The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – March 6, 2026 At Home I took a couple of weeks off, partly because I needed it because life got a little out of hand and partly because I kind of lost a bit of interest in blogging. Sometimes that happens. It's hard, and exhausting, to blog consistently. At first,…

Fantasy with Friends: Schools of Magic Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: Do you enjoy books about schools of…

The Curated Bookshelf -March 2026: The American South A bit of a programming note: I'm changing up how I do the Curated Bookshelf because the previous way was starting to take up too much time. Instead, there's a link to my review, to which I've added links to other reviews and a few purchase…

Book Review: The Memory Keeper by Jenny Hale Title: The Memory Keeper Author: Jenny Hale Publisher: Harpeth Road Press Publication date: January 26, 2021 Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance One Sentence Summary: When her grandmother is hospitalized, Hannah tries to rush home to Tennessee, but a…

Fantasy with Friends: The Chosen One Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: “The Chosen One” is an often-mocked trope…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – February 20, 2026 At Home This past week was cold. For Southern California, that is. We had three storms come through, and high winds to go along with all that rain. Fortunately, the first one came through on Monday while the kids were off for Presidents' Day. The…

The Friend’s Sibling/Sibling’s Friend Trope I have a sixth grade boy and a third grade girl and, thanks to the pandemic and getting stuck at home with just each other to play with for about 2.5 years, they really rely on each other for company. Both have their own friends now, and we've arranged…

Book Review: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano Title: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Finlay Donovan #4) Author: Elle Cosimano Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: March 5, 2024 Genre: Cozy Mystery Can I just say Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice reads like a crazy weekend in Vegas,…

Fantasy with Friends: The Lord of the Rings and Good and Evil Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: What do you think…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – February 13, 2026 At Home Other than the weather suddenly realizing it's still winter and dumping some rain on us with some cold temperatures, the week was mostly quiet. My son had a few friends over last weekend, and that was loud, but the rest of the week was,…

Book Review: Let Time Fly by John A. Heldt Title: Let Time Fly (Stone Shed #3) Author: John A. Heldt Publisher: Self-publisher Publication date: December 8, 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction Let Time Fly is, sadly, the third in the Stone Shed time travel trilogy. It follows brothers Noah and Jake as…

Why I Want to Read: Steel Gods by Richard Swan One of the things I want to do when it comes to reading is to have a clear reason why I want to read a book. With that goal in mind, I’ve decided to start a new series here where I spend Wednesdays sharing the why since I have nothing better planned…

Book Review: Up the Ante by Lina Hansen Title: Up the Ante (Magical Misfits Mystery #4) Author: Lina Hansen Publisher: Literary Wanderlust Publication date: January 1, 2026 Genre: Urban Fantasy, Cozy Mystery Up the Ante is the fourth in the Magical Misfits cozy mystery series. It follows Myrtle as…

Fantasy with Friends: Dragons Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: There are many interpretations of dragons in…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – February 6, 2026 At Home I'm not sure why but this past week has felt long and exhausting. My daughter had a play date with her best friend last weekend, and my son is going to have 3 friends over tomorrow. I think I definitely prefer my daughter's play dates, but…

Book Review: A Winter of White Ash by Lucia Damisa Title: A Winter of White Ash (A Desert of Bleeding Sand #2) Author: Lucia Damisa Publisher: Darkan Press Publication date: August 29, 2025 Genre: Fantasy A Winter of White Ash is the second in the A Desert of Bleeding Sand African-inspired fantasy…

Why I Want to Read: The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer One of the things I want to do when it comes to reading is to have a clear reason why I want to read a book. With that goal in mind, I’ve decided to start a new series here where I spend Wednesdays sharing the why since I have nothing better…

Looking for Beta Readers Buried in one of my Weekly Highlights posts I mentioned finishing editing my current manuscript and looking for readers. It's currently in the hands of a couple of people, and I'll be getting it to a couple more soon. But I'd also love feedback from other people I "know"…

Fantasy with Friends: Cozy Fantasy Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: What do you think of the current trend for…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – January 30, 2026 At Home I have not much to report here this week. It was a quiet one, though the weather went from chilly (for us) to warm with winds. My wildflowers are growing like crazy, and now I'm getting some I haven't managed to identify yet. But I guess…

Book Review: A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa Title: A Midnight Pastry Shop called Hwawoldang Author: Lee Onhwa Publisher: William Morrow Publication date: January 13, 2026 Genre: Magical Realism Translated from Korean, A Midnight Pastry Shop called Hwawoldang is a bittersweet…

Why I Want to Read: Let Time Fly by John A. Heldt One of the things I want to do when it comes to reading is to have a clear reason why I want to read a book. With that goal in mind, I’ve decided to start a new series here where I spend Wednesdays sharing the why since I have nothing better…

Book Review: Make It Out Alive by Allison Brennan Title: Make It Out Alive (Quinn & Costa Thriller #7) Author: Allison Brennan Publisher: Hanover Square Press Publication date: January 27, 2026 Genre: Thriller Make It Out Alive is the 7th in the Quinn & Costa Thriller series. It follows the FBI’s…

Friends with Fantasy: Logical or Illogical World Building? Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: What do you think…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – January 23, 2026 At Home Home has actually been quite nice lately. The kids were off on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and they definitely took advantage by being very active. They both also decided to tidy their rooms on their own, which was…

Book Review: The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao Title: The Elsewhere Express Author: Samantha Sotto Yambao Publisher: Del Rey Publication date: January 20, 2026 Genre: Fantasy I was mostly drawn to this one because I liked the whimsical, dreamy quality to her first book, Water Moon. It…

Why I Want to Read: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano One of the things I want to do when it comes to reading is to have a clear reason why I want to read a book. With that goal in mind, I’ve decided to start a new series here where I spend Wednesdays sharing the why since I have…

Book Review: Tell-Tale Treats by Jennifer J. Chow Title: Tell-Tale Treats (Magical Fortune Cookie #3) Author: Jennifer J. Chow Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: January 27, 2026 Genre: Cozy Mystery Tell-Tale Treats is the third in the Magical Fortune Cookie culinary cozy mystery series.…

Friends with Fantasy: Romantasy Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is: What do you think of romantasy as a category?…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – January 16, 2026 At Home Let's see, I managed to survive a two-month house project that was supposed to take 10 days, a 3 week winter break, an insane amount of rain, and now some fun Santa Ana winds. All that since Halloween. I somehow have part of my sanity…

Book Review: Alice with a Why by Anna James Title: Alice with a Why Author: Anna James Publisher: Flamingo Books Publication date: January 6, 2026 Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy This will be a fun two-sided review, one from me and one from my daughter. Alice with a Why is a Middle Grade book…

Why I Want to Read: A Night of Falling Stars by Lucia Damisa One of the things I want to do when it comes to reading is to have a clear reason why I want to read a book. With that goal in mind, I've decided to start a new series here where I spend Wednesdays sharing the why since I have nothing…

Book Review: Mayhem on the Marzipan Express by Rebecca Connolly Title: Mayhem on the Marzipan Express (A Claire Walker Mystery #2) Author: Rebecca Connolly Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publication date: January 6, 2026 Genre: Cozy Mystery It’s back to baking and romance and murder mystery solving,…

Welcome Back to The Lily Cafe Every year I take two or three weeks off for the end of year holidays, especially since my kids have three weeks off from school, but it's been a couple years since I did a proper back into blogging post. Honestly, it's been a couple of years since I've really felt…

The Lily Cafe Wrap up – December 19, 2025 I haven't done a Weekly Highlights post since Halloween. November was kind of a mess, so blogging just got shoved off the stove. I meant to have a December Curated Bookshelf, but that obviously didn't happen. So, what happened? Well, we bought a house back…

My Favorite Read of 2025 in Other Genres My favorite genres are Science Fiction and Fantasy, Women's Fiction and Romance, and Mystery and Thriller, but I also enjoy books in other genres as well as books that blend genres. Since the latter don't neatly slot into one of the three genres I focus on…

My Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Read of 2025 This is the 3rd year I've struggled with science fiction and fantasy. I don't really enjoy romantasy (too much romance for my tastes), and cozy fantasy just doesn't have the high stakes and twists and turns I adore in the fantasy I read, so that…

My Favorite Women’s Fiction and Romance Read of 2025 This year was, once again, not a good one for Women's Fiction and Romance for me. I haven't found myself picking up too many of these for the past couple of years, and I wonder if that's because of the rise of romantasy, a genre I am not keen on…

My Favorite Women’s Fiction and Romance Read of 2025 This year was, once again, not a good one for Women's Fiction and Romance for me. I haven't found myself picking up too many of these for the past couple of years, and I wonder if that's because of the rise of romantasy, a genre I am not keen on…

Short Story Review: Red Storm by Bradley James Title: Red Storm (An Elliot Adams Short Story) Author: Bradley James Publisher: Brad Blooman Publication date: October 3, 2025 Genre: Science Fiction Red Storm serves as a prequel to the Aftermath science fiction series, detailing an adventure from…

My Favorite Mystery & Thriller Read of 2025 This year, I read 16 books I would solidly consider a mystery or thriller, excluding those books that did some genre blending and paired it with another genre or two. I think part of this was due to the fact that I read the first 3 Finlay Donovan books…

Book Review: All My Bones by P.J. Nelson Title: All My Bones (Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery #2) Author: P.J. Nelson Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: December 2, 2025 Genre: Cozy Mystery All My Bones is the second in the Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery series. It follows Madeline, a former…

Book Review: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino Title: Best Offer Wins Author: Marisa Kashino Publisher: Celadon Books Publication date: November 25, 2025 Genre: Thriller As someone who spent over three years house hunting in an insane housing market, I found myself extremely drawn to Best Offer…

Book Review: The War Beyond by Andrea Stewart Title: The War Beyond (The Hollow Covenant 2) Author: Andrea Stewart Publisher: Orbit Publication date: November 4, 2025 Genre: Fantasy The War Beyond is the second in the Hollow Covenant trilogy. It follows Hakara, who fights with the Unanointed and a…

Book Review: Fallen City by Adrienne Young Title: Fallen City (Fallen City Duology #1) Author: Adrienne Young Publisher: Saturday Books Publication date: November 4, 2025 Genre: Historical Fantasy Fallen City is the first in the Fallen City Duology, a Greco-Roman inspired fantasy that transports…

The Curated Bookshelf -November 2025: Favorite Book of the Year from 2018-2025 Since I'm not doing my typical Curated Bookshelf this month, I decided to highlight my favorite book from each year I've been blogging. 2025 might not yet be over, but I have some strong contenders, and I'll be…

The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – Halloween 2025 At Home Happy Halloween! My family isn't big on Halloween, but we did decorate a bit, most of us have a costume, and we'll be taking the kids to a local mall for trick or treating. Both kids are out of school early today, and my son is thrilled he…

Book Review: The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber Title: The Forget-Me-Not Library Author: Heather Webber Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication date: November 4, 2025 Genre: Women's Fiction, Magical Realism I love a little bit of magic in the women’s fiction I read, and The…

Book Highlight: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young Title: Spells for Forgetting Author: Adrienne Young Publisher: Dell Publication Date: September 27, 2022 Genre: Mystery, Romance, Fantasy The Curated Bookshelf's Monthly Theme: Washington and Vancouver Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever…

Book Review: A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka Title: A Judgement of Powers (Inheritance of Magic #3) Author: Benedict Jacka Publisher: Ace Publication date: November 4, 2025 Genre: Urban Fantasy A Judgement of Powers is the third in the Inheritance of Magic urban fantasy series. It follows…