Beth (BLBera) Reads in 2026 - Part 1

My name is Beth, and I am a retired English instructor. I love retirement, especially being able to travel during the school year! In 2025 I went Scotland and Iceland to celebrate my 70th birthday. Besides travel and reading, I also like to sew and spend time with my granddaughter Scout -- who is TWELVE. She is almost as tall as I am.

I read eclectically, mostly fiction, but I do tend to have some poetry or nonfiction going as well. I belong to a book club that has been going since 2002, and I sometimes do group reads here on LT. Otherwise I don't plan my reading. I always resolve to read more from my shelves, but those shiny new library books do distract me.

In 2026, my goals are to continue my rereading of Shakespeare's plays and to read books from my shelves.

2025 in Summary

Books read: 120
By women - 73%

Novels: 86
Essays: 8
Poetry: 1
Shakespeare: 12 plays
Memoir: 6
Nonfiction: 7

I added 11 new-to-me countries to my Global reading.

I read 61 books from my shelves, about half. I would like to up that number, but those new books suck me in.

❤️Favorites❤️


These Days - Great historical fiction about the Belfast Blitz, which I knew nothing about. The writing is wonderful.

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - An important book about what is happening in Gaza and how we should not turn away.

James - Wonderful companion to Huckleberry Finn although it works as a stand alone. Everett's use of language is stunning.

Creation Lake - This was a wonderful surprise for me. I delayed reading it because of the widely varied opinions. I loved it, loved the protagonist who isn't a good person and all of the Neanderthal stuff.

Passiontide - My first Roffey novel. I will read more by her. This is about a murder on an unnamed island but also about violence toward women that seems to get a pass all too often.

The Dream Hotel - Prescient. This has stuck with me almost all year.

Jane Austen's Bookshelf - Enjoyed all the book nerdiness of 18th century women writers, some of whom are new to me.

Gliff - Ali Smith. Need I say more? I already preordered the companion book.

There Are Rivers in the Sky- While not perfect, I loved the story of the discovery of Gilgamesh.

Also:
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - I thought about this one for a long time after reading it. It's one that would benefit from rereading.

Seduction and Betrayal - Elizabeth Hardwick's essays about women authors and characters was fascinating.

Heart the Lover - King is so generous with her characters. Her books make me happy.

Whale Fall - Wonderful historical fiction with such a vivid sense of place. I am a sucker for books set on islands. In some ways it reminded me of The Colony.

I hope to continue with my Shakespeare reading next year. If I read a dozen plays, I should finish reading/rereading all of the plays in two years. Most of the ones that remain are rereads for me, so I may even read more in 2026.

I would really like to read more from my shelves. I will track books acquired and books weeded next year. That should help...

Happy New Year All!

Plans/Goals
Book Club
January: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo 📌
February: The Lark by E. Nesbit 📌
March: Kingdom of Olives and Ash ed. Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
April: Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett
May: Butterflies in November by Auður A. Ólafsdóttir
June: Edith Wharton month – read anything you’d like by Wharton

Shared LT reads
January: The Fifth Season 📌
February: The House of Spirits 📌
March: When the Cranes Fly South
March: The Stone Gods

Library Open Books Challenge
By an author with your name or initials
With a character who works at your job or your dream job
In honor of Rochester’s Sister City partnership with Siheung City, South Korea, read a book set in South Korea or by a South Korean author
Translated from its original language
📌 Short story collection -Atavists: Stories
Purple cover or purple in the title or subject, to mark the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death
On a subject you know nothing about
By a Jewish author
📌 With time or a unit of time in the title At Midnight Comes the Cry
About a missing person or object
By a Muslim author
About cabins, camping, or the wilderness
About or set during a natural disaster
Set in America between 1600-1800, to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
📌From the Overdrive/Libby app - Dreams from My Father

Wishlisted from others
The Poppy War - Lisa
There Was Lived a Mother Who Loved Her Children Until They Moved Back In - Alison
Coming Up Short - SqueakyChu
The Little White Horse - Joyce
Keats: A Brief Life in Nine Poems - Jennifer
The Sleeping Car Porter - Betty
Cursed Daughters - Vivian
A Flower Traveled in My Blood - Vivian
Written on the Body - Rhonda
Rules for Visiting- Katie
Hagstone - Alison

Some books I eagerly await in 2026:
Ali Smith's companion to Gliff
Maggie O'Farrell's new novel
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
The Last of Earth
The Old Fire
Language as Liberation
Autobiography of Cotton
I Give You My Silence
A Marsh Island
Partita

Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
(Thanks Vivian)
VENETIAN VESPERS John Banville

THE TWO ROBERTS Damian Barr

EDEN’S SHORE Oisín Fagan

HELM Sarah Hall

THE PRETENDER Jo Harkin

BOUNDARY WATERS Tristan Hughes

THE MATCHBOX GIRL Alice Jolly

EDENGLASSIE Melissa Lucashenko

BENBECULA Graeme Macrae Burnet

ONCE THE DEED IS DONE Rachel Seiffert

THE ARTIST Lucy Steeds

SEASCRAPER Benjamin Wood

Eighteenth-century women writers from Jane Austen’s Bookshelf:
Fanny Burney
Evelina
Cecilia
Camilla

Ann Radcliffe
The Mysteries of Udolpho 📌
The Romance of the Forest
The Italian

Charlotte Lennox
The Life of Harriot Stuart📌
The Female Quixote
Henrietta

Charlotte Smith
Emmeline 📌
Elegiac Sonnets 📌
The Old Manor House
Desmond

Elizabeth Inchbald
A Simple Story

Maria Edgeworth
Castle Rackrent
Belinda
The Absentee

Shakespeare
King John

Read in 2026

1. Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle*
2. Wolf Bells*
3. Bog Queen
4. Atavists: Stories
5. Dreams from My Father*🎧
6. Sacrament 💜
7. The Unswept Room*
8. The Fifth Season*
9. Wild Dark Shore 💜
10. Charlotte Smith and the Sonnet
11. The Lark*

January Books
Books read: 11
By women: 10
By men: 1

Novels: 7
Poems: 1
Memoir: 1
Short stories: 1
Nonfiction: 1

Library: 5
From my shelves: 6

Best of the month: Sacrament and Wild Dark Shore


12. Give Unto Others*
13. Mecca 🎧 REREAD 💜
14. At Midnight Comes the Cry
15. One Aladdin Two Lamps 💜
16. Audition
17. The Life of Harriot Stuart Written By Herself
18. Trickster's Point* 🎧
19. Fonseca 💜
20. The House of the Spirits*💜

*From my shelves
💜 Favorite

Weeded/Acquired
In an effort to read from my shelves and to keep myself accountable.

Weeded


Acquired
1. The Roof Beneath Their Feet
2. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

You Must Read This
I read this late in 2025 and loved this short novel. My comments:

Aerth
Magnus of Arden lives on Aerth in an agrarian society that is confronting an approaching ice age. Growing seasons are short and people are taught to work together and "do no harm" and to "walk gently." Yet Magnus is restless and leaves his place on the farm to join the space program. He wants to explore and to see the colony on Mars. As he prepares to go to Mars, another planet on the opposite side of the sun from Aerth is discovered. Urth is hot, overcrowded, polluted. Magnus goes there with a team to learn about Urth but soon becomes homesick for the forests and the nature of earth. Will he ever be able to return?

This is a lovely, contemplative novel that centers on Magnus' journey, while at the same time provoking questions about what holds value. The writing is poetic; I love the descriptions:

"Landscapes roll beneath you in vast expanses of coloration, like butterfly wings, chameleon skin. Green and blue -- no, emerald, sapphire, like jewels forged deep in rock. Or...hues of olives, lime, forest, moss, spinach, kale, pine, spring leaves, new grass, keep, carrageen, fresh climbing bean. And...teal, peacock, flash of jay's wings. Kingfisher, cornflower, borage, grey-blue-green, slate, iron, sand, granite, desert, terracotta, black."

Oh, and Ali Smith blurbs it!

Celestial Lights, which I also loved, reminds me of Aerth in some ways. Both are recommended.

Lovely topper, Beth! Happy New Year!

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026, Beth

>1 BLBera: I want that chair!

>3 BLBera: Love the list of favorites, Beth. I will have to check out those I have not already read especially Ali Smith's book.

>8 BLBera: I have not even heard of that one! I will have to see if my library has a copy of it. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Beth!

>3 BLBera: I’ve read The Mermaid Of Black Conch and The White Woman on a Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey and really enjoyed both of them. I’d strongly recommend them if you want to read more by her.

>8 BLBera: I like the sound of Aerth.

Happy new year Beth! I look forward to following your reading, and sharing our thoughts on the authors from Jane Austen's Bookshelf.

Happy New Year, Beth! Congratulations! You’re my first book bullet of 2026 with Aerth. Book buying ban begins for me today but I’ll check the library. Lucky me, I won’t Celestial Lights in Early Reviewer!
Have a great reading year!

Happy new year and new thread, Beth. If I walked into your topper, I may never come out! Gorgeous!

May I suggest seeing if the Obama memoir (Dreams From my Father) is available on audio? I have tried to read all of his books on audio, just to listen to him read to me. Sometimes, I even followed along with the hard copy in hand. With all the garbage in the news these days, the voice of this intelligent, articulate man is a balm for the soul.

Happy 2026, Beth!

What a great way to start the New Year! Visitors.
>10 vancouverdeb: Welcome, Deborah. Happy New Year.

>11 PaulCranswick: Lovely photo, Paul. Happy New Year to you.

>12 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I hope you love those from my favorites as much as I did. Happy New Year.

>13 SandDune: Hi Rhian. Happy New Year. I would be interested in your comments on Aerth.

>14 lauralkeet: Happy New Year, Laura. I am in the final volume of Emmeline right now. I would be interested in Smith's poetry as well.

>15 Carmenere: Happy New Year Lynda. If you like Celestial Lights, you will love Aerth as well. Good luck with the book buying ban.

>16 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. Yes, I have been listening to Obama. I miss him. I think the audiobook is due soon, so I may have to finish reading it, but I do have a physical book.

>17 swynn: Happy 2026 to you as well, Steve.

Well, time for some reading. And later maybe some thread visits.

Hi Beth! Happy New Year!

Best wishes for the new year, Beth! I look forward to seeing where your reading takes you.

Looking forward to keeping up with you this year!

Welcome back, Beth!

Happy New Year, Beth. Wishing you a healthy, book-filled 2026. I also loved There Are Rivers in the Sky. It just missed my top 5.

Happy New Year, Beth. Here's to a great year of reading!

There is a flurry of activity going on today on L.T. So fun to see all the return visitors. Happy New Year to you and family Beth! What you see looking out the window in your beautiful topper >1 BLBera: is what I am seeing looking out my daughter's windows in Fernie, British Columbia. It is gorgeous here!

Happy new year and new thread, Beth!!

Happy New Year Beth, and happy first thread of 2026.

Reading and retirement - two of my favorite things, too.

Happy 2026, Beth! I've got you starred, and I'll be back (say that in your best "Terminator" voice!)

Karen O

Hi Beth, loitering in the 75s from time to time to keep up with your thread. Looking forward to more great book bullets in 2026. Happy New Year.

>19 ffortsa: A visit from Judy! Thanks.

>20 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. Ditto.

>21 ursula: Hi Ursula.

>22 drneutron: Thanks Jim. And thanks for setting all this up.

>23 msf59: Hi Mark. I am hopeful. I will be watching your thread as well.

>24 ChrisG1: Ditto Chris.

>25 mdoris: Yes, there is always a lot of activity on the first couple of days.

>26 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I hope to see you in person in 2026.

>27 karenmarie: Hi Karen - Yes, retirement is pretty great.

>28 klobrien2: I'll be waiting, Karen.

>29 AlisonY: Loiter away, Alison. You always read such interesting things. Happy New Year to you.

I was sitting reading Emmeline and my daughter called to invite me to see a movie. We saw "Anaconda," which is pretty funny. If you are a Jack Black fan, you would like it. A nice way to start the new year.

Hi TwinB!! Here's to a healthy, book-filled 2026!!

The Wayne and I might go see "Anaconda" this weekend. I'm a Paul Rudd fan 🙂

>31 Berly: Hey back TwinK! Happy 2026 to you as well.

>32 katiekrug: It is a lot of fun, Katie. We laughed pretty hard in places.

Hi Beth,

Glad to see your reading year has started so well. I'm noting the Ali Smith recommendation - I still have to finish her seasonal quartet though, so getting to Gliff might take a while!

Thank you for finding me so quickly over on the Category Challenge. I too am hoping to read more of my own books this year.

I wish you a healthy and happy New Year filled with many exciting books. May all your wishes come true.

Happy New Year, Beth!

>34 charl08: Happy New Year, Charlotte. Maybe we can be a mini-support group for reading from our shelves!

>35 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I hope your 2026 is wonderful.

>36 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. Happy New Year to you. I hope 2026 is good to you.

Happy New Year, Beth!

I’d love that library up there, but please with the view!

And I liked your one-line reviews of your favorite books, making me want to read them.

Happy New Year, Beth!

As always I love seeing your favorites. These Days and Jane Austen's Bookshelf are speaking to me (and the post with the list of influential authors is very helpful). I did not know Ali Smith had a new book so I will hurry and find that.

Happy new year and new thread, Beth!!

>38 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. I hope you enjoy any books you read from my favorites list.

>39 AnneDC: Anne! Happy 2026 to you. I think Ali Smith's new book comes out in the spring. You will love both These Days and Jane Austen's Bookshelf. I was unfamiliar with two of the authors, Charlotte Lennox and Charlotte Smith. I am finishing Emmeline right now and am very impressed with it.

>40 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba. Are you cruising yet?

>37 BLBera: All encouragement gratefully received... and reciprocated, of course!

Happy new year! Happy new thread!

Jane Austen's Bookshelf sounds perfect for my sooner rather than later TBR. Thanks for all the good recommendations.

Happy New Year!

>1 BLBera: I want to live there. Yes, just there, in that little reading nook. That's all I need (except maybe with a footstool and a little table to put my cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate). ;D

I've added Aerth to my TBR list.

Happy New Year, Beth!

Happy new year, Beth!

I enjoyed seeing your 2025 favorites - I’m currently reading These Days.

Popping in to drop a star. I love your topper picture. Happy New Year!

Happy new year, Beth! Looking forward to following your reads for another year :)

Welcome Charlotte, Karen, Mary, Susan, Joanne, Lisa, and Mary. I hope your 2026 is starting off with some great reading.

My first completed novel of 2026!


Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle
Charlotte Smith is one of the authors I learned about in Jane Austen's Bookshelf. Emmeline was her first published novel, appearing in 1788. Smith was an accomplished poet, but she turned to novel writing to support her children because she got no help from her good-for-nothing husband. Prose was more lucrative than poetry.

In the late eighteenth century novels were not entirely respectable, and when reading Emmeline one can see why parents would not want their daughters reading too many of these "courtship novels." At heart, many of these novels are transgressive, which is surprising.

In these novels, young women want some choice in whom they will marry. They want more than financial security -- they want also a man of good character. It is a matter of life and death for them because they have no rights inside the marriage.

Emmeline is an orphan and grows up in an isolated castle, cared for by a housekeeper. Her parents were not married and they died when she was a baby. Emmeline's father's brother provides for her. When she's 16, her uncle and his son and heir, Delamere, visit the castle, and Delamere falls passionately in love with young Emmeline, who wants nothing to do with him. And the action begins, with Emmeline fleeing and Delamere pursuing. Along the way, Emmeline makes friends and sees many examples of unhappy marriages, girls who were married at a young age to men with money.

The novel isn't perfect. By the fourth and final volume, I am ready for Emmeline and the good man she finds early in volume three to tie the knot and ride off into the sunset. But there are several plot lines to resolve.

Smith deserves more recognition. I found her novels through interlibrary loan. I would like to read some of her poetry -- Wordsworth admired her.

Recommended for fans of Austen.

Happy New Year, Beth!

So soon , a novel completed! Go Beth!

Happy New Year, Beth - and happy reading - I can see you are already making your mark on 2026 reading-vise.

Jane Austen's Bookshelf is a book right up my alley - thanks for the recommendation.

>51 AMQS: Thanks Anne. I love your graphic.

>52 vancouverdeb: Don't be too impressed, Deborah. I did start it the week before New Year's.

>53 ctpress: I found it fascinating, but I love literary criticism. I did learn about two new-to-me writers though, so I will pursue Smith and Charlotte Lennox.

>50 BLBera: Ooh, that review of Emmeline is most enticing, Beth. Her books are definitely less available than some of the other pre-Austen authors which I've seen in multiple editions from different publishers. I bought The Old Manor House a few months ago, and thanks to you (smile) it looks like I'll have to track down Emmeline at some point.

>50 BLBera: That looks fun. I have Charlotte Smith's books among my candidates for the book-a-year project, so there's a good chance I'll pick it up when I get to 1788.

>55 lauralkeet: What edition of The Old Manor House did you find, Laura? I did find a copy through Interlibrary loan...

>56 swynn: Charlotte Smith is definitely worth reading, Steve, MUCH better than Richardson.

Love the topper!

>5 BLBera: I really enjoyed Jane Austen's Bookshelf, too. I thought she did an excellent job of weaving in the authors, the antiquarian book business and her own background story.

Of the authors you mention in >5 BLBera::
--Fanny Burney--read all 3, liked Evelina the best; I tend to like epistolary novels
--Ann Radcliffe--I still need to read The Mysteries of Udolpho
--Charlotte Lennox--The Female Quixote--I had trouble with the 18th century text style, so I switched to audio (read by Juliet Stevenson) and it worked a lot better for me
--Elizabeth Inchbald--I've only read "Lovers Vows" and it was fun to match up the play's characters with Austen's in Mansfield Park
--Maria Edgeworth--I enjoyed all 3 of these and I have a nonfiction of hers to read this month

>50 BLBera: Way back when, we did a group read of Emmeline. You might find some of the observations interesting:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/307635

Thanks Kathy. I read Evelina so long ago that I would like to read it again. I didn't really like The Mysteries of Udolpho. I do admire the transgressiveness of Smith in Emmeline and will probably read more by her. I will also check out her poetry.

One book in and already you got me with a BB, Beth! I hope you had a good New Year celebration and all set for the coming year.

>57 BLBera: Beth, my edition has the ISBN 9781528722759. I found it on Bookshop.org. The publisher is new to me: "Fantasy and Horror Classics, an imprint of Read & Co." The copyright page also says, "Read & Co. is part of Read Books Ltd. For more information visit www.readandcobooks.co.uk".

This piqued my curiosity so just now I looked at the website and their About page says, "Read & Co. is a small independent publishing house dedicated to the restoration and republication of out-of-print works, championing forgotten voices and classic texts, to ensure their longevity for future readers." Nice!

>60 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. If you like eighteenth century literature, you will love this. The pace is frustrating at times.

>61 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I will look for that. I am wary of unknown publishers of books in the public domain. I've gotten a few copies that were really poorly done, lots of errors and REALLY small print. But, in the interest of not adding to my shelves, if I can find an interlibrary loan copy, I might just do that.

Happy New Year, Beth!

Have a happy new year, Beth! I finally managed to make my way over to your thread. It sure takes a while to get around to all the threads at the start of the new year.

Your topper is so inviting! I would love a reading room like that. >9 BLBera: I also love your colorful Welcome sign.

Happy new thread Beth, and on to another year of good reading.

I'm dropping by to wish you and yours all the very best for 2026. Happy New Year Beth!

Thanks Nora, Irene, Ardene, and Nina! Happy New Year to all of you.

Hi Beth, I finished These Days and loved it. I think it was both you and Deborah that recommended it so thanks for that!

Wolf Bells
I loved Red Clocks by Leni Zumas and really looked forward to Wolf Bells. The premise is intriguing, a big old house, a bit like a nursing home, where young tenants can live for free if they help with the "olds." Caz, the owner, is descended from the sea captain who originally built the house. In her fifties, Caz was once in a punk band, mostly forgotten now.

The house more or less works, but when two runaway children arrive, things become complicated.

The writing is great, wonderful description and there is humor and compassion. It's a fairly short novel, though, and I would have liked to know more about the characters. We get a basic description, but I never feel I know most of them well at all. There's also a fair amount about the sea captain who built the house, and I'm not sure that adds to the novel.

Overall, it was a fun read, but I would have liked more depth to the characters.

Great cover.

>69 BLBera: that looks like a good one, Beth.

>70 AMQS: It was good, Anne. I wish it would have been longer.

>69 BLBera: I was disappointed that I couldn't get along with Red Clocks when I tried it a few years ago when so many of my friends were really impressed by it. I must try again with her soon.

>72 PaulCranswick: Well, we can't all like the same books, Paul. But maybe try something else by Zumas.

Here is a preview for some anticipated books of 2026. You're welcome.

https://lithub.com/lit-hubs-most-anticipated-books-of-2026/7/

>74 BLBera: Lot of interesting looking books in that list, Beth. I took note of Freyja , a nordic noir mystery. I am a fan of what I call scandicrime.

>74 BLBera: I always love looking over lists like this. Thanks for sharing!

>75 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. I am excited about the new novel by Maggie O'Farrell, and I see Emily St. John Mandel also has a new one coming.

>76 thornton37814: They are fun -- just what we need, right? More books on our wishlists!

>74 BLBera: - Oooh, a new Richard Russo!

I only perused the last page and will have to go back to see what else I can look forward to :)

>78 katiekrug: There is almost too much, Katie. I only skimmed. Yes, the Russo sounds good.

Hi Beth,
I haven't set up a thread yet but, one week into the new year, I'm treading gently into new threads. I'm trying to figure out how to balance my love for this group with all the other demands on my time and attention, most especially my new watercolor painting passion. In any case, I've dropped off my star and look forward to books, books, and more books in 2026.

Yay! A list!

>74 BLBera: Valerie Lusielli has a new book coming out! (Beginning, middle, end) I'm also curious about several others, including Claudia Rankine's Triage and Paul Yoon's Etna. Will I read any of them? Tune in later this year to find out.

>74 BLBera: Another Colson Whitehead novel, making a trilogy of his Ray Carney stories. Also, I see another Emily St. John Mandel novel - I'll go for both of those for sure!

>80 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. Happy New Year. There will be books!

>81 charl08: I know. I skimmed it but will look in more detail later.

>82 markon: I will turn in, Ardene. Lists like these make it so hard to keep my resolution to read more from my shelves.

>83 ChrisG1: Hi Chris. I can't wait to see what St. John Mandel comes up with next. It's looking like a good year for reading.

Here's a smaller list:

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5645847/new-books-reading-list-2026

>77 BLBera: I put a hold on the new Maggie O'Farrell, Beth, thanks to you and the list. It will be a while until the library gets it. Thanks for all of the book ideas.

>85 BLBera: Many of those on that list are the ones that made it to my list of possibilities from the longer list--or at least ones that I considered adding to it.

>86 vancouverdeb: I can't wait for the new novel by Maggie O'Farrell. It sounds great.

>87 thornton37814: It's nice to look at the shorter lists sometime. They are easier to digest.

>50 BLBera: Recommended for fans of Austen. Well, that includes me. I will have to see if I can locate a copy.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Bog Queen
I've read Outlawed and America Pacifica by Anna North and was really looking forward to her new novel Bog Queen. These novels are all distinct, and I like it when an author has the ability to surprise.

In some ways, Bog Queen is an historical novel; North alternates between the story of the American anthropologist investigating the body and the story of the bog body. I am not always a fan of this type of storytelling because all too often, one story is more compelling than the other, but in this case this method works.

The moss also narrates some parts of the novel, adding to a feeling of the timelessness of the bog, and at times, some humor: "A colony of moss does not notice or care about objects placed within it. But if such a colony were to speak on the items buried in its depths over the millennia, it might say this: Send more fruit...Fruits provide us with nitrogen, which we need for turning sunlight into fuel...Also, they taste good."

Agnes, the anthropologist, an American, is doing her postdoc work in the UK and is called to identify a body. The body turns out not to be the murder victim they expected, but instead a two-thousand-year-old bog body. Agnes, not good with people, suddenly has to deal with press, developers who want to build on the bog and protesters who want to preserve it. Her story alternates with that of the druid, who is the body they discovered. The druid's story is fascinating because she is living during a time of change in Britain, and in many ways is similar to Agnes.

North raises questions about conservation and history, and I will think about them when I visit historical digs.

I enjoyed this. The cover is beautiful.

Next, another library books that I have also been looking forward to: Sacrament by Susan Straight. I loved Mecca and I think some of the characters from that return in her new novel.

Great review of Bog Queen, Beth; that does sound interesting!

>90 BLBera: I didn't know I wanted to read a book that was partially narrated by moss until now, but this sounds absolutely fascinating! I'm going to have to keep a lookout for it.

>90 BLBera: Interesting, Beth. It reminds me of an Amazon Single I read last year, The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín. It is told from two perspectives, an archaeologist and the spirits of the Neolithic people who inhabit the dig site.

Maggie O'Farrell has a new novel coming out? -- yay!! I'm definitely interested in that!

>91 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl.

>92 DarthFisticuffs: I hope you enjoy it.

>93 labfs39: I will have to look for that story, Lisa. I did enjoy the novel.

>94 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! I think it's coming out in June. I may have preordered it...I don't have to count it until it arrives, right? How's the football? Is your team playing? Winning?

>95 BLBera: Totally don't have to count it until it arrives!

My team has a bye this week so I'm (sort of) watching games about which I care very little. It allows for much more multitasking.

Just realized we'll be able to watch the winter Olympics with our new YouTube TV subscription, too. Cool beans.

Atavists
In this collection of connected stories, Millet examines the different ways in which people seek to connect with each other. Some people use dating apps to find a partner, while others find community in online gaming. Still, the real connections come as people interact fact-to-face. In "Artist," Mia begins to help an elderly neighbor learn how to use her smart phone, and ends by finding fulfillment by volunteering at a senior center. In "Mixologist," a bartender feels concern when regulars stop appearing at the bar. Even the characters we only meet briefly are memorable.

It's interesting that as Millet shows us the importance of human interaction, I am reading Sacrament, a novel set in 2020 during the COVID surge. It also shows how isolation adversely affects the nurses who are separated from their families -- even if it is to protect them.

This is a really good story collection.

>96 EBT1002: Lots of quality LT time, Ellen! I look forward to seeing the latest art you are making.

>90 BLBera: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Beth!

>97 BLBera: I have read a couple of Millet's books. I will have to see if I can find a copy of that one too.

Have a marvelous Monday!

>74 BLBera: Oh great list! thanks!

>90 BLBera: You may have tipped the scales for me with that one, Beth. I was tempted, was not sure, was decidedly indecisive but now I reckon I'm sold.

>99 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I love Millet. Her books are always so original.

>100 figsfromthistle: You are welcome, Anita.

>101 PaulCranswick: I hope you enjoy it, Paul.

>90 BLBera: and >97 BLBera: Sigh. Adding both to the wish list. I wish the Seattle Public Library didn't limit my Holds to just ten at a time.

>90 BLBera: I read Outlawed in 2021 and enjoyed it. Sounds like America Pacifica is also a good one?

>90 BLBera: That one sounds intriguing, Beth. Especially the moss.

Thanks for the lists, I love looking through them. I’ll never get caught up with everything I want to read. Such troubles! :)

Ooh, all the lists, Beth you temptress! But one of your actual reads also got my attention, Bog Queen and it's on my hold list at a library because why not? It also reminds me of a time when I talked my father into going to an exhibition about bog bodies. His girlfriend was horrified but I was fascinated. There's no accounting for taste.

Atavists sounds interesting , Beth. I'll keep my eye out for it.

>103 EBT1002: Only 10 holds? I used to be able to have 30, but they reduced it to 20, and I was feeling bad about that.

>104 EBT1002: America Pacifica is a climate change dystopian novel I really liked it.

I am reading another good one now, Sacrament.

>105 Copperskye: Hi Joanne - You are very welcome. I have added a few to my WL. I think you'd like Bog Queen.

>106 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I want others to share my excitement about new books. :) I love bog bodies. That was my number one wish when I went to Ireland, to see some bog bodies. I took some pictures in the museum and my daughter thought they looked disgusting. You're right, no accounting for taste.

>107 vancouverdeb: I love Millet, Deborah, and she is a very good short story writer.

Dreams from My Father
This is Barack Obama's memoir about growing up. It covers his life until he goes to Harvard Law School. Obama opens up about his feelings about growing up without knowing his Kenyan father, his ongoing struggles with identity, and his frustrations as an organizer in Chicago.

The memoir ends with his first visit to Kenya to meet his father's side of his family. He learns: "I saw that my life in America -- the black life, the white life, the sense of abandonment I'd felt as a boy, the frustration and hope I'd witnessed in Chicago -- all of it was connected with this small plot of earth an ocean away, connected by more than the accident of a name or the color of my skin. The pain I felt was my father's pain. My questions were my brothers' questions. Their struggles my birthright."

Obama writes well, and I enjoyed learning about his life growing up. I felt he was honest, and open about his life and struggles.

I partly listened and partly read this. I discovered that the audiobook, read by Obama, was abridged, so I filled in the gaps by reading the parts not included in the audiobook. It was great to listen to him read this.

I miss him! I will read more of his books.

>108 BLBera: Yeah, we used to be able to have 25 books on hold at one time. Ten is really restrictive. I understand why they reduced it, but it's a nuisance (because I did exactly what they didn't want folks going, leaving things on hold practically into perpetuity and making it hard for them to assess how many copies they really need to maintain in their stacks).

>110 BLBera: I never did get around to reading that. I miss him, too.

Hi Ellen! I do the same thing. Some books I've had on hold for months. The Obama memoir is worthwhile. I have another one by him and I will try to read that one soon.

I just finished Sacrament-- just wonderful. I loved Mecca, and this novel has some character crossover and the same setting. It's the summer of 2020, and Laurette and Charisse are both nurses who take care of COVID patients. It is such a powerful book.

Now I can start The Fifth Season.:)

And, here's another list: https://themillions.com

Sacrament
I loved this novel. In it Straight returns to the world of Mecca, yet while immigration was the focus of Mecca, in this new novel, the author takes us back to the summer of 2020 and COVID.

Larette and Charisse are nurses in the ICU, caring for COVID patients. They have moved to trailers a few blocks from the hospital so they don't take COVID home. Straight does such a good job of describing the setting that I was taken aback while standing in line at a store when people didn't keep their distance!

The focus is on the sacrifices of the essential workers. Larette's son and Cherisse's daughter think their mothers have chosen patients over them. The kids are starved for in-person interactions; their lives are being lived on Zoom and social media.

Yet, there is so much generosity in people. Neighbors watch each other's houses and when Cherisse's daughter Raquel is in trouble, a stranger helps her out.

I didn't want this to end. The cover is gorgeous.

I finished The Unswept Room, a collection of poems by Sharon Olds. If you are an Olds fan, you will like it. As usual, she writes about relationships, mother, lovers, daughters. I enjoyed it.

>114 BLBera: This sounds really good; I'll see if I can borrow a copy from one of my local library systems.

It is wonderful.

>110 BLBera: I also enjoyed this memoir. The Audacity of hope was also good I still have to read a promised land which has been on my shelf for a long time.

Happy weekend!

I am a big fan of Lydia Millet and Atavists sounds great. It is nice she is so prolific.

Happy Saturday, Beth.

>188 banjo123: Hi Anita. I also have the last memoir on my shelf. He is such a good writer! I would like to read it soonish, but we'll see.

>119 msf59: Hi Mark. If you are a Millet fan, you will like Atavists. I love her linked stories. Happy Saturday to you. It is cold here.

>50 BLBera: I read Emmeline several years ago, and I think it was one of Liz's tutored reads. I remember growing frustrated with the characters and how much the plot was drawn out.

They did earn more if they had more volumes, Carrie, but I agree. I liked the novel, but the ending was a bit too drawn out. I am reading her poetry now.

Hi Beth! You review books so beautifully. You got me with >97 BLBera: Atavists and >114 BLBera: Sacrament. Thank you!

Thanks, Anne! I think writing about books I really loved helps. If you haven't read Mecca, a companion to Sacrament, you should. It's also great.

Thanks for all the lists! I invested in a paper reading journal and it has a spot to note all the books coming out in 2026. You have gotten me off on a great start!

It also has a TBR spot and I am reserving those spaces for books I really want to read sooner rather than later, including >90 BLBera: and >114 BLBera:. Both sound excellent. You have gotten a great start this year.

You are welcome, Karen. I am happy to enable all of my reader friends. I have a little notebook of TBR books and it seems never-ending.

I think you will like both Bog Queen and Sacrament. I should maybe have done a content warning for Sacrament; it is pretty grim reading about COVID, and depending on your experience, it may not be for you. I would also recommend Mecca; it's set in the same place and there is some crossover with the characters.

>114 BLBera: Oh dear, another one for my wish list.

It was great, Ellen. Did you read Mecca?

>114 BLBera: The cover is indeed lovely, Beth.

I will keep an eye out for that one.

You are reading some very good books. For now, I'm adding Sacrament. Thanks for your wonderful review!

Adding Sacrament to my wish list. I also loved Mecca.

And I'll keep a look out for Atavists and Bog Queen.

I've read and enjoyed two Obama memoirs but I think Dreams from My Father is the one I have not read.

>129 PaulCranswick: It's great, Paul.

>130 Whisper1: You are welcome, Linda. I am having a good year of reading so far.

>131 AnneDC: Hi Anne. If you loved Mecca, you will love Sacrament. In fact, I found my library has Mecca on audio, so I am listening to it.

I think you would like the Millet and the North as well. I think Dreams from My Father was the first one, lots about growing up.

Our forecast high temp for Friday is -11F. That's without the wind chill. It's a bit nippy here now.

>133 BLBera: A bit nippy is cold....brr. Can you stay inside?

>133 BLBera: We're currently at 0F with wind chill -11, and I thought that was cold. Supposed to be colder here this weekend too.

>134 Whisper1: We just dress warm, in layers, lots of layers.

>135 labfs39: They are expecting windchills in the -40 range in the next few days. We usually have a few spells like this every winter. It will pass.

>133 BLBera: BRRRrrr! That’s stay inside and read weather, for sure! We’re finally getting some cold temps this weekend, but it should stay above zero.

Wow - that's super cold.

I had to convert the F to C, which got me thinking about how for the first half of my life we only spoke about the weather in Fahrenheit, but now I struggle to think outside of Celsius. Somehow metric eventually won that battle, yet we're still in a mix of metric and imperial for everything else, which remains confusing. If I'm driving from A to B I think of it in miles, but if I'm in a running race or on a gym erg machine I think in km. Height is feet and inches, yet if I'm measuring with a ruler I'll do it in cm.

Sorry - I digressed heavily into corners of my own brain there...

>137 Copperskye: It is chilly. But I worked up a sweat when I was shoveling this morning.

>138 AlisonY: Today it is -11 C., Alison and tomorrow it is forecast to be -24 C. That is without wind chill. We have gusty winds, so it feels much colder, I think they are expecting -40 for tomorrow with the wind chill. That is interesting. We mostly use imperial here. I used to know C. because I lived in a country that used it, but I have forgotten.

Digressions are welcome.

The Fifth Season
I don't usually read Sci-fi, but The Fifth Season was a compelling read. In order for sci-fi to work for me, there has to be great character development. The world building is important, too, but I don't care about a world if I don't care about its people. Jemisin has created some great characters and I wanted to see what would happen with them.

It's the story of Essun, an orogene, someone who can control the earth's movement, quakes, volcanoes. In this world orogenes are feared and often murdered if a disastrous earthquake destroys a village. Essun has been living in hiding with her husband and two children when there is a catastrophic volcanic eruption that will end the world. She is forced to leave her home, and this is the story of her journey.

It's interesting because disasters are blamed on Father Earth although "According to legend, Father Earth did not originally hate life...Then people began to do horrible things...They poisoned waters beyond even his ability to cleanse, and killed much of the other life that lived on his surface..." Is this a future earth? There's lots to think about here.

This is the first novel of a trilogy and I will probably read the others at some point. I look forward to our discussion.

The Australian Open is cutting into my reading time.

>139 BLBera: Brrr!!! I will probably head north when I retire, and I'm not looking forward to winter!

We are currently forecast to get icy rain/sleet on Saturday, which is worse than snow. It's been raining off & on all day.

Glad you enjoyed The broken earth. I'm a science fiction reader, and I thought Jemisin deserved every Hugo she won. (best novel for each volume - no one has ever done that before.)

>139 BLBera: Do you mean -11F?

ETA: I just checked the forcast, and our wind chills are predicted to reach -20 to -40F on Saturday, depending on how far you are from the coast, and Sunday they are predicting 12-18" of snow. Fun weekend.

>142 markon: It's good to hear that all the novels of the trilogy are good, Ardene. Freezing rain is the worst -- good bone breaking weather for us! We have been spoiled with winter recently. Our last couple have been pretty mild. This year we've had a lot of snow and it has been cold.

>143 labfs39: I think it's -11 C. today, above zero air temp, just barely though. Tomorrow the high will be -11 F, with -40 F. wind chill. Well, maybe ICE will stay inside.

Sweet Thursday, Beth. Keep warm & safe up there in MN. This is going to be nasty.

Thanks Mark.

>110 BLBera: That is one that I have had in the BlackHole forever. I really must get it read. Thank you for the reminder, Beth!

>114 BLBera: Thanks for that recommendation. My mother was a nurse and I know from experience how hard she worked - and it was not even during COVID.

>140 BLBera: Yeah, I really have to get that one read! I have owned it for years.

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm!!

Hi Beth. I did read Mecca in 2022 and gave it 4.5 stars. But I remember very little about it.

I just looked back at your review of Mecca and the book, or at least the gist of it and the feel of it, came back to me. Timely, I'd say.

Hi Ellen: I am following in your footsteps and reading Wild Dark Shore. It is hard to put down.

If you liked Mecca, you will like Sacrament; Straight has found her spot in Southern California.

Brrr, it sounds cold, Beth. I didn't enjoy Wild Dark Shore, but I did give it 4 stars as I felt it was well written. I hope you enjoy it.

Hi Beth, I am surprised and shocked that this is my first visit to your thread in 2026. Of course I immediately got side-tracked by the lists of upcoming books and now I have myself quite a list of my own! I see you are off on another great reading year!

>151 vancouverdeb: It is pretty nippy, Deborah. I am finding Wild Dark Shore compelling reading. The description is amazing.

>152 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! Welcome.

As soon as I check out There are Rivers in the Sky, opening up a spot in my holds queue, I will put Sacrament on hold.

It was 6F when I got up this morning but it has now gotten up to almost 40F. We desperately need snow.

I loved There Are Rivers in the Sky! You are starting the year with some great reads. It has been hovering around 1-2 F. all day, but now that the sun has gone down, it is in the minus territory again. I feel for the protesters. It's quiet here today, but I imagine we will be out again soon if things don't get better.

You will love Sacrament.

>140 BLBera: I loved that entire series, but then science fiction is my happy place. I look forward to your thoughts as you continue.

>156 swynn: Hi Steve. I will read the others in the series. Jemisin is a talented writer.

Wild Dark Shore
Wild Dark Shore is stunning in its evocation of place. Shearwater is an isolated island near Antarctica, home to the Salt family, father Dominic and children Raff, Fen, and Orly. The sea is rising, taking away bits of the island, and the Salt family are in the process of closing up the research station in preparation to leaving the island. When a woman washes up on the shore, everything changes and we begin to see that the family has secrets.

The story is told from the points of view of the family members and of Rowan, the woman. The voices are distinct, and we get to know the characters very well.

In the end, in the midst of the storms and destruction, the novel is about love and the inevitability of loss. It's beautiful.

Another great book set on an island.

>156 swynn: I loved this, Beth! So glad it worked for you.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/the-neighbors-defending-minnesota-from...

>160 BLBera: Thank you so much for the link! It’s a great article about Minnesota’s current state. Tears of outrage and sorrow.

Karen O

>158 BLBera: yesss!!!

>160 BLBera: I saw this earlier today-- an excellent piece. My brother and his wife live in Minnetonka and are currently helping with food delivery to those who don't feel safe leaving their homes. I sent a donation to an organization they recommended, Dios Habla Hoy Ministries Inc. Here's a recent article about the overwhelming number of requests they've received:
Amid ICE operations, Minneapolis church steps up to help thousands of families

>162 lauralkeet: Laura, was there a website listed in the article? I would like to help.

Karen O

I found the church’s website, and the options for helping are very clearly shown. www.dhhmn.com.

>162 lauralkeet: Laura, was there a website listed in the article? I would like to help.

Karen O

I found the church’s website, and the options for helping are very clearly shown. https://www.dhhmn.com/operations

>158 BLBera: I really loved Wild Dark Shore also. The setting was so fantastic.

I donated to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ilcm.org)

>164 klobrien2: thanks for adding the link, I should have thought of that.

>159 vivians: I took note, Vivian, that it was one of your favorites from last year. You never steer me wrong.

>161 klobrien2: You are welcome. It was a great article.

>162 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. If you visit your brother, you'll have to let me know. We have have a Minnesota meet up.

>164 klobrien2: Thanks for the link, Karen.

>165 japaul22: Have you read others by MCConaghy? I am a sucker for great settings.

>166 labfs39: Thanks Lisa.

>167 lauralkeet: Thanks!

If you want to laugh, watch Tommy Brennan's comment on ICE from SNL.

>160 BLBera: That echoes what a woman from Minneapolis was telling my boss last week. She has 2 grown up adopted Indian children who are US citizens, and they are scared to leave their home even though they have full legal status in case they get detained.

That was really shocking to me. I hadn't gathered from the UK news that this is just how bad it has become.

>168 BLBera: Yes, I've read Migrations and Once There Were Wolves. I really liked both of them and they both have great settings. Once There Were Wolves has quite a bit of violence, including against women, just FYI. I will read anything Charlotte McConaghy writes!

Hooray for Wild Dark Shore. McConaghy has quickly become a favorite author mine. She ticks off the right boxes. Migrations remains my favorite.

>166 labfs39: Thanks for mentioning ILCM Lisa. The website is listed correctly, so I got to it just fine, but the link goes to a new topic LT page.

>170 AlisonY: I think it's pretty scary. We saw a drop in traffic in the metro-Atlanta area for a week or so when our governor welcomed ICE to Georgia last year. (Georgia is not a blue state, but the metro area votes democratic.)

>173 markon: Sorry about that, it's fixed.

>170 AlisonY: It is shocking, Alison. I hardly recognize this country.

>171 japaul22: Good to know, Jennifer. I have both books on my shelves.

>172 msf59: McConaghy writes beautifully, Mark. I will definitely read Migrations.

>173 markon: Thanks Ardene.

>174 labfs39: Thanks Lisa.

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5691707/bruce-springsteen-minneapolis-prote...

Charlotte Smith and the Sonnet
Charlotte Smith and the Sonnet explores Smith's evolution as a poet and argues for the recognition of her importance to both the sonnet and her influence on Romantic poets. The book comes from Bethan Roberts' dissertation, and as one would expect, is very academic in tone. However, it was informative, and I will look for the themes Roberts mentions as I read the sonnets.

It is shocking, what it going on in the US. I know so many people who are avoiding travel because of the problems there. I visited my son today and I know he and his family are going to Ontario and Quebec this summer. They usually spend a week in Hawaii each winter, but he said they are avoiding the US for now . I sure hope things settle down soon.

>177 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah.

>177 vancouverdeb: I would love it to be soon too, Deborah, but I fear it's going to take at least another three years -- and then probably more to repair the damage the idiot(s) has/have done :(

>179 RebaRelishesReading: It's going to take decades to repair the damage, and some is beyond repair, especially people's trust in government and law enforcement.

>179 RebaRelishesReading: Three more years. Sign.

>180 kac522: I am afraid you are right.

>181 BLBera: and of course the rest of the world's trust in us.

>182 kac522: I know. I don't think we will ever be able to get the trust back.

>158 BLBera: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again! Glad to see you enjoyed it so much.

>177 vancouverdeb: Shocking does not even begin to cover it, Deborah, IMHO. I do not blame your son for avoiding the U.S. Believe me, I wish I could right now.

I hope you have a super Saturday, Beth!

Thank you for sharing The Atlantic link, Beth.

We are fearful here that it will be Colorado’s turn soon. He’s doing a lot already to punish the state but Tina Peters is still in jail.

>184 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia.

>185 Copperskye: You are welcome. Fingers crossed that he gets distracted before heading to Colorado.

Hi Beth! Great reading as always. I tried Once There Were Wolves on audio and quickly figured out it was NOT for me, and since then I've been wary of Charlotte McConaghy. Maybe I should try another of hers.

>185 Copperskye:, >186 BLBera: I am worried about Colorado, too. It could be just a matter of time. What's happening in Minnesota is unbelievable.

Hi Beth-- gosh, the news from Minnesota sounds so horrible, but you must be proud that people in your state are sticking up for their neighbors.

>187 AMQS: Hi Anne. I haven't read anything else by McConaghy, but Wild Dark Shore was a beautiful book. Fingers crossed that you don't have a troop surge in Colorado.

>188 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Yes, things are pretty grim here. We are trying to support our neighbors.

Books read: 11
By women: 10
By men: 1

Novels: 7
Poems: 1
Memoir: 1
Short stories: 1
Nonfiction: 1

Library: 5
From my shelves: 6

Best of the month: Sacrament and Wild Dark Shore

>189 BLBera: Thinking of you and all those affected by current events, Beth. I will look for a red hat (not being a knitter! )

>191 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. This might give me the impetus to learn to knit.

The Lark
I read The Lark for my book club, but it is a fitting novel to read during these troubled days. The author Edith Nesbit is better known for her children's books, but she did also write fiction for adults. The Lark was written in 1922 and is very much a novel of its times with dated vocabulary and social mores that were probably becoming outdated as she wrote this.

Jane and Lucy are school girls when WWI comes to an end and they find that their guardian has lost their fortunes. So they must find a way to make their way in life. We see very little of the remnants of the war. Although the male characters are veterans, we don't see them as shell shocked victims. But, again, Nesbit is writing a "lark" of a novel about two nineteen-year-old girls trying to find their place in the world. The focus is on their adventures. They are likable young woman and the novel is charming.

I enjoyed the omniscient narrator and her constant comments on the girls and their situation. This was a fun novel.

>193 BLBera: The Lark sounds interesting, Beth. I read a lot of Edith Nesbit's books when I was young and did not realize she had written books for adults. A fun novel is just the thing in these sometimes challenging times.

Give Unto Others
Give Unto Others begins as Venice is recovering from the pandemic. Tourists are returning and restaurants are reopening, but Commisario Brunetti isn't too busy with crime. So, when a neighbor from his childhood asks for his help, he feels free to look into some vague suspicions about her son-in-law.

Of course, nothing is simple in Venice, and in the course of doing the favor, Brunetti stumbles into evidence of fraud.

The usual characters are back with some good reading and some good food. This is another good entry in the series.

>194 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. The lark was a perfect read for these days.

I am loving Jeannette Winterson's One Aladdin Two Lamps, a combination of memoir and literary criticism. She's writing about One Thousand and One Nights but also about reading and life.

There are SO many quotable passages but today what stands out:

"People ask me, what is the point of reading literature?
By literature I mean those works of the imagination that are more than page-turners to pass the time and be tossed away...

Literature allows complexity, but complexity doesn't mean obscurity. Literature doesn't mean boring. What we are hoping for-- well, what I am hoping for -- is a piece of work with the power to captivate us on many levels.

Yes, we want the story...Yes, we want to enter this new-- maybe strange -- world. And then we want something to happen, by which I mean something to happen to us. This new, maybe strange, world will pose questions, will prompt memories, will cause us to reflect on our own world."

Wonderful.

>197 BLBera: Winterson is fabulous.

>198 banjo123: I have been thinking that I love everything by Winterson that I've read; I need to search for more of her work.

>197 BLBera: I love Winterson too. I didn't know about this book though. Is it new?

>200 lauralkeet: Yes, it's new, Laura. It's not fiction.

Mecca
I wanted to read this again after reading Sacrament. This time I listened to the audiobook, which had male and female readers for the different narrators. The audio was well done.

My comments the first time:
I love this novel. Straight gives us a Southern California we can feel, the heat of the desert, the dryness of the canyons, and the congestion of the traffic. She also gives us the people, the black, brown, indigenous. No matter the citizenship status, her characters' legitimacy is constantly questioned.

When ICE officers ask about citizenship, "RC folded his arms and said, 'He speak French cause he born in Louisiana, man. He telling you his five great-grandma got here 1760, so they citizen before your people was chopping down cherry tree. Here. Take my damn license. My first people was Mustafa and he from Mali. Come to New Orleans in 1799. I did my AncestryDNA, man. You should do yours."

The story starts with Johnny Frias, a CHP officer who rides 200 miles a day on his motorcycle. The circle of characters widens to his friends and people he meets. These characters, besides the everyday racism, have to navigate the lockdowns of COVID, continuing in their jobs as butchers, nurses, maids, and police. They are the essential workers who become invisible, until, of course, immigration questions their status. And most of these characters are citizens.

There are a lot of characters, and Straight switches points of view. I sometimes had to refer back to keep characters straight. Still, it does all come together. That is only a small complaint, though, of this wonderful novel. Straight has given us a slice of America that we don't often see, and has done it beautifully.

The last scene in the novel with ICE really resonates in a different way today.

>197 BLBera: Added this to the wishlist. My birthday is coming up, so good timing for my non-subtle hints to my family...

>201 BLBera: thanks Beth, I just added it to my library wish list!

>202 BLBera: Wow! Great review. Sounds like an important book (although I'm not sure I want to fuel my existing anger/distress by reading it)

>193 BLBera: I will look for that one. Thanks for the review, Deborah!

>202 BLBera: I can get hold of Sacrament through my local library, but not that one. Is it preferable to read one before the other, or does it matter?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>203 charl08: You should ask for both Mecca and Sacrament, Charlotte.

>204 lauralkeet: I am really enjoying it, Laura.

>205 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba. It seems like a hopeful book to me...

>206 alcottacre: I don't think the order matters, Stasia.

I picked up Mecca in a Kindle sale at some point, Beth, after you had positively reviewed it. I've now put it on my list to read in March :)

>207 BLBera: ARRGGGGHHH TOO MANY BOOKS! I've added both but my list is impossibly long.

Now reading and really enjoying This is Where the Serpent Lives set in Pakistan. My son will be deployed to Islamabad for 2 years beginning next month (😢😢😢) so it seems appropriate.

>208 katiekrug: It is SO good, Katie.

>209 vivians: It's only fair, Vivian. I get SO many recommendations from you. I feel like I should have a post just for your recs. :) I will watch for your comments on This IS Where the Serpent Lives. Wow! That will be an interesting post. Will the whole family go?

>202 BLBera: That quote from Mecca caught my eye, Beth, mostly because I'm looking into Acadian family lines presently. Sounds like an interesting book.

>207 BLBera: Thanks for the input, Beth.

>211 Familyhistorian: It's a great book, Meg.

>212 alcottacre: You are welcome, Stasia.

At Midnight Comes the Cry
In this mystery featuring Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne, Russ has resigned as Chief of Police for Millers Kill, but he is finding it hard to adjust as he and Clare try to figure out what is next for them. When one of his former officers goes missing, Russ becomes involved in the search for him. Kevin Flynn was involved in an undercover investigation involving a white supremacist militia. Russ's search takes him to the National Forest as he and Clare also try to prepare for their first Christmas with their son.

This was well plotted with the return of great characters.

Beth, Mecca looks like an amazing read. Thanks, as always, for sharing such great books. How lucky are we?

>214 BLBera: At Midnights Comes the Cry looks like a good book. I'll add it to the TBR pile.

>214 BLBera: I liked that series so I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one.

I need to recommend this to you: I just finished A Flower Traveled in my Blood - one of the best narrative non-fiction books I've ever read. It's about the military junta in Argentina in the 70s and the vast number of leftists and dissidents that were murdered. Many of the victims were pregnant women who were allowed to deliver their children before their deaths. The focus is on a group of grandmothers who fought to find their grandchildren, not knowing if they had even been born, let alone the fate of their parents. I went to a talk with the author last night - just brilliant.

>210 BLBera: Oren is just recently single (his partner of 5 years decided she didn't want to go - very sad for all) and is more than excited about the post. I'm much less thrilled - there was another suicide bombing there this morning, the second major attack recently. Two years of worry ahead for me!

>215 AMQS: We are very lucky, Anne. I have gotten so many great recommendations here.

>216 Whisper1: Hi Linda. I really enjoyed it, and it was a real page-turner.

>217 vivians: If you have enjoyed the series, you'll like this one, Vivian.

I will look for A Flower Traveled in My Blood. I love South American history. How lucky you are to hear the author.

Well, I am glad your son is excited, but I totally sympathize with your worries.

I started Hamnet today, so there ;-)

You will love it!

>214 BLBera: I'm glad you enjoyed the Spencer-Fleming, Beth. I enjoyed "reuniting" with Clare and Russ as you said it was a good mix of character and plot development.

>220 katiekrug:, >221 BLBera: Yes to this!

>222 lauralkeet: It was worth the long wait, Laura.

I am reading, or trying to read The Life of Harriot Stuart right now and it is one unbroken block of text, not even paragraph breaks. I am finding it hard work. And I have looked around for other versions, which don't seem to be any better.:(

>223 BLBera: Oh dear, good luck with that…

>223 BLBera: I have a lot of trouble with non-standard text like that, too. Last year I tried to read The Female Quixote in print, but every edition I found was the same--all nouns were capitalized, all proper names were italicized, there were no quotation marks for dialogue and the speakers were not always identified. It was SO frustrating. But then I found an audio version (read by Juliet Stevenson) that saved the book for me, and in the end I did enjoy the humor of the book.

I don't know if there's an audio version of your book--I think it is lesser known than The Female Quixote. But if you can find one, it might help.

>223 BLBera: - No paragraph breaks??! I wouldn't even attempt that. I have a hard enough time when an author chooses not to use quotation marks for the characters' speech. No paragraphs would be a deal-breaker for me. What are they thinking? Do they want readers, or not?

>214 BLBera: That is a series that I need to get back to at some point!

Have a wonderful weekend, Beth!

>223 BLBera: Oh no that's annoying Beth! Thanks for taking one for the team, I think I'll avoid reading it.

>225 kac522: I just read The Female Quixote last month. My Oxford World Classics edition was exactly as you described. I assumed the caps and italics were a common writing style of the period. Nouns are capitalized in German so I was intrigued by the similarity rather than being annoyed by it. But the lack of quotation marks was definitely a problem for me, too.

>224 Copperskye: Thanks Joanne.

>225 kac522: I haven't found an audiobook. I think I will work my way through it. There aren't any quotation marks either. I did a little research and found that this is based on the first printed edition of the book and there are no existing drafts. Even the spelling of names is not consistent. Still, the character is interesting, so I will keep on...

>226 jessibud2: Then you should definitely stay away from this, Shelley. No quotation marks either.

>227 alcottacre: It is a good one, Stasia. I think this might be the last one; it had that feel.

>228 lauralkeet: I don't mind the nonstandard punctuation -- I have been reading my way through Shakespeare after all! But I would like some page breaks to rest my eye. When I started it, I thought, oh, how long is this chapter, but no, no chapters. Just part 1 and part 2. :) Harriot is quite a character though. When I finish, I will read some informative stuff about the novel. And there is an introduction, but I learned in grad school to read the text first, so... And it could be worse. A friend of mine ordered a book in the public domain and the font was like a six or seven; she needed a magnifying glass!

Also, I picked up Audition to alternate with. Usually I don't read two novels at the same time, but I will make an exception.

Books with no chapters I find hard to read. I don't think I've ever read to the end of one.

>202 BLBera: Mecca sounds interesting, Beth. I had not realized ICE existed prior to just lately.

>230 Familyhistorian: It was hard at the beginning, but I am getting into the flow of the story.

>231 vancouverdeb: It is great, Deborah. Yes, ICE has been around for a while.

I send greetings from snowy/icy NE Pennsylvania. It's been very cold. As I write, it is 2 degrees with forecast temps to drop. Usually I stay in PJs until noon and keep this as reading time. Then, reading time again at night. I'm heading to the library tomorrow to pick up a copy of At Midnights Comes the Cry.
I'm reading too many books with the holocaust as the subject. I'm looking forward to a good book with a different subject --Thanks for this recommendation.

>223 BLBera: -The blurb for this on the LT page sounds wonderful, but the thought of an unbroken run of text makes me less keen. I wish I had the skills to be able to reset text!

>229 BLBera: If it is the last one, I will be sorry to see that series go even though I have not kept up with it - I got off kilter with a lot of series when I went back to school and have not managed to get caught back up with them yet.

Have a terrific Tuesday, Beth!

Women's Prize for Nonfiction Longlist
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China’s Stolen Children and a Story of Separated Twins by Barbara Demick
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet
Don’t Let It Break You, Honey: A Memoir About Saving Yourself by Jenny Evans
Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt
With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better by Lady Hale
To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Creativity and Race in the 21st Century by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell
Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul
Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry
The Genius of Trees: How Trees Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World by Harriet Rix
Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin General, Penguin Random House UK)
Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell
To Exist As I Am: A Doctor’s Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance by Grace Spence Green
Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran
Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi

>233 Whisper1: Hi Linda. I hope it is warming up in your part of the world.

>234 charl08: After about 50 pages, she started with paragraph breaks, but it is hard to read. Yes, to be able to reset text!

>235 alcottacre: Hi Stasia.

>236 BLBera: Several of these look good. It's interesting that two center around hotels and the history they have seen.

>236 BLBera: As always, too many books I want to read, not enough time.

>239 charl08: I know! I haven't done very well with the nonfiction lists...

>236 BLBera: Thanks for listing the Women's Prize for Nonfiction Longlist.

>241 Whisper1: You are welcome, Linda.

One Aladdin Two Lamps

I love this memoir/discussion of 1001 Arabian Nights. Through her exploration of the stories, Winterson shows us how Shahrazad uses the stories, not only to save her life, but as a teaching tool. In her selection of the stories, Winterson reveals how women are the center of many of the stories, and that contrary to life, they have power.

Winterson also uses the stories as a springboard to write about AI and current world events.

But it is what she says about reading and stories that really stands out. Some examples:

"...the way with stories is that they are never the full story, or the only story."

"Our stories are not one story either. The Arabian Nights shies away from telling the whole thing in one go -- beginning, middle, anded. Instead, Arabian Nights narratives break off, break out, flow willfully into other tales. What we hear, as we go in and out of the lives of others, comes to have a bearing on the earlier adventures, no matter how distant. The message here is that all of life is connected by and endless well of stories, moving and changing. That brings hope."

"Stories are smugglers...What we read can change us. Does so, not by preaching or propaganda, but through the lives of others, real and fantastical."

The message here is that there are many stories, not just one, and that we can learn from all of them.

Hi Beth! In our part of the world it has been unseasonably warm for most of winter, and terrifyingly dry. I wish the weather extremes that places are experiencing could be spread out but alas. We're in for a very worrisome summer, I think.

>243 BLBera: This is going on my list. I would like to read it for my own sake, but it looks like it has "Marina" written all over it. Thanks for your recommendation!

Hi Beth. I'm back from Tennessee and trying to catch up a bit while we watch the Olympics. I enjoy the downhill skiing and super G.

I kind of want to do a back-to-back read of Sacrament and (re)read of Mecca.

I have my copy of The House of Spirits and will start it tonight.

>236 BLBera: I'm not familiar with any of the Women's Prize for non fiction. Thanks for listing it, Beth. Not too long until the fiction list is announced - early March I think.

>244 AMQS: Hi Anne. This year we have had more snow and cold weather than we have had for several years. I am ready for spring. I love Winterson and need to seek more of her work.

>245 EBT1002: Ellen! As usual, you are way ahead of me with our shared reads. My copy of The House of Spirits is on the shelf, but I have a couple of library books to finish first. Such problems!

>246 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. I haven't read any of the nonfiction either although several look good.

>236 BLBera: Hi Beth, The two books that I read from the non fiction short list of 2025 I absolutely loved so I greatly look forward to the shortlist for 2026! Thank you for posting the long list!

>243 BLBera: Beth, I very much like the books written by Jeanette Winterson If you haven't read Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal, I highly recommend it.

>248 mdoris: When I see lists like these, I always think I don't read enough nonfiction -- there just aren't enough hours in the day! I did find a copy of Indignity in my library, though, so maybe I will start with that one.

>249 Whisper1: Hi Linda. Yes, I loved Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal. Thanks.

>247 BLBera: I'd like to read more of her back catalogue books. I got the impression from reviews and interviews I read at the time that her books were "weird" and not for me: I suspect ahead of their time (and the reviewers. And of course, me, not thinking for myself).

I have a copy of Gut Symmetries on the shelf and will keep looking for others. Do you fancy a joint read of any?

I have loved every book of Winterson's that I've read: Frankissstein and The Gap of Time. Her memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal was also good. And a great titie.

Yes, I would be up for a shared read. Two that appeal to me are The Stone Gods and The Daylight Gate. I can get The Stone Gods from my library... I would also be up for a reread of The Gap of Time.

I see that I could get Gut Symmetries through interlibrary loan, so I would be open to that as well.

I agree, Beth. There are not enough hours in the day for reading or other things.

>252 BLBera: Great! I can get hold of either Stone Gods or The Daylight Gate. Let me know which you prefer and I'll put a request in. It might be a month or so: at least a couple of weeks.

>236 BLBera: Thanks for the list. I grabbed it for my thread. The one about the power of the arts looks like a good read.

>253 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. Happy Valentine's Day to you.

>254 vancouverdeb: It's funny how retirement doesn't seem to give me more time...

>255 charl08: Stone Gods? Shall we aim for mid to end of March?

>256 witchyrichy: You are welcome, Karen. There are several that I would like to read...

Audition
Audition is narrated by an actress as she acts in a play. As the novel begins, she is meeting with a young man for lunch. He thinks he is her son. She has never had children and informs him of this.

It's hard to discuss without spoilers. I'll just say that the young man figures largely in her narrative throughout the rest of the novel.

The end reveals, I think, what Kitamura is trying to do. While this is an interesting intellectual exercise, I'm not sure it makes for a successful novel. I appreciate what she is doing, but it's not a novel I love.

