Book of the Week (4/13/2026) and more...

In the wake of losing her son, Becca also lost her marriage and her moorings. Now, work and time spent with her best friend, Lynn, are what gets her through the day. But it’s a private group of moms on social media that gets her through the long nights.

Run by Karen, the holy grail of perfect wives, Mommy Wine Time is a place where women share stories, perfectly airbrushed photos, and advice disguised as humble brags. And it’s where Becca pretends to be Lucy, with the help of a stock photo account. Lucy’s an ideal wife and mother living a dahlia-filled life in Seattle, enjoying all the things that Becca is certain she’ll never have again.

But the line between Becca’s truths and Lucy’s lies starts to blur when a series of bad deeds, daring games, and too many bottles of cheap chardonnay reveals something darker. Soon, what began as mere petty crimes escalates to kidnapping, assault, revenge, and murder. Still, the more Becca pretends, the more alive she feels . . .

This psychological thriller from the author of Pretty/Ugly takes the wine moms from Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives, puts them in an online space where it’s easier to hide their true identities, and then gives them even darker obsessions. Cheers. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Jennifer Anne Gordon is an award-winning Gothic horror author and podcast host. Her debut novel, Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent, won the 2020 Kindle Book Award for Best Horror/Suspense, and her novel Pretty/Ugly won the 2022 Helicon Award for Best Horror as well as the Kindle Book Award for Best Novel of the Year (Reader’s Choice). Gordon’s essays have been featured in Miniskirt Magazine, Tangled Locks Journal, Lumina Journal, and Flash Glass. She lives in rural New Hampshire.

   

The shortlist for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award was announced today!

The shortlisted titles are as follows:

Gliff by Ali Smith (British), published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK. Nominated by Katona József Könyvtár, Hungary

In Late Summer by Madalena Blažević (Bosnian), translated from the Croatian by Anđelka Raguž, published by Linden Editions. Nominated by University Library of Bern, Switzerland.

Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud (French), translated from the French by Cory Stockwell, published by Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers. Nominated by Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, France.

Perspectives by Laurent Binet (French), translated from the French by Sam Taylor, published by Harvill, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK. Nominated by Bibliothèques Municipales de Genève, Switzerland.

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (American), published by Jonathan Cape (Vintage, PRH) UK; Penguin Press (US). Nominated by Hartford Public Library, USA.

What I Know About You by Éric Chacour (Canadian), translated from the French by Pablo Strauss, published by Coach House Books; Gallic Books (Pushkin). Nominated by Bibliothèque de Québec and Toronto Public Library, Canada.

The winner will be announced on May 21, 2026 at the International Literature Festival Dublin. 

   

For social worker Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is a calling. But when one of her clients is tragically killed, she finds herself at a crossroads. Despite long-held resentments toward her distant mother, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast to contemplate her future. Instead, she’s confronted by her past, not only in the renewed tensions with her mother but in the unexpected appearance of a familiar face―and the wrenching losses that drove her away a decade ago.

Helen Ward’s home is filled with precious keepsakes from her patients, a testament to decades spent caring for the terminally ill. Her work has always come first, though, leaving little time to connect with her daughter. Over the years, the rift between them has become a chasm, so when Mallory appears unannounced, Helen sees it as an opportunity to repair their broken relationship. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

After twelve years in the jewelry business, Barbara Davis left the corporate world in order to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. She was born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, but grew up and attended school in Florida. Eventually, work led her north, where she lived in Charleston for two years, and in Raleigh for fourteen, before eventually making her home in Dover, New Hampshire.

   

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went From the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace

Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon by Kim Chaffee

Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird by Keith O'Brien  

   

Since Europeans first landed in Hampton, New Hampshire in 1638, women have played an integral role in building their community. Chronicles of their husbands, fathers, and brothers abound, but little was known about the women who helped create this vibrant seacoast town over the centuries.

Until two local historians set out to change that.

In Building Community, Karen Raynes and Mary Ann Nelligan share the lives of twenty women who history had overlooked but whose impact was great. Veterans and accused witches. Educators and innkeepers. The enslaved and the wealthy.

These are their stories. --Publisher's blurb