my reading journey 2026
After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian. Finished June 18, 2026; paperback
Cat Sebastian is my new spiritual advisor. Whatever magic she sees in the ordinary and is able to put on paper for people to experience like the feeling of home is something I never want to let go of. That feeling of home and hope and belonging is very special to me. I think this book might be my favorite of hers so far, especially because of the soft spot I hold for the music of the 1960s which I grew up on even though I was a kid in the 90s — my multi-generational household always had the radio set to the oldies station. There’s something really powerful about placing those songs into the context of the time period and placing them into real lives playing out. Anyway, that’s not the only reason I loved this book, but it definitely helped transport me to a time and place. There’s definitely a playlist brewing in the back of my mind. I know I’m still just dipping my toe into the waters of romance and historical romance; I’m more of a scifi/fantasy girly on the regular, but Cat Sebastian has a very Becky Chambers vibe about her — wholesome without being saccharine, building up the setting and the found family and the references to the unkindness of the outside world, all the foundations of cozy before it became its own subgenre and lost some of its potency for me. In other words, I need some angst with my cozy, I need some stakes, and Cat Sebastian delivers that for me every time so far.
