foggidawn's 2026 reads and rambles, thread 2

Lottie, books, and plants -- about sums it up!

Hi, all! Welcome to old friends and new. For the latter, I'm a children's librarian at a public library branch in a small Ohio city. My reading tastes range from children's and young adult literature, to fantasy and sci-fi, to mysteries, to historical fiction and literary works, to romances, to biography and memoir, with a light smattering of other nonfiction and anything else that catches my fancy. I'll also occasionally post about the picture books that I use during story time or school visits, though I don't include picture books in my count of books read during the year.

I live on a farm with my husband John, who is also an avid reader, though his tastes run towards graphic novels, golden age sci-fi, and nonfiction, mostly about history or chicken husbandry. We have a Springer Spaniel, Lottie (pictured above); she is immensely spoiled and loves being a farm dog. We also have about 50 chickens and about 43 acres of hayfields.

For 2026, I'm once again resolving to read at least one book a month off my existing TBR shelves. (I am already falling behind on this goal.) According to my To Read collection here on LT, I have 237 books on shelf to read, though I suspect I may find as I read that some of them didn't get entered when I acquired them. (Oops.) I also have several interesting ebooks on my Kindle, so I will include those in my total of books off the shelf if I read them. As for total books read, I finished 176 books last year, so I expect I'll read upwards of 175 in 2026, but if I don't, I will try not to be too sad about it.

You may also see me posting here about board gaming, gardening, cooking, and theatre. I'm not yet involved in a local theatre group, nor am I surrounded by board gamers, but I'm still interested in the topics and hope to at least view some theatre and maybe do some solo gaming and jigsaw puzzles this year. Now that gardening season has rolled around, you'll hear about my garden quite a bit. My non-book resolution this year is to focus on good health. That includes trying to do more outdoor activities, trying to cook healthy and delicious meals at home rather than relying on fast food, and continuing to keep my blood sugar in the acceptable range. John and I have some house-related resolutions as well, including a new roof, repairs to the big chicken coop, and completing the cosmetic remodeling I started on the bathroom and have yet to finish. (We're not doing a full remodel with new fixtures just yet, but I'm trying to freshen up appearances.)

I look forward to chatting with you all and hearing about your reading this year!

Books Purchased in 2026:

The Amber Owl by Juliet Marillier - AZN (Paperback)
Saplings by Noel Streatfeild - AZN (Digital)
The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier - AZN (Hardcover)
Praying with Icons by Jim Forrest - Thrift Store (Paperback)
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz - HPB (Hardcover)
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava - HPB (Paperback)
The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood - AZN (Hardcover)
Platform Decay by Martha Wells - AZN (Hardcover)
The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung - AZN (Hardcover)

Books Read From My Shelves in 2026:

Nettle by Bex Hogan - Deaccessioned to used bookstore
Saplings by Noel Streatfeild - On my digital shelf
Platform Decay by Martha Wells - Keeping on my shelf

Books read so far in 2026:
(Five-star reads in bold)

1. The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
2. Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
3. Nettle by Bex Hogan
4. Still Life by Louise Penny
5. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
6. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
7. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
8. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 7 by Beth Brower
9. The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin
10. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 8 by Beth Brower
11. The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair
12. A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis
13. The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz
14. A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair
15. Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater
16. A Rogue's Company by Allison Montclair
17. The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell
18. Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey
19. The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair
20. Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire
21. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
22. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
23. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
24. Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
25. The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
26. Medusa by Katherine Marsh
27. The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair
28. Jesusland: Stories from the Upside Down World of Christian Pop Culture by Joelle Kidd
29. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H. G. Parry
30. The True Happiness Company: How a Girl Like Me Falls for a Cult Like That by Veena Dinavahi
31. Cinder House by Freya Marske
32. A Proper Dragon by E. B. Wheeler
33. An Elusive Dragon by E.B. Wheeler
34. A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
35. Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair
36. An Excellent Thing in a Woman by Allison Montclair
37. Nevertell by Katharine Orton
38. Maid for It by Jamie Sumner
39. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
40. Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
41. All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
42. The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge
43. I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: (But I'm Going to Anyway) by Chelsea Devantez
44. Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
45. Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
46. Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones
47. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
48. Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon
49. From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden by Amy Stewart
50. The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter by Mimi Matthews
51. Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose
52. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
53. Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair
54. Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming
55. Playground by Richard Powers
56. Gelato at the Villa by Robin Jones Gunn
57. Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
58. Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O'Neil
59. Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
60. The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli
61. The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
62. How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative In Spite of Myself by Jenny Lawson
63. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
64. Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire
65. Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker
66. Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
67. Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell
68. What Sheep Think About the Weather: How To Listen To What Animals Are Trying To Say by Amelia Thomas
69. Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story) by Daniel Nayeri
70. A Subtle Dragon by E. B. Wheeler
71. No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris
72. Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano
73. Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
74. Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas
75. Platform Decay by Martha Wells

You can post below!

In the library world, we're gearing up for summer reading. Do you read any differently in the summer? Do you have plans to participate in your library's summer reading challenge, or an online challenge of some sort? Are there any books you're excited to read this summer?

Happy new thread, Foggi!

>4 foggidawn: Summer reading isn't a thing. Only if I go for a shared read with someone else's summer agenda. But then I never did Beach. Or summer vacation really.

>5 quondame: I never really got the concept of a "beach read" -- if I was reading at the beach, I would take whatever book I was reading at the time. And usually if I am at the beach, I would rather be in the water or playing in the sand. Maybe it's because beach visits for me are rare as an adult. I don't really change my reading for the summer either, but I do participate in logging my reading for the library challenge, because it's one more person on the stats for my location! Also, though staff can't win the big pries, the little ones are often nice and/or useful.

(76 books read)

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Foggi!

Happy new thread, Foggi!

Happy new thread foggi!

>8 compskibook: and >9 PaulCranswick: and >10 drneutron: and >11 humouress: Thank you all for visiting!

Garden Update:

I took a day off yesterday and spent part of it in the garden. I planted 10 tomato plants and 9 pepper plants, plus 2 basil and 3 marigolds. I also planted some more potatoes, because I bought a bag of little red potatoes (to eat) that I kind of forgot about, so I planted the ones that had sprouted. My garden is basically fully planted now -- here's a list of what I have going on:
Snow peas - up and doing their thing
Carrots - just sprouted
Lettuce - planted seeds, but no sprouts yet
Kale - A couple of sprouts, I think
Beets - I'm not sure if what's sprouted are the beets or weeds; waiting on true leaves to form
Yellow potatoes - up and doing their thing
Red potatoes - just planted
Strawberries - Not sure yet if they made it through the winter. They were well covered, and I've removed the tarp and most of the straw, but I'm not seeing much green yet.
Yellow squash - planted seeds, but no sprouts yet
Cucumber - planted seeds, but no sprouts yet
Sunflowers - just sprouted
Four O' Clocks - planted seeds, but no sprouts yet
Nasturtiums - planted seeds, but no sprouts yet
Tomatoes - planted seedlings of Amish Paste, Golden Jubilee, and Mortgage Lifter varieties
Peppers - planted seedlings of King Arthur bell peppers, Sweet Banana peppers, and Romanian sweet yellow peppers
Basil - planted seedlings of Round Leaf Sweet Italian
Marigolds - planted three Strawberry Blonde and one yellow African seedlings

In addition, I have potted herbs that made it through the winter: rosemary and flat-leaf parsley. Not sure yet if the potted fig tree survived the winter, but I moved it back outside. Fingers crossed! The elderberries (in ground, not in the garden but near it) did survive, and are looking healthy. I think it got too cold for my potted oregano and chives (I left the pots outside), but I will dig up some of mom's next time I visit and re-plant.

I didn't think I had so many things planted until I made this list! I might add a few more herbs, but that's about it. I'm excited to see what does well this year.

>13 foggidawn: I'm not sure what Four O'Clocks are. By the way, do you use any of your flowers when you cook?

>14 humouress: Four O' Clocks are a type of flower that opens in the afternoon and evening. Mirabilis is their scientific name. We had some when I was a teenager, and I've loved them ever since. Photo (not mine) below.

I recently made violet shortbread with wild violets from the yard. I've used nasturtium blossoms in tossed salads, though John is a little suspicious of eating them. I grow the sunflowers partly for the chickens and partly because they're pretty, and the marigolds because they're said to be good companions for tomatoes, to keep pests away. And because I like marigolds. So, I have sometimes used flowers when cooking, but mostly I just grow them because they're pretty and sometimes helpful.

(77 books read)

(78 books read)

>16 foggidawn: >17 foggidawn: Adding those to the BlackHole. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations, Misti!

Have a marvelous Monday!

>18 alcottacre: Thanks! Enjoy!

(79 books read)

Happy new thread, Foggi!!

>21 curioussquared: Thank you!

(80 books read)

Congrats on surpassing the reading goal! Nice!

>24 figsfromthistle: Thanks! I'm feeling good about my numbers so far this year. I haven't made it past 200 in a few years, but I feel like this year I might!

(81 books read)

(82 books read)

(83 books read)

>14 humouress: Wow, you've gotten so much ready! I hope you have a good season. I've never grown Golden Jubilee tomatoes, but they sound very pretty.
My season is winding down. I still have lots of tomatoes and peppers (too many, actually) but we've had 100 degrees on and off, and that cooks plants in their containers. I'll keep watering, but most of my plants die off in the heat. But I've already started planning for late August, when I'll start again.

You got me with a few book bullets! Into the wishlist they go.

What Elorin said! : ) And I'm jealous of all your gardening -- the trees have grown up so much around my house that there isn't enough sunshine anymore. At least not for veggies.

>29 mstrust: I do not envy you those temperatures!

>30 elorin: Enjoy!

>31 Berly: Thanks! I had a very shady backyard the last place I lived, so all I grew were some tomatoes and peppers in pots along the south side of the house, which did get decent sun.

Last week I got to visit my brother and his family, and spent some time watching the baby, who is, of course, a delight. She had a nasty little cold (probably compliments of her brother's second grade germ factory classroom, which she so kindly passed on to me. Yesterday was the worst of it; I skipped church and slept... and slept... and slept, probably 18 hours out of 24, and I could still go for a nap right now. She got an ear infection, and I can totally see why, as this cold settles hard in the ears. So, I'm mostly deaf today as well as coughing and sneezing.

I did finish a few books, though not as many as I expected, since watching a baby and reading a book are not things I can do at the same time, I've found. I'll try to get them reviewed later today. I also have a garden update to do later today, so there's that to look forward to!

Get well fast! Head colds are especially tough.

>34 mstrust: Thank you!

Garden update:

I came back after a week away to find my first harvest of snow peas ready to pick! The snow pea plants are blooming gloriously and producing well. The potatoes are up and looking healthy; I need to get more straw on them.

My cucumber plants did not survive; I suspect chipmunks or some other little critter, as the tiny sprouts appeared to have been dug up. Rather than replanting seeds, I bought a three-pack of cucumber plants at the hardware store, along with a geranium for my hanging basket.

I did re-plant my yellow squash, since they never came up. That might be due to birds, I'm guessing. I also planted some zinnias in the tub that was supposed to be lettuce, and John planted some dahlias in the tub that used to be strawberries *sob* -- the strawberries didn't make it through the winter. I'll try again next year in a different bed, as I think they were too exposed to the winter cold in that one. I planted some additional carrot seeds, since they came up only on one side of the tub (I'm guessing the seeds all washed that way in all the rain we had), and I'm trying for a small lettuce bed underneath the diagonal of the cucumber trellis, hoping that will give it a little bit of shade.

The sunflower plants are up and looking great; I weeded around them. The tomatoes are going strong, though the marigolds I companion planted with them are struggling. The basil has not put on much new growth, but it's early days yet.

My tiny kale and beet seedlings appear to have gone the same way as the cucumbers, which is not a tragedy, as John doesn't like beets, and the only thing we really like kale for is soup. John's mom subscribes to a farmshare box that provided a lot of kale last year, and she gives us her extras, so I may get my kale that way. The farmshare is from her across-the-street neighbors, so I think she likes to support their business as much as she likes the veggies.

Something ate a couple of leaves from my pepper plants as well, but I think the plants will survive, and hopefully whatever-it-was decided that they're not all that tasty. But if something keeps digging up my seedlings, I will have to buy covers or something to protect them until they can stand up to the harassment.

My only other news is that I brought home a chunk of oregano from mom's garden. She has an area that started out as an herb garden, and is now an oregano garden. So, she will never miss the potful that I took away! My oregano plant was one of the victims of winter neglect on my part, along with the fig tree and the chives, and probably the parsley, which made it through the winter only to promptly die back when I put it out on the porch. I thought it would be shady enough that it wouldn't be shocked by the change, but it was pretty delicate-looking before I did that. Oops. It was going into its second year anyway, which would probably have meant that I would have spent the summer trying to prevent it from bolting. I'll probably buy a replacement plant next time

I've written quite a book of garden news, but I was away from it for nearly a week!

Snow pea photo:

A lot going on! I too fight the birds who are after my seeds. But my strawberries die in the heat rather than the cold.
I go through a lot of kale for our salads. You have to chip it pretty fine, those leaves can be tough. But I've just pulled out all my lettuce. Their season was over and what was left had become so bitter.

>38 mstrust: Yes, I'm probably not going to do well starting lettuce this late, but it's more of an experiment in seeing if the shade from the trellis will be enough to protect it (or too much, and it won't make it at all).

I have kale, tomatoes, and strawberries out on my raised back deck so the deer can't get at them. In front I have chives and some blueberries. The rest are all very pretty flowering plants.

Get well! : )

>40 Berly: Just the essentials, then! ;-) Thanks -- I'm a little more functional today, probably because I purchased (and took) medication for it. Better living through chemistry!

>41 foggidawn: Yup. Gotta take care of yourself before the plants!!

>42 Berly: Indeed!

(84 books read)

(85 books read)

(86 books read)

>46 foggidawn: Adding this one to my wishlist!

>47 elorin: Enjoy!

>46 foggidawn: Already on The List but I'm very pleased to see you liked it!

>49 MickyFine: I looked at some other reviews after writing mine, and the negative ones tended to be either people who felt there was too much of a political slant to it (I wasn't bothered, but to be fair, I agree with the positions inherent in the book), or people who were unhappy that it was so different from her historical fiction. I don't think either of those will be a problem for you.

(87 books read)

(88 books read)



Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn -- this is the sequel to Killers of a Certain Age, and I found it just an much fun.

(89 books read)

Sort-of Garden Update:

I got all of my houseplants outside for the summer, finally. I usually get them out in late May, but the weather was still a little questionable for a while, and then I got busy. In the actual garden, I'm picking lots of snow peas. I think the chipmunks are getting my yellow squash seeds -- this time, they left the empty seed husks right there on the hills! Little jerks. I'm going to try and find some covers to put over the hills to protect the seeds/seedlings. I figure I can replant one more time, as they're a pretty fast-growing crop and there's plenty of time left in the growing season. Other than that, it's about time to start tying my tomatoes to the stakes, as some of them have started taking off.

>52 foggidawn: I really liked those too! Hoping there's another in the works.

>55 drneutron: I hope so, too! They're a lot of fun.

>54 foggidawn:

>51 foggidawn: BB, because I'm curious about the Singapore aspect. I've just finished Shadow of the Moon, set in Victorian India and I always wonder how things have changed and what it was like before.

>57 humouress: I thought of you while I was reading it, and wondered if you'd recognize streets and landmarks that are mentioned, or if everything has changed too much in the 115 years since then!

(90 books read)

>57 humouress: That made me smile!

>60 PaulCranswick: My tomatoes are... not that robust, for sure!

Quick garden update:

I scoured the local stores for something to protect my squash seeds, and found some cheap plastic cloches at the dollar store. I'm pretty sure they won't stand up to determined chipmunks, but maybe they'll discourage them a little bit? I really only need a couple of squash plants! If these don't work, I may take the last few seeds from the packet and try starting them indoors.

I tied back a few of my tomato plants. I use strips cut from old t-shirts, so I need to cut some more. (We are never short on worn out t-shirts around here.)