At long last, I am reading the third book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I started the series years ago, and it took me until March 2026 to finally read Ruin and Rising. A Russian-inspired YA Fantasy series, the story follows Alina as she discovers her abilities to summon all-powerful light. The Darkling is a cunning ruler who wants Alina’s powers at his command. In the first novel,
Alina does what she can to stay away from the Darkling. She spends her days with the soldiers, preferring the road and military camps, to the comforts that the seat of power offers. There is a television series that lasted two seasons on Netflix. It has been a few years since the series made the rounds in online bookish spaces, and I have had the UK hard cover edition of Six of Crows gather dust over the years as it sat on my shelf unread. It is a bank heist novel set in the same universe as the Shadow and Bone, but with a different set of characters. It is a duology, with the second book titled, Crooked Kingdom. I also have the book somewhere among the stacks.
Originally Published on April 2, 2026
Durring the past week, I made some progess reading the books I had already started. I read to the halfway mark of Ruin and Rising, the third book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.
I also read around 100 pages of I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto, and around 100 pages of Conviction by Denise Mina. I think I will have time to finish all these books.
Meanwhile, I also started The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and Good Victory by Mikka Jacobsen.
The Correspondent is a best-seller in Canada. It is an epistolary novel told in a series of letters. It is told from the perspective of an older woman in her 70s through a series of letters she writes to the newspaper, or to writers she follows, such as Joan Didion, and Ann Pachette. There are also her adult children who have their own lives and don’t seem to find the time to visit.
Good Victory is a short story collection looking at the intimate details of young people, families, the people met while living in Alberta, Canada that has beautiful scenery and an economy that relies on oil and gas, and the competing prorities of nature conservation, and improving the standard and quality of life for residents.
Originally Published on April 9, 2026
Going through some older titles in my home library, I felt a pull towards the other passenger by Louise Candlish. It is thriller by a UK author I have been meaning to read. The story follows a woman on a commuter boat in London. She notices something about another passenger and that proprels the narrative forward. I also found the UK edition of The Magician by Lev Grossman. I know I have another edition stored away somewhere. This is a fantasy novel taking place at a magical school for college-age apprentices. Then there is Pick A Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa about a nail salon worker who is also a boxer.
Originally Published on April 30, 2026
August is here! One more summer month before it is back to school season, and I still have books to read.
For the next month, I picked out 10 books for my TBR. Don't know if I will get to all of them. The fun is having a variety to pick from.
Planning is underway for the reading in the autumn months.
Until next time, happy reading!
Here is the list:
1. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
2. Rejection by Tony Tulathitmutte
3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
5. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
6. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey
7. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
8. Weyward by Emilia Hart
9. Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson
10. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Released in April, Guilt is the latest work by Keigo Higashino to be released. A well-known and popular author in Japan, Higashino has a number of novels translated into English. Over the years, I had read a couple.
The new novel is a police-procedural novel set in Tokyo. It involves the untimely death of an older gentleman. He leaves behind a wife and adult daughter. The opening chapters provide an even pace. The writing style provides enough information and description to give a sense of the neighbourhood where the crime took place, the different individuals connected to the case, as well
as the police department in charge of the case with the various personnel.
I have a couple of novels by Higashino translated from Japanese to Chinese. They are older works that are also crime fiction. 毒笑小說 translates as Poisonous Laughter, and 黑笑小說 translates as Black Humour. They were copies I found at the local Asian supermarket where they have a small shelf of books in Chinese. I have seen various works on the shelf such as Chinese classics, as well as translations of Stephen King and Haruki Murakami novels. When I stop for groceries, I usually look to see what new volumes the store has brought in.
Originally Published on April 16, 2026
Note: Since the release of the English translation of Guilt, the author Keigo Higashino passed away in July 2026
ABOUT ME
JKStar88 Reader is an active community organizer, radio host, avid reader, and self-published poet. Interests include pop culture, current events, literature, and food. Enjoys visiting local book stores, cafes, going to live theatre, and movies. Things to work on are being more social at gatherings, and being a better friend.
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Bunny by Mona Awad had its original release, then it regained life when the book made the rounds on BookTok. It is unclear how some books gain the attention of online micro-vloggers, and how others don't. There must be something widely appealing to a story about a poor kid getting into an MFA program.
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A breakfast of rice roll, congee, and milk tea. With a street food style, the items are simple, and takes care to prepare. The eatery recently renovated so that it can serve savory foods, along with desserts. It would be ideal to linger a bit longer, but only had time to eat everything, then rush to catch the train. There will be another time to try the other flavours.