Today April Pick, and a 2026 Gotham Book Prize Finalist (winner to be announced March 31, 2026). John Kenney won a Thurber Prize for his novel Truth in Advertising.

Some Short Stories that I Read in 2024 and Loved

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I write short stories, so I read a lot of short stories. Lots and lots of short stories. Many of which I enjoy immensely. Some stories fade from memory after a few weeks. Others resonate with me for months, while some haunt me for years.

I’ve selected nine stories by five different authors that I read in 2024. I chose these nine out of the dozens I’ve read because as 2025 starts, I still think about these stories. I’ll be doing the dishes, or walking the dog, or standing in line at the grocery store, and one of these stories will pop into my head. These stories have stayed with me, even months after reading them. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by author. There is no way I can list them in order of preference because each story is both unique and powerful, with beautiful prose, captivating plots, and intriguing characters. Each story is wonderful for its own reasons, making me say, “Gee, I wish I’d written that!” Best of all, these stories give readers plenty to contemplate.

[Click on the authors’ names to learn more about them and their books.]

Two stories from Hunger: A Novella and Stories by Lan Samantha Chang (25th Anniversary Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2023)

1. “San” is a story about broken dreams and abandonment, and the struggle to survive both. The story is narrated by Caroline, whose parents emigrated from Taiwan before she was born. She tells the story of her father’s inability to claim his piece of the American dream, eventually causing him to desert his family. Caroline recounts the day she watched her father leave, taking her umbrella with him, never to return: “The umbrella had been a present from him. Now I stood and watched it go, bright and ill-fated like so many of his promises.” With stunning metaphors and beautiful prose, Chang creates a shifting setting and vivid characters that tell an ageless story in a new way.

2. “The Unforgetting” is the story of Ming and Sansan Hwang and their young son, Charles, who have emigrated from China and settled in Iowa. They speak Chinese in their home until one day when Charles’s fourth-grade teacher explains that their son’s English vocabulary is below average. The teacher suggests the family speaks only English at home. His parents follow the teacher’s advice, and a rift grows between Charles and his parents. Ming and Sansan never master English, making it difficult for them to express their thoughts and emotions with Charles, who, at the same time, forgets most of his Chinese: “Since they did not test [Charles], Ming never knew how long it took for all of those words to be forgotten.” Language is how people understand their worlds. Chang’s story explores how the stripping of one’s native language is more than a loss of vocabulary.

A story from The Effects of Urban Renewal on Mid-Century America and Other Crime Stories by Jeff Esterholm (Cornerstone Press, 2023)

1. “Long Ago on a Sunday in June” is the story of Patrick, who is almost fifteen. He wakes in the early morning hours on a Sunday to deliver newspapers. In the first paragraph, we learn Patrick won’t be coming home afterward because his body has been found in a field. The rest of the story is told as a flashback. We follow Patrick as he eats his breakfast and begins his paper route. We learn about Patrick and his dreams: “He wanted to get into Mr. Bukoski’s art class when he entered Port Nicollet High in September. That was a given.” He has a crush on his friend’s sister, and he wants a job at a pizza joint. We follow Patrick on the last day of his very ordinary life, and because we know how the story ends, and because Esterholm’s prose is both richly layered and nuanced, we are devastated for the life Patrick will never live.

Two stories from Close Call by Kim Suhr (Cornerstone Press, 2024)

1. “Play-School” is the story of four elementary-aged children who play a game of school. Young Mary plays the teacher, delivering lessons in addition and subtraction. During one of her lessons, she interrupts herself, lowers her voice, and pretends to be the principal as she announces, “It is time to begin our lockdown drill.” Told through the eyes of Willie, a first grader, “Play-School” explores the topic of school shootings and lockdown drills from the point of view of the children. (There are no adults in this story.) Suhr’s use of a child’s point of view, along with her realistic portrayal of elementary-aged children, creates a wallop in a short space. “Play-School” deservedly won first place in the 2024 Jade Ring Contest sponsored by Wisconsin Writers Association.

2. “Eradicated” is a dystopian tale set in the future where artistic creativity, now labeled a disease, needs to be eradicated, a goal that is nearly complete when we meet Dr. Bells, a scientist. Wishing to observe creative artists before the last of them dies out, the doctor visits an artists’ colony where creative people, who are considered to have disturbed minds, have been contained after being extracted from society. He wants “to hang out with people and ask, ‘What’s your medium?’ And say things like, ‘That’s so derivative.'” The themes in “Eradicated” are both timely and timeless. Marvelously written and exquisitely paced, Suhr’s story serves as a cautionary tale against intolerance and mindless conformity.

Two stories from Sweetland: New and Selected Stories by Will Weaver (Borealis Books, 2006)

1.“Flax Seed” is the story of a grandfather named Helmer who turns his farm over to his grandson, Kenny. With a handshake, Helmer states the terms of their deal: “Two-thirds, one-third. And no Sunday farming.” Kenny promises. He decides to plant flax, something his grandfather never grew. Farming is difficult. There is a time to sow, and a time to harvest. There is too much rain or too little. Too much heat or not enough. There are pests and diseases, rising and falling prices. There is often a race against time. For Helmer there is God. For Kenny there is the hope of flax and making good as a farmer. Helmer and his God; Kenny and his flax. And a difficult year. It’s a haunting story. Amen.

2. “A Gravestone of Wheat” is the story of Olaf who has loved Inge for forty-five years. They have farmed the land together and raised their son, Einar. They have welcomed grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When Inge dies, Olaf plans to bury her on their farm as Inge wished. But the law has changed: “‘You can’t bury your wife here on the farm,’ the sheriff said. ‘That’s the law.'” Olaf must decide if he will break the law and bury Inge on the farm or if he will bury her in town in the Greenacre Cemetery, knowing she despised the town. Inge has been his devoted wife for forty-five years. As Olaf ponders his choices, he recalls his first meeting with Inge and their unusual courtship, and readers are treated to a beautiful, but pragmatic love story. It’s a wonderful piece of historical fiction.

Two stories from The Path of Totality by Marie Zhuikov (Cornerstone Press, to be released February 2025) To pre-order Zhuikov’s book, click here.

1. “The Path of Totality” is the story of Marjorie and Justin, a young married couple, who travel from Medford, Oregon, to Salem, Oregon, to see the total eclipse of the sun. Caught up in a grief that both unites and divides them, the couple each experience the eclipse differently. Marjorie, along with other spectators, sees it all, astounded as the moon covers the sun. “But to Justin, the sun still shone as whole and bright as ever.” With eloquent prose, rich imagery, and well-crafted dialogue, Zhuikov’s story, told from the young husband’s perspective, is spellbinding. From a craft perspective, Zhuikov’s story reminds us that nature and natural events in our world can be powerful metaphors for human experiences.

2. “Bog Boy: A Northern Minnesota Romance” is set in rural Minnesota, where sixteen-year-old Natalie works at the Sax-Zim Bog, a nature preserve. On a spring day, while leading a birding tour, Natalie discovers a mummified teenage boy in the bog, whose remains are determined to be two thousand years old. The well-preserved teenager, with high cheekbones and beautiful hair, is handsome, and Natalie falls in love with him as only a teenage girl can – completely, blindly, devotedly. Because she cannot be without him, she brings the bog boy home to live with her and her father. Darkly humorous, “Bog Boy” combines the realm of speculative fiction with thought-provoking satire that made me laugh out loud at times. I still smile when I think about the story.

Book Reivew: Two States of Single: Essays on Family, Love, and Living Solo by Julie A. Jacob, Revisited

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[I reviewed Two States of Single for Wisconsin Writers Association (WWA) almost a year ago. Julie Jacob’s book is a collection of memoir essays. I loved this book the first time around. In October 2024, I met Julie at the WWA writer’s conference in La Crosse. I was an excited fan. It was fun to meet someone whose book gave me such pleasure. When I returned home from the conference, I reread Julie’s book. I’m happy to say, I loved it just as much the second time around, even though I knew how each essay ended. So I’m posting my review that was posted on the WWA website.]

Two States of Single: Essays on Family, Love, and Living Solo by Julie A. Jacob is a collection of well-crafted, engaging essays. In her opening essay, “Anything You Could Want,” readers meet Jacob’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, sister, and parents as she recounts the parties her mom and dad hosted when she was a child and living in southern Wisconsin. With humor and tender nostalgia, Jacob describes her parents working together as a team to provide a bounty of food and love for the guests who would soon arrive. In this essay, Jacob recognizes a credo by which her family lived: “They knew that life was filled with bumps so they enjoyed themselves while they could.” This theme threads its way throughout her book.

Jacob’s essays continue to follow the arc of her life as she describes her years in Chicago; a daring adventure in Brazil; joining sports clubs for young professionals; buying her own condo, then later on a house; taking a chance on love; caring for her aging parents; and losing her parents. Throughout Jacob hopes to marry and have children, but as the years slip by, neither marriage nor children happen for her. However, her desire to find a soulmate does not drive the book. Instead, what shines through in Jacob’s essays are her decisions to live in the present and to explore new roads rather than waiting for something that may never happen.

Vivid writing and crisp dialogue breathe life into Jacob’s essays. Readers will feel they know the people and places she writes about. Her essays are more than just good stories. They resonate because of Jacob’s ability to convey why each story matters, both to her and to her readers. In memoir writing a writer is supposed to do more than tell an anecdote. The essay needs to answer the question, “So why should I, the reader, care about this?” Jacob’s essays impact readers because as she writes about her past, she answers that question every time. As readers discover why each of these moments are important in Jacob’s life, they are given the gift of being able to do the same with the significant events in their lives.

