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This is indeed a ghost story, but truly a very eerie tale even for a spooky ghost story. The haunting begins with a realtor showing an empty house that includes an apparition of a young boy who lived in the house. The next time she enters the house, which seems to have a hold on her, the realtor also sees herself as a ghost. The haunting gets even stranger…..hold on….with suspended time and eternal recurrences with the boy and his family. Dear reader, you have not happened upon a more bizarre and lonely tale than Last Day of a Prior Life.

Last Day of a Prior Life by Andrés Barba, (List Price: $26, HarperVia, 9780063352056, August 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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Richard Russo has written many memorable novels, and Under the Falls is again a study into the minds of characters as they exist with the people they know best. Tyler Sinclair, at 36, is a successful frontman for the band Stone Mountain, and he is returning to his hometown after leaving abruptly eighteen years earlier. The band is coming to Stone Mountain for a benefit for Doc, who is in a wheelchair because of an accident that Tyler may have caused. Tyler also sees his childhood best friend Curt, who is married to Tyler’s former lover Freddi. The concert is interrupted by jeering audience members, and the night ends with a tragic incident causing deaths. Many questions are raised… why did Curt leave Stone Mountain at age 18? What caused the deaths on the mountain after the concert? And what is happening with drug running under the nose of the Chief of Police? The secrets and betrayals will keep the pages turning as readers get a glimpse into life in this small town.

Under the Falls by Richard Russo, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593805107, August 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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The first female Faroese writer to publish in English has written truth about women caretakers the world over. The main character is a woman in her 60’s who is caring for her grandchildren and mothering her own aging mother. She is waiting for a nursing home for her mother, but her name doesn’t come up. As she is caring for others, she remembers scenes of her youth and caring for her own children when they were small. Even though this story is told from the Faroe Islands, it is the same story played over and over. She honestly even thinks of feeling angry at her ancient mother for growing old and feeble. Love and caring are displayed with the work and worry of caretaking.

On the Other Side Is March by Sólrún Michelsen, (List Price: $18.95, Transit Books, 9798893380491, June 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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In the week after 9/11, three vastly different people set sail on a cruise to Bermuda that was already planned, and have mixed emotions about the trip and their lives. This extremely compelling story sucked me right into the narrative and didn’t let me go until we docked back in Boston! I immediately felt immersed in the lives of these characters, eager to know what was going to happen next. Highly recommend!

All the World Can Hold by Jung Yun, (List Price: $30, 37 Ink, 9781668200599, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia