What are you reading now?: January 17, 2026

Wrapping up An Instruction in Shadow (I'm a little underwhelmed). Ghosts of Iron Mountain and Transmentation | Transience will follow.

I finished Flight to Arras by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Set during the fall of France int 1940, it was powerful meditation on courage, resilience, honor and humanity. I was impressed enough to order more of his books.

I'm currently reading Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia by Jean Bottero.

I finished The Penitent by Isaac B. Singer, the ninth novel of Singer's I've read over the past few years and the first that I've found unsatisfying. My short review is up on my Club Read thread.

I've now started The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, which I'm finding to be wonderful indeed.

Today I finished A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. Very good story for women taking place in Uganda.

Next up is Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Right now I'm working on Helen Garners's Monkey Grip, which is, so far, just as good as her masterful The Children's Bach. How did this woman stay absolutely unknown outside Australia for so long?

I finished The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice, which was meh, and have picked up The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which is good so far.

I’m reading Orchestrated Death, the first book in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ Bill Slider series.

Started reading Swallowing the Muskellunge by Lawrence P. O'Brien and I'm hooked.

The Air You Breathe – Frances de Pontes Peebles
Digital audiobook performed by Rebecca Mozo
4****

The novel begins in 1930s Brazil, where nine-year-old orphan Dores works in the kitchen of a sugar plantation. Graça Pimentel is the spoiled daughter of the plantation’s owner, but despite their vastly different stations in life, the girls become fast friends. As teens, they escape together and make their way to Rio de Janeiro, where they are intent on making their own way as singers.

This is an epic historical novel, covering decades in the lives of these two girls. The story is narrated by Dores, and includes some flashback as she recalls how they came to become friends, then lovers, then singers / songwriters seeking fame and fortune in Hollywood. The writing is atmospheric; this reader’s senses enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells and tastes the characters experienced. The novel is full of the culture of Brazil, especially samba music. (I was inspired to dig out my old Sergio Mendes & Brazil ’66 CDs and listen while I enjoyed the book.)

I was sometimes surprised at the direction the story took, though I understood what was happening, and usually the underlying motives for the characters’ actions. Despite the foreshadowing, I found Graça’s ending very sad and moving.

One thing I really appreciated were the song lyrics for the various compositions Dores wrote. They are truly poetic. Full of passion, love, hurt, anguish, joy, triumph and pain.

Rebecca Mozo does a superb job of narrating the audiobook. My ears were not accustomed to the Portuguese pronunciations, so I was glad I had the text handy to verify what I was hearing in some places, especially on a first reference.

Before I Say Goodbye
Mary Higgins Clark
4/5 stars
"When Adam Cauliff and passengers are missing after his cabin cruiser blows up in New York harbor, wife Nell MacDermott feels guilt over their last quarrel. Her grandad Cornelius, who raised her, wants her to run for his seat on Capitol Hill. Also psychic, her great-aunt Gert introduces medium Bonnie Wilson, who claims to be in touch with Adam - instigator or victim?" from the book jacket"
I enjoyed this mystery! 2000

Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything – Nancy Martin
3***

From the book jacket: Rich and flamboyant Honeybelle Hensley, the most colorful character in Mule Stop, Texas, dies a suspicious death and enrages the whole town by leaving her fortune to the most undeserving recipient – her dog. The incorrigible Miss Ruffles is a Texas cattle cur, not a cuddly lapdog, and … likes nothing better than digging up the rose garden, chasing off the UPS man, and terrorizing the many gentleman callers. But now Miss Ruffles is in danger, and it’s up to Sunny McKillip, the unwilling dogsitter, to keep her safe.

My reactions:
This was just the kind of cozy mystery I needed: charming, fun, and an easy read. Loved the antics of this small Texas town’s residents. Sunny was up to the challenge, despite being new to “this different planet” (i.e. Texas). She’d barely arrived in town from Ohio to be the admin assistant to the new dean of the local college when he was fired shortly thereafter, and Honeybelle took Sunny on as her own personal assistant.

Martin populates the story with disgruntled relatives, cat-fighting garden ladies, ambitious politicians, and even a couple of hired thugs whose boss wants significant money. And then there’s the young almost-attorney (as soon as he passes the bar), whom Sunny finds rather delicious. Oh, but he’s taken … or is he?

I didn’t find anything on Martin’s profile indicating she’s a native Texan, or even a frequent visitor, but she sure as heck captured the Texas-small-town vibe!

The ending was a bit over-the-top ridiculous, but I was enjoying the party too much to care.

Goodreads shows this as book #1 in a series of Miss Ruffles mysteries. But it’s been 10 years since it was written and there is no sequel … yet.

I just finished Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah and rated it 5 out of 5 stars. The story is a sad one, dealing with the death of a 3 year old child, in circumstances that we pray would never happen to us. It was well-written in 3 parts: part 1 covers the death of the child, part 2 covers the trial, and part 3 deals with the aftermath. Many authors could easily develop parts 1 and 2; part 3 is where Abdullah shines. I don’t want to be too explicit because that might ruin your experience. Just know that I rarely rate a book this high.

Finished: Land of the Sweet Forever by Harper Lee
I bought the Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition-it features black and white archival materials about the release of To Kill a Mockingbird at the end of the text.

The new thread is up over here.