Book Review: Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy

Pros: interesting characters

Cons:

Louella Twig is a defunct witch who pooled her disappointment about her unique book magic not being recognized by her teachers by running a bookshop that can teleport between 4 storefronts. Her magic forces her to offer the book needed by each customer, regardless of whether that's the book they want or if it tells them unwanted truths. When one of her former teachers needs help reclaiming the scattered pieces of his stolen grimoire, she joins forces with a group of new friends, including a handsome former thief, to find them.

This is a cozy fantasy romance novel with low stakes and a lot of lighthearted banter. Louella and Everett engage in a lot of flirtation. There's some kissing towards the end of the book with some heat but no on page spice. It's a slow burn romance. The book also contains an intimate off page side romance, and some positive gay and lesbian representation.

Everett is portrayed as the perfect book lover's boyfriend. A real work of wish fulfillment. He's supportive of everything Louella does, encourages her, catches her when she falls (literally and figuratively), pays for her books, and wants nothing more than to be with her and help her achieve her goals. I imagine his attitude will annoy some readers who prefer more of a personality clash between the protagonists. What's keeping them apart is simply that Louella believes he's only around for the adventure and will leave once things settle down again. She doesn't want her heart broken and can't believe he actually loves her.

The main plot is engaging enough. The pages are disguised as exotic creatures scattered around the 4 realms, giving the group reasons to travel and explore unique locations. Some of the places they go are a lot of fun and the variety of creatures - some I recognized and some I didn't - were really neat. I especially liked the haregons, which sounded adorable.

The side characters were entertaining. I especially liked Midge and seeing her relationship with Oliver develop. Feralorn could be a little annoying, but was used sparingly, so that never became an issue for me.

I liked Louella's magic and how it played out. Seeing her have to give people books about things that were embarrassing or problematic made her sympathetic, especially when she prided herself - and had a real reputation - for getting the right book to the right person.

I thought Everett's prophecy was a little too specific and it seemed to cheapen their attraction somewhat.

All in all it's a fun, lighthearted romp, that doesn't take itself too seriously but does wrap everything up nicely at the end.

Book Review: Monumental by Simon Warrack

In addition to the intruduction and epilouge, the book has 10 chapters: First steps in stone [Canterbury cathedral, England]; The stones of Venice [Venice]; Doing as the Romans do [Rome]; Embracing Asia [Preah Ko, Cambodia]; The greatest temple in the world [Angkor Wat, Cambodia]; An obelist returns [transporting a stele from Rome to Axum in Ethiopia]; Carving a new Jerusalem[Lalibela, Ethiopia]; Temple of the sun [Umm Al Nar tombs, United Arab Emirates]; Two hundred chisels [Lebanon]; and The house of stone [Great Zimbabwe].

For some reason I was expecting this to be a book on the art of stone carving from the viewpoint of a stone carver, whereas it's actually a standard biography focusing on the author's training and work. The author has had a fascinating life and gives a lot of entertaining asides and digressions that add colour to the narrative. His writing style is fast paced and engaging, focused primarily on the various sites where he worked throughout his career. I appreciated the mini deep dives into local history that fleshed out the backgrounds of those monuments, making the book even more interesting.

There are 2 chapters that deal with Ethiopia, and as someone who's researched its churches and history, and read the Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings) in translation, I was a little surprised by how he presented elements of their religious writings as historical fact. The sections are brief and hopefully they'll encourage people to research this rich and interesting culture.

The author tends to emphasize the bond of stone masons throughout history and how working with stone is a universal language in most of the chapters, which got repetitive and unnecessary as the book went on.

I had access to an early Advance Reader Copy, so there were more spelling and editorial errors than usual. Those should be cleared up by the time the book is published. Also missing were several illustrations, which simply had place holders. The images that were included were nice for understanding some of the more technical architectural language of the book.

On the whole this was an entertaining read. It was neat learning some of what goes into restoring and preserving ancient monuments made of stone.

Shout-Out: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge. 

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?

Books Received in August 2026

 

My thanks to Ace for letting me read an advance copy of The Haunted Librarian.

The Haunted Librarian by Auralee Wallace - I'm a few chapters in and I'm loving Amelia so far. She's quirky and entertaining. Out October 6.

 

It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier.

Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest haven: the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly).

But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library.

To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.

Book Review: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Pros: feel good fantasy, low stakes

Cons:

After completing her last job as an adventurer, the orc Viv takes her final prize, the magical Scalvert Stone, which stories say can draw the heart's desire. She buys a used livery in Thune and fixes it up into a coffee shop. She has to find trustworthy workers, deal with the city's 'protection' gang, and show people who've never heard of coffee what they're missing.

This is a low key, feel good fantasy novel. Viv's a fun character with a shady past and her desire to start fresh is fun to watch. The book moves slowly and basically feels like settling back with a cup of coffee yourself, watching her go through the motions of setting up shop and then dealing with the challenges that come up. There's a hint of romance, but it's understated with very little tension or conflict.

It's a novel about friendship and doing your best and was a pleasure to read.

Magic Ring Hamlet DIY kit

Spent several hours this past weekend working on another DIY diorama kit. This one's themed on the Hobbit and looks really cute.

The kit I made.

Everything that came in the kit. I needed some additional things for the build.

I was impressed by how easily the parts went together. 

Pieces that needed to be glued had guide lines so it was easy to get things in the right spot.

Little cart pieces.

And built.

The build coming together nicely.

Starting to decorate.

Detail of one of the doors.

I modified the kit somewhat to add some of my own decorations, like pumpkins in the carts instead of wooden logs.

Hobbit hard at work.

The finished kit has an inner frame with a hanging ring, and an outer frame for display.

The electronics on this kit were easier to do than a lot of other ones I've done, using plugs to join the cables to a control board. It was a fun kit to put together and looks great.

Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Pros: slow burn romance, low stakes, cozy atmosphere even when bad things happen, a wide variety of fantasy creatures, realistic magic system

Cons:

Kiela works at the Great Library of Alyssium, keeping to herself with her sentient plant assistant Caz. When the library burns down, she escapes with a few forbidden spellbooks she's hidden on a boat. Back at her childhood home on the island of Caltrey, her plan to lie low at her family's old cottage is undermined by her handsome neighbour who keeps coming by. She quickly learns that the island is suffering due to a lack of visiting sorcerers, and starts to learn how to use the spellbooks to bring the island back to prosperity. But spellcasting is dangerous, which is why only sanctioned sorcerers are allowed to practice the art.

Kiela's a fun protagonist who starts off very standoffish and introverted, and slowly grows a group of close friends. Her relationship with Larran is sweet and very slow paced. There is a side romance that shows up at the end that felt like it came out of nowhere, but the main romance is a lovely ride.

I liked that the magic system felt realistic. Seeing Kiela try various things to get the spells to work - changing ingredients, adjusting pronunciations, studying alternatives, was neat. So much of the book is pure fantasy, that having the magic feel more ceremonial and scholarly was great.

I was a little surprised by the sheer variety of magical creatures on this small island. Otherwise the world-building was fun. I liked the political underpinnings of the story and that they were used to enhance what was happening in the main plot.

The atmosphere of the book is so cozy. Even when bad things were happening, I knew everything would turn out ok so I didn't need to stress about things. Great care is taken to describe the sights, smells, and tastes of island life.

This is a wonderful comfort read.