Ep. 141 - 12 Cozy Magical Realism Books | May 2026 TBR Book List

Lately, I’ve been in a huge fantasy mood, but I prefer light fantasy. For this Magical May, I’m excited to check out more magical realism novels. Come find out which titles are highest on my TBR list to check out.

Plus, I'll let you know about 14 new books coming out this month!

*Please note that this is NOT a recommendation list. I have not read any of these books yet, but they all sound interesting to me, so I'm excited to read them at some point.

You can find the companion blog here.

If you want to join my year-long Closed-Door Romance Reading Challenge, check out this post or listen to episode 129 for more information.

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Transcript

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Lately, I've been in a huge fantasy mood, but prefer light fantasy. For this magical May, I'm excited to check out more magical realism novels. Come find out which titles are highest on my TBR list to check out this month. Hey story lovers, it's time to unwind, relax, and get comfy cozy. You're listening to the Bookmarks and Blankets podcast. I'm your host, Kelly Matsudira. Each week I discuss my favorite forms of art, which are books, movies, and TV series. I also love talking about cozy living, cozy hobbies, and self-care tips. If you like reviews, recommendations, discussions, and a whole lot more, then you're in the right place. Join me with your favorite blanket, beverage, and snack, and let's get cozy together. Welcome or welcome back, my book friends. I hope everybody is doing well. If you are new to the podcast, welcome. My name is Kelly. And if you're a returning listener, welcome back. I am so excited that it is May. It is that transitional month between spring and summer. And I think a lot of people in the country here in the United States have already experienced summer-like weather. I know out here in the mountains of Colorado, we had some 70-degree days back in March. We've had some back in April, which is definitely a good contrast from last year because in 2025, we didn't hit the 70s until mid-June. I know that's crazy, but that's also mountain living. And if you're not aware, I do live in the mountains of Colorado in a pretty remote area. I'm about 8,000 feet elevation. And last year, it just took forever for summer to get here. But this year, we've already experienced some summer-like weather. I think we're gonna have a really hot summer. I'm not looking forward to that because I live in a house that does not have air conditioning, so that sucks. But hopefully it won't be too bad. I remember last summer it didn't get hotter than 85, and we were able to open up windows and have the fans going. So it was pretty tolerable. But I'm a little nervous that this year is gonna be worse. We might actually hit into the 90s and I'm gonna be miserable. But we shall see what's going on. But I am so happy that we are just around the corner from summertime and I'm already getting summer content ready to go on the blog as well as podcast episodes. Let me talk a minute about what's been going on with the podcast because if you noticed, I only had one episode published back in April. That was my TBR. So I will always have a TBR episode published every month. I'm just gonna be honest with you guys. I have gotten into a really big creative slump, and it's been really hard to force myself to create content. That's just where I'm at. I'm actually coming up on the third anniversary of this podcast, and I don't know if it's just wearing on me or just where I'm at in my season of life, but I just have not been in the mood. I've been in kind of a headspace about it, and I just was not feeling creative at all in April. So I do apologize that I didn't have more content created last month. I'm hoping that changes. I do feel myself kind of coming out of my slump. I think I was dealing a little bit with depression. I had some personal setbacks, and I think that kind of caused me to get into my slump and to become a little depressed because there are some things going on personally for me, and I had high hopes about some things, and then we had some setbacks, and I just think that threw my mood, and that's going to affect my creativity and my content producing. So I do apologize. I'm hoping that things turn around this month. I actually do have a lot planned that I want to get done. Now, again, I'm probably being too ambitious because that's how I usually am, but I have some real-time reaction episodes coming. I have some pages to popcorn episodes coming because you guys, we have a lot of movie adaptations coming out this month that have already come out that I'm waiting to be able to stream and to get to, like Project Hail Mary, The Housemaid. There are other movies that I know are coming to the streaming platforms that I'm subscribed to. So I have a lot of pages to popcorn episodes. So if you enjoy those, be prepared because I'm gonna be coming out with a whole bunch of those. And then I did do a try-a chapter back in March with some Regency romance books. I really enjoyed doing that type of episode and I want to do more of those. So I think I might try to do one of those this month. So I have a lot of stuff planned. I just hope that my mindset doesn't shift and that I can get to those for you guys. But I do apologize. It's just life happens. This is not my full-time job. This is just a hobby, and sometimes my personal life gets in the way of my hobby, and I'm just not able to perform the way I want to perform. And I just have to honor myself and just rest and relax, take a recharge, rejuvenate. And I do feel like I did that in April, and I do feel myself bouncing back this month. So just want to let you know where I'm at there. As far as this month's TBR, so I always pick a theme. And for May, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. And back in early April, I knew I wanted to do a play off of May. I know some people do Mystery May or Cozy Mystery May. And at the time, I was really interested in doing a theme like that because I had read some cozy mysteries and some mystery thrillers. So I was really in the mindset to do that. However, I got my list ready and I was ready to start researching these books, and then my mood shifted. And if you know anything about me, I am a huge, huge mood reader, and I am trying to honor my mood when I'm reading more this year. And I decided I didn't want to do a mystery may. However, I do have a blog on the website. So if you are interested in some cozy mysteries, I'm going to do a book list later