The Mountains We Call Home

Cussy and Jackson Lovett have violated the miscegenation laws in 1953 Kentucky. Jackson is white and Cussy is a Blue Fugate, commonly known as the Blue People of Kentucky due to a rare genetic blood disorder called methemoglobinemia. They are both sentenced to prison and their daughter, Honey, who is now 16, is left on her own. Heartbroken, there is only one thing that brings any joy to Cussy’s life. Books. When she becomes the prison library woman Cussy shares her love of books and teaches illiterate prisoners how to read which is helpful when being considered for parole and to communicate with family they dearly miss. Besides desperately missing Jackson and Honey, Cussy knows that she is making a difference for these women who have lost all hope. Cussy’s story spotlights how women—often overlooked, underpaid, and underestimated—became front-line builders of opportunity in their communities. As a Pack Horse librarian, she doesn’t just deliver books. Cussy delivers education, connection, and dignity, using literacy as a practical tool that helps families navigate poverty and systems designed to keep them small. Richardson grounds this trilogy in real history and a deep love of reading to show how women’s everyday labor—teaching, caregiving, and community work—can be quietly revolutionary. This wonderful author returns to the Book Woman world one last time, completing a trilogy that celebrates the life-changing power of literacy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Releases April 21, 2026.

Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way

When Claire O’Connor’s mother dies, she finally returns to Ireland. In London Claire was a writer and university professor. She had a boyfriend named Tom Morton and a future planned away from the small rural town of her youth. London seemed far enough away from her abusive father and poor sweet mother. At the funeral, Claire receives a mixed welcome. Her brothers and childhood friends are happy to see her, but there is an underlying blame that she abandoned her own mother in her time of need. Afterwards, she returns to London, but things are not the same. Claire falls into a depression and can’t seem to lift herself up as her relationship with Tom falters. Shortly after her father becomes very sick, and most likely out of guilt, Claire returns to arrange his care. With the arrival of the pandemic, Claire finds herself unexpectedly living in Western Ireland again. As family secrets are slowly revealed alongside a brutal Irish history, Claire struggles to get her life back on track. Tom, also a writer, shows up in town searching for her forgiveness while he works on his never-ending novel. Feeney writes with a distinctly Irish cadence that is lyrical, sharp, and full of emotions. This quiet exploration keeps the pages turning. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anatomy of An Alibi

Benjamin Bayliss is very handsome. He is a successful and well connected attorney in their small Louisiana town. His wife is beautiful and from a prominent family. Everything about their life looks shiny and new until the day his wife, Camille, finds a napkin in his pocket with the name of a bar and the phone number of a woman. Camille has been searching for a way out of their loveless marriage and out of the clutches of Ben and his manipulations. She tracks down this bar and the woman who works there, believing Ben is having an affair. But what Camille learns is much much worse. As their lives unravel decade old secrets of favors and coverups come to light and Ben can no longer hide in the shadows. Everyone involved knows something. Everyone has an alibi. This fast paced mystery is a suspense thriller you do not want to miss. As one clue leads to the next the truth slowly comes out. Recommend this quick book that reads like a Netflix series. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One & Only

One & Only Matchmaking has been run by the Park women for generations. Not only are they an honest hardworking company — these women can see flashes of their client’s past life. No one knows their magical secret but the Park women can find your fated love, your soul mate. Once they have a face and name they try and arrange a way to bring them into the client’s life. Cassia Park is almost forty. She is successful, beautiful and excellent at her job. But Cassia was shown her fated love a decade ago and she still has not been able to meet him. Waiting patiently has become tortuous as her big birthday approaches. Dreams of building a family and passing on this magical talent are at stake. Then, in a movie worthy meet cute, Cassia meets Ellis. He is handsome, smart and they have instant chemistry. Unfortunately, Ellis is only 28 years old and Cassia sees this romance as a fling while her beloved is still out there, just waiting to be found. Set in Los Angeles, this traditional Korean family is determined to help Cassia make her match no matter what. This was an absolutely adorable romance with just enough comedy and the right amount of steamy. Based on the description I wasn’t convinced I would enjoy as much as I did. With all the negative in the world, this little bit of sunshine was a welcome reprieve. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nesting

