iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 01/10/2026

Starting CHARLOTTE by Elizabeth Ferris next. @librarylovefest.bsky.social It won't be out until April but I can't resist a Bronte theme. #ewgc

A quill pen on a patterned background. The O in the title is an inksplotch. 'Charlotte A Novel of Jane Eyre by Elizabeth Ferris'

020

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 01/10/2026

MURMURATION by TJ Klune is what? Gay Stepford Wives? Something like The Truman Show and/or Wandavision? Not his usual stuff but made me ugly-cry anyway. #ewgc

Image of storefronts with a bookstore in the middle and a lot of crows in the street. 'Murmuration Everything is perfect in the best little town there is! TJ Klune #1 New York Time Bestselling Author

030

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 01/10/2026

Caitlyn Moran coming in hot with HOW TO BE HOPEFUL, which goes firmly against the cultural grain. Get off the internet; it's making you crazy! Silence isn't violence, it's pure survival at this point! and other great and funny advice. Kinda outdated, yet relevant. #ewgc

A woman reads a newspaper next to a river with a dog and a unicorn. 'How to be Hopeful: A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World Caitlin Moran New York Times Bestselling Author of How to Be A Woman'

040

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 01/10/2026

Ship's Detective Dorothy Gentleman returns, and recurs–in someone else's body, in THE DOUBLE DOROTHY by Olivia Waite. Who is the evil hacker of the ship's mind, Ferry, and what do they want? #ewgc

160

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 01/10/2026

MONSTERS OF OHIO has a "Stranger Things" feel with paramormal activity in the Midwest. However, the main characters are adults, the monsters aren't the real monsters, everyone is happier the more gory everything gets, and the setting is very much of-the-moment. Hilarious! #ewgc @scalzi.com

Image: A blue octopus wtih four eyes buys groceries in a grocery store. 'People Change. Monsters of Ohio John Scalzi New York Times Bestselling Author'

190

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 04/06/2026

Are Ana and Din my favorite contemporary detectives? If not, they are in the running! The Ana & Din series by Robert Jackson Bennett is phenomenal by every metric and number 3, A TRADE OF BLOOD, which is out August 4, is just as great as the first two. #ewgc

The scarlet and gold cover of A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, an Ana & Din Mystery and third in the series.

350

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 18/05/2026

I don’t always look this gorgeous but when I do…jk I always look this gorgeous #catsofbluesky #cats

A green-eyed Siberian cat named Hyde lounges on a fleece blanket

1130

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 15/04/2026

The April EarlyWord GalleyChat catalog #ewgc is complete and we had more than 160 galleys mentioned in the chat! HOT titles with chatters include FIVE by Ilona Barrister, THE UNICORN HUNTERS by Katherine Arden (more in replies) Our Edelweiss catalog: www.edelweiss.plus#catalogID=53... #booksky

EarlyWord #ewgc GalleyChat Roundup April 2026

120

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 09/04/2026

Also reading now: LAND by Maggie O'Farrell. Irish mysticism and magic meet mapmaking. Not sure yet what I think of it, but the writing is just as masterful as I've come to expect from this author. #ewgc

1100

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 09/04/2026

Reading now: THE UNICORN HUNTERS by Katherine Arden, coming June 2. The young yet vulnerable ruler of Brittany puts off an unwanted marriage and takeover of her kingdom by France by proposing a unicorn hunt. Intrigued! #ewgc

080

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 09/04/2026

The ending of A PERFECT HAND by Ayelet Waldeman is a shocking surprise. It reads just like a standard comedy of manners with upstairs/downstairs conflicts, politely written to the dear Reader, and then. . .history. Love it. #ewgc Thank you @PRHLibrary for the ARC.

