April Armchair Travel Plans

I have alot of international travel planned for next month. I will be returning to Japan for Kylie Lee Baker's Japanese Gothic and Asako Yuzuki's Hooked. Yuzuki is the author of Butter which I reviewed last year. Butter was one of my top books in 2025. India is also a nice trip I will take for Sharon Maas' Girl in a Red Silk Sari. I am then traveling to medieval Italy with Gregory Maguire's Mirror Mirror. It was originally published in 2004 but was republished in February 2026. The story is about the Medicis. Another big trip will be to ancient Egypt. I will be reading I Am Cleopatra by  Natasha Solomons and Marie Benedict's Daughter of Egypt. I am also going to Korea for Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han. This novel is about Koreans under Japanese Occupation. One final trip will be to 16th century England with The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton. Jennifer Brown wrote this novel about the Boleyn family. 

If I don't run out of reading time, I might be reading T.N. Daigle's Cypress Run, Amy Prescott's Fatal Foliage and Murder at a Firefly Tea by Laura Childs. I have many other books on my nightstand that I recently purchased but cannot be sure I will have time to read them. American Han, Bad Asians, Nowhere Burning, The Girl in the Attic and White River Crossing are possibilities for March. I believe the settings for all of these novels are in the United States. 

April should be a month of heavy reading for me. If it's not too cold I will walk to a nearby beach with my coffee mug and begin my reads. Sooooo, where are you traveling in April?

Captivating Character of the Month: March

The Captivating Character of the Month is a weekly meme hosted by the Reading Ladies blog. The meme runs on the fourth Friday of every month where participants can link their posts. Lisan Liu from Janie Chang's historical fiction novel The Fourth Princess is my captivating character of the month for March. The novel was recently published on February 10, 2026. Lisan is a Shanghai orphan who was raised by a wealthy benefactor. Master Liu made sure that Lisan was educated. He wanted Lisan to serve in his household after her graduation. Lisan had other plans. She wanted to get a job and use her management and English skills. Lisan was a plucky girl who obtained an interview with Caroline Stanton to be her secretary. She desperately wanted this job and was lucky enough to get it. Without any fear, Lisan left the Liu home and moved into the Stanton estate. It was unusual for a girl to be that independent but Lisan definitely had this trait.

Lisan proved to be indispensable. She understood the Chinese staff and all of their superstitions. She was able to explain to the Stantons why they acted as they did. Lisan was bold in her approach to the job and sometimes I felt that she knew that she was stronger than Caroline Stanton and that she knew better than her employer. Frankly, she did. 

I am much older than Lisan Liu was in the story. However, I am still not as bold as Lisan. I wish that I was. She was a go-getter and always successful in her endeavors.  Lisan deserves to be my captivating character of the month.

Book Cover of the Month: March

French illustrator Marguerite Sauvage is the artist who created this book cover. She has extensive experience in comics and animation, with leading clients such as DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and IDW. She’s known for her expressive characters and fashionable designs, as well as her stand-out color palettes. Her cover design for Don’t Forget Your Briefcase has an appealing color pallette of bright red, green yellow and blue. The color pallette is what drew me to the comic. The person holding a briefcase, however, is not the person in the story who handles it. Rather, a young boy has possession of it for most of the story. 

The plot centers on Elmo, a ten-year-old kid, who carries his dead father's briefcase with him to his elementary school every day. After hurting a bully, he is suspended and his mother, a Russian spy working in the White House, takes him to work with her. It is Inauguration Day and as the new president walks toward the Oval Office, he is assassinated. In the commotion Elmo picks up the wrong briefcase. It's the nuclear football with the codes to launch a nuclear strike. While all this sounds serious, the story is hilarious.

After graduating with a degree in Law and Communication at Paris University, a longtime passion for image conducted Marguerite to become a freelance illustrator. Recently Marguerite has started working in animation and video games as well as in sequential art and cover art for comic books publishers. Marguerite now resides in Montréal.

Book of the Month: March

I had to think hard about which book is my favorite of the month. The contenders were The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang, Cold Zero by Brad Thor and The Star From Calcutta by Sujata Massey. The authors of these three books each wrote their best books in their series to date. After reflecting on them for a few days I decided that Cold Zero by Brad Thor was my best novel for March.

Cold Zero is a spy thriller but it isn't part of Thor's Scot Harvath spy series. There are fresh new characters and the main character, Kasey Sheridan, is a CIA spy extraordinaire. In fact, she would be a great protagonist for a new series. Now, I don't know what the authors think about this but I am giving them a strong hint that I would like a new series.

