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. 

Everything I Read in March, 2026

 

March:

28. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett - PJ is a 63-year-old alcoholic hoarder who has never gotten over the death of his eldest daughter and the end of his marriage. His remaining daughter doesn't want to have much to do with him, although she reluctantly checks in on him. When tragedy strikes and two of his brother's grandchildren are orphaned, he takes them in. He's a kind man, if immature. His ex-wife and best friend have gone to Alaska and are out of touch but he's read that a girl he used to have a crush on has been recently widowed. He's had 3 heart attacks, won a lottery, and done very little besides drink since he lost his job, so PJ decides to go on a road trip to Arizona to ask newly-widowed Michelle if she'll marry him. The kids can probably stand to get out of town. Sophie ends up joining them, as does Pancakes, an orange tabby known for predicting when someone is going to die. A  quirky, sad, funny, beautiful road trip novel, my favorite of the year, so far. I absolutely loved it and will be looking for more by Annie Hartnett. Sent by a friend. Thanks, Susan!

29. The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie - 12-year-old Tessa loved her home in Florida and her best friend Rachel, but her father got a job offer he couldn't refuse. Now, they have moved into a very old house in Chicago that's haunted. The lights flicker, a child cries in the hallway, and there are strange crackling noises. Tessa is a pastel artist and a drawing has appeared in her sketchbook. In the park, she meets one of her classmates, who pulls her into his circle of friends. And, they're happy to help her unravel what's happening and why. Who is haunting Tessa's house, especially Tessa herself, and what do they want her to do? Nice and creepy, this middle grade book would make a great fall read. I thought the story lost a little steam toward the end and I didn't understand the point of the character Cassidy, who only showed up a few times, but otherwise a fun read with a nice little ghost mystery. 

30. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2 by Beth Brower - When I read the first volume of the Emma Lion books set in 19th-century London, I thought the price I paid for a 104-page book was a bit much. But I absolutely had to continue reading on. So, I went to Hoopla and checked out the only thing available, the audiobook. Guys, I am not an audiobook reader. I fell asleep 3 times, I kid you not. So, I ordered a copy of Volume 2 and found that I'd fallen asleep 3 times in only 18 pages! Whoa. So, paper it is. At any rate, the story continues with a cat named Tybalt, a Roman ghost, objects that mysteriously disappear from one home and appear in another, Emma's obligation to help her beautiful cousin catch the eyes of the most suitable marriage prospects, a possible growing friendship with her tenant in Lapis Lazuli Minor (a portion of her home that's been sectioned off and rented), and her icy relationship with her cousin-by-marriage, Archibald. Midway through this book, I realized that I am so immensely entertained that I'm giving up the thought of trying to save money. Beth Brower deserves it. I've already ordered the next two in the series. 

31. Have Space Suit — Will Travel by Robert Heinlein (ebook) - I think this is only my second read by Heinlein, the first being Stranger in a Strange Land. Have Space Suit — Will Travel is one of Heinlein's "juvenile fiction" titles and apparently a bit of a cult classic. I've wanted to read it for years after seeing numerous references to the book, usually mentioned as a favorite from childhood. I recently discovered that you can buy it at a reasonable price as an ebook (it's out of print and paper copies are expensive). The story is about Kip, who enters a contest to try to win a trip to the moon. Instead, he wins a spacesuit, fixes it up, and just happens to be testing it when aliens arrive and snatch him up. Imprisoned on the moon and then Pluto, Kip meets a young genius named PeeWee and a creature called the Mother Thing and together they will fight to survive, save Earth, and find a way to return home. Some of the science bits went way over my head but I enjoyed Have Space Suit — Will Travel for the action, adventure, and the way it encourages youngsters to study hard. 

32. Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling - OK, I would really like suggestions for books as action-packed and edge-of-your-seat as this, but for adults. What is it with middle grade books that there's so much more action than I feel like I get from grown-up novels? Am I looking in the wrong place? In Across the Desert, 12-year-old Jolene spends much of her time in the library, reading about travel and wishing for escape. Addie, also 12, has lost her father and live streams her adventures flying an ultralight aircraft and exploring in the desert. Jo is the only person who watches Addie's live streams and she's gotten to know Addie via email. Jo is an amateur cartographer and likes to follow Addie's adventures on maps. But, because Addie goes by "Addie Earhart," clearly not her real name, when Addie's motor dies and she crashes in the desert nobody believes Jo when she tries to find help. There's no recorded video, she doesn't know how to locate Addie's mother, and she gets a lot of stern warnings that not everything on the internet is as it seems. Jo can't let Addie just die in the desert, so she takes what she thinks she needs and sets off to rescue her. A terrific journey and survival story that's also about life with an addict, friendship, trust, and believing in yourself. 

