First review of 2026: X Marks the Haunt by Lindsay Currie

~ Ekta Garg ~ Leave a comment

By Ekta R. Garg

January 7, 2026

Genre: Middle grade horror

Release date: January 6, 2026

Rated: Bookmark it! / 4 stars

A group of friends find themselves haunted by a ghost who is desperately trying to send them a message in a graveyard. The friends realize interacting with the ghost may not be the best thing to do, but when the graveyard itself is threatened the group figures out that maybe the ghost’s message is more complicated than they first realized. Author Lindsay Currie returns with another winning cast of characters and a plot that is downright creepy in the best way in her newest book, X Marks the Haunt.

At 12, Will Stone is old enough to know that most kids haven’t grown up in a graveyard like he has. His mother’s work overseeing the graveyard and arboretum means Will can read cursive like a pro, research family records, and help people looking for ancestors buried in the Graceland cemetery. While most kids are playing soccer, Will is learning how to dive deep into the pasts of those who made Graceland their final resting place.

When his class ends up at Graceland for a field trip, Will is a little nervous. His best friend, Stash, is the only one who knows about Will’s work at the cemetery and what it means to him. No one else, especially the class bully, Chris, has a clue. But then Chris and two other classmates, Michelle and Henry, find out, and Chris takes the opportunity to strong-arm a favor: Chris wants to get back into the cemetery after hours with Henry to record a video in one of the special cemetery vaults and post it on social media.

Will hates that Chris orders everyone around the way he does, and it’s clear how uncomfortable Henry is with the plan too. Still, he agrees to it. There’s no way, Will thinks, that Chris can figure out how to open the vault. The lock is so tricky that his mom is the only person who can unlock it. Will meets Chris and Henry at the cemetery that night and gives Chris the key, a hundred percent sure Chris will fail, give up, and forget the whole idea.

The entire plan goes sideways when Chris loses the key, and he and Henry run away. Soon after, Will starts seeing and hearing the spookiest things. He’s been in and around the cemetery his whole life and has never batted an eye at death. What he doesn’t like? Ghosts. Except now there’s one after Will, and she refuses to be ignored.

Even after telling Stash, Henry, and Michelle, Will is terrified. This ghost definitely means business. Not long after she arrives, the trees in the cemetery become severely diseased. The lake starts draining too. Will’s mom is freaking out, because caring for the trees was a passion project she shared with Will’s dad before he died in a car accident. More than that she has no idea what’s going on, and Will is afraid that if he and his friends can’t figure it out fast enough the ghost will make sure everyone knows.

Author Lindsay Currie gives middle grade readers a fantastic group of friends in Will and the others in this latest book. Will and Stash’s friendship is warm and three-dimensional, making their conflicts worrisome in the way readers want to worry about their favorite characters. Currie also makes sure adding Michelle and Henry to the mix feels organic. Will’s hesitation to share his life at the cemetery with new friends is justified, making their inevitable inclusion that much more realistic.

The horror elements of the book are good enough to frighten even older readers. Currie doesn’t hold back in terrifying her protagonist, yet she also maintains that fine balance of the book’s thrills with moving the plot forward. The scary portions aren’t included just to be scary; they serve a necessary purpose and provide Will and Co. with actual problems to solve. Like the best of books, solving the initial problems only creates more. The result is a fun race against time to see whether the kids will solve the mystery of the ghost and save the cemetery or lose everything, and readers will absolutely be invested for every chapter.

If the book can be faulted anywhere, it’s in the pacing of certain sections. Readers won’t have much time to get to know Will before he squares off with Chris; conversely, the “X” in the title takes longer to show up. Advanced readers may find themselves getting slightly impatient waiting for it to come; when it does, however, it’s worth the wait.

Middle grade readers who love scary books will definitely enjoy this one. Older readers may want to check it out too. I recommend readers Bookmark X Marks the Haunt by Lindsay Currie.

