March 27, 2026

New Fiction

Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg – As ninety-two-year-old Florence “Flo” Greene nears the end of the life, she writes a letter to Ruthie, the woman who grew up next door to her, describing the items Flo is leaving Ruthie in her will.  But as it goes on, telling surprising stories about those “little” things Flo will leave behind (What could possibly be the worth of a rubber band kept in a matchbox tied up in red ribbon?), an unforgettable portrait of the life she has lived emerges.  The letter starts off as an autobiography in things, but it turns out to be much more than that: Ultimately, it will transform Flo and those around her.  In the time she has left, Flo decides to take herself up on tiny dares.  She encourages Ruthie to reconsider her impending divorce by sharing a startling, long-buried secret about her own perfect-seeming marriage.  Flo has never had a pedicure before now, and as long as she’s going to a beauty parlor, she arranges to have a blue streak put in her hair, too.  And as these adventures lead her to make new friends, Flo helps them, too, find the meaning that living a full life has led her to understand.

The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall – Twins Tessa and Theo are roots of the same tree, in tune with each other’s every thought and desire.  As World War II takes hold across Europe, both are eager to do their part.  Theo is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies, while Tessa jumps at the chance to join the Special Operations Executive, devoted to spying and sabotage behind enemy lines.  It will be dangerous, highly classified work, but Tessa, despite all she shares with Theo, is no stranger to secret-keeping.  Two years later, Theo comes home.  Tessa does not.  Theo, wounded, broken by the loss of his fellows and the disappearance of his sister, is indefatigable, angry, and driven.  He has secrets of his own that could jeopardize his future, and he will pay a price for pursing answers about Tessa’s fate.  Decades later, PhD candidate Edie is deep into her research on the Special Operations Executive during the war.  When she finds Theo in London, they form an unlikely partnership, and together they form an unlikely partnership, and together they will try to uncover the truth about Theo’s beloved sister – and the one thing she never told him.

I Came Back for You by Kate White – Ten years after her daughter, Melanie, was murdered, Bree Winter is finally moving on with a new love, a new home, and a new beginning.  Then a deathbed confession from the convicted killer throws Bree’s life into a tailspin all over again.  He readily confesses to murdering four girls.  But not Melanie.  At first, Bree and her ex-husband don’t buy a word of it.  Until inconsistencies about the crime emerge.  So does the dreadful feeling that the monster who shattered Bree’s family isn’t lying.  The only way she can get to the truth is to power through the trauma and return to the town in upstate New York where Melanie’s life came to a brutal end.  Bree will do anything to find justice for her daughter and finish this nightmare forever.  Instead, it’s just beginning.  Not only could the real killer still be in their midst, but as Bree begins to dig through Melanie’s past, what she discovers calls into question everything she has believed – about the crime and about Melanie herself.

The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery – Jax has a slight issue with control – as in, she needs it.  Always.  Too bad she has power only over the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion turned bookshop she inherited.  No one else listens to a word she says.  Her ex gets engaged for questionable reasons.  Her beloved sister, Ryleigh, wants to move away to find a husband.  And the handsome contractor Jax has chosen to convince Ryleigh to stay is only interested in Jax.  Still, she’s living the bookworm dream – until an unhappy accident erases the names from the bookshop lockboxes where the town keeps their diaries.  Which means the only way to find a diary’s owner is…to read it.  As secrets spill and scandals surface, life at the Painted Lady Bookstore gets a lot more colorful and chaotic.  But for a woman who’s always had to take charge, Jax will see that losing control – especially with the right wrong guy – can set you free.