140

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 09/04/2026

VILLA COCO by Andrew Sean Greer is a luscious Italian staycation loaded with madcap characters. Don't miss it! June 9 from @PRHLibrary.bsky.social #ewgc

080

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 09/04/2026

The foster cat Hyde thinks he’s too good for me. I concur. #catsofbluesky

A brown and white, green-eyed, Siberian cat with a white hourglass mark on his nose, on a bed, with a superiority complex, or more likely he is simply superior

060

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 06/03/2026

The EarlyWord GalleyChat Edelweiss catalog for March is ready for your perusal and downloading pleasure! #ewgc www.edelweiss.plus?catalogID=53...

EarlyWord #ewgc GalleyChat Roundup March 2026

010

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/02/2026

Next up for me is THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson. Looking forward to more about the Book Woman! @sbkslibrary.bsky.social sent me a few copies here at the library for book club consideration. #ewgc

A woman's silhouette contains a misty mountains scene. 'A Novel the Mountains We Call Home The Book Woman's Legacy from the New York Times Bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Kim Michele Richardson'

140

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/02/2026

Hooting and snorting my way through THE DEVIL AND MRS GOOCH by @deathbybadger.bsky.social (second in the "Household Gramarye" series). The footnotes! The ARC courtesy of @wwnortonlibrary.bsky.social was just what I needed. #ewgc

A blonde in a red dress has a small devil on a gold collar and chain and is holding one horn. Household Gramarye Book 2 The Devil and Mrs. Gooch a Novel Oliver Darkshire Author of Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil

2253

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 17/12/2025

Last but definitely not least, number 10 is THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE by Sarah Beth Durst. This is the book of 2025 that I want to go and live in. I think a piece of me is still there. May just put it on my medicinal shelf with Wodehouse and Miss Read for whenever I need soothing. #LibFaves25

Image of a glowing domed greenhouse and a cat with wings in a snowy landscape. Cover blurb: "'As warm as it's whimsical, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a beautiful, profoundly hopeful love letter to the magic of community.' Sangu Mandanna" Text says A Spellshop Novel The Enchanted Greenhouse Sarah Beth Durst a New York Times Bestseller

071

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 16/12/2025

It was a rough year, and comfort reads such as Kim Jyun's YEONNAM-DONG'S SMILEY LAUNDROMAT kept me reading (and hoping) so it is my number 9 pick. #LibFaves25

Image of a laundry machine with a smiling cat, books, and a cup of coffee. Text says Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat The Heartwarming Korean Bestseller Kim Jiyun Translated by Shanna Tan

191

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 15/12/2025

My 8th pick for #LibFaves25 is A DROP OF CORRUPTION by Robert Jackson Bennett. The most flawless mystery I've read in quite some time, or at least since the one before it in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, THE TAINTED CUP. Love Ana and Din.

Cover image is highly stylized, with metallic blue and green florals and silver banners and curlicues and cameos of the detectives Ana and Din on a dark background. Nationally Bestselling Author Robert Jackson Bennett A Drop of Corruption An Ana and Din Mystery. Cover blurb: "'Immensely fun . . . a decidedly action-packed mystery in an inventive secondary world.' –Locus"

1140

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 14/12/2025

Pick 7: I adored THE RIVER HAS ROOTS by Amal El-Mohtar as much as anything I read in 2025. Sisters, music, magic, an unbreakable bond. Just excellent. #LibFaves25

Image of three flowers in three shades of pink over a river landscape image in one long ribbon. Text: The River Has Roots New York Times Bestselling Co-Author of This is How You Lose the Time War Amal El-Mohtar

0101

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 13/12/2025

Day 6 pick is VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANY MORE. Talk about fun, and this sweet yet exciting book has one of the best endings I've read all year. #LibFaves25

Every thorn has its rose. Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore Emily Krempholz. Very ornate cover image includes dragon, flowers, greenhouse, dark-skinned man, light-skinned woman, plants in pots and a knife.

1181

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 12/12/2025

GREENTEETH by Molly O'Neill was so great. Take me back to Chipping Appleby! #LibFaves25 That's five; I'm caught up!

Image of a green spirit twisted in green reeds and pink flowers smiling with dozens of needle teeth, with long green claws, looks peaceful with her eyes closed. Text says 'Molly O'Neill Greenteeth' Cover blurb: "'A charmingly monstrous debut.'-T. Kingfisher"

0131

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 12/12/2025

Also in my (unranked) top 10 is THE KEEPER OF MAGICAL THINGS by Julie Leong. I love this cozy fantasy series. #LibFaves25

Blurb: "'Absolute perfection! I loved every single page.'-Sarah Beth Durst" The Keeper of Magical Things Julie Leong USA Today Bestselling Author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

0141

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 04/12/2025

Thank you for your positivity, @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social! I needed it! THE BEGINNING COMES AFTER THE END was refreshing what with all the sociopolitical gloom and doom. #ewgc @haymarketbooks.org

The Beginning Comes After the End Notes on a World of Change Rebecca Solnit

030

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 04/12/2025

THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME by Ilona Andrews is the fantasy book to beat next year. It's a standout. Love the premise, love the characters, hungry for more after 480 pages. #ewgc @macmillanlibrary.bsky.social

"Casts the kind of spell every fantasy lover craves–an irresistible plunge into another world.'-Danielle L. Jensen This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Ilona Andrews

270

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 06/11/2025

HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER by @ninamcconigley.bsky.social is mesmerizing. Georgie's narrative voice is powerful, and even though this short book is incredibly weird, I was hooked. I do enjoy a mystery in which the motive, not the killer(s), is the mystery. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder a Novel Nina McConigley author of Cowboys and East Indians

060

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 06/11/2025

Cat lovers who also love cozy fantasy, and librarians who love order (there is significant overlap here) must get themselves a copy of AGNES AUBERT'S MYSTICAL CAT SHELTER by Heather Fawcett, the author who gave me my beloved MC Emily Wilde. It's sooooooo delicious. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter Heather Fawcett author of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries

270

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 06/11/2025

Murderbot is life. PLATFORM DECAY by @marthawells.com is up next in the series. Look for this treasure May 5 as our favorite SecUnit hilariously learns how to cope with emotions while, as always, rescuing and protecting hapless humans. @macmillanlib.bsky.social #ewgc

Martha Wells Hugo and Nebula Award Winning Series! Platform Decay The Murderbot Diaries New York Times Bestselling Series.

527555

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 06/11/2025

PLACELESS by self-described NYC homeless advocate Patrick Markee really flips the script on the unhoused–and draws a throughline (decades long) of social and political paths not taken that would have sheltered everyone. Bet Markee is happy about the new mayor! @prhlibrary.bksy.social #ewgc

Cover art of two fire hydrants with spikes on top. Placeless Homeless in the new Gilded Age Patrick Markee

081

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 29/10/2025

Got an ARC of Immorata by Ava Reid 🥰 #ARC #booksky #sff

030

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 02/10/2025

Halfway through BOOK OF LIVES (November 4), a memoir by @margaretatwood.bsky.social Witty and fascinating. Too much about Graeme Gibson IMO, but this is understandable. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

020

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 02/10/2025

A Welsh fairy tale retold, HONEYSUCKLE will be one of my 2026 fantasy faves. Big sister makes her little brother a magical playmate out of flowers who must play any game he chooses. How sweet! For a while. #ewgc @barfridmantell.bsky.social @macmillanlib.bsky.social

060

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 02/10/2025

We need more multiple-wives-in-the-middle-of-nowhere horror, judging from THE FOURTH WIFE. YIKES @lhamiltonwriter.bsky.social -I actually felt suffocated! Coming March 31. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

262

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 02/10/2025

Nonstop enjoyment: VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE by @writersofrohan.bsky.social Cozy romantasy with a twist in the plot (villainess redemption) and an even tastier twist at the end. Coming November 18. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

282

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 17/09/2025

Minus the thrillers that my coworker nabbed, my ARC box from @prhlibrary.bsky.social contained these babies. Lauren Groff! A doorstop of Atwood! Etc. @legroff.bsky.social @margaretatwood.bsky.social #ARCs #ReadingAhead #bookhaul #ARChaul #booksky