The Binge-worthy Books of 2025

~ Ekta Garg ~ Leave a comment

By Ekta R. Garg

While visiting my family for Christmas week, I read five books. I didn’t enjoy all of them, but I did read them start to finish. When I announced to my family that I’d read five books that week, they asked, “How?” I mean, I guess between spending time with family and helping my mom cook and clean for her Christmas party and taking care of holiday guests, it’s reasonable to assume that I wouldn’t have time. Yet somehow I…did.

All that to say I’m always on the lookout for my next favorite read. None of the five I read hit “Binge-worthy” status, I’m sad to report, but several books this year did. Below I’ve listed them in order of when they released. Two of them were new to me but not new to the world; they came out in 2023. Since I read them this year, though, they go on the list for 2025.

If you want to see the covers, head over to my profile on Instagram and check them out. If you end up reading any of these in 2026, reach out and let me know! I absolutely love talking about books in common with new reading friends.

Here are my Binge-worthy books for 2025!

*****

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library

By Michiko Aoyama; translated by Alison Watts

Genre: Healing fiction

Release date: September 5, 2023

What it’s about

Five individuals looking for solace and life direction find themselves on separate occasions in a small community library where they meet a mysterious librarian. Despite the odd recommendations from her, they follow her suggestions and discover new strengths within themselves. They also learn where they need to grow and find encouragement to do so. Japanese author Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking for is in the Library is a compelling addition to the newest wave of healing fiction.

What I thought

Author Michiko Aoyama weaves her tales with skill and care. Readers will have no doubt that she’s just as concerned for her characters as they are. These characters are dealing with life’s biggest questions, which will sound familiar to most readers themselves. When they’re in such vulnerable places, it’s only right, Aoyama seems to imply, that the characters be treated with gentleness.

*****

The Forest Grimm

By Kathryn Purdie

Original release date: Sept. 19, 2023

Paperback release date: March 25, 2025

Genre: Fairy tale fantasy

What it’s about

A teenager braves the dangerous forest close to her village so she can try to save her mother and the other villagers who have gotten lost. As she does her best to fight the unlikeliest of monsters, she’ll also have to navigate complicated friendships and a budding romance even as the forest tries to keep its secrets to itself. Seasoned author Kathryn Purdie celebrates all things beloved about fairy tales while creating her own in the excellent book The Forest Grimm.

What I thought

Author Kathryn Purdie uses a deft touch to build the world of Grimm’s Hollow. Readers will be delighted at all the fairy tale nods and downright mentions even before the famed retellings appear. Purdie finds ways to subvert the expectations of traditional fairy tale characters while also illuminating them in new and nuanced ways. … It’s clear that Purdie has taken considerable time and effort to delve into the most recognizable details of the fairy tales and highlight them in a brand new way. Doing so is impressive enough, yet Purdie also stays true to Clara’s story without jeopardizing the importance of her quest.

*****

The Strange Case of Jane O.

By Karen Thompson Walker

Genre: Speculative fiction

Release date: February 25, 2025

What it’s about

A psychiatrist comes across the case of a lifetime when a single mother who he’s treating goes missing multiple times. As the psychiatrist gets to know his patient better, he begins questioning everything he thought he knew about his profession as well as his own reality. Author Karen Thompson Walker balances science fiction and science fact in her new, thought-provoking book, The Strange Case of Jane O.

What I thought

Author Karen Thompson Walker’s careful research into the complexities of the way the mind works shines in this book. At times it reads like a full-on science fiction novel, yet Walker’s facts ground the book in reality. Henry’s increasing feeling of helplessness in being unable to help Jane is mirrored by Jane’s own agitation with her condition. Walker brings her protagonists, and her readers, to a state of acceptance of the unbelievable through careful plotting and unexpected turns of events.

*****

Jane and Dan at the End of the World

By Colleen Oakley

Genre: Women’s fiction

Release date: March 11, 2025

What it’s about

A husband and wife on the brink of divorce find themselves caught up in a hostage situation when their anniversary dinner at a swanky restaurant is ambushed by environmental activists. As they try to help the other restaurant patrons through the situation, they discover there’s a chance they might want to see each other alive at the end too. Author Colleen Oakley combines the most unlikely circumstances into an incisive novel on the state of marriage and what it means to stay in it for the long haul in her newest book Jane and Dan at the End of the World.

What I thought

Author Colleen Oakley brings back all the sweetness of her earlier book, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, with an astute examination of relationships in this new work. It’s funny and sage and will make any readers in long-term relationships nod along in understanding and groan in sympathy all at the same time.

*****

Don’t Let Him In

By Lisa Jewell

Genre: Domestic thriller

Release date: June 24, 2025

What it’s about

A young woman’s instincts go on high alert when her mother starts dating someone new shortly after her father dies and the new man in her mom’s life seems too good to be true. Despite her own mental health challenges, the young woman decides her mother’s well-being is more important and starts looking into the boyfriend. What she finds are more questions than answers and every reason to be worried. Thriller author Lisa Jewell is back with another winning novel about how far someone will go to manipulate people in her newest book Don’t Let Him In.

What I thought

Unlike some in the genre, author Lisa Jewell gives readers firsthand access to Nick’s mind. The result is as horrifying as it is fascinating… Psychological manipulation and emotional abuse are nuanced matters. In the hands of a less experienced writer, the result would have come across as overdone or even caricaturish. Yet Jewell’s expertise shines to the level that at some points readers might, for a paragraph or two, find themselves feeling sorry for Nick—proving the mastery of Nick’s manipulations and Jewell’s handling of her craft.

*****

The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies and One Mysterious Cold Case

By Chuck Hogan

Genre: True Crime

Release date: July 29, 2025

What it’s about

When a group of friends get stuck at home due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, they find a new purpose: to solve a murder case that’s been cold for 15 years. With no law enforcement connections or backgrounds, they don’t let things like dead witnesses, threatening phone calls, or a worldwide epidemic stop them from going after their goal. Author Chuck Hogan traces the journeys of these four women in a narrative that is at times thrilling and gruesome, all while compelling readers to race through the pages in the true crime book The Carpool Detectives.

What I thought

Author Chuck Hogan does a brilliant job of building two stories in tandem. The first is of the original couple, who have been given aliases in the book to protect their identity as well as the identities of their families. The other story is of four women who have no clue how to solve murders but become obsessed with solving this one. … The outcome of the murder mystery is as strange as the desire the women shared back in 2020 to solve the case in the first place and just as compelling. Those who enjoy true crime stories will absolutely want to check this one out.

*****

Westfallen Book 2: Into the Fire

By Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares

Genre: Middle grade alternative history

Release date: September 16, 2025

What it’s about

Two sets of friends race against the clock to undo the way they’ve changed major world events. With limited resources and not knowing who to trust, the friends must make do with what they have to try to make things right. Sister-brother writing duo Ann and Ben Brashares start this second book in their “Westfallen” trilogy right where the first book ended in the compelling novel Into the Fire.

What I thought

Author duo Ann and Ben Brashares once again offer readers a sharply funny yet heartbreaking book. The Brashares siblings don’t hesitate to put their characters in danger when the plot warrants it, yet they tread the line between dangerous and unsuitable for their middle grade audience with care and compassion. Kids can do important things too, the Brashareses seem to be saying, but they’re also just as capable of winding up in serious predicaments.

*****

The Killer Question

By Janice Hallett

Genre: Domestic thriller

Release date: September 23, 2025

What it’s about

A man intent on sharing the story of his aunt and uncle’s mysterious disappearance reaches out to Netflix to gauge their interest for a possible documentary. As he shares important documents with the Netflix rep about the case, it becomes clear that the clue to the couple’s vanishing might very well be in the least likely of places: a trivia game. Author Janice Hallett uses the epistolary form to great effect in the wildly clever novel The Killer Question.

