Friday Reads — April 10th, 2026

It's Friday again, and time for Friday Reads!

This week, LibraryThing staff are reading:

Abby / @ablachly: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
Kate / @katemcangus: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Kristi / @kristilabrie: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Lucy / @knerd.knitter: The X-Files: the Official Archives by Paul Terry

What about all of you? What are you reading this Friday?It's Friday again, and time for Friday Reads!

Via Kindle:
The Red and the Black ch 14, p 313- / Stendahl; translation & notes Burton Raffel
Via Kindle app:
The Age of Napoleon: The Story of Civilization, Volume XI pt 2, p 316- / Will & Ariel Durant
Used hardcover 1954 ed:
Memoirs of Hadrian p 107- / Marguerite Yourcenar; translation by Grace Frick & the author
Trade paperback:
SPQR: a history of ancient Rome* ch 2- p 53- / Mary Beard

*Latin abbreviation for "Senate & People of Rome" -- got this in 2016 but forgot to catalog it on LT; reading the Hadrian novel reminded me Beard's history was somewhere in the back of a bookcase -- it's a little warped (physically!) -- reading the Napoleon book in part because Stendahl's Sorel is a Napoleon fanboy, plus Napoleon is key to the background of The Count of Monte Cristo, finished yesterday. Also finished Dominion: how the Christian revolution remade the world on Monday; like arguing w/a Jesuit uncle if I had one -- not sure where this leads to in terms of Christianity tbrs there are so many.

Might resume bedtime reading w/The Romany Rye / George Borrow if I can get done w/taxes

I am primarily reading Stet: An Editor's Life by Diana Athill, listening to The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard, and secondarily reading The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu.

I've also started like four other books, because apparently my brain doesn't want to stick to anything.

I am really stoked by what I'm reading, Italo Calvino's 1964 Cosmicomics. It's 12 chapters, each chapter (short story really) is about some cosmic theory and Qwfwq--an entity something akin to the Gods on Mount Olympus--experienced the phenomenon first hand. First chapter was a tale about when the moon was much closer to the earth. Not the mere 2 earth radii that scientists think how close it was, but much, much closer. So close that Qwfwq and others could row out on the sea, taking a ladder, and climb up onto the moon and gather moon milk, akin to cream cheese.

Calvino's a hoot. And prompts much rabbit hole hunting.

it's perfect reading while Artemis II is up there.

>3 Watry: I've also started like four other books, because apparently my brain doesn't want to stick to anything.

That's my usual MO too. These days I'm finding my sweet spot is to have going 1. A "lofi" novel 2. A 900 page anthology of short stories 3. A book of poetry and 4. A nonfiction work about nature or literature. Covers all my moods :)

I just finished Six to Sixteen, which I found delightful and.... not cosy, exactly, but lofi, perhaps? Debi used that word the other day (and i just realized my eyes skipped it today, too!) and it fits perfectly. There are some great descriptions in the book - this one of a manufacturing town really caught me

Then tall chimneys poured smoke over the landscape and eclipsed the sun; and through strangely shaped furnaces and chimneys of many forms, which here poured fire from their throats like dragons, and there might have been the huge retorts and chemical apparatus of some giant alchemist, we ran into the station of a manufacturing town.

And this comment is about gardening or sketching, but it made me think of the experience of reading the book itself.

One secret of the happiness of some occupations is, perhaps, that they lift one away from petty cares and petty spites, without trying the brain or strength unduly, as some other kinds of mental labour must do.

I highlighted quite a few bits, but I'll only share one more here because it made me laugh:

“They live in Yorkshire,” said Major Buller, much as one might speak of living in Central Africa.

And because my ME/CFS is still flaring and I need very easy reading, I began The Hidden Staircase (Original Text) after finishing the Ewing. The 1940s movie version with Bonita Granville is my favorite of the series, and I don't think I ever read the revised version as a kid, so I'm picturing chirpy Bonita as Nancy.

>4 DebiCates: I loved that book! It was so interesting!

>7 knerd.knitter: I'm loving it too. It's just making me happy and feeling plugged in to something that lights my brain on fire. This is my first Calvino. I've been meaning to read him for decades, really decades, since the 80s! Have you read any of his other works? (I suppose I could look at your library but it's nicer to hear from you directly.) If yes, what would you recommend after I finish CC?

>6 keristars: “They live in Yorkshire,” said Major Buller, much as one might speak of living in Central Africa.

ha! I love that kind of humor. I can hear that exact intonation.

I hope you get feeling better soon, Keri. I had an aunt that had MC. She was such a vibrant sparkling person, the bubbly hub when we all got together. It broke my heart knowing how much she suffered after the illness.

>8 DebiCates: I've read 2 others by him. I would recommend "If on a Winter's Night a Traveller"; "Invisible Cities" was not as good in my opinion.

I’m reading The General in his Labyrinth, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as I’ll be in Cartagena in a while.

Also Black Candle Women,by Diane Marie Brown, which was recommended to me by a friend.

>10 knerd.knitter: Sweeeeet. I've got "If" right here, in my to read in 2026 shelf. I bought it at the same time I bought a used copy of "Invisible" but when it arrived, it was in Italian, lol. Knowing I've got the better book here ready to go, in English, is a nice consolation.

>13 DebiCates: >10 knerd.knitter: Yes, If on a winter's night a traveler is one of my favorites! I read it while floating in a pool, actually. Relaxing on vacation and going in prepared for literary shenanigans made it a great experience.

>11 lilithcat: Bolivar is such an interesting figure. I didn't know very much about him until recently. I may need to add that to my list, too, though I won't be visiting Colombia. (alas!)

>14 keristars: Shenanigans, ha! Yeah, I feel a little that way with Cosmicomics. It's science-based, but plenty of humor and impossibilities. I wouldn't classify it as science-fiction, though. Not sure why exactly, but it just feels different. I like soft sci-fi, so it's not that.

Any thoughts on how you would classify it, >10 knerd.knitter: ?

Not that it matters, I know. We like what we like no matter what it's called or where it's shelved.

>16 DebiCates: Any thoughts on how you would classify it

I generally don't worry about classifying books genre-wise; I guess it's closest to science fiction, but you're right: it doesn't really feel like sci-fi. More like "science-y" fiction. I don't know if that makes sense. : )

that means literary, right? if it can't be classified? (mostly kidding !)

>17 knerd.knitter: >18 keristars: Both answers seem to be right to me. I was just thinking of describing it to my daughter (who might like it). Genres are kind of a handy shortcut. Until they aren't. ha

Someone You Can Build A Nest In. I have no recollection of ordering it. It’s billed as romance/fantasy/humor. The plot could benefit from some tightening. The only humor I recall is a line from early in the book: “ Shesheshen liked priests; they tasted righteous.”

Rating it 3.5 stars

The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien De Castell. I'm not very far into it, but it seems good so far. It will probably take me all weekend as my reading time is limited by a workshop and family visit.