Welcome to Quick Lit, where I share short and sweet reviews of what I’ve been reading lately on (or around) the 15th of the month, and invite you to do the same.
This month I’ve been predominantly reading for potential summer 2026 coverage, with the Summer Reading Guide being top of mind. But I’ve enjoyed dabbling in not-too-deep backlist and other fairly recent releases as well. (For titles in the January–April 2026 window: we hosted our Spring Preview Library Chat on February 7 for MMD Book Clubbers and our WSIRN patrons; that saved video and title list are available now to old and new members of both communities.)
I’ve read some amazing books this past month, but I’ve also noticed a real restlessness of late when it comes to deciding how I want to spend my limited reading time. I tried and subsequently abandoned more than a dozen books in this window, sampling a few chapters of each and then deciding it’s not for me—or at least not for me, right now.
This dabbling is a normal part of my reading life, but the degree to which I’ve been doing it feels excessive. I’m all for an attitude of experimentation when it comes to what I’m reading—but when I get itchy like I have been lately, I know it’s because my TBR is too long and my rubric for choosing my next read has gotten muddled. I look forward to spending some quality time with my reading journal this week to sharpen my picture of my 2026 summer possibilities, and to carefully consider what else I want to prioritize reading in the months to come.
(For what it’s worth, I think I’m on the right track. And I’m LOVING the books I’m reading now and can’t wait to tell you about them next month!)
I hope you enjoy this month’s selections, and that you find something that looks intriguing for your TBR here. I look forward to browsing your recent reads below: thanks in advance for sharing your short and sweet book reviews with us!
Welcome to February Quick Lit
I so enjoyed revisiting this cozy mystery on audio to prepare for our
MMD Book Club conversation with Jesse Q. Sutanto next week; it’s our February 2026 pick. This adorable tea shop murder mystery has serious
Only Murders in the Building vibes and boasts a pleasantly large cast of (mostly) likable characters. When the titular 60-year-old widow awakes one morning to find a dead body clutching a flash drive on the floor of her tea shop, she calls in the authorities. (She doesn’t
want to, but her son convinces her she
has to). But, unimpressed by their approach to the case and unconvinced they can get to the truth of what happened, she takes matters into her own hands, with delightful and chaotic results, followed by a feel-good ending I didn’t expect. Such a fun romp, particularly as read by one of my favorite narrators, Eunice Wong.
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I’m happy to share this is our April 2026
MMD Book Club selection and author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney will be joining us for a chat! This domestic novel unfolds in three parts: in 1977, two families who live across the street from each other in Rochester, New York dissemble and reassemble practically overnight. Neighbors Nina and Finn, unhappy in their respective marriages, divorce their spouses and remarry each other, leaving their teenage kids aghast and angry. Flash forward to 1994, when the now-grown children continue to struggle with the long-lasting aftershocks of that betrayal. And in 1998, the family comes together to confront a crisis and finally attempt to heal old wounds. I loved this for its perceptive family dynamics, realistic portrayal of what it looks like to turn your life upside down, and culinary details galore, including one chapter told entirely as a 1990s Food TV episode transcript. Recommended for fans of Anne Tyler and Sweeney’s
Good Company.
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I picked up this memoir because of a personal recommendation; it’s published by progressive Christian publisher
Broadleaf Press and wasn’t quite what I expected. Dodd explicitly says this book is “about coming to terms with the influences that formed you and the influence you have on the people you love,” but I thought his relationship with his own father made up the bulk of the book. That’s not the case. This
is a book about fatherhood: Dodd’s own alcoholic father (“a mess of a man who messed up his family”), the father figures he pursued to fill the void his father’s absence left in his life, and the father he’s been trying to become. Before beginning the book, I was most intrigued by how his formative family experiences shaped and continue to influence him, but the range here is much wider: he writes in detail about his mom, his sister, his own marriage, and his often misguided search for positive male influences in his life. Heads up: I wasn’t familiar with Dodd’s work or background before beginning, and was stunned by some of the stories in these pages, particularly those from the early 2000s involving Ted Haggard, the Colorado pastor felled by a sex scandal twenty years ago. (I’m surprised that no reviews mention this, as it’s a prominent part of the book.) I appreciated many of his reflections, but knowing what I know now, I doubt I would have spent my reading time here. I listened to the audio version, narrated by the author, and it worked well in that format.
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This is the fourth and final installment in Adams’s Rome, Kentucky series, which begins with
When in Rome (though I think they all stand alone just fine). I’ve had the egalley since well before its December 30, 2025 release date, but never felt like picking it up. Well. One day last week after reading the opening chapters of four different books with nothing feeling quite “right,” I was seized with the urge to read this immediately, and opted for audio. Each series installment centers one of the four Walker siblings; this last story belongs to wild child Madison, who’s moving back to Rome after graduating from culinary school in New York City. Unbeknownst to her family and friends, she was miserable in the city, and didn’t do great in school, either—despite what she led them to believe. She’s back in Rome to work for her brother’s best friend, as head chef at the new restaurant he’s opening on the family farm. But, unbeknownst to pretty much everyone, his only reason for opening the restaurant is to bring Maddie back to town, because he’s been pining for her for years. Oh, and the farm might go under if the restaurant isn’t a success from opening night. I have some quibbles with this story, particularly the lack of detail and texture surrounding the restaurant plot, and one truly terrible “Kentucky” accent on the audiobook. But I have zero regrets: all in all it was an easy-reading delight to go back to Rome one more time.
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I forget how I first learned of the existence of this gorgeous coffee table book, but enough time lapsed between when I put in my library request pre-release and when I picked it up last month that I was totally surprised: the book felt like a thoughtful gift from past Anne. It just so happens that I have unintentionally read a half dozen novels set in France over the past few months, and this illustrated guide is the perfect complement to those unillustrated novels, as it brings Paris (and surrounds) to life. With its thoughtful organization and beautiful photography,
Joie invited me to vicariously stroll through the City of Light with Aki to eat, shop, dine, and most importantly, simply
live (no work talk allowed). This would be lovely to flip through a few minutes at a time or read cover to cover.
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What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
The post What I’ve been reading lately: the new and the notable appeared first on Modern Mrs Darcy.
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