I read books and I know things: May 2026

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

That Catskill Summer by Bart A. Charlo

He wrote the book he lived. Now she wants to rewrite the ending.

For fans of the 1960s Catskills era of Dirty Dancing, this is a very different kind of love story.

Author Aaron Ben-Ami’s steamy novel, based on a failed youthful love affair in the "Summer of Love" Borscht Belt, is a sensation. Love was easy to come by in the resort culture of the early sexual revolution, but not so easy to keep. Now, as his story is being made into a movie starring Isobel “Izzy” Sandler, the past and present are about to collide.

Ironically, it was a chance meeting with Izzy that inspired Aaron to write the book in the first place—she was his muse. But as they grow close during filming, Izzy discovers the raw truth behind the fiction. She is the granddaughter of Elyse, the real woman who modeled for the novel’s lead—and Aaron's greatest "what if".

Set against the richly textured backdrop of a disappearing American era, That Catskill Summer is a story of what we miss in the moment and what stays with us long after. It is a journey through the humor, the heat, and the heartbreak of youth, told through the reflective eyes of someone who survived it.

Perfect for readers of emotionally rich, time-layered fiction who value reflection over resolution – and those who believe that a single summer can define a lifetime.

This book is available in the following formats:

Ebook

Paperback

Bart Charlow

Bart A. Charlow is an author, consultant, and retired therapist whose writing explores the intricate intersections of memory, legacy, and the human heart. With over 45 years as a visual artist and photographer, Bart brings a painterly eye to his prose, capturing the atmospheric beauty and lingering shadows of the people and places that shape us.

Born into the carnival life of a Borscht Belt Catskills hotel family, he has never let the ordinary constrain him.

His first book, A Catskill Carnival: My Borscht Belt Life Lived, Lost and Loved, is a memoir of his early years in a unique setting, coming to terms with it and cherishing its life lessons. Pickle Barrel Tales: More Borscht Belt BS is the companion book of over 50 wry vignettes from several “mountain rats”.

A true son of the Catskills, Bart’s deep connection to the "Borscht Belt" Dirty Dancing era serves as the foundation for his storytelling. His novels delve into the complex emotional landscapes of mature characters, often focusing on the ways the past refuses to stay buried and how new love must contend with old ghosts. His latest series is “Lived-In LoveTM”, dedicated to telling realistic relationship stories with deep emotional connections, not the usual tropes.

Whether through a camera lens, a paintbrush, or the written word, Bart is dedicated to capturing the "circus of memories" that defines the mature experience.

He writes a regular column, “Bart on Art”, for The San Mateo Daily Journal.

Bart has been a favored speaker on TV, radio and in print media for decades and is recognized for his service in the United States Congressional Record.

Among honors he holds is the Jefferson Award for his community leadership and service.

He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, grown children and grandchildren.

Social Media Links:

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Rescued by the Rakish Lord by Sarah Mallory

A man of such dubious reputation…

that he was called Devil Blackbourne!

When Lord Deveril Blackbourne meets Selina Wynter, he is intrigued. For she has all the accomplishments of a lady, but the fiery temper and spirit of a tavern maid! Then she is abducted by a dastardly suitor, and Deveril—for all his roguish reputation— can’t stand idly by…

Lord Deveril is Selina’s least likely rescuer, but when they’re stranded together in a snowstorm and her reputation is at risk, he surprises her with a gallant proposal! Deveril’s no honourable suitor, yet his actions say otherwise…

Just who is the real Devil Blackbourne? Selina’s determined to find out!

A Five Star Read

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are fresh and brilliantly executed.

It’s just such a satisfying romance to read. I loved the dynamic between Selina and Deveril—he has that classic rakish reputation, but there’s clearly more to him, which makes him really appealing as a hero.

Selina is just as strong in her own way, and I liked that she could hold her own. Their relationship has that nice balance of tension and warmth, and it’s easy to get invested in them.

It has all the elements you want from this kind of book, but it never feels overdone—just a really enjoyable, well-written romance you can sink into.

*engaging, likeable characters

* strong romantic chemistry

*classic feel without being too heavy

My thoughts in one posh sentence:

A thoroughly enjoyable Georgian romance with charm, warmth, and a wonderfully satisfying central pairing.

This book is available on

Ebook

Paperback

Sarah Mallory

Sarah Mallory is an award-winning author who has published more than 40 historical romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon. She loves history, especially the Georgian and Regency.

She won the prestigious RoNA Rose Award from the Romantic Novelists Association in 2012 and 2013 and nominated in 2022. She also won the RNA’s Romantic Historical Novel Award in 2024 for The Night She Met the Duke. Sarah also writes romantic historical adventures as Melinda Hammond.

Sarah was born in the West Country but lived for many years on the Yorkshire Pennines, taking inspiration from the wild and rugged moors. Then in 2018 she fell in love with Scotland and ran away to live on the rugged North West Coast, which is proving even more inspiring!

Social Media Links:

Website Sarah Mallory

Website Melinda Hammond

Monday, May 4, 2026

Review of Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon (Six Tudor Queens) by Nicola Harris

Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon
(Six Tudor Queens)
By Nicola Harris

Born in the glittering courts of Castile and Aragon and forged in the shadow of war, Catalina de Aragón grows up surrounded by queens, rebels, and explorers. She is her mother’s last daughter, the final jewel of a dynasty built on conquest and faith, and the one child Isabella of Castile cannot bear to lose.

But destiny has already claimed Catalina.

Promised to Prince Arthur of England since childhood, she is raised to bind kingdoms, soothe old wounds, and carry the hopes of an empire across the sea. Yet, Spain fractures under rebellion, grief, and the ruthless zeal of its own rulers.

From the burning streets of Granada to the storm lashed Bay of Biscay, Catalina and her sisters must navigate a treacherous path shaped by ambition, betrayal, and the dangerous love of men who fear the power of queens. She learns to read cyphers, to read hearts, and to stand unbroken even as her childhood is stripped from her piece by piece.

And when she finally sails for England armed with her mother’s lessons, her father’s steel, and the ghosts of the Alhambra at her back, Catalina steps into her fate not as a girl, but as a force.

A princess.

A survivor.

A daughter of Aragon.

Infidel is the story of a young woman raised for greatness and destined to reshape the fate of nations. This is Catalina, as she has never been seen before. She is fierce, vulnerable, and unforgettable.

A sweeping, intimate portrait of sisterhood, survival, and the making of a dynasty, Infidel reveals the hidden lives of a woman whose courage shaped the Tudor world.

A Five Star Read

Most people who know anything about the Tudors will have heard of Catherine of Aragon, and I went into this expecting to learn more about her early years. What I wasn’t expecting—at all—was Joanna of Castile. I’ll happily admit I’d never even heard of her before, which now feels like a glaring gap considering how much she adds to the story.

What really makes this work is how it centres Juana in a way that feels both intimate and unsettling. She isn’t written to be conveniently likeable or easy to understand; instead, she reacts honestly to what’s happening around her, and that honesty puts her at odds with the world she’s been born into. In a court where silence and obedience are expected, her instinct to question things feels quietly rebellious, even when she doesn’t intend it to be.

There’s an early scene where the children are made to watch an execution, and it completely sets the tone. While everyone else remains composed, Juana can’t hide her reaction, and her response—“Jesus told us to love one another. He said nothing about burning anyone alive”—cuts through all the ceremony and justification. It’s not dramatic in delivery, but it lands hard, because it voices exactly what the reader is thinking while exposing how normalised that violence has become.

That sense of unease continues in smaller moments too, like when Prince Juan of Asturias later reenacts a hanging with his slave. It’s written almost in passing, but it’s incredibly effective. It highlights how deeply these behaviours are embedded in their world, and how even the most gentle characters are shaped by it without question. It adds weight to it, and you can’t help but think how these things don’t just disappear. They carry forward. Long before Mary I of England earns her reputation, you can already see how a world like this makes that kind of thinking feel… normal.

What also comes through quite strongly is the hypocrisy at the top. You have figures like Pope Alexander VI, who is meant to represent moral authority, yet is widely known for keeping a mistress and fathering children, all while condemning others and shaping the religious direction of Europe. It adds another layer to everything Juana is questioning—this sense that the rules are rigid for some, and conveniently flexible for others.

The court itself feels convincing without being overdone. It’s grand and devout on the surface, but there’s a constant undercurrent of tension—political, religious, and personal—that never quite settles. You can feel how carefully everything is being held together, and how quickly it could shift.

What stood out most to me was how Juana’s relationships are handled. There is genuine love within the family, but it’s complicated by expectation and control, and it becomes clear how easily concern can turn into dismissal. Her emotional responses, which feel entirely reasonable to the reader, are treated as something suspect, and that slow shift in perception is where the story really begins to sting.

By the end, it doesn’t feel like a dramatic retelling so much as a quiet reframing. You’re left not just understanding Juana, but questioning the version of her history has handed down.

I went in expecting to learn more about Catherine of Aragon, but came away thinking about Juana long after I’d finished—and that, more than anything, is what made this stand out.

* Quietly unsettling moments that linger longer than you expect

*Characters shaped by power, faith, and the things they’re not allowed to question

*A story that doesn’t shout, but still manages to hit hard

My thoughts summed up in one posh sentence

A thoughtful and quietly disquieting historical novel that re-examines familiar history through a more questioning, and far more human, lens.

This book is available in the following formats:

Kindle
Paperback
#KindleUnlimited

Nicola Harris

I’ve always been a writer, but it was only when illness forced me to stop everything that I finally had the time to write a novel. After decades of misdiagnosis, I learned I was born with a serious genetic condition, not rare, but profoundly misunderstood. The clues were there from birth, and suddenly, a lifetime of struggle made sense.

Writing became my lifeline: a way to step beyond my pain, to shape my experience into a story, and to find meaning where there had once been only endurance.

I have a lifelong love of children, Counselling, and Psychotherapy Theory and history.

Connect with Nicola Harris:

Website

Publication Date: 5th March 2026

Publisher: ‎ Independently Published

Print Length: 268 Pages