2026: Leslie's list and thoughts

I'd like to make some room on my TBR shelf, so I think I'm going to emphasize reading titles I already own or are ones I've always meant to get to ...

For example, I've been in a bookgroup 25 years as of this year, but they'd already read 220 books before I joined (we're now approaching 450, to give you an idea of the longevity of this group). I've carefully catalogued the books they'd read that I'd missed and want to take a chunk out of that TBR pile. My family has read books now stored in my home - let's see what the criminals have really been up to! And the other works, neglected for far too long ...

So, inbetween the audiobooks, new bookgroup reads, etc., I am going to endeavor to read things that are already in my catalogue but not yet finished or read. Wish me luck! I'm going to note these titles and do a sub-count to see how successful I am in this goal in addition to the 75 books goal.

This is my 4th year doing the 75 books challenge.

Welcome back, Leslie!

Hi and good luck with your TBR pile!

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, Leslie

These are most welcome and interesting messages - thank you, and Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for the intriguing picture, too!

1. Happy to report I've finished my first book of the year, Happiness Falls, an excellent novel by Angie Kim. I read this book because it has been repeatedly nominated by one of my bookgroups and I got impatient waiting for the group to select it. I predict this book will be picked next time because now that I've read it, I will be advocating hard for this book as my Bookgroup1's next read. It is SUCH an interesting book, masterfully constructed and perceived - a real delight to read and so very hard to put down. There is an interesting perspective/narrator's voice, fascinating factoids on myriad topics, and of course, a good mystery with more twists and turns than any rollercoaster. Really, really enjoyed this story and now want to read more by this author!! I loved the interesting consideration of what language and intelligence have to do with one another, and know that others who are thoughtful about words will also enjoy considering the issues raised in this book. It's interesting to consider exactly who is missing in this book! 5 stars

Note: off the wishlist!

2. The Lost Man, Jane Harper - a good mystery without a professional detective; the writing is excellent; set in Australian outback. Wishlist (sgjoins mentioned in 2024).
3. There There, Tommy Orange - really enjoyed this novel about historical trauma playing out in a small community, but the story is so very tragic. Bookgroup1 read.
4. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson - a very good multiverse novel; I enjoy her writing very much - and can't help but wonder if this book is somewhat about the writing process/story development? A previously unread Bookgroup1 book from 2014 (#338).
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Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 2
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Current Bookgroup reads: 1
Audiobooks: 4
Hard covers:
Paperbacks:
Kindles:

Very solid reading start, Leslie, and all authors I am familiar with.

>7 PaulCranswick: Yes, I haven't taken the path less traveled yet this year ...

5. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris - a collection of essays describing the life and thoughts of the author (somewhat like a memoir). I'd had this author on my "wanna read" list for a while, and when I saw a discussion recently here on LT I sought out the book discussed. Interesting, good, maybe in my 3.5-4 star range.

6. Unbroken Silence, Henrik Ekstrom - a thrilling, fictional tale about the submarines spotted in Swedish territorial waters during the 1980s. This is off my "Submarines" wishlist. A very good thriller, and I appreciated the accurate descriptions about Swedish naval procedure and attitudes (the author is a former diesel submariner) and the complexity of the plot, even though I got a little lost on distinguishing some minor characters while listening (reading this work would prevent this undoubtedly). I swear I've watched this tale before, like on a PBS Mystery type series, but couldn't find it (this is not the Whiskey on the Rocks tale). Probably the best submarine-focused fiction I've yet read.

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Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 4
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Current Bookgroup reads: 1
Audiobooks: 6
Hard covers:
Paperbacks:
Kindles:

>5 PocheFamily: Nice! What a great start to your reading year, Leslie!

>6 PocheFamily: Dodging all those BBs as I have read them. Whew.

>8 PocheFamily: Adding the Ekstrom book to the BlackHole. Thanks for that recommendation!

I hope you have a fantastic Friday, Leslie!

>9 alcottacre: I definitely recommend the Ekstrom book, I couldn't put it down. But then I'm also a bit nutty about naval history, subs in particular, as I really knew nothing about them until a few years ago when I started reading to fill in my WW2 Pacific history knowledge gap. Totally addicted now, and in awe of the amazing technology and deeds that often are performed well despite the high risks. Thanks for the comments!

>10 PocheFamily: I understand about being a bit nutty about naval history, Leslie. My dad was a Navy man so I know my interest in it stems from him. I have a couple of books on subs during WWII that I still need to get read.

>11 alcottacre: Oops - I think I remember that now! Sorry if I made you repeat yourself/history!!

7. Black Ops: The Rise of Special Forces in the C.I.A., The S.A.S., and Mossad, Tony Geraghty - a history of Agency special forces in the US, Britain, and Israel (with a few other mentions). Had started it in 2025, wanted it off the "Currently Reading" list. Interesting descriptions of many historical events from the special forces perspective, but not a very deep analysis of the special forces, per se.

8. Black Wind, Clive Cussler - one of those fantastical adventure/action paperbacks (although I listened to it). Had appeared on a 100 best Submarine book list ... meh. But a fast listen, and a story is a story, so ...

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Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 5
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Sporting a bookmark before this: 1
Current Bookgroup reads: 1
Audiobooks: 8
Hard covers:
Paperbacks:
Kindles:

9. The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann - 709 pages hardbound (I have the Heritage Press edition; other editions may be as much as 900+ pages; paperback is 720 pages; audiobook is 30 hours)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/377713#9105292


Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 5
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Sporting a bookmark before this: 1
Current Bookgroup reads: 2
Audiobooks: 8
Hard covers: 1
Paperbacks:
Kindles:

10. The Long Call, Ann Cleeves - another solid Cleeves mystery, this is a first-in-series book with detective Matthew Venn. This book was not from any wishlist; I was looking for wishlist items to listen to when I stumbled across this, and Cleeves is an author I've come to enjoy.

11. Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green - a "non-fiction narrative" (I'm interpreting this as not hard-core NF) about the disease, societal attitudes towards it, and the socio-economic-political conditions for the disease's success. Author is advocating for a human campaign to eradicate it as much as possible (natural sources may prevent us from being able to totally eradicate it). A great read after The Magic Mountain, especially Chapter 6, which met my hopes in terms of the Mann novel. There's also an interesting "I relied heavily on these works" chapter at the end, from which I've pulled another title to hopefully post about below in the next few weeks.

and

Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 5
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Sporting a bookmark before this: 1

Current Bookgroup reads: 2
Audiobooks: 10
Hard covers: 1
Paperbacks:
Kindles:

12. A Time to be Born, Dawn Powell - read for Bookgroup Too. An interesting novel that isn't at all as advertised: it's not a novel of manners so much as it is about the selfishness of so many people in pursuing what they desire, whether that be power, money, or romance. Interesting power imbalances to think about, plenty of humorous scenes, but ultimately I just really enjoyed the author's writing ability. Definitely want to read more by this mid-20th c. American novelist.

13. City of Thieves, David Benioff - read from my Wishlist; recommended by an aunt who is a great reader. But this is not at all the sort of book I see her enjoying! Perhaps that's why I like hearing people I know talk about books, since it can provide a new window into their minds. Anyways, wow, what a book! Such a good read, if disturbing at times, about war and the Leningrad siege in particular. The ending isn't entirely predictable, and yet ... it's a very good story, and hard to put down.

and

Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 6
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Sporting a bookmark before this: 1
Current Bookgroup reads: 3

Audiobooks: 11
Hard covers: 1
Paperbacks:
Kindles: 1

14. Walk in My Combat Boots, James Patterson and others - not on a previous list, I was tempted to read this because it is a collection of fairly short memoirs, which I've recently discovered I enjoy reading. This book has the memoirs of many armed service members serving during the last few decades of American wars (almost exclusively post-Vietnam, but a few careers bridged the period between that war and Desert Storm). Interesting, particularly because many different ranks and rates' stories were told.

15. Iron Lake, William Kent Krueger - had this on a Wishlist, originally saw a review by another LT reader. A good mystery with interesting characters and a well-paced plot. Good suspense and I didn't see where things were going, which makes it a winner for me.

16. Drone Warrior, Brett Velicovich - not on a previous list, this title was advertised at me because of previous reads and I totally succumbed to the temptation of reading about this new technology. Although the book covers a period that begins nearly two decades ago, it is really pertinent to understanding the rapid pace of change in battlespaces because of the rapid pace of technological change. That said, it really carries the most weight where humans interact with that technology and therefore a very relevant read for current events, not just history. It's a good memoir, too, and especially strong with the post-military service adjustment period and adjustment to civilian life.

17. A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway - Was sporting a bookmark - I'd started this book last year and really wanted to finish it. It also had to go back to the library! A great book/memoir about the la generation perdu of the art and literary scene of 1920s Paris. Hemingway's fine writing style, even when he's being a bit gossipy, makes the book straightforward. Yet throughout the book are sprinkled his moments of character development and confessions about his writing process. Partly took me a while to get through this very short work because I kept stopping to read about all the people and works mentioned: yes, it's definitely the kind of book from which one can also develop a reading list. Neatly filled holes in my between-the-wars interest bucket, too.

and and and

Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 7
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 1
Sporting a bookmark before this: 2
Current Bookgroup reads: 3

Audiobooks: 14
Hard covers: 2
Paperbacks:
Kindles: 1

18. The Crossing Places, Elly Griffiths – had seen this book mentioned on LT and placed it on the Wishlist as a potentially good mystery series (Ruth Galloway) – this is the first book in the series. It weaves archaeology into the mystery, and although set in England, it was not set in an area I’m already familiar with, so it was also fun to look up maps as well as the history while I read.

19. The Empusium, Olga Tokarczuk – not on a previous list. The book was recommended by one of our Challenge bookgroup’s fellow members as we finished The Magic Mountain. The author wrote this homage to Mann’s work partly as a tribute 100 years after his work, but introduced new themes and dropped others, building an unexpected story by the end. The best part of reading more challenging works is that one will afterwards see references to them all over the place, so it was nice to get to indulge in that so soon.

20. Power & Empire, Marc Cameron – a Tom Clancy novel – okay, somebody please stop me from reading knock-offs. I’d rather read actual military history, so I’ll be very leery pulling any more of these off my Wishlist and might instead just remove them. A bit harsh, perhaps, but there are still more books out there than years I will have to enjoy them.

21. Brown Girl, Brownstones, Paule Marshall – Was read by our “Bookgroup Too” back in 2022 but I couldn’t make it to the meeting and never quite caught up. Rectifying that is a pleasure. It is a coming of age story, immigrants in NYC story, and a story about racism’s impact on people. The book was a bit uneven, or perhaps more clearly stated on my part, some parts dragged but the last quarter of the book was quite good, so I’d put it in that 3.5-4 star zone.

and and and

Off of my Many Lists:
Wishlist: 8
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 2
Sporting a bookmark before this: 2
Current Bookgroup reads: 3

Audiobooks: 17
Hard covers: 2
Paperbacks:
Kindles: 2

A massive catch-up: I'd been keeping notes to the side, but it's time to load it up ... I'll just have to come back some other time to add the rest of the pretty pictures/covers.

22. Here, Right Matters, Alexander Vindman – A first-person perspective on a military career and headline events, both of which are interesting enough on their own. I was rather impressed with the author’s ability to keep politics largely out of this accounting of both, something US military are encouraged to do.

23. Lonely Vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons, Walter Lord – a very detailed account of the individuals and events of the earliest WW2 years in the Solomons. Really appreciated the use of so many memoirs and re-telling of many different island experiences.

24. The Charity Shop Detective Agency, Peter Boland – a quick mystery with little quirky details which were engaging.

25. The Blackout Murders, Anna Elliott and Charles Veley – another quick mystery, set in England during WW2. Some of the details of life hooked me, so I read a bunch (see below!). Appreciated the authors’ notes at the end about the everyday life impacts of rations and the war.

26. The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor, Anna Elliott and Charles Veley – gobbled up another from this WW2 Enlish mystery series.

27. Shutter, Ramona Emerson – this mystery had an interesting story line. The investigator is a Native American crime scene photographer with a special gift. The camera “angle” (sorry for the pun) is used as an organizational, or sectional device, in the story. My ignorance of the field kept me from any further understanding, but it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story at all.

28. The Spitfire Murders, Anna Elliott and Charles Veley – gobbled up another from this WW2 Enlish mystery series.

29. The Judas Monk Murders, Anna Elliott and Charles Veley – gobbled up another from this WW2 Enlish mystery series.

30. Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster – this book was sporting a bookmark since 2022. I initially had read maybe a third of the book, and unfortunately, the last third made my having picked up the book to finish it very rewarding in terms of understanding world events. The author’s mastery of so many theaters of military interest makes this book really worthwhile – good footnotes for sources and lots of personal perspective aid in comprehension. Can be summed up with understanding history as a way to understand the present. Really glad to learn the terms “Strategic narcissism”, “Strategic Empathy”, and “Strategic Competence”. Excellent book – 5 stars.

and and and
and and and
and and

31. The Netanyahus, Joshua Cohen (Bookgroup 1) – I really enjoyed reading this book, found it absolutely hilarious, and for those who share its sense of humor, it is hard to put down. Amongst my bookgroup I probably liked it the best, and we actually had a couple people who didn’t like it much at all – a decent book to discuss in a group.

32. The Murders at Clarion Castle, Anna Elliott and Charles Veley – gobbled up another from this WW2 Enlish mystery series.

33. The Unwinding, George Packer – I’d read an essay on The Magic Mountain by the author and was impressed enough (that essay was so helpful!), that I sought out more of his work. This was actually a really nice pairing with other histories I’m reading at the moment. There were interesting stories about Youngstown, OH and Tampa, FL used to exemplify assertions by the author.

34. The Wilderness, Angela Flournoy (Bookgroup Too) – again, I liked this bookgroup book more than most of my bookgroup I suspect. I was very interested in the relationship between the friends who are the core of the novel. Flaws included a lack of explanation of how these women became friends, but I found myself really pulled into the story – until the end, in which things became both a bit hurried and open-ended. Our bookgroup had a great discussion over this book, and ultimately, that’s what makes the perfect read for us.

35. 1066 and Before All That, Ed West – you’ll want the print version of this book if you want to remember names beyond those that you already know. As a listen, it was easy to lose track of who was being covered, but in general this is meant as a survey book to cover the period to both sides of the momentous year of 1066. I found the bits about the Norwegian king/kingdom of interest, because I’d already studied the Normans, and it was interesting to see where that piece of the puzzle fit in.

36. Last Best Hope, George Packer – decided to listen to another of Packer’s works, covering the years right around 2020 essentially. This book is focused on the USA’s inability to embrace a shared national narrative, or interpretation for the future. I’m not convinced that hasn’t always been the case, but in general I think this book was good because of its narrowed focus.

37. We Were One, Patrick K. O’Donnell (wishlist) – a former wishlist book, this is a solid collection of memoirs from USMC Marines in the early ‘aughts engaged in the Fallujah campaign(s) of the Iraq War.

38. Exposure, Ramona Emerson – the second in the Native American crime photographer series by Emerson. There was a little more disjointed running around, but it was still a good mystery/crime novel.

39. The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, Rick Riordan – my son had long wished to read this, and on a car trip together, this was our listen between all the chatter. I had to finish on my own, and it’s definitely YA, but a story full of action, so I understand its appeal.

40. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles – I’d missed Bookgroup 1 in 2024 (#376) and finally got around to reading this as I looked at that list trying to find something that fit my mood. I was definitely rewarded with an engrossing story, as it made the time I spent with the book the highlight of the day. There are a series of truths revealed rather that one grand one, and the ending might be a little bit of a letdown, but it’s a truly lovely book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It deserves its 4+ rating on LT.

and and and and and and and and and

Off of my Many Lists: (includes updates thru #40)
Wishlist: 9
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 3
Sporting a bookmark before this: 3
Current Bookgroup reads: 5

Audiobooks: 34
Hard covers: 2
Paperbacks: 2
Kindles: 2

After finishing A Gentleman in Moscow, I had a great reading weekend (rainy) and quickly finished two more:

41. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro - super interesting to read back-to-back with the Towles book. I was instantly struck with the similarities (life centered on one building/community, bulk of story in the 20s-30s, etc) and differences in the character of man at the center of each story (first is upper class/gifted with above par knowledge and skills and the second is a humble but highest ranking servant whose loyalty is on display). This was a Bookgroup book I'd missed (#110), and by an author I always enjoy, so it probably is no surprise that I barely rose from its pages but read straight through in one day. I hated that it ended!

42. Brooklyn, Colm Toibin - for that same brookgroup, this is our #450, and the discussion is a week away yet (yes, for anyone doing math in their head, this group has been together more than 30 years; I joined somewhere in the early 220s). Another book I got caught up in after the first 30-pages or so, thus also read straight through in one day. I thought I understood the main character, but then realized I really didn't by the end. And began to realize I didn't understand her mother either. It should be an interesting story to discuss. I'll have to go read some reviews to see if others can offer some insights. This is the first in a series, and I would definitely be willing to read another sometime in the future.

and

Off of my Many Lists: (includes updates thru #40)
Wishlist: 9
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 4
Sporting a bookmark before this: 3
Current Bookgroup reads: 6

Audiobooks: 35
Hard covers: 2
Paperbacks: 3
Kindles: 2

43. Between Earth & Sky, Amanda Skenandore - A tale of children growing up outside their own cultures, in differing degrees and circumstances, set in the upper midwest. With the mixing of native and settler cultures comes both conflict and the opportunities for both friendship and misunderstanding, but the premise of the novel always returns to humans and finding dignity. I found the story engaging, and really liked the fact that native words and culture were explained, lending credibility to a story that was perhaps a bit black & white otherwise. I'd pulled this audiobook down into my TBR list because it had been mentioned as including Lakota culture - so counting this as a read Wishlist book.

44. Surprise, Kill, Vanish, Annie Jacobsen - This is a collection of stories about various CIA and other secret government agencies' (mostly American, but not exclusively) that loosely examines how assassination and paramilitary activity have been used since WW2 by government. Towards the end of the book there is a good description of US presidents' use and "comfort" with this activity. There is also attention paid to whether armed forces or CIA operatives are in control of missions. Billy Waugh comes up frequently (how could he not when his career was so long?), but the SAAG chapters are not the focus of the book (what he is most associated with). Anyways, it was a different perspective on US military activity since WW2.

Off of my Many Lists: (includes updates thru #40)
Wishlist: 10
Previously unread Bookgroup books: 4
Sporting a bookmark before this: 3
Current Bookgroup reads: 6

Audiobooks: 37
Hard covers: 2
Paperbacks: 3
Kindles: 2