this month for Mystery May. And I will put that together and put that up on the blog. So check back to social media to see when that's posted. But if you're interested in any cozy mysteries, because that's what I was interested in, I will have a book list for you on one of the blogs this month. But I decided to go with magical realism May for me. Because oddly enough, my reading mood has shifted to fantasy, which is really bizarre because fantasy has really moved down the list for me. So originally I would say fantasy was my favorite genres, my number one. But then as I've been exploring new books these last few years and being part of the online book community, I have really shifted that. And now I would say my favorite is probably contemporary romance and then historical mystery thriller and then fantasy. But lately, I've just been in a really big fantasy mood. But not for any high fantasy, not for any epic, huge world-building, long series fantasy. I like the softer fantasy, the more subtle fantasy, the lighter fantasy. So I decided to start reading some magical realism books because that is a genre that I have not explored a ton in, and I really wanted to read some more. So what prompted this theme is just last month in April, I read Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells. I have the full written review up on the website if you're interested in my thoughts. And that kind of snowballed me into wanting to read more magical realism or just lighter fantasy, cozy fantasy. And I did read a bunch of cozy fantasy in April as well, but I really enjoyed magical realism. And if you're not quite sure what magical realism is, it is a subgenre of fantasy. I consider it a subgenre of fantasy because it's set in our world. So it's everyday life, but you have magical elements that are woven in and they're just naturally there. People don't question it, they're not surprised by it. It just is. So in these worlds, it's a normal world like our world that adds magical elements to it. I have really enjoyed magical realism of what I've read in the past, and I just really wanted to explore this genre some more. So that's how we got here. That's why I chose this theme, and I'm super excited to check out some of these books this month. I want to check out some new authors. I want to read from some authors I've read from before. So I kind of have a mix in my book list. But before we hop to talk about those books, I first want to talk about the new releases that are coming out this month because we have a lot of great new releases coming out. I don't usually make episodes about new releases, so I always try to add them in to my TBR episodes. If you're not interested, you can just skip ahead. But I just want to mention some books that I'm super excited about that are coming out this month because we have some big authors that are releasing books this month, and I am super, super excited to read quite a few of these. So let's hop to it. On May 5th, this is a huge release day. We have a lot coming out this day. I would say the one I'm probably most excited about is Into a Golden Era by Gabrielle Meyer. This is book seven in the Timeless series. The Timeless series is one of my all-time favorite series. It is historical fiction, but it has time travel elements, and it also is Christian fiction. So there's some mild faith elements woven in. We get romance, and there's always two timelines that our heroine has to live in. So she lives in two different time periods, and then by the time she turns a certain age, she has to choose which time period she wants to stay in. And then the one she doesn't pick, she ends up dying in. So the seventh book is coming out, and it looks like we are gonna be in 1849 during the California Gold Rush, and then 1929 during the golden age of Hollywood. And I don't want to read too much more because I am not caught up in this series at all. I have read the first three books. I am now gonna be four books behind. There is a part of me that kind of wants to wait till all 10 books are released and then start over from one and then just binge through the whole series. I don't know if I'm gonna do that or not. I do want to do a real-time reaction series to this series and start over from book one and just read from book one up to that book at the time that it's out. Or I may save it until they're all out, but I don't think they're gonna all be released until 2027 or 2028. So I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with this series, but it is one of my all-time favorites, and I'm really excited for this book to come out. We also have on May 5th A Brood Awakening by Pepper Basham. Pepper Basham is a historical and contemporary romance author in the Christian fiction world. She's pretty popular. I've read a rom-com by her, but I have not read a historical yet. I want to read one of her Regency romances. This is actually a contemporary romance. And the little blurb says, Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival? Perfect for fans of Courtney Walsh and Emma St. Clair. I love, love, love both of those authors. And it says, fall headfirst into a romance that is sweet as scones and as lively as a pub sing-along. Early readers are raving about the laugh out loud humor, irresistible chemistry, swoony kisses-only romance that makes this book impossible to set down. It is an enemies to lover story with heart, humor, and small town magic. So Pepper Basham, I really want to explore this author more. There's no language, no spice. She's completely clean, and I'm really excited to check this one out. Also, on May 5th is The Duke's Bargain by Megan Walker. She is one of my all-time favorite Regency romance authors. I don't think she's put out a book in maybe at least a year. So it's been a while, I think, since she's released a book, and she writes clean, proper, middle-language, no-spiced Regency romances. Absolutely love her. I've read her three books that are out. This is her fourth book. I have all the reviews up on the website. Two of them were five-star, and then one of them was a four-star. So I've loved everything that I've read of her so far. I think she's also part of some novella Regency Romance series on Amazon. I think maybe on Kindle Unlimited. I'm not sure if they are or not. But I know that she writes really interesting characters, very sweet romances, and her stories are always so wholesome and heartfelt. And I can't wait to read her newest one. Another book that I'm interested in coming out on May 5th is The Calamity Club by Catherine Stockett. Now, this author wrote the book The Help, and that