Friday, October 2, 2026
Review - The Undercover Bookshop
AUTHOR: Katherine Reay
NARRATOR: Fiona Hardingham
RELEASE DATE: October 6th, 2026
RATING: Digital book - ★★★ Audiobook - ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): During the winter of 1950 in the small Cotswold village of Great Rollright, amateur sleuth Gemma Brown starts to suspect that the town’s best baker, Ursula Beurton, is a Soviet spy, tumbling her headlong into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that ends with a decision that will lead her to the Undercover Bookshop and change her life forever.
Recently moved to the English Cotswolds, Gemma Brown desperately wants to create the kind of idyllic life she’s read about in her favorite mystery novels, with herself as the leading lady. But fitting in proves difficult as Gemma is more adept at solving mysteries and setting up the village’s first bookstore than she is at baking cakes or grasping social niceties. Nevertheless, she finds a friend in Peggy, a young woman recently moved to town herself, and Ursula Beurton, who is not only the village’s best baker but an enigmatic figure who sparks controversy in the small-town gossip network.
As Gemma spends more time with Ursula, she begins to suspect all those novels are affecting her thinking. The oddities she starts to notice must be her imagination because, if not, they point to something far more dangerous than winning the local baking contest or being placed on the church committee. Could her neighbor be a real spy?
Following her instincts and a few skills learned through fiction, Gemma soon becomes embroiled in an international intrigue involving the village’s mysterious benefactor, Lady Marchmont, MI5, and the KGB. In an unexpected twist, however, Ursula asks Gemma for a favor which may endanger all their lives as their next chapter unfolds in Gemma’s new venture, the Undercover Bookshop.
REVIEW: Speaking as a librarian, whenever I see “Library” or “Bookshop” in a title, then I am all in right away. And while I don’t read many books based on Russian events during the first few years after World War II, I do enjoy Katherine Reay’s writing, so I took a chance on The Undercover Bookshop. If you love that era and historical fiction, in general, then you will probably enjoy this book. I will admit that I didn’t know until the very end, while reading the author’s notes, that the story was based on an actual female Soviet spy, so that was some interesting information. There’s a little bit of romance and a lot of mystery and suspense in this book, which kept me intrigued throughout, even when the plot tended to lag a bit. There aren’t any graphic scenes, nudity, or cursing, so readers who like clean stories will appreciate that. Overall, I would recommend it, especially if you enjoy historical fiction about Russian spies and the years following World War II.
NOTE: I gave the digital version of this book three stars, but I gave the audiobook version four stars because I absolutely adore the narrator, Fiona Hardingham. She always does such an amazing job. I would listen to her reading Old McDonald Had a Farm and be perfectly content.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday - Authors I’d Love to Meet
Hello, dear readers! This week’s prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is supposed to be about author’s I’ve met, and you might think with me working in a library that I would’ve met at least one by now, but sadly I have not. So, instead, here are ten author’s I WANT to meet. Happy Tuesday!
(1). Kristin Hannah (2). Kate Quinn (3). Abby Jimenez (4). Katherine Center (5). Lucy Score (6). Madeline Martin (7). J.K. Rowling (8). Fredrik Backman (9). Christina Lauren (10). Kristin Harmel
Monday, September 7, 2026
Sullivan Book Nook September Update
I apologize for the slim pickin’s in the Sullivan Book Nook right now, but I plan on restocking it this week, so check back here soon for updates.
INGREDIENTS:
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Places I Want to Visit
Hello again, dear readers! Now that the chaos of my summer reading program at work is behind me, I hope I can start posting here more regularly. This week’s prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is the top ten bookish destinations I have visited or would like to visit. (Links provided will take you to the websites). Since I can't recall any bookish places I've visited YET, here are my top ten bookish places I want to visit someday. Are any of these on your list? I hope you have a great Tuesday!
Monday, August 24, 2026
Recipe - Chocolate Banana Bread
- 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 4 teaspoons neutral oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons egg whites
- 3 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener or sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with oil. (You can place a piece of parchment paper about 8 1/2 x 9 inches inside the pan so it’s easy to remove).
In a medium mixing bowl, combine bananas, oil, egg whites, sugar and vanillas. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Fold in the banana mixture and chocolate chips.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
Remove from the loaf pan and let it cool 15 minutes before cutting. Slice in 10 slices.
NUTRITION INFO: 1 slice, Calories: 213 kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.5 g, Protein: 4.5 g, Fat: 9.5 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Sodium: 119 mg, Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 6 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
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