In a mini library cart, paperback galleys from Penguin Random House. From left to right: Bread of Angels by Patti Smith (memoir), Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox, Abundance by Hafeez Lakhani, Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood, Strangers by Belle Burden, And Now Back to You by B.K. Borison, How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley, The Exes by Leodora Darlington, Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis, The End of Romance by Lily Meyer, This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page, You’ll Never Forget Me by Isha Raya, Operation Buncle House by Matt Dinnamin, Detour by Jeff Rake, and When the Museum is Closed by Emi Yagi. On top! Brawler by Lauren Groff.

090

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 10/07/2025

Nobody juxtaposes exhaustive research and compassionate activism like @bethmacy.bsky.social. Like DOPESICK, her October 7 nonfiction release, PAPER GIRL, is disturbing but stunning. Part memoir, part social commentary. @prhlibrary.bsky.social #ewgc

A child in a dress stands in a yard with a shed and a hose. Text: 'Paper Girl A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America Beth Macy New York Times Bestselling Author of Dopesick'

041

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 10/07/2025

KATABASIS had a bit too much trudging through a wasteland when 2025 has felt like same, but now I can't get the good parts out of my head. The ending was particularly choice (sigh!). Kudos to @rfkuang.bsky.social for another banger, and thanks to @librarylovefest.bsky.social for the DRC #ewgc

Cover image: Two figures walk through a roughly rectangular Escher house. The stairs appear to be made of paper, which is coming loose and blowing around the structure Text: '#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Babel R.F. Kuang Katabasis A Novel'

040

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 10/07/2025

Fantasy-wise, Naomi Novik just never misses! THE SUMMER WAR is delectable from beginning to end and I love the sibling relationships and how they evolve. Also, fae. Thank you Del Ray, for the DRC and @naominovik.bsky.social for the enchantment. #ewgc

A medieval instrument with a sword for a fretboard surrounded by flowers and vines. Text: 'The Summer War Naomi Novik New York Times Bestselling author of A Deadly Education.' Cover blurb: 'One of the greatest and most versatile fantasy writers of our time.-Bookpage'

141

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 10/07/2025

The sheer scope of F*CKED UP FAIRY TALES by Liz Gotauco, with folklore from many cultures, and the snarky off-color commentary within the stories totally won this chuckling reader over! Ended too soon! Thanks to @cosbrarian.bsky.social and @wwnortonlibrary.bsky.social for a fun ride! #ewgc

Two standing bug-eyed stepsisters look down at a seated bug-eyed swearing Cinderella who is peeling something edible (?) and wearing rags. Text says 'F*CKED UP FAIRY TALES Sinful Cinderellas, Prince Alarmings, and Other Timeless Classics Liz Gotauco'

283

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 10/07/2025

Compiling #ewgc with three monitors

2150

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 25/06/2025

It's summer, post a character in a swimsuit! Gotta be these two.

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in old-fashioned swimwear in "Sweeney Todd" in the beach scene (Mrs. Lovett's fantasy)

021

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 24/06/2025

ARCs arrived today from Penguin Random House! Instantly drawn to the Ian McEwan and the Rebecca Ferrier titles. All authors and titles are listed in the alt text. #ARCs #ReadingAhead #galleys #booksky

Image of a stack of paperback books with titles top to bottom: The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee, Saki Kawashiro; The Night That Finds Us All, John Hornor Jacobs; The Devil She Knows, Alexandria Bellefleur; It's Different This Time, Joss Richard; The White Octopus Hotel, Alexandra Bell; A Spell for Drowning, Rebecca Ferrier; Akiko's Quiet Happiness, Jan-Philipp Sendker; The White Hot, Quiara Alegria Hudes; Big Kiss, Bye-Bye, Claire-Louise Bennett; Front Street, Brian Barth; Play The Game, Change the Game, Love the Game, Robert Livingston; We Survived the Night, Julian Brave Noisecat; What We Can Know, Ian McEwan; Hole in the Sky, Daniel H. Wilson; Conform, Ariel Sullivan.

