Everything I Read in August, 2026

August:

87. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - The Warmth of Other Suns tells about 3 people who migrated from different parts of the Deep South: 1 to California, 1 to New York, and 1 to Chicago. The author describes their lives in the South, their reasons for leaving, their exhausting journeys, what they found when they arrived at their destinations, and how it worked out for them, while also talking about the Great Migration in general, how long it lasted (1915-1975), why it started, and the results of migration. Like Wilkerson's Caste, it's an eye-opening read that describes how racism holds people back; how migrants who travel a great distance to improve their lives are the most productive people of their class in the area because of their strength, determination, and work ethic; and, how completely warped in order to hold back Blacks the system was (and is). An excellent book, beautifully written with a huge section on notes, clearly deeply researched. 

"Many years later, people would forget about the quiet successes of everyday people like Ida Mae. In the debates to come over welfare and pathology, America would overlook people like her in its fixation with the underclass, just as a teacher can get distracted by the two or three problem children at the expense of the quiet, obedient ones. Few experts trained their sights on the unseen masses of migrants like her, who worked from the moment they arrived, didn't end up on welfare, stayed married because that's what God-fearing people of their generation did whether they were happy or not, and managed not to get strung out on drugs or whiskey or a cast of nameless, no-count men." — p. 415, The Warmth of Other Suns

88. Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate - This follow-up to Lisa Wingate's novel Before We Were Yours tells about how the author found herself being frequently approached or written to by survivors or surviving family members of the children who had been adopted out for large sums of money by a woman named Georgia Tann. Tann had an inside network of people covering for her and was able to literally steal children for decades. And, those who were sick, unattractive, or whom she deemed unadoptable were neglected to death. As many as 500 may have died "in her care". "Orphans" should also be kept in quotation marks; some of the children were willingly given up but many were not. Before and After tells about how Wingate and friend and journalist Christie managed a hasty gathering of survivors while Christie also traveled to meet and interview some of the other survivors in person and describes their stories. Gripping but not always satisfying as some are still seeking answers. Read for group discussion. 

89. Ghost Station by S. A. Barnes - Ghost Station is told from the perspective of Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist who is related to one of the wealthiest families in existence. The family hates her and she's recently experienced a tragedy that reflects poorly on her, so she's decided to go into space with a team that is going to an uninhabited planet to extract anything of value for their company, Montrose. Her job is to help prevent a mental illness that's common among space travelers. Another company, Pinnacle (owned by Dr. Bray's relatives), has already been to the planet but Pinnacle sold their rights to it without explanation. In the planet's habitat, things seem a little off but nobody can quite figure out why. And, then things begin to go wrong. Gradually, everyone's behavior changes. Dr. Bray knows she'll have to share her darkest secret if she's to be trusted. But, even after she gains everyone's trust, will she be able to figure out what's happening so they can survive? A little too long and a bit too much babble in Dr. Bray's head, in my humble opinion, but I enjoyed Ghost Station. I thought the writing and world building were good and while it didn't give me nightmare (so . . . not the scariest "space horror"), the storyline was pretty good, as well. I would definitely read more by S. A. Barnes. 

90. The Color Purple by Alice Walker - I worked at the library sale, this month, and there were some women looking specifically for classics. One of them said to another, "Here's The Color Purple," and the other replied, "Nah, I have that one." I had not read it, nor have I seen the movie so I asked them where it was and they passed it to me. The next day, I sat on the floor reading a little from various books to see what grabbed me and once I got to The Color Purple, I couldn't stop reading. Celie has been abused by her father, lost her mother, and been married off to a lazy man with difficult children. The love of her husband's life is Shug, a singer. Celie is not thrilled about having an extra woman in her marriage, but when she nurses Shug back to health from an illness and they become friends and then lovers, Shug teaches her that embracing life and having fun is how she believes one shows the God in their heart. And, then Celie's life begins to change. 

Meanwhile, Celie has lost touch with her beloved sister, Nettie and when she finds out what's become of Nettie, we learn Nettie's story, as well. Wow, just wow. I stayed up till the wee hours to finish this beautifully layered story. It's a beat up old copy so while I was reading, the back cover literally fell off in my hand. I was so immersed that I just glanced at the cover, set it down, and kept on reading. I loved Celie's voice. It takes skill tackling subjects like incest, misogyny, racism, loss, and longing but still managing to keep a narrator's voice light. Celie is an utter delight. Someday, I hope I'll find a better copy. I did tape the cover back on, for now. 

91. Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds - At only 55 pages, this small book is a witty take on principles similar to those in Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny but obviously as related to cat behavior. It's actually pretty good advice and also very entertaining, especially if you're owned by cats and can relate to their ways. Basically: "Take up space, let your opinions be known, don't be cowed by fascists (they're weaker than they try to appear)," etc. I bought this book on a whim and then thought, "Ugh, why did I do that?" But, I gave it 4 stars because I thought it was both fun and spot-on as to the advice so I ended up with no regrets. 

92. View with a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems by Wisława Szymborska - I read another book of poems by Wisława Szymborska recently, after asking for advice on accessible poets. So, I bought more of her poetry and, in fact, somehow actually ended up with two of the same book in spite of the fact that she only published 350 poems in her lifetime (I sent the duplicate to a friend). A Polish poet who lived through WWII, she writes with wit and humor but some of her poetry is deeply profound. She talks of love and war, life and death, and clearly had a great time playing with words. And, yes, her poetry is definitely accessible. The title poem, "View with a Grain of Sand" was one of 7 favorites I marked. Here's a favorite passage, from "The End and the Beginning," which talks about war, cleaning up after ("Things won't pick themselves up, after all"), and how the war fades from memories and then little is known about what started it, then nothing:

Someone has to lie there 

in the grass that covers up

the causes and effects 

with a cornstalk in his teeth,

gawking at clouds. 

            — from "The End and the Beginning," p. 180 

93. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green - Well-known YA author, vlogger, and all-around smart guy John Green tackles the history of tuberculosis: how long it's been killing people, its cause and effects, what has led to a change of vulnerable populations, how the disease was romanticized and how effects of that romanticization remain in what modern people consider "pretty", what people thought about victims who were extremely productive writers during their short lives, like Keats, how the bacterium and a cure were discovered, and why tuberculosis is a perfect example of inequality, still killing the impoverished long after the discovery of a cure. I read Everything is Tuberculosis because it was the selection for a new book group in my area — at our wonderful library (which is made of stone and has windows overlooking a path into a forest). Discussion was mildly disappointing but I'll give the group a couple more months before deciding whether or not to stick it out. I found the book informative and at times surprising, with Green's trademark light, witty, somewhat self-deprecating humor.  

94. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum - Not a brilliantly written book but a relaxing book that follows a bookstore owner for 3 years as she navigates ownership of her business, makes new friends, has philosophical conversations about life, and deals with her past. The story is not plot-driven; it focuses on the characters, their issues, and their interactions, mostly within the store. By the end of the book, things have only changed marginally. If a book that's lacking plot bothers you (often the case for me), you might want to skip this one. For me, it was just good timing because I was going through a terrible bout of insomnia and needed a quiet read. 

95. A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen - Tamsin Archer is in dire straits. Her father was killed and then her stepfather died. Her mother had an accident that caused her to lose her employment, and then her brother and sister were stolen and sold to a chimney sweep who is extorting her and her mother while using the children as laborers. Lord Garrett Kildare's family is also in trouble. But, after Garrett bought some flowers from her on a night when her family would have starved if she couldn't sell her flowers, Tamsin has longed for the kind of life he leads and hasn't forgotten his kindness. When they cross paths again, Tamsin and her mother are living above a coffee shop and working for a cruel couple in the shop below. Garrett finds himself enchanted by this lovely, too-thin woman. But, he needs to find and marry an heiress. Meanwhile, Tamsin is just trying to survive and find a way to retrieve her siblings. There's no way they can possibly end up together. But, will love win out over class differences? I adored the characters and loved the story. A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord describes grinding poverty in London, giving the story greater depth than one might expect. There are only a couple spicy scenes, easy to skim if that's not your jam. I look forward to continuing the series as the titles are released. 

96. Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson - Now is Not the Time to Panic is told from the point of view of Frankie Budge. Frankie has no friends, is writing a novel, is uncomfortable in her own skin, and doesn't like to be touched. When a boy named Zeke shows up at the pool and they start hanging out together, she discovers that kissing is okay and hanging out with a boy is nice but their original plans fall flat and their summer is becoming boring. Then, they come up with an idea. They'll create something that means nothing but appears to. Frankie comes up with the words and Zeke draws the images to go with it. They make copies and paste their poster all over the town of Coalwood, Tennessee. But, what feels like a way to connect with the world creates panic, instead. Years later, a reporter has discovered that Frankie was involved in the making of the poster that created the panic. Will Frankie finally tell the whole truth? I sometimes like "everything spinning out of control" books and sometimes don't. Now is Not the Time to Panic is one of those rare stories that gripped me and I enjoyed the fact that Frankie was looking back to a time when she was uncomfortable in her own skin while realizing that she was fine, now. She had a great life as an adult; everything worked out. But, was it going to stay that way? 

97. March Comes in Like a Lion, Vol. 1 by Chica Umino (ebook/Hoopla) - Translated from the Japanese, this manga tells the story of Rei, a 17-year-old orphan who has become a professional shogi player (Japanese chess). When the story opens, you can see that Rei is living alone in an apartment. He's clearly lonely and depressed. He doesn't have any friends apart from three sisters who have befriended him. Gradually, you learn what happened to his family, where he went after their deaths, how he became a shogi pro, what led him to get an apartment, and how he met the sisters. There are also some essays about the game of shogi interspersed throughout the manga, which give you a better understanding of some of the events being illustrated. I learned a lot and felt like this manga has a great storyline and more depth than most of the mangas I've read, so I will continue reading the series. I knew nothing at all about shogi and it was a suggested read on Hoopla or I wouldn't likely have found it. 

98. Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu - A children's graphic novel, Measuring Up tells the story of 12-year-old Cici, a Taiwanese immigrant. Cici is unhappy that her grandmother has to be left behind when her family immigrates to the United States. She makes friends quickly and is determined to find a way to get her grandmother to visit. But, nobody has the money for a ticket. When Cici sees a poster about a children's cooking contest with a cash prize for the winner, she knows she's found the perfect way to earn money for a ticket — if she can win. Determined to win, Cici watches Julia Child videos and practices her cooking. Will Cici succeed? I bought this one for group discussion and enjoyed it. Apart from the fact that it's a bit on the saccharine side, I thought the story was a good one and I loved the theme of working hard, practicing, and having courage and conviction. 

99. Olivetti by Allie Millington - I think this is a middle grade book but the subject is a little heavy so I'm not entirely certain. The Brindle family was happy until something bad happened. Now, mother Beatrice has gotten some terrible news, taken her old typewriter to a pawn shop to sell, and disappeared. The 4 Brindle children and their father are shocked. What has become of her? With the help of the pawn shop owner's daughter, who discovers along with the quietest son Ernest that Olivetti is sentient, they begin to unravel the mystery as Olivetti breaks the rules and shares her words. An interesting book. They've been through a dark time and are about to revisit the darkness but the Brindle family is delightful and Ernest is kind of a mess. They're a very believable family and the ending is lovely. 

100. Balladz by Sharon Olds - Boy, does this book of poetry have reviews and ratings all over the scale. And, I personally have mixed feelings as there is some truly dark, depressing stuff about SA (she was apparently abused by both parents), growing old, illness, death, mourning, and being beaten and tied to a chair by her mother. But, there are also some interesting moments of light. One of my favorite poems is "Subway Ballad", a poem about the kindness of strangers in the subway. I liked "Not Extinct Yet," about a wasp that flies into a spider's web because it ends on a humorous note. I liked "Quarantine Puzzle," about a bruised thumb particularly for this line: "Had I been rolled in a barrel in the night, without a supervisor?" This refers to her realization that she was bruised in more places than just her thumb. So, while this collection was not a favorite, there were a few poems I would return to and I'm completely befuddled as to how to rate it numerically. Maybe a 3? Average in that there were some poems I liked so it wasn't a complete loss, although overall . . . not for me. 

101. March Comes In Like a Lion, Vol. 2 by Chica Umino (ebook/Hoopla) - Still loving this series. In Volume 2, Rei is just not feeling it. He's lost a couple of games and is worried about the possibility of getting a demerit. It's harder to pull yourself out of a bad streak than one might think. He has a tournament with the fellow who calls himself Rei's best friend that's broadcast on TV (an essay within describes the difference between a televised and regular match). That same fellow helps Rei teach the three sisters who've befriended him some basics of shogi and then invites himself over. Then, Rei's sister shows up and also insists on staying for a night. Rei is too quiet to summon the courage to tell them he'd rather be alone. Next is a ranking match. In general, Rei is one messed-up cookie trying to figure out what he wants from life but you gradually see some growth. I particularly liked the quick lesson in shogi, demonstrated with cat illustrations, and the essays that explain the game. You don't have to fully understand them; they just make what's going on a bit clearer. Again, so much depth to this manga but there's humor, too; lots of emotion. 

102. Dispatches from Tuscumbia River Bottom by Maxey Phillips - A surprisingly enjoyable find from the library sale, this self-published memoir is the story of a North Mississippi farm boy turned fighter pilot in Vietnam who rose to Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard. Maxey Phillips always wanted to fly; his family's small farm was on the flight path and he would think, "I'd rather be up there," while picking cotton. So, he got a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and eventually joined the Air Force. He flew missions in Vietnam and then was stationed in England before realizing his goal to work as a test pilot wasn't achievable, so he went back to school for a second degree while joining the National Guard. Reading Dispatches from Tuscumbia River Bottom is a lot like sitting at the feet of an elderly relative (one with a very sharp memory) who likes to tell stories. Some of them are very exciting — the time he was accidentally ejected from an F4 Phantom fighter jet and a near-death collision with a turkey buzzard are two of his most harrowing stories. Absolutely wonderful glimpses into one man's experiences, told with humility. Like most self-pubs, it could use a bit of tidying but it was actually pretty well edited. I think both of my sons would enjoy this book so it may get passed around. 

Click to enbiggen photos. The flatlay . . . ugh, that white book — I want to reach in and fix it. The cats came out to help and shifted it a bit.

Sir Percy helpfully inspected my book stack.

And, Fiona thought The Color Purple had an interesting smell.

Ahhh, this was a much better reading month. I took a social media break and tried to work on getting to sleep earlier. We're getting into a decent routine with the kittens — although sometimes I have to kick them out of the bedroom at night if they decide to play. And, it was a hot month, good for reading when it was too miserable to move. So, definitely an improvement. 

I did discover that I'd dropped the ball and completely forgotten to keep up with the Massachusetts Center for the Book 2026 Reading Challenge. I think I have a sympathetic villain book here, though, so I can do May's selection in September, in addition to the regular monthly prompt. And, while I didn't read any used books (books found at a used bookstore, Little Free Library, or tag sale) in July, three of this month's books were bought secondhand so I think any one of them works. August's prompt is "a book that could be considered taboo" and The Color Purple definitely works as it's been banned all over the place for years. 

The usual happened: I liked or loved everything I read. I did ditch one book, Dungeon Crawler Carl. I liked what little I read and yet didn't feel like picking it back up after I set it down when I finished the first night's reading. I'll probably just give the book to my youngest son rather than making a second attempt. It's his kind of book and if I change my mind it's available on Hoopla.

There were several books I had trouble putting down, this month. Among them, my favorites are probably The Color Purple and Now is Not the Time to Panic. I also really found A Shop Girl's Guide to Wooing a Lord, Ghost Station, and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop hard to put down, although the latter two weren't top favorites. I loved the two mangas, March Comes In Like a Lion, Volumes 1 and 2. And, while I had mixed feelings about Olivetti, I wasn't willing to stop once I got going and loved the idea of a sentient typewriter. I also absolutely had to know what happened to the missing mother and why she left. View with a Grain of Sand ended up in my keeper poetry pile but Balladz will probably not.

Maybe the seeming success of this month had to do with the fact that I've had a couple not-up-to-standard reading months and just felt like immersing myself in books. Avoiding social media is probably the biggest factor, though. And, it doesn't hurt that the cats now have a routine that we can rely on. At any rate, it was a good month with quite a few books read specifically for discussion, a decent amount of variety, and the discovery of an outstanding classic. 

On to September and an exciting new success. I'm reading an audiobook without falling asleep! Tune in next month to find out which book finally broke the spell. 

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Everything I Read in July, 2026

July:

78. How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn - I read The Man with No Shadow for book group discussion. This is the first in a series and it takes place at Goat Valley Campground, a place that has been owned by the same family for generations. It's Old Land and therefore inhabited by monsters and Kate's job as owner is to keep the monsters under control as much as possible to protect the nearby townspeople.  But, sometimes they become too hungry or angry to control and sometimes campers simply don't follow the rules. "The Man with No Shadow" is one of those monsters and he wants Kate to give up the campground so that the monsters will be set free. And, he's willing to kill anyone to make it happen. I'm prone to nightmares so I opted not to read this one at night, at first, and didn't take it along on our mini vacation in June; but, eventually I began reading at night and had no issue. There are lots of monsters and it's mildly scary with a bit of gore. I found it very tolerable and liked the story and how the main character learns from her mistakes and from the monsters willing to give her advice. 

79. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 4 by Beth Brower - After deciding I shouldn't wait months between entries of Emma's journals but I should at least wait a week or two, I overrode my own decision and dived right into the next volume. In Volume 4, Emma's friendship with her tenant, Pierce, the vicar, Young Hawkes, and the Duke of Islington continues to grow, Emma is summoned to the country for a weekend, gets news about the burial of her former fiancée, is forced to do a favor for the scoundrel Jack, and contemplates potential ways to earn money (aka, jobs). So good. This series. I just love it. As I finish each month, I am piling the volumes together and plan to shift my books around on the shelves to make space for the series. I just know I'll read them again if I live long enough (life feels very tentative, right now, doesn't it?) 

80. The Time Capsule by Connie Lacy (ebook) - Hannah Myers has tired of her PR job in Atlanta and is getting ready for a fresh start in another state. But, first she plans to play a role in a local theater production. To practice her role, she asks if there are any parasols in the props and is led to a room in the theater basement. There, she finds a music box that takes her back in time to 1918. The Spanish Flu is taking hold, the Great War is nearly over, and Hannah has no idea how to get back home. So, she settles in while she tries to figure out how to get home. I don't want to spoil what happens so I'll just say that The Time Capsule is a time travel romance in which the heroine has to make a decision about whether or not to stay in a time that is simpler (she appreciates the lack of technology) but also more difficult (none of the nice appliances and she has to learn how to cook). Is love worth giving up ever seeing her family again and living a modern life? I like time travel and a touch of romance so I enjoyed The Time Capsule. It's not brilliantly written but I thought the author did an excellent job of placing the reader in Atlanta in 1918 and showing how things have changed, particularly for women. I would definitely read more by Connie Lacy. 

81. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy - When Rowan washes up nearly drowned on the shore of a remote island, its inhabitants (Dominic and his three children: Orly, Fen, and Raff) are suspicious of her. Who would come to an island so remote? Does she have an ulterior motive? While Rowan recovers and gets to know the family, both she and Dominic are lying to each other. What are their deep, dark secrets and why are they unwilling to share them? The island used to have a research center but it's now empty, the communications for the island completely destroyed, and the seed vault that is normally a safe place to preserve the world's seeds warming and starting to flood. With only 8 weeks to select the seeds to save, no way to communicate with anyone off the island, and a dangerous secret being kept, will they all survive to leave the island? The story jumps back and forth in time to slowly reveal the characters' pasts. 

My friend Susan sent me her copy of Wild Dark Shore (thanks, Susan!) and while I expected but didn't love the ending, in general I did appreciate the story for its focus on the beauty of life and the senselessness of human-driven climate change in a world that has figured out how to stop it but won't because of greed. It's atmospheric and evocative. My favorite line: "But here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves, knowing they will die." I would substitute "people" for "things" but I think that's what the author meant. I also learned a new word.  "I am woozy with love. I am limerent." Limerence means a state of blissful, usually temporary, infatuation experienced during the early part of a romantic relationship (or that feeling you get when you're first falling in love). Highly recommended but definitely dark. Maybe don't read this one if you're feeling blue. 

82. Birdlands by Anthony McGowan - I needed something a wee bit less taxing after the darkness of Wild Dark Shore so I grabbed a middle grade book off my stacks (a new middle grade, mind you — I'm still guilty of breaking my so-called Book Buying Ban repeatedly, this year). Birdlands tells the story of 3 damaged birds. The crow, Herman, has a broken wing. Beaky, a jackdaw, was born with a defective beak that makes it difficult to eat. And, the pigeon and comic relief, Pidge, was recently injured and now is afraid to fly. They've been fighting for scraps at a train station but when Herman recalls his mother describing a place called Dump as a paradise for birds, they decide to walk together. They face many dangers. Will the 3 birds make it to Dump? And, what will they find when they arrive? Well . . . it's tragic, but the journey focuses on nature's beauty and harshness (much like Wild Dark Shore) and the ending was so incredibly moving that I cried! I was so stunned. Clearly, Award-Winning Author Anthony McGowan has a big heart and a love of nature. While the story is bittersweet, I highly recommend it and, oops, I already ordered another book by this author. At least I bought secondhand. 

83. Spy x Family, Vol. 13 by Tatsuya Endo - Volume 12 of this delightful manga series ended on a cliffhanger so I'm surprised I didn't immediately read #13. It was sitting on the shelf, after all. In #12, Twilight was searching for a spy who had stolen documents from Westalis and was trying to escape to Ostania. In #13, he's injured and helped by his fellow spy Nightfall, who is infatuated with him. He and Yor's brother, also injured in the conflict between spies, must explain away their injuries. Meanwhile, Anya meets an elderly man who is lost, helps him find his way home, and then becomes his student as he was a former professor who taught the subject she finds most challenging, Classical Languages. Loid (Twilight) is a little suspicious of the old man and his wife. Yor has decided she doesn't need conflict as a married person and she and several of her co-workers attend an event where a discussion about trauma from the recent war becomes a little heated. A good entry in the series with another minor cliffhanger. I gave this one 4 stars but to be honest, I have no idea how I felt about it on a numerical scale. They're all great. 

84. A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings - This memoir describes growing up in a Baptist church that was extremely misogynistic, in which fear was a driving force for keeping people (especially women) in line, and in which purity was emphasized. The author married an abusive man who believed that patriarchy was what God demanded and, regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn't please him. She was also led to believe that every imperfection in their marriage or home was her fault; doctors, libraries, and movies were dangerous and likely to lead her astray; and, she should give birth to as many children as possible. A Well-Trained Wife is mostly about the author's life within that abusive structure, how her marriage and religious trauma affected her, and how and why she finally escaped. But, she also describes her life after divorce and the therapy that helped her face her trauma and work through it. Part of the point of this book was to make people aware that the church leaders believe in mixing politics and religion and they are the ones taking rights from women, right now. It's important to know how dangerous this is. A difficult book but good for a look into a truly radical and dangerous belief system that demeans women and even encourages physical and emotional abuse. The bottom line, though? Nobody was happy. Too many rules made both Levings and her first husband exhausted, stressed, and miserable. 

85. The Rise of Neptune (The Dragonships #2) by Scott Reintgen - The 2nd in a middle grade series in which each planet and moon has a dragon associated with it and spaceships are entirely created by technology so they only are in existence when the proper chips are in place. The 1st book was about Lunar, a boy who collected scrap items to survive but then came across a dragon and was trained to be his rider or dragoon. In The Rise of Neptune, Lunar and his crew have recovered from a major battle and regrouped while a back-up crew is being trained. They learned in the first book that Neptune (the dragon) is coming to start a war. Now Mars is recovering, Earth is sending people to live on Mars, and Neptune is coming. There's a lot to this book: secrets and lies, a shapeshifter and seer named Proteus (fantastic character) who can only see possible futures, deceit, sacrifice, and more. I waited a bit too long between books and had forgotten the details of characterization, apart from that of Lunar himself but eventually got to a point that it didn't matter; I knew enough to get by. The ending is a cliffhanger and I'm pretty sure he's roped me into pre-ordering #3. 

86. A Village Life by Louise Glück - This volume of poetry is my introduction to Glück, an award-winning former poet laureate. There were some lovely poems but I have to say, she won't be a favorite. I think her tendency to offset anything light with a dark thought was just too uncomfortable for me. Having said that, her poetry is very accessible and I didn't hate it. I just felt a little squirmy, much of the time. In fact, I found myself reading passages that were all airy and light, followed immediately by some harsh thought, aloud to my husband to see if it was just me. He just smiled. Who knows what he was thinking. I didn't mark my favorites, unfortunately. 

9 books read. Not horrendous. Not up to my usual but also unsurprising. My month was once again centered around kittens and cat; and, I found it difficult to squeeze in reading unless I stayed up too late or literally hid in the bedroom with the door closed (which I did at least twice to finish up books that were in progress). If not, I ended up with kittens tap dancing on my head or parkouring off of my body, complete with very sharp little claws. I gave up a few attempts at reading. The kittens are growing fast, though, and we're enjoying their youthful energy. They keep us on our toes. When they're not wrestling, having the zoomies, or eating, I am happy to say that they are already good friends. The top photo shows Percy at left and Pippin on the right and the second and third photos show them in the opposite order. 

I liked or loved everything I read, as usual, but I think I found Wild Dark Shore, the 4th Emma Lion book, and The Time Capsule the hardest to put down. And, I always enjoy Spy x Family. The book I found the most challenging was A Well-Trained Wife because it could have very easily been me. I didn't grow up Covenant Reformed Baptist, so I didn't have anyone telling me absolutely everything except being a cloistered and submissive wife was bad (and I certainly would have ignored anyone who told me not to vaccinate my child or go to a doctor) but as a former Southern Baptist I was familiar with the fear tactics and I read some of the same books as Tia about being a nice, little submissive wife as a newlywed. Fortunately, my husband was neither abusive nor interested in ordering me around. It's worth reading for the warning about how this fundamentalist and evangelistic branch of Christianity mixes with politics. 

Back to kittens, when we took little Mr. Pippin in for his first shots, we found out he had previously been named Nugget (he was born at our veterinary clinic and adopted from there) and he looks a little nuggety so we added it back to his name and his full name is now Pippin Henry Nugget, Intrepid Explorer. One of my favorite husband moments was when I was looking for Pippin and asked if he knew where Pippin was —because I like to know where my cats are hanging out, just to make sure they haven't been closed into closets or run outdoors. Husband replied, "Oh, he's probably off somewhere being pleasant." He is a very sweet-tempered kitten, for sure. But, he's no less crazy than Sir Percy when he gets wound up. 

At any rate, we're having fun. Hope you're all tolerating the heat. My thoughts are with absolutely everyone dealing with fire and flood and any other challenges caused by climate change. Hmm, I think I have one more unread climate change book, maybe two, lying about. Maybe I should sneak one of those in for August. 

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Everything I Read in June, 2026

June:

67. The Tripods: The White Mountains by John Christopher (The Tripods #1) - An alien takeover of the world happened at least 100 years ago. Will and his family live in a village in England that works much like a Medieval village. His only friend is about to turn 14 and go through a "capping" that ushers him into manhood. Capping is done by the Tripods and for some individuals it doesn't work; they're known as Vagrants and the capping messes up their brains. When Will speaks to someone who is pretending to be a Vagrant and finds out what the capping really involves, he decides to escape. What follows is a journey across the English Channel and through what used to be Europe to get to the White Mountains, where others who have escaped before capping live. But, it will be a perilous journey. The first in a children's series and I'm excited to read on. Published in 1967, the author admits that he realized he'd accidentally stolen the idea of Tripods from H. G. Wells after submitting the book for publication as he'd read The War of the Worlds in childhood and completely forgotten about it. I wondered! But, the tripods are the only ditto; the rest is unique. A super-quick adventure; the pages flew. 

68. Cat + Crazy, Vol. 1 by Wataru Nadatani - The first in a manga series tells about a girl who has a bit of a crush on her classmate but then she follows him to find out why he stops every morning on his way to school and discovers that he's taking photos of cats and writing down notes. He's cat crazy! Kensuke Fuji can't have a cat, though, so he just photographs and admires them. When a favorite stray goes missing, he goes in search of the missing cat, saves it from a murder of crows, and comes across a cat whisperer. How can Fuji learn to be a cat whisperer? The cat guru sets him a task and agrees to be his mentor if he passes. The girl, meanwhile, becomes more of a side character who at first thinks these cat lovers are crazy (she has a dog) but eventually starts to understand their love of cats, to a certain extent. Loads of fun by the same author who has done the Cat + Gamer books, so the art is first rate. 

69. Brothers in Arms: A True WWII Story of Wotjek the Bear and the Soldiers Who Loved Him by Susan Hood and Jamie Green - A children's picture book that tells the true story of a bear found as a cub, bought for a young woman, then donated to a group in the Polish Army who were mostly teenagers and orphans, themselves. It tells about how Wotjek, who was very gentle, became a friend and comrade to the soldiers, wrestled with them, played with the dog of another group of soldiers, and accompanied them to Monte Cassino for the battle that opened up a path to Rome and helped facilitate the end of war in Europe. It's interesting but I was actually a little disappointed and I'm not sure why. However, the author has included lots of extras: photos, a timeline, and additional resources. I'd be curious to read this story in better detail; that might have been the problem, that I wanted to know more than a children's picture book had to offer, because I did find the story interesting and the illustrations were great. 

70. The Tripods: The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher (The Tripods #2) - Continuing on with this series, Will has been living in the White Mountains for months with others who escaped being Capped by the Tripods and thus becoming subservient to them. There, he has been training for games that will determine who is to be taken into the city of the Tripods to serve as their slaves. By going inside, the group hopes that some will be able to learn the weaknesses of the Tripods. Will is one of two boys chosen to be slaves; one to a cruel and abusive alien Master, the other to one who treats him decently. In this second entry to the Tripods series, they will find out whether the Tripods are actual creatures or mobile units, where the aliens came from, and their plans for Earth. But, will either of the boys survive long enough to figure out a way to escape from the domed city to share what they know? This book was more difficult to read because the aliens are gross and the boys go through a lot of hardship but it's part journey, part mystery as they seek answers to help them fight back against aliens who have been in charge for over a century. I didn't like the experience of reading as much, but still . . . this is a pretty fun and adventurous children's series and it's worth wading through for the unfolding of the aliens' tale. 

71. The Tripods: The Pool of Fire by John Christopher (The Tripods #3) - It's incredibly unusual for me to read series books bang-bang-bang, one after the other, but here we are. I found the first book in The Tripods series so adventurous I had to keep going and then I wanted to know how it all ended. In The Pool of Fire, the aftermath of Will and Fritz's time as slaves to the aliens is shown as the Uncapped refugees gather what's been discovered about the aliens and make a plan to fight back that involves a team of Uncapped returning to the domed city while two teams do the same to alien cities in other parts of the world. There are successes and failures and a lot of the people they've recruited to help in the fight are killed. Overall, I found the ending satisfying. This particular book skips over some large gaps in time because they have to plan and prepare but, like the rest of the series, it's adventurous and quick reading. This is the final book in the original trilogy but there's also a prequel in the boxed set and I will read that soon. 

72. The Tripods: When the Tripods Came by John Christopher (The Tripods #0.5) - Well, how's that for "soon". I decided I wanted to read the prequel before moving my focus on to other in-progress books and I'm glad I did. Because When the Tripods Came happens 100 years before The White Mountains and the author wrote it in 1988 (the others were written in 1967 and 1968) the contemporary setting has home computers, television sets that everyone owns, and space travel. When several Tripods show up on Earth, not much happens, apart from a Tripod in England destroying a farmhouse and killing the inhabitants. Laurie and his friend Andy witness the destruction but soon it's over. Not long after, a new TV show about the Tripods is aired and people begin acting oddly, including Laurie's half-sister, Angela. 

Trippies, as the TV show's addicts are called, become violent and then eventually leave to hang out around the Tripods that have reappeared. Because the local doctor figured out what was happening to Angela, Laurie's family understands the danger. Laurie's stepmom, Ilse, is in Switzerland and it seems safe there, so they go on a dangerous journey. But, when it becomes apparent that no place is safe, they go into hiding. This story brings the original full circle, back to the "White Mountains" of the first book (the Alps). I loved it and found the ending very satisfying, although it's much shorter than the rest and clearly the author didn't originally intend to write a prequel, since it took him 20 years to get around to it. No problem; it was nicely done. To be honest, I'd love to read everything written by John Christopher, now, but I will be selective. 

73. Cat + Gamer, Vol. 2 by Wataru Nadatani - This is the second entry in the manga about a gaming-obsessed young lady who adopts a kitten and a reread for me. In this book, Musubi starts climbing things and causing havoc, so Riko goes to the store for advice and ends up buying an elaborate cat tree then later visiting the shopkeeper at home to see how she's set up spaces for her 3 cats and 1 dog. Finally, Riko gets a visit from her sister, whom she seldom sees, and they come to an understanding. I first read this series via Hoopla and then decided I wanted to own a handful of the physical books and I'm glad I bought them. 

74. The Disasters by M. K. England - 4 young people who have washed out of a space program on the moon are preparing to head home to Earth when they get caught up in a dangerous plot and barely escape from the pursuers who want them dead. When they figure out what's happening and what those who tried to kill them are intending to do, they get help forming another plan. Now, 5 young people are out to save colonists on other planets from a deadly plot. Will they survive to save the day? Very action-packed, which I loved, but this YA sci-fi had a little too much shoulder-nudging, grinning, wink-wink innuendo. I would have preferred a book that just focused on the action. I did, however, like the LGBTQ representation and the diversity of the crew. And, the ending was very satisfying. 

75. Empty World by John Christopher - I liked The Tripods series so much that I decided to give another book by this author a try. Empty World is a pandemic book, fair warning. But, it begins with a terrible automobile accident. Teenaged Neil Miller is the only person in his family to survive the crash that kills his brother, sister, and parents. No longer interested in making friends or being mischievous, he chooses to move in with his grandparents in a tiny English village rather than go to boarding school. But, then a plague strikes. After the first round in India ends, scientists learn a bit about how it kills, but they're not able to stop the second round of the virus from becoming a worldwide pandemic. At first, it attacks only old people but then people of all ages begin to sicken and die. After a time, Neil is one of very few people left in the whole of England. He must learn to fend for himself but what he wants more than anything is to find other survivors. What he discovers is that loneliness can drive you crazy (I won't spoil how that happens). While not as adventurous as The Tripods, there's a clarity of writing and plot to John Christopher's writing that I appreciate. Empty World was probably Young Adult before the category existed; it's a quick and easy read. I'm quite anxious to read more of his work, hopefully for adults. 

Side note: Part of Empty World takes place in London and is fun reading if you're a fan of London and know it pretty well as the author has main character Neil walking (and sometimes driving) through London. 

76. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - I've heard of this book but only recently heard someone talking about it and decided I wanted to read it. In rhyming text, it tells the story of a mouse who manages to hold off animals like a fox and an owl who think he might be a tasty treat by telling them of the fictional gruffalo. But, when a real gruffalo shows up, he must find a clever way to keep it from eating him, as well. And, it's definitely clever. I wish my grandchildren were the right age for this book. 

77. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 3 by Beth Brower - The third installment in this charming series has Emma dropping in on her tenant while he works on his photography studio and getting to know him better (although still not enough to satisfy her curiosity), running into the Duke of Islington repeatedly, bending to her aunt's whims to make cousin Arabella look an even better prospect for marriage, searching for clues to a hunt that will lead to earning tickets to a local production of Julius Caesar, and dealing with Archibald after he's injured and blames her. Absolutely delightful. This series gets better with every volume. I don't think I've given any of them less than 5 stars. 

This is Percy in the flatlay photo:

And, the new kid, Pippin (story below):

Fiona is still hanging in there at 16 and hunting fishy mouse (everything she hunts is some form of "mouse":

OMG, what a month! We left old lady cat Fiona and kitten Sir Percy with our son for a long weekend trip and then came home, took Percy for his next round of shots, and asked if they had any kittens at the veterinary clinic because Percy needed a buddy. They had 8! Goodness. From this lot, I made the hasty decision to get a second orange/ginger kitten, this one more of a standard tabby with white socks and some white on his face. The rest of the month has been a literal "herding cats" situation. It is crazy around here and my reading suffered. But, what a great reason for it to suffer! We are having such fun. 

We didn't settle on a name quite as easily with our second kitten. I wanted to name him Henry the Usurper because Percy was a little put out, at first. Husband wanted to name him Pete. We decided he's a redhead, as any ginger kitty, so we looked up Irish names. Pippin was our favorite from the list we found and it seemed to fit, plus "Percy and Pippin" sound cute together. The Lord of the Rings fans I know are big fans of his name (I'm embarrassed to say that I've only read The Hobbit, although the LOTR series is on my 2026 You Should Have Read This Years Ago pile). So, now we have 3. I still ache over the loss of my beloved Isabel but there is a great deal of laughter and chaos in our home and that helps. 

So . . . books read. I started the month reading the first in the Tripods series and then just kept going, occasionally inserting some other easy read in for a change of pace. Nothing I read this month was heavy or even all that long so my pile is not a big one. Hopefully, as we adjust to our busy cat-herding lifestyle, my reading will improve. It's been very good for us; Isabel's loss was a hard one and kittens are both distracting and a lot of work. I know it won't always be this chaotic. 

How was your reading month? 

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

It's my bloggiversary!

Well, this one's a milestone I would never have expected to happen. I started this blog (after two previous attempts at other hosting sites) on June 6, 2006. Before I began blogging, my friend Andi nudged me for at least a year or two and I resisted because I thought I would be basically writing into the void. Who would want to read my thoughts about books? 

What followed, when I finally settled into a site that functioned, was rather a shock. Not only did people show up to read my reviews, but there was a beautiful community aspect to blogging that I absolutely adored (and still miss). Plus, authors and publicists found my blog and showered me with books. 

Some things I've done over the years: 

1. Started a challenge called the Chunkster Challenge but decided I didn't care for hosting a challenge and passed it off to another blogger. 

2. Accepted loads of books for a while and then became more discriminating, and finally gave up on reviewing for publishers entirely to read primarily from my home library shelves. 

3. Made friends with readers, authors, and publicists. 

4. Met up with other bloggers and a few authors, sometimes traveling specifically to meet them and sometimes getting together when I happened to be nearby. Probably the most notable of these was our trip to Japan to hang out with Nat of In Spring It Is the Dawn (no longer extant) as I would undoubtedly never have gone to Asia otherwise. 

5. Went from writing lengthy, detailed reviews and frequent posts to my current habit of posting shorter, monthly reviews in a single post. 

6. Went through quite a few phases as a mother with children at home, the mother of college age children and then mother of the groom (twice), and now a grandmother to two lovely girls. I've also experienced quite a bit of loss during my blogging years as my mother and 3 of our cats have returned to stardust. 

7. Learned and grown and read a lot of books, many of which I would never have thought to read if I hadn't been offered a copy or read about them on other folks' blogs. I think this is what I appreciate most besides the friendships: the expanding of my horizons in ways that would definitely not have happened without blogging.

So many good things to remember!

Also, I guess this is my Chocolate Bloggiversary because the husband/chef was asked to bake a cake for me to photograph with numbered candles and he chose chocolate. It seems fitting. Chocolate is special and so is a 2-decade milestone. 

To those who have continued to read my blog, leave comments, and maintain friendships away from blogging — THANK YOU! I appreciate you! I don't know how long I'll continue to write monthly blog posts but at this point I'm happy. I especially love it when someone takes the time to comment. On to whatever the future holds!

And, now, a note on the past. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, which also falls on June 6. I am grateful to all who risked and sacrificed their lives to fight fascism. May we honor their memories by crushing the rising fascism in our own nation. 

Love and Happy Reading to All!

Bookfool

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos. 

Everything I Read in May, 2026

May:

56. We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - Several interconnected stories tell the tale of people who are having difficulties and go to what they think is a psychiatric office that's been recommended to them. Instead, they find a rude receptionist and a lively man in a doctor's coat (but is he a doctor?) Instead of listening to them and prescribing medication, he prescribes each of the patients a cat. A cat is brought out, the patient is given instructions and a starter pack of necessities, and the cat (or cats, in one case) cause positive life changes. I've wanted to read We'll Prescribe You a Cat since it was released and I have to say . . . I was disappointed. I don't know if it was just the wrong time for me or just not the right story but there were some sad parts: the story of a cat that disappeared and a memory of kittens found in an alley that didn't end well. Clearly, I'm extra sensitive after the loss of my soul cat, Isabel, so it could just be the timing. It made me cry alligator tears and I just didn't get the magical realism. While there may be answers in the companion novel, I don't plan to read it. 

57. Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky - Hot Air tells the story of 4 adults. Johnny and Joannie are kissing in his backyard during the first date Joannie has had in 7 years. She's not enjoying the kiss, although his house is much nicer than her apartment so there's that. Then, a hot air balloon suddenly crashes into Johnny's pool. Jonathan and Julia were taking a hot air balloon ride for their anniversary. They're billionaires and, oddly, Jonathan gave Joannie her first kiss (but then he was a jerk, after). What follows is a little revenge by Julia, an obsession with Joannie's daughter, Lucy, a bit of strange, unnecessary couple-swapping, and two days of Julia finding out what parenthood is like. Joannie has written one award-winning novel that's no longer on the shelves and her life has spiraled into a decline. Will hanging out with a billionaire and his wife make things worse or inspire her? I'm not telling. But, I will say . . . I hate affair books and initially thought I wasn't going to like this book; but it's not really about an affair. It's about reexamining your life after bad behavior and it's also about how easily things can spin out of control, which seems to be Dermansky's specialty. There were moments I hated but I ended up really enjoying the book, particularly the ending. 

58. Cat Massage, Vol. 3 by Haru Hisakawa - I've read the first in this manga series but skipped one because the second volume didn't have great reviews. Cat Massage is about a group of cats who run a massage business. This 3rd volume has around 5 stories and the one I recall reading about before I bought the book is a story in which the cats get competition when some dogs come in and set up a massage business nearby. My favorite, though, is a story in which the cats go on-site to a business to give massages to stressed-out and frazzled employees. After doing most of their job, the cats fall asleep on a glass-top table and one by one, the employees get down on the floor under the table to admire the cute little toe beans they can see through the glass. Hilarious. I will not likely buy any more from this series but I smiled all the way through both Volumes 1 and 3, so I'm keeping them for rereads when I need an easy upper. 

59. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura - Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a "through the looking glass" story in which seven children (in 7th-9th grades) who have dropped out of school go through a shining mirror in their respective homes and end up in a castle. There, they're given a quest to find a hidden key that will grant one of them a wish. But, they have about 9 months to hang out in the castle and get to know each other or search for the key. The castle closes at 5pm and if they aren't out of the castle by closing time, they'll be eaten by a wolf. A weird but gripping and twisty story about mental health not being addressed well in Japan. There are occasional school scenes so it provides an interesting peek into what school life is like in Japan. I was unsure about this book when I started but every time it started to plod a bit, some twist was thrown in and it ended up one of those books I kept thinking about long after closing it. 

60. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - Continuing my alien invasion reading from April, I read the singular, classic read that began it all. Published in 1898, The War of the Worlds tells the story of a man who is looking through his friend's telescope when something is shot from the surface of Mars. Within days, cylinders start arriving and aliens from Mars begin a harrowing invasion that includes a heat ray, poison gas, and tentacles that suck the blood from living humans. I'm surprised the blood sucking didn't end up in my nightmares.The unnamed narrator has many close calls but survives to tell the tale. 

In the midst of the reading, I was having a blue day so I watched the 1954 version of the movie, which takes place in California rather than London and surrounding area. It retains the bones of the book, to a certain extent, but Hollywood came up with its own visuals. It was a great diversion. When I first started reading, I wondered if I'd be able to wrap my mind around an invasion set in the 19th Century with Martians when we now know the planet is uninhabited. No problem. H. G. Wells could write. It was intense and I was absolutely invested. By far the best of the alien invasion books I've read, so far. I'm a little nervous that everything else will feel derivative after reading the ultimate classic alien invasion but I'm willing to find out!

61. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson - Lillian was kicked out of school after her mother accepted payment for Lillian to take the blame for her best friend Madison's antics. Now, she works in a grocery store, lives with her disinterested mother, and is both directionless and filled with regrets. She's still in touch with Madison, who is now married to a senator. When Madison calls to offer Lillian a job, she jumps at the chance without knowing what the job entails. At Madison's house outside Nashville, she finds out the senator's children with his first wife are coming to stay, but there's a little problem. When they get upset, they burst into flames. Lillian is to stay with the children in a remodeled second house away from the senator's mansion. But, how will she get Bessie and Roland to calm down and stop bursting into flames? A surprisingly tender novel about anxiety, the difficulties of raising children, and the trouble with being a wounded child. I've read a short story Wilson wrote about the same topic and wondered why he reused the concept of spontaneous human combustion. Fortunately, there's a nice author's note about his own anxieties and why he felt like spontaneous combustion might make him feel better that I really appreciated for its explanation of why he wrote the novel. Highly recommended.

62. The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay - With thanks to Carrie for passing her copy on. I read the first Book of Delights by Ross Gay about a year or two ago and absolutely loved it. He's an interesting person: a poet, a lover of life and beauty, family, gardening, and the delights of fresh fruit. He loves his friends dearly and doesn't fear their flaws. He understands that sometimes it's good to be a little rebellious. All these things and more are expressed in short essays about the small or big delights that he came across during a single year. He'd already written and published the first book before being encouraged to record more of his delights. It's like reading someone's gratitude journal, but a really smart someone. He also touches on racism because Gay is a black man living in a mostly-white area. Not everything is delightful for anyone but there are obviously particular discomforts related to the color of his skin. Necessary occasional non-delightful moments aside, you cannot help but love this book because it's so upbeat. If you don't come out of a Ross Gay book thinking, "Oh, man. I wish I could be his friend," I'm going to call you a little weird. Another highly recommended read. 

63. Harboring Hope: The True Story of How Henny Sinding Helped Denmark's Jews Escape the Nazis by Susan Hood - One of the books I bought when I made a large purchase of middle grade books (at least two by author Susan Hood because I had enjoyed Lifeboat 12 by her), Harboring Hope tells a true story of heroism and resistance during WWII. Harboring Hope goes back and forth in time, opening with a scene describing Henny guiding Jewish Danes to a warehouse, where they hid until each was able to run to a boat, one by one, as patrolling Nazis' backs were turned. Then, it goes back in time to tell about the invasion of Denmark, how Nazis accepted Danish terms at first, and the gradual clamp-down on Danes and eventual decision to empty Denmark of its Jewish population. 

Harboring Hope tells of Henny's work helping Jews escape, her further work in the resistance, and what happened after her resistance group was identified. Told in verse, the book contains quite a few photographs at the end, as well as a description of the different forms of poetic verse used in the book. As I'm typing this, I kind of wonder why I gave it 4/5 stars instead of a full 5, but I think it's probably the jumping back and forth in time that I disliked. It didn't always feel entirely cohesive. Still, an excellent book and great learning resource about both WWII and poetry, for middle graders and adults who read middle grade. 

64. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham - Well, this was a lucky library sale find! I've heard of Carry On, Mr. Bowditch because it's a Newbery prizewinner (an award for excellence in children's writing) and I've deliberately read many Newbery Medalists since I believe it is a high-quality award. This month, the Massachusetts Center for the Book's prompt for their reading challenge was "A book set in Massachusetts." Perfect! Set in Salem, Massachusetts, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is about Nathaniel "Nat" Bowditch. Nat's father is a former naval captain whose boat was destroyed. Since then, they've fallen on hard times. As the book opens, the Revolutionary War is ongoing and his father has decided to become a cooper. 

Young Nat is exceptional at math and hopes to go to Harvard, but disasters continue to unfold as you follow him into adulthood. So his family will have one less mouth to feed, he's forced to quit school to become an indentured apprentice. But, Nat is not defeated by his inability to attend his university of choice. With the help of local men who own challenging books and are willing to help, he continues to learn math, Latin, navigation, French, surveying, and so forth. When his contract ends, he goes to sea. There's a lot that happens in this book and one of the things that stands out is the deaths. So many deaths! But, it all seemed so realistic that I looked him up and sure enough, Nathaniel Bowditch was a real person who really did stop school young, educate himself, and write a book on navigation. What an amazing person and a fabulous read! 

65. Spy x Family, Vol. 12 by Tatsuya Endo - It's been quite a while since I read a manga from this series but you get reminded immediately of what happened in Vol. 11, when Anya was amongst a group of kidnapped students held hostage on a bus. In Vol. 12, we're back to focusing on Loid, Yor, and Yor's brother Yuri. When a double agent steals vital information and rushes from Westalis to Ostania, both Loid and Yuri are activated — Loid to stop the information from being delivered to the other side and Yuri to facilitate it. Meanwhile, Yor goes out with her office mates for the first time, drinks a bit too much, and begins to believe that she should be pretending there's more friction between her and her fake husband, Loid. This one oddly ends on a cliffhanger. Fortunately, I've got Vol. 13 around here, somewhere. I just have to find it. As usual, I loved this volume, although I didn't find it as laugh-out-loud funny as some. 

66. An Age of Extremes by Joy Hakim - From a children's history series, "The History of US", An Age of Extremes tells about the Gilded Age in American History, when the gap between the haves and have nots was extreme. It's an overview that includes information about the men who became filthy rich and how some eventually were generous with their fortunes, some not. It describes each of the presidencies and the characteristics of the presidents, what they accomplished, and what led to their elections and/or defeats. Hakim describes economics, the Industrial Revolution, the meaning of the gold standard and the people who wanted to back the dollar with silver, instead. 

She tells of inventions and how they changed lives; the dangers of automation; and how the lack of labor laws, protections from corporate greed, and lack of regulations caused a lot of deaths. And, she talks about the people who exposed corruption and abuse and helped lead to progress on regulations for safety. I read this book (the only one in the series that I own, probably bought in the 90s) primarily because historian Heather Cox Richardson has compared our current age to the Gilded Age for its dramatic differences between the billionaires and average people.  I'm glad I read it. I did find the format (with lots of little boxes and side notes) a bit overwhelming but I haven't read about the Gilded Age in a long time and it was a nice refresher. 

Well. What a month. I liked or loved everything I read but We'll Prescribe You a Cat was my one big disappointment (although not enough to abandon). I suspect I wasn't in the right mood for it, but it's hard to say. It might have just not been for me. Absolute favorites were Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, The War of the Worlds, Harboring Hope, and Nothing to See Here. 

In non-bookish news, I had a little trouble reading for a while because of a new family member:

Welcome, Sir Percy of Marmalade, usurper of Queen Fiona's kingdom (she is not amused). Percy was born in a little nook created by the confluence of neighboring fences between our yard and 2 others. He had 2 siblings but neighbors adopted the others. Husband discovered them, was present when the neighbors took the other 2 kittens, and watched daily until Mama Cat didn't return for 24 hours. Then, he said this very surprising sentence on a day I was having trouble getting motivated: "Come outside and get your kitten." WHAT? We have seen more cats roaming in the past year or so but have never seen kittens in our 13 years here, so what a shock! We were not planning to get another kitty, possibly ever, but he needed a home so here we are. Husband is totally embracing his inner Cat Daddy, which has been a joy to watch. 

Fiona has hissed at little Percy (who is growing like a weed) but is not the slightest bit aggressive; instead, she runs away. Her safe space has been the master bathroom since we started letting him out of his room and cage, most of the day. She is 16 1/2, after all, so it comes as no great surprise that she doesn't really want a little brother. We are planning to get him a buddy but not till after his snip. Having said all that, it's been a full-time job slowly introducing him to our house and older kitty; trying to train him that if he wants to bite something it should be a toy, not a person; and keeping an eye on him so that he doesn't bother the big sister who would like him to go away. This has all eaten into my reading time but after over 6 months of grieving our beloved Isabel, it's nice to have a spunky little rapscallion in the house to make us laugh. This morning, while I was carrying my books to the table to photograph for this blog post, I stopped briefly and he climbed me like a tree — all the way to my shoulder! Yikes. Those claws are sharp.

Back to books . . . I'm still not done with my alien invasion phase and am reading the Tripod series (children's) by John Donaldson. I've also bought a grown-up novel in the same vein: Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It's a chunkster and I am currently reading The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (also chunky) so Footfall will have to wait but I'm looking forward to it. 

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos. 

Everything I Read in April, 2026

April:

44. Echoes Carry by Serena Agusto-Cox - Another poetry book by one of our own! It's always exciting to buy and read a book by a blog friend (Savvy Verse and Wit) and Echoes Carry is a book I can happily say I enjoyed. Echoes Carry includes poems about Serena's childhood with a Portuguese grandmother, motherhood, work, life during COVID — life and memories and family, both the inspiring and the difficult. I was a bit envious of the lovely memories of learning to cook from her grandmother as I lived far from my grandmothers and one died when I was only 10 years old. I didn't mark any favorite poems because I was enjoying the book too much to stop but there were plenty of quotable passages and I look forward to rereading Echoes Carry in the future. 

45. The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman - Kate's birthday is coming up and she suspects it will be boring. So, she writes to her rich uncle Herbert, whom she's never met because her mother doesn't like him. The next day, Uncle Herbert brings a train — a real steam engine and coal tender — as a birthday gift. She and her brother Tom climb up on the train, The Silver Arrow, and are told to get right back down by their parents. Meanwhile, Uncle Herbert quietly has the train put on tracks in the backyard. When Tom and Kate notice a glow from the engine late at night, they go to check it out and the train takes off on a wild and magical adventure around the world, picking up extra cars (a sleeper car, library car, candy car, etc.) and going to various stations where they find talking animals who become the passengers. The point of the book, it turns out, is to drive home the fact that humans are causing mass extinction and need to think more carefully about how we treat animals and the world but this concept is wrapped in a magical journey. A sweet, middle grade adventure with a great theme. 

46. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin - This month's prompt for the Massachusetts Center for the Book challenge is, "A short story or essay collection" and I've meant to read Mouthful of Birds for a couple of years. Recommended to me by my writer friend Katie, Mouthful of Birds is translated from the Spanish. The short stories in this collection are surreal, often with an element of horror, sometimes a bit bloody or gruesome, and definitely unsettling. A girl who can only thrive if she eats live birds, a man whose urge for violence is translated into paintings of people with bashed heads, a man at a bar telling the story of children who dug a hole and what happened after . . . these are a few of the storylines. Some of the stories feel like they're wrapped up satisfactorily but not all. At least a couple stumped me. But, mostly one just has to enjoy the uncomfortable feelings the stories give you. If you like stories that make you squirm and are a bit grotesque, I particularly recommend Mouthful of Birds for the annual Readers Imbibing Peril challenge, as it's definitely creepy. 

47. Starfish by Lisa Fipps - I stayed up way too late because I couldn't put Starfish down. It's middle grade fiction in verse about a girl who is relentlessly bullied about her weight, including by her own family, and must learn how to think outside her "fat girl" identity and stand up for herself. Excellent, highly recommended. In spite of being middle grade, this story is so good at placing you in the feet of someone who is bullied by anyone and everyone — complete strangers come up to her to say, "You're fat" — that I think a lot of adults could stand to read it. 

48. The Dragon from Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany by Pamela D. Toler - I started The Dragon from Chicago in March as my selection for Women's History Month but I confess that I found it a little dry and would take as much as a week off between days of reading a chapter or two. It tells the story of Sigrid Schultz. Born in Chicago, she only lived there for about 8 years and then her father, a portrait artist, moved the family to Europe, where he went from one country to another, wherever he could find work doing portraits for the wealthy. Because they moved a great deal, Sigrid became fluent in many languages. Finally, she and her mother settled in Berlin, where she ended up working as a journalist and later became the head of the Berlin bureau of the Chicago Tribune. 

Schultz was in Berlin during both World Wars and interviewed Hitler himself, as well as Hermann Göring. The Dragon from Chicago mostly talks about her gradual ascent within the news world, the difficulties she faced as a woman, and the challenges of working through war and street battles between the wars. There are quotes from letters but unfortunately no examples of any of her news writing, which I found disappointing. I would have liked to read some snippets of the actual journalistic writing, maybe an interview or two or an article that required some in-depth research. So, not a favorite but I don't regret reading the book as it did give some interesting insight into one very important but probably overlooked writer's life. 

49. Clear by Carys Davies - At a little less than 200 pages, Clear tells the story of a minister for the Free Church of Scotland who gets a job evicting a man from his island home — where he'll be replaced by sheep to make the wealthy landowner more money. Arriving at the island during a storm, John Ferguson is soaked so he spreads his clothing out to dry and then walks off and falls over a cliff. Ivar, the sole inhabitant, finds Ferguson and nurses him back to health while Ferguson's wife, Mary, heads to the island after finding out that the job is more dangerous than either of them anticipated. A book I'll likely return to, Clear is compact, beautiful, and hopeful with not a single wasted word. I loved learning about the history of the Scottish Clearances and the Free Church, the exploration of language and communication (the two men don't speak the same language), and  the blurring of friendship, love and family. A wonderful little gem, set in 1843. 

50. Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 by Wataru Nadatani (reread) - I read all of the available Cat + Gamer books via Hoopla, last year, and decided I want to own them, partly so I can study the cat art and try to figure out how to draw cats as well but, of course, also because they make me smile. I enjoyed rereading #1 and have a bunch of the others in print, now. But, I didn't buy them all because there were 1 or 2 I thought weren't as good as the rest. At any rate, Volume 1 was just as much fun the second time. Reminder: the story is about a young woman who spends her free time gaming obsessively. When she agrees to take home a kitten found on her work parking lot, she has to learn not only how to care for her new pet, having never owned a cat, but also how to adjust her free time so that she also has time to play with the kitten, Musubi. 

51. The Last 8 by Laura Pohl - The Last 8 is the first in a Young Adult duology about an alien invasion. Clover Martinez lives on a farm with her grandparents. She's a terrible driver, has no romantic interest in anyone at all (including her ex-boyfriend), and loves flying planes more than anything. Her abuelo (grandfather) taught her how to fly. When millions of silver objects start landing all over the world, aliens emerge and kill nearly everyone on the planet. Clover survives and travels alone for months before hearing a voice on the radio. A few people have survived, all teenagers, and they're holed up at Area 51. Clover travels there but finds that they're doing nothing to fight back. Instead of just giving up and eventually dying, she insists that they need to figure out how to capture and examine an alien and learn what its weaknesses are to figure out how to save the planet. I found this story mildly flawed but gripping, with some minor elements similar to the story in the Independence Day movie. 

52. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig - I've seen loads of people talking about how much they love Stefan Zweig and Chess Story seems to be a particular favorite, so I bought a copy last year and just finally got around to reading it. And, surprise! It's a quick read at 84 pages but yes, I was utterly rapt. A famous chess player is on the same boat from New York to South America (I think Brazil) as the narrator. The narrator decides he must meet this idiot-savant, but the chess champion is vain and doesn't particularly like to communicate with people as he's still got the mannerisms and education of a peasant in spite of his wealth from being the world's greatest at chess. Eventually, an idea arrives: play chess in a place the champion is likely to see and try to draw him in. It eventually works and a group begins to play against him but then along comes another man, mid-game, and he points out that the group has made a tactical error. He gives them advice and it becomes clear that he is also an expert. The man's story is then revealed: how he was held prisoner by the Gestapo and what saved him from breaking. What follows is a final game . . . maybe two. What will happen to the former prisoner, Dr. B, when he starts to become obsessed? OK, I will definitely be looking for more by Zweig. That was quite a gripping tale and I haven't played chess since I was a small child. You don't need to understand the chess moves to appreciate the story. 

53. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke - At Harvard, Natalie meets a handsome and wealthy man whose father is a senator. But, it isn't till after their marriage that she realizes he has no ambition. By then, they have a baby and no income. Natalie comes up with the idea of buying a ranch (with help). There they live and she continues popping out babies till she realizes she can create her own income stream by becoming a tradwife influencer. Her Instagram account takes off and makes money, but there are complications. Then, one day she wakes up to a different set of children, an older version of her husband Caleb, and the same ranch but in the 19th century. Has she been transported through time? Or is this an elaborate hoax? Natalie doesn't know, but while she's trying to figure it out, she must learn how to be an old-fashioned housewife without hired help. The story jumps back and forth between those two storylines: present and maybe-past. 

Yesteryear would probably make a great group read because there's a lot to talk about: tradwives and whether they are the real deal or complete nonsense, fundamentalist Christian beliefs, knowing right from wrong, what Natalie and Caleb were like as parents and why they ended up where they did in the end, what it was like living in isolation in the 19th century versus the present day, and what impact their families may have had on how they turned out as a couple and parents, etc. Did I love it? I have mixed feelings. Natalie is not a likable character but that didn't bother me as much as a few bits I found of questionable accuracy. The pages flew because I wanted to know what happened and that's what made it a 4/5 read for me. 

54. Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half by Lissa Evans - (Also goes by "Their Finest", the same title as the movie made from the book). I've read Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half, long enough ago that I'd forgotten details but remembered the overall plot. It's the story of a young Welsh woman in London who gets a job working as a screenwriter on a war film during the Blitz. It's both about the making of the movie and how inaccuracies are created for various reasons, but particularly in the name of giving citizens undergoing daily tragedy a reason to have hope and consider volunteering. At the same time, it's a story of life during the Blitz. It's a bit slow for this particular author, probably her longest book, but I loved it the first time (in spite of needing time to get oriented) and I loved it this time even more because I noted some details I don't recall from  the first read. I own the movie and even my husband loved it when we watched it, years ago (he hates everything), so I'm quite anxious to watch it again, but so far I haven't located the DVD. At any rate, still highly recommended. I read Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half for book group discussion, this time, and it was a fun discussion. I loved hearing what people loved and hated. Chiefly, we loved Lissa Evans' sense of humor and I admired her attention to detail; friends hated the actor character, who is played by Bill Nighy in the movie, and disliked the length. 

55. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - Still in an alien invasion mood after The Last 8 and another failed alien invasion read that I DNF'd, I picked up Childhood's End, which I just found in a bin full of books, recently. Aliens have arrived at Earth and caused some major changes. Wars have stopped, the alien "Overlords" exerting pressure to end them. But, the arts have died as well, with no conflict in existence. A single alien communicates regularly with the head of the UN but without allowing himself to be seen. Decades pass till the aliens finally appear; peace continues but not everyone is happy and there are hints that there's something more than benevolence in the plans of the aliens. A rather sad book, in the end, but a good one. I confess that there were moments that I found the book a little difficult and, of course, since it was first published in 1953 there were ideas that appear laughable from our future perspective. But, it's an excellent read with lots of potential discussion material and now I'm eager to get my mitts on a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I've never read but wanted to read for too many years to count. 

So many great reads, this month! If I had to pick a single favorite it would be easy, for once: Clear was impossible to put down and a beautiful read. But, I loved almost everything else, if only for discussability and not for characterization or plot. Starfish runs a close second as favorite — or, maybe is a tie since I loved both but they're wildly different. The two I would consider disappointing were Mouthful of Birds and The Dragon from Chicago. And, yet, the writing in Mouthful of Birds is impressive; I simply found the stories a bit too much. And, The Dragon from Chicago was interesting if not quite what I was hoping for. It was exciting to read yet another friend's book, Echoes Carry. And, I enjoyed rereading one of my favorite authors and discussing her book, Their Finest Hour-and-a-Half. 

My favorite cover of the month was Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Such a great, classic alien spaceship cover. My copy was printed in 1972. 

I always try to read more than one book for National Poetry Month and I failed as I have totally misplaced the second poetry book I started. I am clueless as to where it's gone. Maybe aliens took it. Speaking of which, I'm still in an alien invasion mood so I'm going to scout around to see what else I've got that fits that urge. Anyway . . . on to May. 

Happy Reading!

©2026 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.