Cold Zero opened with an autonomous taxi causing mayhem in Hong Kong streets. Chinese scientist Chen Li and CIA officer Kasey Sheridan are trying to escape from China along with Chen's briefcase which contains the Sky Fire technology. Chen is not in this taxi though. The Chinese, however, believe he is and are chasing it. During the chase Chen and Sheridan board a private plane in Macau heading towards New York City where Chen plans to defect. It is soon determined that the two are list in a plane crash. The plot just gets crazier after the crash.

The writing between the two authors, Brad Thor and Ward Larsen, is superb. There are no lows in the plot. It has nonstop action throughout the story and the short chapters help the fast pace of the book. Cold Zero is a thriller reader's thriller. I loved this book and can see it on my top ten mysteries of 2026.

Total Suplex of the Heart

Total Suplex of the Heart was published in 2024 by Humanoids. This 161 page graphic novel is about a young journalist, Georgie, who goes undercover in the local hardcore wrestling scene, exploring themes of identity, toxic relationships, and self-discovery in a male-dominated world. The story is inspired by author Joanne Starer's own experiences.

The publisher's summary:  

Glowing up isn’t the same as growing up.

Georgie’s always been nerdy: Teased by jocks, spending her lunchtime with a comic in hand, and falling in love with wrestling from Saturday nights on the couch with her dad. But that was then – This is now!

She’s out of school, freelancing as a journalist, and hot as heck. In an effort to prove to her mom that she has a “real job,” she goes undercover in the local hardcore wrestling scene to investigate a piece. She’s quickly swept up in the drama, both in and out of the ring. With new friendships developing and potential romance blossoming, she’s riding the wave of attention that temporarily silences her own insecurities. But as girl fights, casual hook-ups, and creepy older men begin to dominate her days, Georgie has to ask herself who really holds the power in her life, and whether she’s happy with where it’s headed.

This was an enjoyable story. It would be nice if it continued with another release. I cannot remember any past comic concerning the wrestling world so the story is unique. Poor Georgie had to endure alot of sexism but she let it all fall by the wayside. The wrestlers who became her friends were always trying to get her into bed and a few of them got lucky. At one point Georgie thought she was pregnant and didn't know who the father might be. It turned out her menses stopped because of her anorexia. She questioned her relationship with Steve. They were living together but Georgie was doing all of the work in the relationship as well as in their business teaching women how to wrestle. 

Georgie was a sympathetic character, the only one in the comic. Her mental health struggles and the trauma from being raised by an incompetent mother scared her. She accepted poor treatment from her friends because she felt that was all she deserved. You just want to hug her. 

Total Suplex of the Heart is an intriguing story. I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

I Could Pee on This

This is a book of poetry, seemingly written by cats. Published in 2012, it is a humorous book perfect for cat lovers. As the publisher states:  

Animal lovers will laugh out loud at the quirkiness of their feline friends with these insightful and curious poems from the singular minds of funny cats.

With poem titles like "Who Is That on Your Lap?," "This Is My Chair," "Kneel Before Me," "Nudge," and "Some of My Best Friends Are Dogs," the poems collected in I Could Pee on This perfectly capture the inner workings of the cat psyche.

With photos of the cat "authors" throughout, this whimsical poetry book reveals kitties at their wackiest and most exasperating (but always lovable).

The poems are placed in four categories:  family, work, play and exisyence. All of my favorite poems are in the family category and include the title poem I Could Pee on This:  

Her new sweater doesn’t smell of me 

I could pee on that 

She’s gone out for the day and left her laptop on the counter

I could pee on that

Her new boyfriend just pushed my head away 

I could pee on him

She’s ignoring me ignoring her 

I could pee everywhere 

She’s making up for it by putting me on her lap 

I could pee on this 

I could pee on this 

I also loved a cat proverb: They say there are twenty-four hours in a day but I’m only up for three of them and two I consider overtime.

The funny jokes within these poems will appeal to men and women of all ages but may not be appropriate for kids. Some of the poems, not many, contain salty language. I can see this book on my coffee table. While it's not large, just 112 pages, I think my guests will enjoy it. Of course, all my guests are cat lovers.

3 stars out of 5 stars.