came out quite a while ago, and that has been her only book that she has written. So this is only her sophomore book, and it has taken quite a while for us to get a second book. Now, I have not read The Help. I watched the movie when it came out a long time ago and it was super popular, but I haven't read the book yet. So I do want to tackle the book at some point. But I was curious about this book, and this is set in Oxford, Mississippi in 1933, and it says that this will make you laugh, cry, and cheer, an epic testament to underestimated women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. So not quite sure what it's about, but a lot of people are talking about this, and I'm just curious about the author. And then another author that I'm curious about is Christy Woodson Harvey, and she has a new book called Summer State of Mind that's coming out also on the 5th. I know she writes clean romance books. I think a lot of her books might be set during the summertime. I know I wanted to try to read one of her summer books last summer, but I just didn't get to it. But now she's got a new one coming out. And so this is just an author that I've had my eye on, and I'm really curious to see if I will like this author. So I have this on my radar. Then I got a couple mystery thrillers. One is called Color Unknown by Gillian McAllister. I did read Wrong Place, Wrong Time a couple years ago, and I did really like it. So I wanted to check out more by this author and see if she's someone that I want to continue reading. And the blurb says, How far would you go to rescue your child? A mother races against the clock and finds herself on the wrong side of the wall in a desperate fight to save her teenage daughter in this pulse-pounding thriller. So very interested to check out more from this author. Alright, then moving right along to May 12th. I have one book. This is another mystery thriller. It's called The Anniversary by Alex Finley. I have not read anything by Alex Finley. I actually have a couple arcs of his from Neck Alley. This is one of them that I really need to get to. So this is an author that I've been wanting to read. I've heard mixed things about his books, but I am very curious. And this one says every May 1st, a serial killer stalks a small town. Every year he comes for them. And it says that it is a twisty, high concept, and emotionally charged, addictive murder mystery, a nail-biting thriller, but it's also a tender, heart-trending story about fate, innocence lost, and two people bound by a single day. So very curious to check out that author. And then I have on May 15th, this is a kissing book by Ellie Hall. Ellie Hall is a clean, contemporary romance writer, no language, no spice. I read a short story and a book by her. I think it was the start of the hockey series. I think this is also a hockey book. And hockey's not my favorite sports romance to read, but I have enjoyed what I've read so far. And I'm just curious to read more by this author. She just writes such sweet, wholesome, and funny rom-coms. And this blurb says, I hate my boss. Never mind that he has major Clark Kent energy. This enemies to lovers, workplace, mistaken identity, hockey light, adventure rom-com will give you all the feels, laughs, and heart eye emojis wrapped up in a sweet closed door, open hearts, no spice, kiss only book. And it is a standalone with a happily ever after. And it says that includes grumpy sunshine, hate to love, workplace, mistaken hidden identity, forced proximity, he falls first, and it's all closed door, which I love. All right, moving on to May 19th. I have a few here. I think the biggest one that I'm super excited about, Catherine Senner. She's one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. She has a new book coming out called The Shippers. I actually have the arc to this, but I did get in line for the audiobook because I just prefer to listen to books. So I am holding off to read this until the audio comes out, but I got in line so early. I'll probably get it the day that it comes out. But I love Katherine Sutter books. There is some language, but there's never any spice. And they're more emotional rom-coms. I don't even know if you want to call them rom-coms. They're definitely not light and fluffy. There's a little more depth to her stories. And I've really liked what I've read so far by her. I am working my way on her backlist to read all of her books. But of course, every time she has a new one that comes out, I'm gonna prioritize that one first. And it looks like the story is set on a cruise ship. So it says that there is shipboard antics in this witty, heart-tugging childhood friends to lovers romance with fake flirting, slow dancing, sharing a cabin, singing duets, getting jealous, answer long-held questions, and finally at last they discover truths about each other that will change everything. So that sounds like that's gonna be a lot of fun. Then there are some authors that I have not read from before, but I'm very interested. The first one is Spies, Lies, and Alibis by Natalie Waters. This one is, I believe, completely clean, and it's supposed to kind of be like a blonde identity by Allie Carter. I loved that book so much. I gave it five stars. So I'm definitely open to reading more of a spy rom-com or romance. And the blurb says they were each other's first love. Now they might be each other's last hope. For fans of Allie Carter, this is an unput-downable bench fest full of laughs, heart, and mischief. And it says that it is fast-paced romantic suspense that balances danger with wit and charm. So this sounds like this could be a lot of fun. If it's anything like the blonde identity and the sequel, I really enjoyed that duology. I am here for it. And then the last book on May 19th is A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity by Rachel Linden. This is a magical realism book. Hey, this matches my theme. And this is an author that I had on my TBR before. I actually have a couple of her arcs. I have this arc as well. I just have not gotten to her. I feel so bad about that, but I really want to make room for this author and to try her. She's got four or five, six books out, I think. I'm just really interested to see if I will like her, if she's somebody I want to read. I think I did try to read one of her books. I think she's most known for the magic of lemon drop pie. I tried to listen to the audiobook of that one, and I did not like the narrator at all. So I stopped it because the narrator can really ruin a story. So I stopped that and I wasn't able to get the ebook. So I just haven't read anything