031

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 11/06/2025

I’m catching up on the news on international waters and lemme tell you, these international waters feel pretty safe and soothing #travel

The ocean in the Carribean with another cruise ship in the distance

030

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/06/2025

Top of the ol' TBR: THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSIE AND ADAM by Megan Bannen. The quirky romantasies in the Hart and Mercy series, set in the world of Tanria, have been a ton of fun to read. July 8, Orbit/Hachette. #sff #booksky #ewgc @hachettelibrary.bsky.social

Image: A couple stand around a portal in a heart surrounded by branches and dragons. Text: "The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam Megan Bannen" Cover Blurb: "'Playfully unique, delightfully steamy, and utterly romantic. Unmissable!'-Ali Hazelwood"

030

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/06/2025

THE EVERLASTING by @alixeharrow.bsky.social, a checklist. Incredible time-travel fantasy. Check. Characters to adore. Check. In-your-face feminism and inclusivity. Check. An epic romance that made me weep? I'll take it! From Tor October 28. #sff #booksky #ewgc @macmillanlib.bsky.social

1101

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/06/2025

Rattkin bookseller Fern goes on an adventure with a knight named Astryx in BRIGANDS & BREADKNIVES by @travisbaldree.bsky.social. A "Legends and Lattes" tale about defying expectations and following your heart. #sff #booksky #ewgc From Tor/Macmillan. November 11 release. @macmillanlib.bsky.social

Image: A rattkin with books, a horse, a silver-haired knight and a goblin wearing a huge coat with a lot of pockets make camp. Text: Brigands & Breadknives Travis Baldree #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Legends & Lattes. Cover blurb: "'Hilarious, heartwarming, and wholesome as heck.'-Nicholas Eames on Bookshops & Bonedust."

080

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 05/06/2025

THE NIGHTSHADE GOD concludes Hannah Whitten's thrilling, compulsively readable trilogy with one of the best trios of characters ever, Lore, Bastian, and Gabe. #ewgc July 15 from Orbit/Hachette @hachettelibrary.bsky.social

Image: Amid frozen roses, a silver crown with a sun over a silver chalice with a skill. Text: The Nightshade God Hannah Whitten New York Times Bestselling Author. Blurb: "'Hannah Whitten is my new favorite obsession.'-Jodi Picoult, New York Times Bestselling Author."

010

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 14/05/2025

Stayed up way too late engrossed in THE WILL OF THE MANY by James Islington which made #booktok waves in 2023 and got huge acclaim. On to my DRC of THE STRENGTH OF THE FEW, Heirarchy no. 2, Nov 2025 release. #sff #fantasy #DarkAcademia #booksky

On my desk at the library, a hardcover copy of James Islington’s fantasy novel ‘The Will of the Many,’ first book in the Hierarchy series, at left, and a DRC cover image of ‘The Strength of the Few’ at right displayed on a Kindle Scribe.

010

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 11/05/2025

Yet another Independent Bookstore haul, this time from Loganberry Books in Cleveland #bookhaul #bookstore #independentbookstore #booksky

Tote from Loganberry Books in Cleveland Ohio, with two novels: Hild by Nicola Griffith and The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister

040

Jill Minor @jillsreads.com · 07/05/2025

I'm reading BRIGANDS & BREADKNIVES by Travis Baldree, which veers from the cozy small-town vibe into road trip adventure, but is just as fun and hilarious. November 11 release from Tor. #CurrentlyReading #AmReading #ARC #sff #fantasy #booksky @macmillanlib.bsky.social

An elf knight with a cool sword, a red-haired goblin with a huge coat made of pockets, and the rattkin bookseller Fern, and a horse-drawn carriage grace the cover of the book Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree, of the Legends and Lattes fantasy series.

030