The Life of Harriot Stuart Written by Herself
This novel was first published in 1750 and was Charlotte Lennox's first novel. In it, Lennox borrows from several conventions of the time -- the autobiographical novel, the captivity narrative and, of course the courtship and gothic. Yet, Harriot manages to turn all of these conventions on their heads. When she is kidnapped by "Indians," she doesn't pray to God, she engineers her own escape, as she does with all of her rather too frequent abductions. This contrasts with the passive Richardson heroines who mostly faint a lot.

As a modern reader, I found this a little overblown; there were maybe two or three too many abductions, but I enjoyed Harriot and her determination and honesty. And she does come to realize that her flirting and desire for admiration may give men the wrong impression: "I accused myself as being the first cause of this kind of misfortunes. Has not my fatal fondness for admiration...betrayed my virtue into numberless dangers! Shall I never grow weary of this folly, till it has undone me! And maybe novels are partly to blame. Harriot's mother blames them for Harriot's refusal to accept one suitor: "These horrid romances, interrupted my mother, has turned the girl's brain. The heroines of these books are always disobedient..."(sic).

The format of my book was really hard to read, basically page after page of unbroken text. I have found that to be a problem with less popular novels in the public domain. Still, I am happy to have read this.

>259 BLBera: Kudos to you for finishing! I'm not sure I would have persevered. It sounds a bit similar to the premise of The Female Quixote; the heroine has been kept isolated by her father so her whole world is French novels of the 17th century (like those of Madeleine de Scudéry). When people she meets (especially suitors) don't act like they do in the novels, she's either affronted or scandalized. Lennox tries to show this in a humorous light, which is why Jane Austen enjoyed this one.

>243 BLBera: Beth, If you liked One Aladdin Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson

You might enjoy

>260 kac522: What I found interesting about Harriot is that she got herself out of danger. She was very resourceful about guarding her virtue. I well get to The Female Quixote eventually. It will be interesting to compare them. Also to compare the first novel with a later one.

>261 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. I did read the Winterson memoir and loved it.

Hi Beth! Did you read Written on the Body? I think my favorite Winterson. Sometimes she is a bit to cerebral for me, but what a thinker!

I haven't read Written on the Body, Rhonda. I will add it to my list. I have loved every book by her, and your are right, she is a thinker!

Trickster's Point
In this novel of the Cork O'Connor series, Cork's childhood friend Jubal Little, a candidate for governor, is killed while he and Cork are hunting. Cork is a suspect, and the novel covers Cork's search for the culprit as well as revisiting Cork's relationship with Jubal.

Krueger is good at plotting, but what makes these novels compelling for me is the fact that he also has great characters who grow and change with the series.

Recently I have been listening to the audiobooks, and they are very well done.

Fans of the series will like this one.

>265 BLBera: I just finished Heaven's Keep - I agree, the strong character work keeps me coming back.

I have read just one of William Kent Krueger stand alone novels and really enjoyed it. I am glad you enjoying the series, Beth. Maybe one day I will try one.

>266 ChrisG1: What did you think of Heaven's Keep. That was one of my least favorite books in the series. Maybe Cork should stay in Minnesota!

>267 vancouverdeb: I haven't read any of the standalone novels yet, but I do own a couple. One of these days...

>268 BLBera: I do prefer the books that stay in his home turf.

He has such a good sense of place in northern Minnesota.

>270 BLBera: Considering he lives in St. Paul, I'm impressed with how well he understands small towns - including the often fraught relationship with a neighboring Indian reservation. I'm a city boy, too, but did live 5 years in a remote Oregon town (in this case, high desert country) that borders a reservation and he captures both the small town vibe & race relations quite authentically.

>271 ChrisG1: Some writers are so good at evoking place. I admire that.

>265 BLBera: You are way ahead of me in the Cork O'Connor novels but it's good to know that I have plenty to look forward to. I just finished number 6 Copper River.

>273 Familyhistorian: Well, Meg, I am not getting through them very fast, so you may catch up to me. I think Trickster's Point is #12.

Fonseca
When Penelope Fitzgerald was in her 30s, she took her six-year-old son Valpy to Mexico. She never wrote about the trip. In Fonseca, Jessica Kane imagines the journey and creates a lovely novel about a remarkable woman and her endearing son.

I liked Penelope from the start. When she arrives at Mirando, one of her first observations: "Of considerable concern; there were no books. Penelope had always lived in homes with books in every room, hallway, even the pantry...To Penelope a drawing room without books was like a garden without plants."

Penelope takes this trip, not easy in the early 1950s, because she and her husband need money, and Elena Delaney has written to invite Valpy because she needs an heir. However, when they arrive at Mirando, the Delaney home, they find a house full of "pretenders" -- all candidates for the fortune.

Kane has created a chaotic world, peopled with memorable characters. In her note at the end of the novel, she explains her love for Fitzgerald's writing, which makes me want to pick up the ones I haven't read.

The cover is lovely, an Edward Hopper. He was in Saltillo, the real Fonseca, at the same time and makes an appearance in the novel.

>275 BLBera: - I'm glad to see your review of this, Beth. I became aware of it after re-reading Kane's Rules for Visiting recently and seeing what other books of hers were available. I'll put this one on the list.

>276 katiekrug: I haven't read anything by Kane, Katie. What is Rules for Visiting about?

It will sound boring, but I really love it. I've read it twice now, most recently with one of my book groups. The other members loved it, too.

It's about a lonely woman who tries to understand what friendship means and to make connections after a long period of isolation.

>278 katiekrug: It sounds like one I would like. I had a hard time describing Fonseca as well. It is much more about character than about plot.

>275 BLBera: Thanks for this--have put it on the Wishlist. I've read 2 novels of hers (The Bookshop and The Gate of Angels) and enjoyed them both. I've also read a collection of short stories and a novella, At Freddie's, and they were so-so for me. But I have a few other of her novels around here that I want to read. She's an interesting person with a lot of varied interests and related to the author Winifred Peck, I think.

Thanks for the Fonseca review. I will definitely read this when it becomes available in my libby cue!

>280 kac522: My favorite Fitzgerald was Human Voices, just amazing. Jessica Kane says The Beginning of Spring is her favorite, so I might try that one next.

>281 japaul22: I will watch for your comments, Jennifer.

>282 BLBera: I haven't read either of those, but I do own Human Voices, Offshore and The Blue Flower. I'd like to read at least one more of hers before reading Fonseca.

>283 kac522: I haven't read The Blue Flower, but I loved both of the others, especially Human Voices.

>236 BLBera: I feel completely under-read since I have not read a single one of those titles!

>243 BLBera: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Beth!

>258 BLBera: I already have that one in the BlackHole but I may bump it down a bit.

>265 BLBera: I really have to get back to that series!

>275 BLBera: Oo, that one looks good - and my local library has a copy, so hopefully I can get to it soon. Thanks again, Beth!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>275 BLBera: This is a new one to me. It sounds really interesting and yes, I think some reading and/or revisiting of Penelope Fitzgerald would be fun. I will put Fonseca on my wish list, too. Sigh.

I just checked. I've read The Blue Flower and Offshore. Based on my (less than wholly reliable) ratings, I liked Offshore the best.

>278 katiekrug: I also enjoyed Rules for visiting. It's the only book by Jessica Kane I've read. It's good to hear it held up to a second read.

I've only read The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald and I gave it 3 stars. I don't think I was keen on it. I'm glad you are enjoying the author.

>289 vancouverdeb: Same

>236 BLBera: Thanks for this list. I've heard of two or three of these, read NONE. So I captured the list for future guidelines.

>285 alcottacre: I haven't read any of the women's nonfiction longlist either, Stasia.

>286 EBT1002:, >287 EBT1002: My favorite Fitzgerald of the ones I have read was Human Voices. About the BBC during WWII. It's wonderful. I haven't read The Blue Flower.

>288 markon: I hadn't read anything by Kane, but I will look for Rules for Visiting.

>289 vancouverdeb: The Bookshop wasn't my favorite Fitzgerald, but she isn't for everyone.

>290 labfs39: You might try another, but if not, there are a lot of books and authors to read without reading one you don't care for.

>291 ffortsa: Hi Judy! You are welcome. I haven't read any of them either.

I am halfway through my reread of The House of the Spirits and realize I remember little from when I first read it, except for Clara.

>265 BLBera: Hi TwinB! Just read my first Kreuger -- Copper River and I really liked it! Sure to read more in this series. : )

Finished House of Spirits -- can't wait to talk about it tomorrow!

>293 Berly: Looking forward to your thoughts on House of Spirits. I'm an Allende fan and read that one right after it came out so my memory of it isn't sharp any more. (I'm hoping reading what you have to say will sharpen it a bit-lol).

>293 Berly: Hey TwinK! I am still working on House of the Spirits but hope to get it done by our talk tomorrow. I've been busy getting a new floor in my guest bedroom, so....

>294 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. I remembered only bits and pieces. It is good to read it again. I think I appreciate it more this time.

>295 BLBera: Excuses, excuses! ; )

>296 Berly: I am reading as fast as I can. I will ignore the mess in my house and plan to spend the day immersed in the world of the Truebas.

Done! Finished The House of the Spirits and had a good discussion about it. I wlll save my comments for the next thread.