There are two fiction stories I wanted to highlight today, and I thought I would share how it is going.

The two books are “A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery” by Kate Khavari and “Dear Missing Friend” by Susan McGuirk. I am enjoying the corresponding format of “Dear Missing Friend” a lot more than I thought I would. That is not to say I haven’t enjoyed the letter written style of telling a story before, it’s just that sometimes, I feel I’m not getting the whole picture-if you will, and the bouncing back and forth can feel a bit disjointed at times. That said, I’m glad I chose this story to read and review. I like Susan McGuirk’s writing style.

Yesterday, I started “A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery” and previously I read and reviewed the first book “A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons,” and I was a bit critical of some of the elements in the story, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. Skipping a few books in the series, I’m hoping I will enjoy this story I’m currently reading. I will probably state in my review that I’ve only read two books in the series to be fair with my critic.

Below are the two books I will be starting next and I can’t wait to read and review them!

Be sure to read my latest review “The Last Fatal Hour” by Jan Matthews!

What are the books you are currently reading and expecting to get to next?

Stephanie

The Museum of Lost Dreams by Christine Nolfi

Expected Publication June 23, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

When Bess Rollins’s parents die in a tragic accident, she is forced to abandon her dream job overseas. After three years away, she returns to her family’s estate in the Finger Lakes, a veritable monument to her brilliant late grandmother, and a reminder of the wreckage Bess left behind.

There’s the guilt over leaving her younger twin siblings, Casey and Caleb, and she struggles to rebuild a bond that may be irrevocably broken. Amid the grief, resentment still looms toward her reckless and self-indulgent mother and father. And then there’s Luke Monticelli, the devoted man Bess walked out on but never stopped loving.

Haunted by her regrets at every turn, Bess soon realizes that the past is far more complicated than she ever knew. With each secret that she uncovers about her family, Bess comes closer to healing their wounds, seizing a second chance at love, and fulfilling dreams that can lift them all—right here at home, where she belongs.

The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers

Expected Publication July 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing

Every morning, Evelyn Silver walks the shoreline before the rest of Portheast wakes, gathering what the tide leaves behind. Broken cups. Lost trinkets. Objects others have discarded. In her small Museum of Maritime Curiosities, each one earns its place—because to Evelyn, every forgotten thing deserves to have its story told.

At the heart of the museum lies her most precious a fragment of Cornish lace, found pinned to her blanket when she was abandoned as a newborn. For over sixty years, she has kept it close, hoping someone might one day recognize it and tell her who she really is.

So, when the local council threatens to close the museum, Evelyn stands to lose far more than her livelihood. Forced out of her solitude, she rallies the community around the museum’s curious collection—and as the objects begin to give up their secrets, lives start to intertwine in ways nobody expected.

Because sometimes, the most precious things aren’t lost at all. They’re simply waiting to be claimed.