The Lightbearer #1

Son of Light is the first book in the Lightbearer comic series. In just 21 pages the reader is introduced to Tomiwa. Tomiwa is  just a 13-year-old student trying to survive school, family expectations, and everyday life in the city of Lagos. However, he  sees things that no one else can see. Strange moments begin to happen. Shadows that move when they shouldn't, silence that falls when everything should be loud, and a feeling that he is being watched. Then one day, everything changes. A mysterious figure rescued him from a car accident. This figure is always calm and radiant. He has been watching Tomiwa for a long time.

I am not sure who or what the figure is. He is most likely an angel but I also wondered if he was Jesus. The story seems to show that there is a hidden battle happening around us every day. The battle is between light and darkness that most people cannot see. Tomiwa can see it though. I believe Tomiwa is a lightbearer. Lightbearers are people who embody and share goodness, virtue, and positive impact, regardless of religious affiliation. They are people who step in to help others, act with integrity, and stand up for what's right, even in small ways.

I am definitely interested in reading more of the series. We rarely see a comic that embodies goodness. Written by Samson Awobusuyi, the comic offers us a new kind of African superhero. According to the publisher the series has African storytelling, a superhero origin drama, a spiritual mystery and a faith-inspired themes of light overcoming darkness. It was published on March 7, 2026. I cannot wait to read the next release of this series. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is a memoir about journalist Gayle Lemmon's trips to Kabul, Afghanistan looking for stories about women living in war torn countries. Lemmon writes articles for the Financial Times. In this book she centers on Kamila Sidiqi who ran her own business during the reign of the Taliban in the mid 1990s. 

After graduating from a two year teaching program at Sayed Jamaluddin Teacher Training Institute, Kamila heard whispers concerning the Taliban being close to Kabul and would most likely overun Kabul by the next day. Kamila hurried to catch a bus for long bus ride that would take her to her family’s home in the neighborhood of Khair Khana, a northern suburb of Kabul. The Taliban did reach Kabul the next day and Kamila's graduation certificate was no longer useful as the Taliban forbid women from leaving their homes. Kamila's father and brother fled the city before they arrived so she was responsible for taking care of her family. Unable to teach and desperate to support her family, Kamila masters the art of dressmaking and passes on the skills to her younger sisters. In order to find work for the budding business, Kamila frequently makes the dangerous trek to the market and meets with the owners of local dress shops. Soon the business is growing, and Kamila sees an opportunity to help other women in her community. With the help of her sisters, she opens a tailoring school in their home to teach women how to sew and to give them work once they completed their training. At a time of almost insurmountable poverty, she is able to employ nearly one hundred of her friends and neighbors, all the while escaping the scrutiny of the Taliban.

Kamila is an inspiring lady. She makes me look lazy. The author hopes that her book will change the tradition of portraying women as victims of war and pitied. Instead Lemmon believes that they are survivors of war whose bravery and determination held their families and communities together. This is a true story and yet it reads like a novel. I had to check twice to see if this book was historical fiction or a memoir. It’s a memoir. Lemmon made many trips to Kabul over a three-year period to interview women. 

I loved this book. It is an uplifting story of the brave women of Afghanistan who eked out a life under the most horrific circumstances. It gives me hope that I can handle anything that life throws my way. 5 out of 5 stars.

Shiokari Pass

Shiokari Pass is a moving tale of love eclipsed by sacrifice an tragedy. It is based on a true story. I selected the book for the Japanese Reading Challenge 19 and am so glad that I read it. The main character is Nobuo Nagano. After becoming a Christian he finds himself in a bind. He wants to marry his childhood sweetheart, Fujiko, but the marriage conflicts with his newfound faith. Nobuo knows that he should not be unequally yoked with a nonbeliever. Set in Hokkaido at the turn of the nineteenth century, when for the first time Western culture and ideas were beginning to challenge Japan's long-held traditions, Shiokari Pass takes an intriguing look at Japanese life and thought of a hundred years ago. The book was a bestseller in Japan and a successful motion picture as well. Based on the life of a high-ranking railway employee who was revered for his humanitarian deeds, Shiokari Pass offers a revealing glimpse of the long, hard road traveled by Japanese Christians. It was published in 1968 in Japan.

The story opened when Nobuo Nagano was ten years old and his grandmother Tose was complaining about his mother. Nobuo had been told that she died but that was not true. Tose had thrown her out of the family home for becoming Yaso, a Christian. The Nagano family were ardent Buddhists. Nobuo’s best friend was Yoshikawa and we watched them grow up together and remain friends throughout life. This was unusual because the Nagano family were of the samurai class and Yoshikawa was from a lower social class. When Tose passed away Nobuo’s mother Kiku and her daughter Michiko moved to the Nagano house. Both Kiku and Michiko were Yaso. While his father was not a believer he attended church with them every Sunday. Nobuo, however, refused to go. Nobuo had planned to attend college but because his father died, Nobuo decided to forego higher education and obtained a job with the railroad in order to support Kiku and Michiko. At one rail station Nobuo wandered in to a Sunday School class and the rest, as they say, is history.

I enjoyed reading about Nobuo and Yoshikawa's conversations both as youngsters and as adults. They were philosophical even at a young age and thought through what it meant to be human. It was quite interesting to see two young lads discuss such deep topics and heartwarming to see them remain close friends throughout life. I also enjoyed reading about Nobuo’s conversations with his family concerning Yaso. Nobuo’s objections to Yaso were explained in detail. He compared Yaso against the power of Buddha and how Buddha helped him live life. This was his stumbling block. 

Life in Japan one hundred years ago was fascinating to read about. The country was beginning to change due to the influence of Western culture. The manner in which Nobuo and Yoshikawa sailed through life, bending some Japanese rules, was shown. It was an intriguing time to be alive. Yoshikawa remained a Buddhist. However, almost every person Nobuo encountered worshipped Yaso and it caused him to think deeply about whether Buddha matched Yaso's power to transform people. There is also some romance in the story as Nobuo becomes attracted to a few girls but sets his sights on marrying Yoshikawa's disabled sister Fujiko.

The title of the book comes from the place where Nobuo died. I would like to refrain from any additional spoilers in case one of my blog readers wants to read the book. The ending was certainly dramatic. I think the best word to describe this novel is heartwarming. I loved it and believe you will too. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #47

 

This weekly meme is hosted by the Wishful Endings blog. The meme spotlights the books that we are excited about but have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. 

Ruins will be published on March 31, 2026. It is a quest story about an  archaeologist, Professor Ember Agni, who seeks a lost civilization. Along the way she is forced to confront her crumbling marriage and personal life. The genre is literary adventure and mystery.

The publisher's summary:  Professor Ember Agni is a rising star in archeology, trying to balance an unfulfilling career in academia and a crumbling marriage, all while pursuing her true passion: unearthing a lost empire that no one else believes existed. Just as she’s about to give up on the ambitious expedition she spent a decade trying to fund, a message arrives from overseas. A former student claims to have found something extraordinary—an artifact that hints at the forgotten world lying beneath history’s tidy surface.

​

With vindication finally within reach, Ember risks everything for the sake of discovery and undertakes an odyssey that will either make her name or ruin her. Driven by unwavering faith in her vision of the past, she challenges the limits of her nation, her colleagues, and herself in order to exhume the missing pieces of how humanity began. But as she journeys deep into an untouched wilderness, in dogged pursuit of a dead civilization, she collides with the wreckage of her own life. On the brink of either discovery or destruction, Ember must choose who she wants to be, and to what kind of world she wants to belong.

I think that I will enjoy it. How about you? What book are you waiting to read?

Space Ghost Volume 1, #1

The Space Ghost series began being released in 2024. Volume 1, #1 is a 32 page beginning for the series. The story is about a cosmic vigilante who metes outs justice throughout the galaxy bringing vengeance to those who prey upon the defenseless. He is the Space Ghost. Written for teens, the comic is definitely kid friendly.

The publisher's summary:

Greed and corruption flourish in the darkness between stars. With the territories of the Galactic Federation spread far and wide across the vastness of space, pirates and hijackers ransack the distant colonies with cruel disregard for the innocent scientists living within them. Yet there is a cosmic vigilante who metes out justice throughout the galaxy, bringing vengeance to those prey upon the defenseless. Some say he is a policeman who has abandoned the strictures of the law. Others say he is a phantom, the sole survivor of a war-torn planet. And those who have survived his wrath claim he is more a force of nature, able to bend the very elements of Creation to decimate his enemies. They call him the SPACE GHOST -- and his adventures begin here.

I expected more background information for the first release of a series. The story opened with Jan, Jace and their father Dr. Jerrod Keplar on Space Colony Omicron. Dr. Keplar is frantically trying to get help from the Galactic Patrol because the space station is being overun by pirates. Dr. Keplar rushes to delete everything from his lab's mainframe computer but we never see him again after page 3. I didn't see any drawings that could explain what happened to him either. He was working on a program called BLIP but there was no explanation about the program. It was odd that the rest of release 1 was about Jan and Jace, young kids, trying to get away from the pirates. Obviously all of this is going to be explained in subsequent releases. However, without knowing what the story is about I am not interested in reading any additional releases. 

The story didn't grab my interest. 2.5 out of 5 stars. 

The Twin Sister

I selected The Twin Sister for the Key Word Reading Challenge. This psychological thriller is author Yvette Davies debut novel. Let me tell you right off the bat that this psychological thriller is a must read. The book was published in October 2025 and her second book will be published in 2026.

The story opens with a car crash. The police assume that Cate, Beth's identical twin sister, was inside the car involved in the accident. Cate died along with Cate's husband Giles and two of her three children. However, Beth was in a separate car with Cate's son Ted and Cate's purse was in that car too because Cate was going to be driving in this car. A last minute decision to travel in the car with Giles and her kids put her in the accident. Since Cate was wearing Beth's sweater and had Beth's phone in the sweater pocket, the police thought that Beth had died. Without even thinking, Beth assumed Cate's life. Cate was married to a wealthy man, wore designer clothes and owned a multi-million dollar house. The lifestyle was too good to pass up and after ten years of trying for a baby with husband David, Beth now has the chance to be a mother to her nephew Ted. The mistaken identity creates an opportunity for Beth to have a better life.

Beth's marriage had been in a shambles. She and David had been unhappy and David dealt with it by getting a girlfriend. Interspersed with funeral planning were snippets of Cate and Beth as children as well as David’s life with Adriana. Beth found out that she really didn't know her sister well. Cate too was having an affair with the gardener and had other household help. Beth's biggest issue was assuming Cate's personality. They were very different people but some of Cate's acquaintances figured it all out. 

There's was a lot of action and many twists in the plot. All of them were shocking which, of course, kept me reading. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

5 out of 5 stars.

Cold Zero

Cold Zero is Brad Thor's newest novel. It is not part of Thor's popular Scot Harvath spy series though. Cold Zero is a spy thriller but with new characters. It is also the first collaboration Thor has had with Ward Larsen. 

The publisher's summary:

A vanished plane. An earth-shattering secret. A countdown to World War III. Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777—the most advanced jetliner ever built—disappears without a trace over the North Pole. Crippled by sabotage, it crash-lands on the ice, stranding the surviving passengers in a wasteland of frigid cold and chaos.

The real storm, however, is still coming. Hidden inside the wreckage is the prototype for a revolutionary piece of technology that could upend the balance of world power. Now Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are racing to be the first on scene to retrieve it—at any cost.

Trapped in the middle of the world’s most dangerous flash point are CIA operative Kasey Sheridan and former fighter pilot turned first officer, Brett Sharpe. Hunted by enemy forces, they must spirit both the device and its creator across the ice to safety—before rival superpowers turn the Arctic into a war zone.

With the clock ticking and the temperature dropping, the fate of the free world is about to be decided at the top of the globe.

This exciting novel opened with an autonomous taxi causing mayhem in Hong Kong streets. Chinese scientist Chen Li and CIA officer Kasey Sheridan are escaping from China along with Chen's briefcase and the Sky Fire technology. Chen is not in this taxi though. The Chinese, however, believe he is and are chasing it. During the chase Chen and Sheridan board a private plane in Macau heading towards New York City where Chen plans to defect. It is soon determined that the two boarded a plane set for the U.S. A plan is quickly devised to force the plane to crash, which it did.

The novel has a swift pace. Once I began reading I knew I would have to finish it in one sitting, regardless of earlier plans for the day. I rarely find a thriller as exhilarating as Cold Zero. The authors delivered as promised. The collaboration between them works, which isn't always true of other famous authors and their cohorts. I hope that this novel is the start of a new series. Sheridan, Chen and Sharpe make a great team. While Sharpe was the plane's pilot, his military experience helped in the development of a plan to deal with the crash. I can see Sheridan as the main character in a new series.

The action between the U.S, China and Russia operatives continued to build tension throughout the story. Several times in the plot each of these nations seemed to be winning. The ending, though, was a firefight between China and the U S. For a major part of the story, the chapters alternated between the three nations' activities.  Another factor regarding the tension was the description of the Arctic setting. The cold weather always gave each side problems to solve. 

Cold Zero is one of Brad Thor's best books. I highly recommend it to  thriller fans. 5 out of 5 stars.