By the time I finished Jacob’s collection of essays, I found myself longing to meet with a group of fellow readers, sip a good latte, and discuss Jacob’s essays. Her book would make a wonderful nonfiction read for a book club.  Because married or single, male or female, we all have stories and insights to share about our choices, careers, loves, family, sorrows, and joys.

Book Reviews: The Brampton Witch Murders by Ellis Blackwood and A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

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Ziva (l) and Nellie (r), my two favorite dogs, share a seat on a bookstore run.

The winds howl, trees drop leaves, and squirrels, in a frenzy, bury seeds. Halloween decorations are coming down, and Christmas decorations are going up. I wear my down coat and knit hat and sometimes my mittens when walking my dog. It’s the perfect season to enjoy cozy mysteries. I like to tuck them between the more serious books I read.

I enjoy a good cozy mystery, as long as it’s not too cozy. There has to be some close calls, some murder, and some despicable characters. But there also has to be some humor, some quirky characters, and it has to be tame enough to read or listen to before bedtime. Of course, the line between a cozy and a not-so-cozy mystery is subjective, but I know where my line is when I read one.

I have recently discovered two cozy historical mystery series, both set in England, that I like well enough to read the next book in each series.

A Samuel Pepys Mystery: The Brampton Witch Murders by Ellis Blackwood

The Brampton Witch Murders is the first book in the Samuel Pepys Mystery series. It’s set in 1666 in England. Samuel Pepys runs an investigating agency in London. He has two inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, who work for him. Pepys learns that his sister, Paulina, has been accused of witchcraft, and Simon Hopkins, a devious, zealous witch hunter has been sent to prosecute her. Pepys dispatches Abigail and Jacob to the village of Brampton, where they are to gather evidence to prove that the charges of witchcraft against Paulina and her friend are false. To complicate matters Paulina and her friend are accused of using witchcraft to commit murder.

[Note: The term inquisitors threw me at first because it made me think of an inquisition. I had to re-read the first few pages to understand that Abigail and Jacob were called inquisitors because it was their job to question other characters in order to uncover facts and evidence that would prove Paulina and the other women in the story were being falsely accused of witchery.]

Why did I like this book?

I liked the historical setting and subject matter of this cozy mystery. It’s scary how many characters in the story are willing to believe in Simon Hopkins and his accusations of witchery against the female characters without any proof. While men were sometimes found guilty and executed as witches, it was mostly women who were convicted and executed. Makes you wonder.

This is a fast-paced story and a quick, easy read. Because the book is small and a lot of the chapters are short, I kept it in my purse, so I could read it should I become stuck somewhere waiting for something or someone. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is good, and there are enough plot twists to keep readers engaged and guessing. And while it’s not thick with historical description, I still felt like I was in another time and place. Its themes of hysteria, greed, zealousness, and small-minded thinking are timeless.

A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery) by Dianne Freeman

Set in 1899, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder is the first book in Dianne Freeman’s series featuring Francis Wynn.

As a young naive woman, Frances was a wealthy American with an ample dowry. In a Downton Abbey move, she married Reggie, an aristocrat with a large crumbling manor and a shrinking bank account. Unlike the marriage between Cora and Robert Crawley, romance does not blossom between Frances and Reggie. After nine years of marriage, Frances’s philandering husband dies of a heart attack while in bed with his mistress. There is a cover-up because scandal among the British upper class is to be avoided at all costs. After a year of mourning, Frances leases a house in London and packs up her daughter and her possessions. She is determined to start a new life.

But life becomes complicated for Frances. A Metropolitan police officer shows up at her new home to inform her that the police are investigating Reggie’s death as a possible murder, and she is a suspect. Her brother-in-law has filed a suit against her and her bank account is frozen. Her sister arrives from America for her first London season. And, someone is stealing expensive items at society parties. On the upside, Frances’s next-door neighbor is handsome, intelligent, and helpful. Joining together, Frances and her friends, along with the Metropolitan police officer, work to solve the mystery of Reggie’s death and the rash of thefts at society gatherings.

Why did I like this book?

Freeman’s book is delightful. It’s narrated by the main character, Frances, who is witty, self-effacing, intelligent, unflappable, and perfectly charming. I enjoyed keeping company with her as she traded her widow’s clothes for amateur sleuthing.

With an undercurrent of humor humming through its pages, Freeman’s book gently pokes fun at the upper crust of British society in 1899. Embracing the bravado and the stiff-upper-lip mindset of the British upper class, Frances, her friends, and the police follow certain protocols and unspoken rules revered by Britain’s high society, even while solving serious crimes like murder and theft. (The rich do live in a different realm of reality, whether it be 1899 or 2024.) Freeman delivers a good mystery with an ending I didn’t see coming, except in hindsight.

I listened to this book on my library app. Sara Zimmerman reads this cozy mystery, expertly giving voice to a wide array of characters. I particularly felt her keep-calm-and-carry-on voice was ideal for the character Frances. I’m already listening to the second book in Freeman’s series.