One afternoon Ciara Fay grabs some things, holds the small hands of her young daughters and leaves her Dublin home. Her husband Ryan will be furious. When his anger subsides, he will profess his love, beg her to come home and simultaneously belittle her fears and convince Ciara that she is off balance and needs help. This is Ryan’s pattern. This is how he controls Ciara and their little family. After nearly a decade living away from her mother and sister in London and giving up teaching, Ciara has few friends, no money of her own and not a soul she can turn to. But Ciara knows she is not imagining this, and as her girls grow, she cannot bear to let them witness this kind of twisted love and manipulation. As Ciara navigates how to survive on her own, she finds shelter and free legal counsel. None of this is easy. Every step forward is ten steps back, but she is certain of only one thing — it must be done. This story is fast-paced and heartbreaking. To imagine this is reality for so many is simply terrifying. No one wants to live in a home where they do not feel safe. Ciara feels shame, fear and guilt as she asks for help, but it is less important how she got there than figuring out how to escape. Crazy that this is a debut novel. Highly recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Far-Flung Life

In 1958 WA (Western Australia) the MacBride family runs a substantial sheep station. Over a million acres in a very remote location, the MacBride’s are one of the top wool producers in the area. It is a hard and isolated life. When tragedy strikes, Lorna MacBride is left with her distraught daughter Rose and Mattie, who may or may not survive the accident. She must snap back quickly and continue to manage the many hands who run and work the station or their family will be ruined. Set in this vast, baron land there are a few quirky characters Lorna can rely on. One is Pete Peachy, their roo shooter, a former war hero who keeps to himself but lives on the outskirts of the property protecting the family at all times. Pete feels a particular responsibility to help Matt recuperate and Rosie remain hopeful. As the author describes what it takes to survive this harsh wilderness and way of life we are brought deep into a family drama filled with layers of buried secrets, guilt and decades of regret. Oh, how I have been waiting since 2012 for this book! The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman was one of my favorites (and movie of same name 2016). Unfortunately even though the writing is exquisite, this novel that releases March 3, felt painfully slow I found myself waiting for it to be over. It wasn’t bad, I was just waiting to be drawn in emotionally and it it never happened. ⭐⭐⭐

 

Saoirse

When Sarah Roy was a teenager, she knew she had to escape. Years of abuse by her addict mother’s boyfriend and protecting her younger sister, Lea, left her with no other choice. Now her mother is dead and Sarah must get out. After arranging Lea’s safety with relatives, she disappears. From the moment the plane takes off, Sarah can hardly breathe. Changing Roy to Walsh was easy when she swiped an unsuspecting nanny’s passport. She will start a new life and leave these very bad people behind. On the plane, her seat mate, Paul, is a little annoying—but Sarah doesn’t have a lot of options. She accepts his offer of a place to stay, and even though his mother and sister are extremely hesitant, his father, Dr. Joe, welcomes Sarah with open arms. As she reinvents herself—as Saoirse—Paul becomes controlling and manipulative. Once again, she is trapped. Years later Saoirse falls in love with a beautiful man named Daithi (pronounced Dah-Hee) who finally takes her away to live by the sea in Donegal. She expresses herself through art and begins to feels a tinge of the happy life she has always dreamed of. Unfortunately, Saoirse’s happiness is short lived as the unbreakable ties with Paul’s family keep her secrets dangling above, the dangerous truth always lurking. Family, freedom, art, and love fill this beautiful story with heartbreaking hope and fast-paced suspense—you won’t be able to turn the pages quickly enough. Pour a cup of tea, wear something green, and lose yourself in an Irish story that hits the heart. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strangers

In the beginning of 2020 the Burden family, like most others in New York were isolating. They retreated from the city to their summer home in Martha’s Vineyard. It was cold in March and Belle how no idea how long they would stay. The pandemic was terrifying on its own, she never dreamed her life would be unrecognizable in just a few months time. One day her husband of twenty years, James, told her he was leaving. He was done, and there was no convincing him otherwise. He packed a small bag and left her with their teenage children. Belle, an educated, independent and sophisticated woman was no stranger to divorce, it had after all consumed her childhood. But this was crazy. She loved James and he loved her, she was sure of it. What had changed? While Belle figured out how to move forward and protect her children she also realized she had slowly over the years lost control of her finances and all decision making had become too easy to leave to James. Belle had to learn how to take control. This memoir is a very intimate detailed telling of a relationship that was destroyed. Surrounded by a close knit group of friends and a few family members, Belle puts on foot in front of the other. All the money in the world cannot buy happiness and it certainly cannot buy trust and honesty. Both beautifully written and heartbreaking, I am glad Belle found her long lost writing voice and look forward to reading more of her work. ⭐⭐⭐⭐