What we are Reading April-June, 2026

I've just finished the excellent Dandelion Daughter by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay and am about to conclude my read of the Canada Reads contenders with Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard.

p.s. Sorry about the typo in the Topic title. Anyone know how to fix it?

Apparently I am group admin and therefore am able to edit topic titles, haha. Done!

I finished The Weeping Girl by Håkan Nesser. As a translator, I'm always a little worried my texts might sound like this book: understandable and slightly off - I'm not sure if it was done by design or not!

I'm re-reading David Malouf's short novel An Imaginary Life in which he imagines Ovid's life in exile on the Black Sea. Writing this good needs to be cherished.

>3 rabbitprincess: THANK YOU!!!

I'm reading Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Blair

I'm reading John Candy: A Life in Comedy by Paul Myers

>7 LynnB: I remember liking her argument - it's so easy to put all the responsibility on women and have them bear the brunt of consequences. With 6 children, the author knows what she's talking about :D

I'm reading Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese

My latest read was by an American novelist Susan Meissner and is titled Only the Beautiful. I was interested in the basic theme of the novel-the practice of eugenics in both Nazi occupied Europe during the second world war and also in the US (until the 1970's in some states). However, the story line was too implausible and the last part of the book too saccharine and convenient for me. Not a favourite.

I'm reading Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Addiction by Jonathan Tepper

I'm reading The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly

I finished both Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary Mosco, both of which I enjoyed very much for very different reasons!

I'm reading River Thieves by Michael Crummey

I just finished The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. A debut novel, set in post Civil War Georgia. I really enjoyed most of the book, especially the characters and the almost poetic descriptions but found the last section somewhat implausible-too good to be true and too neatly wrapped up. I think Nathan Harris is a very good writer, though.

I finished Deadline by Sandra Brown, a stupid (but predictable) romance but a fun thriller.

I'm reading Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband Maher Arar by Monia Mazigh

I'm reading my LTER book, Sounds Like Trouble to Me by Jean Trounstine

I finished Different Seasons by Stephen King for book club. This definitely would not have been my pick, but then again, that's the fun part of clubs, right?

Thought I'd drop by and say I just finished Days at the Torunka Cafe by Satoshi Yagisawa. It's a reminder that all of us have lives that are stories. ( initially posted in the wrong month!)

I'm reading Arrival: The Story of CanLit by Nick Mount

A fun, light read for me this week All the Queen's Men by S.J. Bennett. Very entertaining.

I finished Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss

It's more than sixty years since I last read Jude the Obscure. I'm impressed once again by how well it is crafted.

I'm reading The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

Not doing much reading lately, but I did finish The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves, the latest in her "Jimmy Perez" series. I always enjoy her novels.

I finished Scottish Girls About Town edited by Pocket Books

I'm reading A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides by Gisele Pelicot.

I'm reading Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

I finished Après Dieu by Richard Malka who spent a night in the Panthéon, a place that honours the great women and men of France. There he specifically speaks to Voltaire, known believer in God but rejecting all religions. Malka talks about the slow but clear erosion of secular practices, the very foundation of the French Republic. I found it thought-provoking and was reminded of the importance of keeping the state and church apart, something that North America has never succeeded in doing.

WWII fiction for this week's read: The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan. It has a little too smooth and unrealistic ending for me but it was an interesting read. Gets a so-so rating from me.

I'm reading Finding Flora by Elinor Florence

I'm reading What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

I'm reading Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

I usually enjoy stories centered around life in the UK during WWII, but this book The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin reminded me of a Harlequin romance-overly simplistic characters, predictable plot lines, etc. I found the description of the work done by the ARP volunteers interesting, but I won't be looking for more novels by this author.

I finished the delightful Ornithography by Jessica Roux

I finished a great read about the unique history of the Paramo de Guzman, one of the world's most exclusive cheeses

I'm wrapping up several books together :)
Connelly is one of my favourites so I read them fast!

I'm reading Secret Son by Laila Lalami

This historical fiction novel was a little bit too romantic and the plot too simplistic for my liking, but I was interested in learning about the treatment of Jews in Italy during WWII. Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson

I'm reading The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

I finished Project Hail Mary by Andrew Weir.

It was pretty good and I was happy the author included a Canadian although my hackles went up when he said he worked for the Canadian national government - the what?
Similarly, I'm reading A Year at the French Farmhouse by British author, Gillian Harvey and there are French errors all over it (UGH - it's not as though bilinguals aren't around to proof read!!).
A good editor is important!!

I'm reading Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky

I'm reading Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway, having heard the author interviewed on CBC's The Current.

Finished a rather ho-hum crime fiction "thriller" last night-kind of predictable and featured some implausible coincidences, but good for late night reading when it's too hot to sleep! When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

I'm reading Homesick by Guy Vanderhaeghe

I'm reading Audition by Katie Kitamura

I'm reading The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel.

I had a great time reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

I'm reading Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I've not read anything by Irish author Sebastian Barry before but I thought the novel A Thousand Moons was beautifully written and I'll be looking for of his books.

I'm reading The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

>55 ted74ca: I like Sebastian Barry, too. My favourite was The Secret Scripture

>55 ted74ca: >57 LynnB:

Sebastian Barry is excellent, isn't he.

Just finished A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence. Such a different experience reading her as an adult than when I was made to as a kid. I can't see how any teenager could understand her novel, lacking most of life's experience. Reading it now I'm struck by the depth of it, but at the same time the simplicity of the telling, what an amazing combination that is.

It makes me appreciate the trend the younger-geared stuff I see teachers prompting my kids to read now. I used to think they were dumbing-down the curriculum, but now I appreciate they're only giving them content that's more relatable.

I'm reading Hope is a Woman's Name by Amal Elsana Alh'jooj. It's about the author's life as a Bedouin Palestinian activist.

>59 Cecrow: I've re-read many books and find they are very different stories as I age and gain life experience.

I really enjoyed The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

I've just finished a lovely, light mystery novel, the 3rd in this series featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II. Murder Most Royal by S. J. Bennett.

>63 ted74ca: I have really enjoyed this series. I wasn't sure how it would continue after the death of Prince Philip, but going back to young QEII was a great idea. Can't wait for the next one!

Back to crime fiction/suspense reading for me this week-- I thought Blacklands by Belinda Bauer was really well written, very thoughtful, and I couldn't put it down.