Fun City Heist by Micahel Kardos. I’ve enjoyed this author’s light thrillers, and I’m happy to report this was an extremely fun romp. It’s short, quick, and perfect for those who like a good heist thriller, such as Irwin Shaw’s Nightwork (an oldie, but it is great fun) and the movie Oceans 11. 4 stars

The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin (Oregon author). Willy has once again written an amazing novel about misfits who face the bad odds life has dealt them. Taking place in Portland, this features a hardworking house painter who takes in a neighbor’s boy whose family life is in tatters. If you’ve read Vlautin, you will recognize his talent for tearing your heart apart and then mending it with jagged stitches, and this is no exception. Also, if you’ve read Vlautin, you will wonder about me calling it a “feel-good” story, but this one is – really! A friend compared it to books by Frederik Backman. To be published in mid-April 2026. 5 stars

The Lake Effect by Cynthia A’Aprix Sweeney. This author’s first book, The Nest, remains one of my favorite novels of family dynamics, and this compelling novel about two families torn apart by infidelity and divorce is also well done. This reminded me of Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye, only the pace was a little faster. Readers of Clare Leslie Hall’s Broken Country and Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings will enjoy this. 5 stars.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. There is already a lot of buzz about this offbeat novel about a “tradwife” influencer with multiple children living on a big farm (think Ballerina Farm — Google it if needed) and profiting from millions of followers for her depiction of a perfect life. At first, this seemed similar to Marlys Milhiser’s 48-year-old time-travel novel, The Mirror, but it is so much more than that. Definitely a mindbender, and nothing is what it seems. To be published April 7. I could be wrong (and yes, sometimes I am), but it could be big. 4.5 stars