from her yet, and I'm really curious to see if I'll like her. And this blurb says a tantalizing novel about a struggling chocolatier who is granted a magical vision of the future of her dreams, only to realize that her heart may desire something else entirely. So this sounds like a lot of fun. And a chocolatier, oh my gosh, anything with food, food descriptions. I'm such a foodie, you guys. I love a book with food in it. So hopefully, we will get some good mouthwatering descriptions. And then finally, I have three books coming out on May 26th. The biggest one I'm so, so excited about is Dolly All the Time by Annabelle Monahan. I love this author. She's another contemporary romance. She is spice free. I will say it's not super, super clean. I think there is some language, and it's usually like a fade to black situation. There's never any open door graphic scenes, but I will say her last book. Kind of towed the line a little bit, but usually you don't have to worry about spice in her books. I've read everything she's put out so far. So I have rated all her books four or five stars. And she is definitely an author that I look to when she has a book come out. I actually have the arc to this, but again, I got online early so I can get the audiobook. So I'm really excited to check this one out. And usually she writes summer romances. So she's definitely my go-to when I'm wanting some romance for the warmer season. And the blurb says a hardworking single mom returns to her seaside hometown and stumbles into a fake dating situation with a wealthy workaholic scion. So that sounds like this could be a lot of fun. I love the fake dating, fake marriage trope. So I will read anything this lady writes. So I'm just really excited to check this one out. And then I have a couple authors that I have not read from. The next book coming out on the 26th is A Fortune of Sand by Rudas Appetis. I know that so many booktubers talk about this author. She has only written middle grade or YA historical fiction, but this is her adult historical debut. And so all of my historical booktubers are talking about this book. They've been talking about this for quite a while. I have not read anything from her yet, so I do want to check out her backlist, but I am interested in this new book. And it's set in Detroit in 1927. It says, The daughter of a powerful tycoon escapes to a glamorous artist's retreat where dark secrets and dangerous temptations await in this gripping prohibition era novel. So it sounds very interesting. I haven't read much in the Prohibition era, so that will be new for me. So very interested to check that out. And then the final book coming out in May that caught my attention is The Bolin Secret by Allison Weir. This is about Anne Bolin. Now, way back in the day when the movie The Other Bolin Girl came out, I actually had read the Philippa Gregory book and then I watched the movie and I really, really loved that book. It was five stars for me. And the movie was okay. The book is definitely better than the movie. But because I was so interested in that, when I saw that this was about Anne Boleyn, I was very curious about this. And the blurb says that this book explores the dramatic, mysterious life of Catherine Carey, who is niece of Anne Boleyn, in this surprising novel that delves into one of the deepest secrets of Henry VIII's court. So it looks like this is more about the Boleyn family than about Queen Amben herself. But anything in this time period and about this family interests me. So I thought this would be a really intriguing book to check out. Okay, so that is it for all of the new releases. I know this has been a super long intro, and I'm ready to hop into the book list. But before we do that, let me hop over to the logistics for those that are new. So as I do with this type of episode, I will let you know the books I put into my pile of possibilities, as I call it. I'm gonna read the Goodreads description and then briefly explain why I chose that book. I do want to note this is not a recommendation episode because I have not read any of these, so I don't know which ones are good to recommend. We're gonna find that out together. These are all just books that interest me and that I would like to read at some point. We all know I'm not gonna get to all of these books this month, but these are the ones that are high on my radar. I also encourage you to check out the cover art for all of these books because some of them are just absolutely gorgeous. As always, you can head over to my website. I have a companion blog for every episode that I do. You can just go to bookmarks, the letternblankets.com. You can learn more about the books, look at the cover, get all that fun information. I will also have all of the new release information on there as well. Also on my website, I have a blog I post every Tuesday and Thursday. So check back every week if you are looking for book lists. These are book lists that I do not talk about on the podcast. I also have book discussions, reading tips and tricks, all kind of fun stuff every week. So check that out. Also, if you want to know what I'm reading in real time, I encourage you to follow me on Goodreads. I'm in there every single day. I read multiple books, multiple formats. We're talking audio, digital, physical, all the things, lots of different genres. It's whatever I'm in the mood to read. You can find me in there every single day. And I also post all of my written reviews on that platform as well. And then finally, I would love to hear your thoughts if you've read any of these books. You can check out my posts that I make for this type of episode on social media. I'm in all the places: X or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I make graphics for this type of episode every month. So you can give me a comment in there. I would love to know your thoughts. Or what is your favorite magical realism book? I am definitely trying to find a list of books that I can plow through. I'm definitely trying to find more authors because this is a genre that I don't want to say is newer, but I wouldn't say it's a super popular subgenre of fantasy. I know a lot of people like it, but not a lot of people read it. So I'm definitely on the lookout for new authors. All right, enough chess chatting. Let's get to the best part. Here are all of the magical realism books that I have chosen for this month and that I am very eager to read at some point or another. All right, let's get comfy, let's get cozy, and let's dive in. All right, these books are in no particular order. So book number one is The Dinner List by Rebecca Sarrell. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.54. And the description reads, we've been waiting for an hour. That's what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That's the thing I think first. Not Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed. At one point or another, we've all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we'd like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was actually to happen? These are the questions Rebecca Sarrell contends with in her utterly captivating novel. When Sabrina arrives at her 30th birthday dinner, she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there is a reason these six people have been gathered together. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter. The dinner list is a romance for our time. Bon appetit. So I have read three books by this author, and she's starting to become, unfortunately, a hit or miss author for me. The first book I read was the expiration dates. I really, really enjoyed it. It was four stars. And then I read One Italian Summer last summer, and that was three stars. And then I just read her newest one once and again. And unfortunately, that was also three stars. So I'm kind of starting getting on a downward trajectory with this author, but I'm really hoping that this backless book will start to bring her up for me. And I do know that the audiobook for this book, she narrates her own novel. And I've heard that she does a really good job. And I think that's kind of cool when an author narrates their own novel. I've think listened to only one other audiobook where it was the author who narrated their own book, and that wasn't a nonfiction. So I think it'll be really fun to listen to the author and see how she performs her own story. I'm really hoping that she pulls herself out of this reading slump that she's gotten herself into for me. Alright, book number two is The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.99. The description reads Josie is sure of three things. Winter is her favorite season. She's a sorry excuse for Southern Belle. And sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josie has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee's tough love, Josie's narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them, and who has a close connection to Josie's longtime crush. Soon, Josie is living in a world where the color red has startling powers and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that's just for starters. Brimming with warmth, wit, and sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love, and the enchanting possibilities of every new day. Alright, so I had mentioned earlier that I just read for the first time this author, Garden Spells, which I think is her most popular book. And I really, really enjoyed it, you guys. It was a four-star for me. And I have the full review on my website if you're interested in my thoughts. But I was so immersed in that story, and it was heartfelt, emotional, it had depth, it had magic, it was very whimsical, but also it had some hard-hitting storylines. And I just really, really enjoyed it. So I want to kind of dive down the Sarah Addison Allen rabbit hole, if you will. And my library has a bunch of her books, and then she also has some books on Kindle Unlimited. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. I will be getting the audiobook of this through my library app, but I'm just really interested to read more from this author. So that's why this is on my list. Alright, book number three is The Forget Me Not Library by Heather Weber. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.11. The description reads A detour, a chance encounter, two women who alter the pages of each other's story. Juliet Nightingale is lucky to be alive. Months after a freak accident involving lightning, she's fully recovered but is left feeling that something is missing from her life. Something big. Impulsively, she decides to take a solo summer road trip, hoping that the journey will lead her down a path that will help her discover exactly what it is she's looking for. Newly single mom, Tulula Bird Mayfield, is hanging on by a thread after her neat tidy world was completely undone when her husband decided that their marriage was over. In the aftermath of the breakup, she and her two daughters move in with her 80-year-old grandfather. Tolula starts a new job at the Forget Me Not Library, where old treasured memories can be found within the books, and where Lou must learn to adapt to the many changes thrown her way. When a road detour leads Juliet to Forget Me Not, Alabama, and straight into Tolula's life, the two women soon discover there's magic in between the pages of where you've been and where you still need to go, and that happiness, even when lost, can always be found again. So Heather Weber is an author that I have read from before. She's one of my favorites. I think she's very well known, just like the first two authors in the magical realism space. I read Midnight at Blackbird Cafe last year, absolutely loved it. It was five stars. I've also read at the coffee shop of Curiosity and the Lights of Sugarberry Cove. Both of those were four stars. I just really, really love this author's writing. She always writes in the perspective of two women and then how they interact, and then it has the magical elements woven in. And there's always two female narrators for the audiobooks. So I have really, really enjoyed my experience with this author and her stories. And I am just so excited to read more from her. I think all of her stories are set in Alabama. So you have that southern small town charm and those koozie vibes. I also think they're mostly set during the summertime. So this is good for going into the warmer months. And this is her newest book, and it just came out last November. So I'm very excited to read more from this author. I just want to read everything she writes. But I have high hopes for this one. All right, book number four is One Year Ago in Spain by Evelyn Skye. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.64. The description reads: Claire Walker has always had her life in perfect order, including her high-powered job at one of Manhattan's top corporate law firms. Yet the one thing she cannot seem to find is perfect love to complete it, until fate pushes Mateas de Leon into her path. Mateas is a Spanish artist who is everything that Claire is not, free-spirited and creative, chaos to her order. She falls for him hard and he for her. A year later, however, Claire begins to question everything about their relationship. How can they possibly work long term when they're so different? Might it be best to end it before they are both in too deep? Then tragedy strikes when Mateus is visiting family, leaving him gravely wounded in a Madrid hospital. And when Claire drops everything to race to his side, she finds she is the only one who can see and talk to Mateus' soul detached from his comatose body. But that soul has no memories of his year in New York, of her, or of their relationship. Claire soon realizes that in order to lure Mateus back to his body, she will have to convince him to fall in love with her all over again. But can lightning strike twice? Can the same magic that brought them together once do so again? So I have read from this author before. I read The Hundred Loves of Juliet, and I really, really like that one. I think that was a 4.5 for me. She's had more come out since then. She has a new one that's coming out later this year, but I actually have the art to this one, and I just have not read it yet. So I need to read this and get this reviewed. But this sounds really interesting. It kind of sounds like the vowel, but mix in the magical realism where it's the spirit that she's trying to make fall in love with her instead of the actual person. So I love the magical realism and how she weaves it into her stories. And I'm only read I think two or three books with the amnesia trope, if you will. And that sounds kind of like what this is, but with the supernatural element to it. So hopefully this one will be really cute and fun. And I'm not expecting it to be a complete light and fluffy rom-com, but hopefully this will be entertaining. And I'm just excited to read more from this author. All right. Book number five is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. That is a Japanese name, and if I butcher that, I apologize. And it has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.65. And the description reads, What would you change if you could go back in time? In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than a hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience, the chance to travel back in time. And before the coffee gets cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe's time traveling offer in order to confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's to see their sister one last time and to meet the daughter they never got a chance to know. But the journey into the past does not come without risks. Customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold. This moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet? Maybe for one last time. So this book has been out for quite a while. This first book came out in 2015, so it's been out for over a decade, and I've seen this book all over the online Book of Verse through Bookstagram and Booktube. I've seen so many people talking about this. There are five books out, and the sixth book actually comes out this month on May 26th. And the first four books are available on Kindle Unlimited. So that is probably how I'm gonna access it. I might try to do a read and listen along because I know my library has all these audiobooks, and especially for these foreign books, I think this is translated from Japanese. It's sometimes nice to hear the audio because I don't always know how to pronounce foreign names or places. So it's kind of nice to have a narrator tell me how they're supposed to be said. So I definitely think this would be good for an audiobook, but this sounds like it could be pretty emotional, kind of hard-hitting, but I've heard mixed things. I've heard some people say they really, really like it, and then other people say that it's slow and boring, and they don't wish to revisit the series after this first one. So I guess I'm just gonna see how this lands for me, but I am very interested in checking this one out. Book number six is Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim, and this has an average good news rating of a 3.46. The description reads: At the news of her mother's death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women haven't spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover that the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco's Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She's even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother's restaurant. The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant's fortune in the leaves. Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother's cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around. She resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along. So this sounds like another magical realism surrounding food. Yay! I'm so excited. I hope we get some good food descriptions. This sounds like this could be a pretty sweet and cozy read. I've never read anything by this author. I am very curious to check it out. She has a couple other books that I have my eye on as well, and those are magical realism. But I thought I would start with this one, and if I like it, then I can check out her other books. Alright, book number seven is The Baker's Man by Jennifer Moorman, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.76. The description reads This enchanting and whimsical tale of friendship, love, and the power of baking dreams into life will open readers' eyes to the magic all around them. New York City trained pastry chef Anna O'Brien inherited her grandma Bia's Small Town Southern Bakery, situated between the 75-year-old hardware store and the newly opened clothing boutique on Main Street, along with its unusual life-changing recipes two years ago. And while Anna has adjusted to small town life with the support of her two best friends, Lily and Tessa, she's also smothered her own dreams in order to keep the family legacy intact. When she tries out a recipe left behind by her grandmother, Hell to Create the Perfect Man, a gorgeous stranger suddenly appears. Soon, Anna is living in a world where she must deal with the repercussions of Elijah's unexpected existence. Amid the inevitable chaos, she realizes that listening to her own voice is the most important ingredient of all. So this was kind of a random find. When I was hunting for magical realism books, this popped up, and this is available on Kindle Unlimited. This is the first book in a series of seven, and I think the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited. The cover is so cute. Again, bakery, food, you get the gist. I'm excited to check it out. I'm excited to read from a new author. This sounds like this could be very sweet. Book number eight is The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick. This has an average Gundaries rating of a 3.47. The description reads Welcome to the Time Hop Coffee Shop where wishes can come true. Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maplegold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded. Her marriage is on the rocks. Her teenage daughter has become distant, and Greta's once glittering career feels like a distant memory. When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maplegold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes up in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fills the air. Given the opportunity to live in the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life with no turning back? So this sounds really magical, very whimsical. I love the idea of a magical coffee shop and then being whisked away to this magical world. I remember there was a Hallmark movie that's kind of similar to this. It was a Christmas Hallmark movie where the lady wakes up in I think the Snow Globe world or some magical world or something. And I really liked that movie. I thought it was fun. It's kind of cheesy, just how those Hallmark movies are, but I really enjoyed it. And so I thought this would be a really fun, time-travel-y magical realism book. And this book just came out in December of last year. So it's a brand new release. I've never read anything from this author. So I'm just very interested to check out a new author and see if this is gonna be a new writer that I follow when she puts out some books. Alright, book number nine is The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods. This has an average Goodreads rating of a 4.05. And the description reads, This is the magical tale of Edith Lane, who sets off to find her fortune in the beautiful city of Paris. Nestled among the cobblestone streets of I'm not even gonna try to pronounce it, some French city, there existed a bakery unlike any other. Rumors were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory, or reveal hidden longings. But dark clouds were looming on the horizon. For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn't require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation, and that's how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn't in Paris, and neither is Edie. This might not be where Edie intended to be, but she soon realizes it's exactly where she needs to be. A heartwarming story that is sure to appeal to all of the senses. It is a mouthwatering journey of love, liberty, and lee and rose. So this author has been, I think, on multiple TBRs of mine. She's somebody that I've been meaning to get to. I just haven't gotten to her yet. And this book is available on Kindle Unlimited. I think a lot of her books are available. And her newest one that just came out, The Violin Maker's Secret, is available right now for 99 cents on Kindle. And this is not a paid sponsorship, but I don't have any affiliate links. This is just me letting you know if you're interested. It is really cheap right now on Kindle. And I did actually pick this up myself. So I do want to get to that one. But this one, let's say it with me, has food in it. So of course, I have a little bit of a theme going with these magical realism books. Anything that's about a magical bakery, I'm super excited to read, and I'm very excited to read from this author. Alright, book number 10 is Chance of a Lifetime by Jude Devereaux, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.59. The description reads, In one century, she loved him madly, and in another, she wants nothing to do with him. In 1844, Ireland, Liam O'Connor, a rogue and a thief, fell madly in love with the squire's daughter and unwittingly altered the future. Shy and naive Cora McLeod thought Liam was the answer to her prayers, but the angels disagreed and they've been waiting for the right moment in time to step in. Now Liam finds himself reunited with his love Korra in Providence Falls, North Carolina. The angels have given Liam a task. He must make sure Cora falls in love with another man, the one she was supposed to marry before Liam interfered. But this Korra is very different from the innocent girl who fell for Liam in the past. She's a cock and has confidence and independence he wasn't expecting. She doesn't remember Liam or their past lives, nor is she impressed with his attempts to guide her in any way. Liam wants Korra for himself, but with his soul hanging in the balance, he must choose between a stolen moment in time or an eternity of damnation. And this is the first book in a trilogy. So this was another random find. I think I found this on my library app when I was looking up magical realism books. This sounds very different than the other magical realism stories. This is more time travel, and it says that angels are interfering. I'm guessing they're meaning literal angels. So we do have a bit of supernatural elements, but this just sounds really interesting, and I wanted to check this one out. Book number 11 is The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland, and this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.80. The description reads: Four strangers are brought together to participate in an experiment treatment designed to heal broken hearts in this surprising and heartfelt debut novel. In a perfectly ordinary building, four strangers, who couldn't be more different, meet for the first time. Their skepticism of this new kind of grief therapy and the unnervingly perceptive group leader means they're all weary. But as the weeks go by, they find themselves returning again and again, pulled to work toward healing, even if it means first facing the pain head on. A sharp-tongued lawyer who has no intention of letting down her walls, a fragile young woman looking for a place to belong, a musician at the top of his game who's one drink away from losing it all, and an interior designer facing the crumbling of her picture-perfect life, this unlikely group slowly opens up, not only to the possibility of a happier future, but to friendship, change, and even romance. When a shocking revelation reveals the real reason they were chosen for this group, it shakes the very foundation of what they thought they knew. What began as a journey designed to heal turns out to be a much greater test of friendship, strength, and love as they realize happiness is just outside the door if they're brave enough to see it. So this story sounds really interesting. I honestly can't remember how I stumbled across this one. Either somebody had their eye on it, a booktuber that I follow, or maybe I stumbled across. I really can't remember. But this sounds really interesting. This is taking more of an approach of an experimental treatment. So I thought that that was a little bit different and unique and decided to throw this into the mix to see what I think of it. Alright, then book number 12. This is gonna be probably the most bizarre book of all of these 12 books. But book 12 is Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. And this has an average Goodreads rating of a 3.94. And back in 2023, when this was released, it was up for a Goodreads nominee for Favorite Fiction and Favorite Debut novel. The description reads: For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will transform into that of a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist's heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams. At first, Ren internally resists her husband's fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis fully transforms? Then, a glimpse of Lewis's developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story facilitates between her childhood living in a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with a college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds. Woven throughout this daring novel is the story of Wren's mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at 15 in an abusive relationship amidst her parents' crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Ren's grief eventually collides and she meets her fears with surrender, choosing to love fully now. An emotional exploration of motherhood, marriage, transformation, and letting go, Sharkheart is an unforgettable love story about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, animals and people, all while examining what it truly means to be human. Okay, so stick with me here on this one. I know this sounds so weird and bizarre. I mean, turning into a shark. Like, what is this author thinking? But I have heard that it's pretty interesting. I'm not expecting this to be a standout book of the year. I've seen some booktubers give it a try, and they say while it is really weird and bizarre, it's actually pretty good, and that there's some really good themes and messages if you can look past the weirdness of this guy turning into a shark. So I think that's how I want to go into this book is looking past the weird and bizarre and trying to see the underlying meaning of what this author is trying to say. So this one is definitely the book I'm most skeptical about on this list, and might not be for me, who knows? But it sounds really odd and interesting, and I'm open to giving this a try and just seeing what this is like. Those are all of the magical realism books that I am very interested in reading. So you can check back to my website to see if I've read any of these. I have not been doing a good job at all this year with making recent read episodes. Actually, at the time of this recording, I have not made one episode yet. So I haven't talked on the podcast about any of the books that I've read this year. However, I am slowly getting through all of my written reviews. I still have a few more to go. But if you're curious and want to know right off the bat what I think about any books, you can check back to my website because I do have my written reviews over there. I also have a page called My Book Rex. And those are all of the four and five-star books that I do recommend. And I have all of my written reviews in there or I'm working on them. So I am gonna try to start getting caught up and do some recent read episodes. So I do talk to you about what I'm reading, but I just haven't put those together and I am more excited to record some upcoming real-time reactions and some pages to popcorn episodes than any recent reads, but I do want to start getting to the books that I have read this year and talk to you about them. So I will be working on those episodes. So just bear with me. So I don't do monthly wrap-ups or anything like that. I think what I'm gonna do because I am so far behind, I think I'm just gonna do quarterly and I'll break them up into genres. So I'll just tell you about all the books I read in that genre for the first quarter. I think that's how I'm gonna approach this. So then you can find out at some point in time what I thought of any of these books if I do get to them. But if you want to know sooner than when I put out those episodes, definitely check out my website because I will have the written reviews up there. I am trying to do a better job of getting my reviews written and posted pretty close to once I'm finished with a book. I don't want to leave them and sitting out there for weeks or months at a time like I have been doing. So I am trying to get into a more strict routine when I finish a book and get my thoughts out there. All right, if you missed anything in the episode, again, check the companion blog. The link is in the description. Again, follow me on social media and Goodreads. I would love to hear from you. Again, if you've read any of these books or just what are you excited about that is coming out this month? What are you planning to read? I love to hear from other readers and possibly add some new titles to my never-ending TBR list. If you are here to the very end of this very long episode, thank you so much for sticking around. I really, really appreciate you and I do appreciate the time that you spend with me. Hopefully, some of these books have piqued your interest, and hopefully you'll pick up a couple of these as well. And like I said, if you do, let me know on social media what you think. I would love to engage with you. All right, I think that's all I have for this episode. Until next time, my sweet friends, happy reading. Well, that's all I have for this episode. If you missed anything, you can find the companion blog on my website at bookmarksandblankets.com. That's bookmarksthelternblankets.com. If you enjoyed today's discussion, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you don't miss any episodes. Also, if you feel called to do so, please share this podcast with others who you think may be interested in this type of show. Or if you have a few minutes, I'd love for you to write a quick review. This helps me reach more people, and I would greatly appreciate it. If you would like to support the show even more, you can join my Patreon community at patreon.comslash bookmarks and blankets. Until next time, my friends, please remember to take care of yourself and always stay cozy.