What I thought

Author Janice Hallett, a seasoned journalist, tells her tale exclusively through WhatsApp messages, court and police documents, and emails. The epistolary form can be tricky for many writers, because much of what gets shared is frequently info dumps in disguise. Yet Hallett is clearly a master of it. She writes with such authenticity that if readers are able to tear themselves away from the book, they’ll spend their non-reading time worrying about Sue and Mal and wondering what on earth is going on with everyone else.

Brand new review: Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty

~ Ekta Garg ~ Leave a comment

By Ekta R. Garg

December 17, 2025

Genre: Political mystery

Release date: December 2, 2025

Rated: Borrow it / 3 stars

An unlikely pair of colleagues set out on a quest to find new information linked to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As they try to keep one step ahead of a shadowy, all-powerful organization, they will find their own views about the historic event challenged in unforeseen ways. Author Chris Hauty focuses his talent for writing cinematic novels on this turning point in American history in a novel that is surprisingly sluggish at times in Dead Ringer.

Joseph Mingus used to be a Secret Service agent—used to be. These days he’s just trying to keep it all together, working security at a strip club in D.C., earning a day’s living, and putting the baking skills he learned in prison to good use. It’s a little lonely, but with an on-again, off-again relationship with Olivia, the woman he knows deep down he loves, life is manageable. Then comes word that Olivia has been murdered, and Mingus’s world gets tossed upside down.

He doesn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt her. Olivia worked in the National Archives, so she had access to some important documents, but not anything worth being killed over. Then Mingus meets Juan Verduago, and everything he thought he knew about, well, everything, changes.

Juan is a Jesuit priest, a professor, and a self-proclaimed expert on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He’s convinced that Olivia saw something she wasn’t supposed to see, which is only confirmed by a posthumous message he receives from Olivia. That message gives Juan just enough information to set him on an adventure to find hidden information that could upend what everyone knows about the death of JFK. What’s more, Olivia pleads with Mingus in the message to stick with Juan and protect him.

In another part of the country, a mysterious organization simply referring to themselves as The Movement are preparing their latest favorite candidate for a presidential bid. Horrified by the godless turn the country has taken, the powerful members of The Movement are determined to put America back on the right track. They know that if certain facts come to light, it will be the end of everything they’ve worked for but it doesn’t matter. Saving the country’s soul is more important, and if that means getting rid of a disgraced Secret Service agent and an insignificant professor, so be it. Except the methods used to do just that may be too unsavory even for the likes of The Movement.

As Mingus and Juan fight to stay alive and keep one step ahead of the assassin on their heels, they’ll form an uneasy alliance with each other. In light of the clues they discover, the challenge of their alliance is nothing compared to what they’re being asked to accept: that they, and the world, really don’t know the truth at all about what happened on November 22, 1963.

Author Chris Hauty is a seasoned veteran in writing in broad gestures with detailed descriptions that immediately come alive in readers’ minds, and this book is no different. Setting up a hunt for clues some have compared to The DaVinci Code, Hauty offers plausible reasoning for the “facts” his characters uncover. Anyone fascinated with JFK’s murder may find new information here to ponder.

The book falters, however, in how long it takes for Mingus and Juan to go from clue to clue. Copious information dumps also make the pace drag, which may lead some readers to feel that this may have worked better as a nonfiction work positing a theory different from the accepted one for the historic event. Hauty’s narration rings with authenticity, emphasizing what must have been months or even years of research, but it also comes across more didactically than the average thriller should. With Juan eager to educate Mingus and, by proxy, readers on every aspect of every clue they encounter, readers’ eagerness for the premise may turn into impatience. The level of violence shown by the assassin after Juan and Mingus is also hard to stomach at times.

Those wanting to explore additional possibilities connected to Kennedy’s death may find this one interesting. Others may want to try a different book instead. I recommend readers Borrow Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty.