{"id":25572,"date":"2025-12-10T21:14:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T02:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=25572"},"modified":"2026-03-22T09:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:22:11","slug":"after-hours-at-dooryard-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25572","title":{"rendered":"After Hours at Dooryard Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Hours at Dooryard Books<\/em> (2025) Cat Sebastian<\/a><\/p>\n

\"After<\/a>Set in NYC in 1968<\/p>\n

Patrick has worked for Dooryard Books since Mrs. Kaplan picked him up and gave him a place when he was seventeen. He may have reconnected with his brother and best friend, Susan, after being kicked out by their aunt and uncle, but Dooryard is his home.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel is another stray brought to the story by Mrs. Kaplan, but unlike others she has taken in, he seems sober and doesn’t seem to have been homeless for long–if at all. <\/p>\n

Nathaniel is a mess, afraid to go outside, and won’t share any details about himself, although there are bits and pieces that come through.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re simplifying equations,\u201d Iris says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHardly. Who told you to do it that way?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe teacher?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathaniel takes Hector\u2019s notebook and scowls at it. \u201cYour teacher needs to be brought before a tribunal.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cNo tambourines.\u201d Nathaniel has nothing against tambourines in other people\u2019s music, but he needs to draw a line. He\u2019ll associate freely with long-haired radicals, but the tambourine is a line he won\u2019t cross.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then Susan walks through the door of the store and everything is upended.<\/p>\n

I swear, Cat Sebastian gets better with every book she writes. <\/p>\n

\u201cI realize this is wildly hypocritical of me,\u201d Nathaniel says. \u201cBut even though I\u2019m very much against emotions when they happen to me, I think it\u2019s possible that refusing to feel anything at all fucks you up fairly comprehensively in the long run.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Trigger warnings<\/strong>: homophobia, death of a family member, Vietnam war.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Nathaniel Smith, Patrick Fitzgerald, Eleanor Fitzgerald, Susan Larkin, Michael Fitzgerald, Mrs. Maria Valdez, Mr. Valdez, Iris Valdez, Hector Valdez, Vivian, Jerome, Mrs. Kaplan <\/p>\n

Cover by Kelsey Bowman<\/p>\n

Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After Hours at Dooryard Books (2025) Cat Sebastian Set in NYC in 1968 Patrick has worked for Dooryard Books since Mrs. Kaplan picked him up and gave him a place when he was seventeen. He may have reconnected with his brother and best friend, Susan, after being kicked out by their aunt and uncle, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,292,204,33,207,148,26,56,934],"tags":[147,213,544],"class_list":["post-25572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-10","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mental-health-rep","category-queer","category-romance","category-sexual-content","category-trigger-warnings","tag-cat-sebastian","tag-grief","tag-mm"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6Es","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25868,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25868","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":0},"title":"Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots","author":"Michelle","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots (2022) Cat Sebastian (The Cabots #3) Set in 1973 in New York City Daniel returned from the war a bit lost. His mother used her influence to make sure he spent his time sitting at a desk, as safe as it was possible to be.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Daniel-Cabot-Puts-Down-Roots.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Daniel-Cabot-Puts-Down-Roots.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Daniel-Cabot-Puts-Down-Roots.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21916,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/21916","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":1},"title":"Hither, Page","author":"Michelle","date":"May 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. Mrs Hoggett is dead, and although her death was certainly suspicious, there is nothing directory pointing to murder. None of the witnesses could suggest a possible motive, nor did any of them think Mrs. Hoggett had enemies.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hither, Page","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Hither-Page.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25624,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25624","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":2},"title":"Hither, Page","author":"Michelle","date":"January 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946. Do you know, James, this evening I thought to myself: I would like to put paper stars and glass balls on a tree.\u201d \u201cI see you\u2019ve reached the heights of depravity.\u201d \u201cI\u2019d suggest going easy on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hither, Page","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Hither-Page-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24827,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24827","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":3},"title":"Hither, Page","author":"Michelle","date":"August 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946 You can\u2019t hold it against him. He had a bad war. He ought to have developed a callus over whatever part of his heart was meant for mourning, but instead, it was like a wound that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hither, Page","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Hither-Page.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23209,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/23209","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":4},"title":"Hither, Page","author":"Michelle","date":"February 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. This story reminds me very much of an Agatha Christie, only with boinking. A combination of A Murder is Announced and The Moving Finger. None of the witnesses could suggest a possible motive, nor did any of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hither, Page","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Hither-Page.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25628,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25628","url_meta":{"origin":25572,"position":5},"title":"The Ruin of a Rake","author":"Michelle","date":"January 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series, #3) Set in London in 1817 \u201cYou ordered tea,\u201d Courtenay said. \u201cI like tea,\u201d Julian responded. \u201cYou like sugary milk.\u201d Courtenay, as if to demonstrate the point, poured about an inch of tea into Julian\u2019s cup and then added\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Ruin of a Rake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/The-Ruin-of-a-Rake-189x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25572\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}