33. James by Percival Everett - Probably everyone knows about this book but just in case . . . it's the story of Huckleberry Finn told from the side of Jim, a slave and Huck's friend. I chose it for the Massachusetts Center for the Book challenge. This month's prompt was, "A book featuring an unlikely friendship," and it definitely fit well as they have to defend their friendship and it's tested during their journey on and off the Mississippi River. A great book for its look at friendship, racism, cruelty and kindness, danger and survival. It kind of throws the idea of cleaning up language in old books in your face by making it obvious that the language (particularly the "n" word, in this case) is of the times and needs to stay in place. It needs to make your skin crawl. You need to be horrified by the way slaves were treated and feel steeled to do your part to stop racism. 

But, James is also just a great read. Now, there is one part that's considered controversial but it's a spoiler. If you know what that part is, I can tell you that it did not work for me. But, it's Percival Everett's story, not Mark Twain's, and he took it to a new place that's his own creation so I'm fine with that. James is a 5-star read, highly recommended. To double up on my challenge and fit my slot at book group, I suggested James and led the discussion. Double the fun!

34. Hear the Wind Blow: A Novel of the Civil War by Mary Downing Hahn - Haswell's father died at the beginning of the Civil War and his brother Avery left to join the fight soon after, leaving Haswell, his mother, and little sister Rachel to handle the farm. When an injured soldier shows up near death at their door, they risk their lives taking him in to help him back to health. I think if I say anything more it'll be a spoiler but there's a great deal of danger, a journey, a brief respite, and another journey. Point being, I thought this was a pretty good middle grade Civil War novel but it's about a family and the dangers they encounter rather than a story of soldiers. Mary Downing Hahn typically writes ghost stories for middle graders, so Hear the Wind Blow is a bit of a departure but it's a good one. 

35. Blue Pastures by Mary Oliver (ebook) - I got this ebook for free with Kindle points and I'm so glad I happened to see the ad that said the ebook was on sale. Blue Pastures is a book of essays about life, nature, poetry, writing, and a little about Edna St. Vincent Millay and Oliver's connection to her. Like her poetry, the writing is lovely, funny, deeply respectful of nature, thought-provoking, and a little spiritual. There are hints that her youthful home life was not good but that she discovered poetry and nature as escapist retreats early in life. I have her nonfiction book on writing poetry and this book definitely made me want to dig for it. 

36. Flight #116 is Down! by Caroline B. Cooney - When a plane crashes on the large estate of a teenager whose parents are out of town on business, Heidi opens up her home and several communities band together to save as many lives as possible. Recommended by a friend who loved this book when she was young and has held onto her copy, the first 50 pages or so of Flight #116 is Down! introduce the reader to a large cast of characters, both on and off the plane. Then, the plane crashes and the action begins. A taut, heart-pounding thriller from that point, mostly told through the eyes of teenagers so I guess this book could be classified as YA. A fun and sometimes harrowing read. The pages absolutely flew. Thanks for the recommendation, Laura!

37. The Flowers' Festival by Elsa Beskow - The next 5 books are from a set of children's books I bought because I like Ollie's Ski Trip by the same author and read it annually with my Christmas pile. In The Flowers' Festival, little Lisa's grandmother has gone on an errand. There's a festival going on in town but Lisa is not allowed to go alone. However, a fairy shows up and offers to let Lisa attend the Flowers' Festival in her grandmother's garden. Basically, it's a bunch of anthropomorphized flowers parading around and keeping the weeds outside the fence (although they're given refreshments). Of the set, The Flowers' Festival was my least favorite because it reads like a bunch of lists of flowers and not much happens besides rudely refusing to let the weeds in. The illustrations are very cleverly done. 

38. Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow - Woody and Little Pip are Acorn children (with little acorn caps on their heads). When Mrs. Acorn sends them to collect nuts, they find a leaf and go flying away. They don't mean to fly as far as they do. Squirrel shows up to ask if he can rent the downstairs room in their tree and Mrs. Acorn is rude to him but then he offers to go look for the children when they don't return in a timely manner. Hazel, the youngest Hazelnut child, hides in his tail. Squirrel leaves her on a toadstool and tells her not to move, but Hazel is a child and goes exploring. Meanwhile, Woody and Pip have been through a few adventures and are trying to get home on a sailboat. You can see where this is going. The children are safely returned, the squirrel is rewarded with the opportunity to rent the room he asked about, and all is well. There's a great review of the book by Tyler McGaughey, who gave it one star on Goodreads: "An interminable book about a magic forest filled with complete a**holes." That review made me laugh. I found it an adventurous tale and enjoyed Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip. But, Tyler has a point. There were some rude characters, for sure. 

39. Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow - Of this little boxed set of Elsa Beskow's books, Pelle's New Suit is my favorite. It has minimal text but tells a complete story. Pelle is a boy who has his own lamb. When he's in need of a new suit, he sheers the lamb, takes the wool to his mother, and asks her to card it. She says she'll happily do so if he'll do some chores in return. Each step of the process requires Pelle to find someone to help him and he does chores for payment. So, the wool is carded, spun, woven into fabric, dyed, and then made into a suit — all by bartering with labor for payment. It's both educational and heartwarming to see the process through. In the end, Pelle goes to his lamb and thanks him for his new suit, which wouldn't be possible without the lamb's wool. Lovely. 

40. Princess Sylvie by Elsa Beskow - Princess Sylvie is about a king and princess who like to go for walks together. One day, Sylvie sees a gate that leads to the forest and asks if they can go through it. The king fumbles around with his keys, having never been through the gate, and discovers that he does have a key to the gate. In the forest, the king is distracted by birds and doesn't see that Sylvie has wandered off. She ends up playing with a lonely bear, who is very happy to have a playmate but the king says the bear can't come back to the castle. However, Sylvie does return to play with the bear. Princess Sylvie is by far the silliest of the books in my boxed set. Elsa Beskow wrote books with each of her children's names in them and I'm guessing she had a Sylvie. It may be silly but it's a book that made me smile so I liked it. 

41. Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow - Another favorite from the boxed set, Children of the Forest tells the story of a family's life under the roots of a tree. They collect blueberries and mushrooms, help prepare the food to last through the winter, play with squirrels and frogs, hide under toadstools when it rains, and wait inside for the long winter to end. It's a very simple and sweet tale that takes you through a single year with a happy little family and it's just a pleasant, restorative read. If I were to choose two from the boxed set to read over and over to children, they would be Children of the Forest and Pelle's New Suit. While I'll probably skip The Flowers' Festival for rereads, I will likely return to those two for fun. 

42. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (ebook) - In 1851, Jean Marie Latour is asked to take on the job of Bishop in a new part of America with red desert hills and arroyos, pueblos and people who have inhabited the land for generations. He takes with him his best friend, the Vicar Joseph Vaillant. After a treacherous journey, they arrive at their new home where Latour spends decades quietly performing his duties, often involving travel through hostile weather and land to baptize, perform marriages, and listen to confessions. Both the story of a time and place that no longer exist as they once did and a deep friendship in which the two friends are frequently forced apart in the name of their spiritual duties, Death Comes for the Archbishop is a sweeping tale that begins when the two men head for America and ends with their eventual deaths. It is absolutely lovely, written with such vivid detail that I feel like I just time-traveled to the Southwest in the 19th century. This one was a buddy read!

43. Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling - I enjoyed Across the Desert so much that I went to see how much this other desert survival book by Dusti Bowling cost and it was affordable, so I grabbed a copy. Canyon's Edge tells the story of Nora and her father going on a hike and rappelling into a desert canyon. Since tragedy struck, Nora's dad is afraid of people and won't let Nora go to school. Nora has PTSD and is undergoing therapy. Their family has always been into outdoor activities, so rappelling down to hike in a slot canyon is not unusual. When a flash flood catches them off-guard and her father is washed away, Nora has to figure out how to stay safe and locate her father. Quite a harrowing tale, this one is told mostly in verse, although the opening chapters are narrative text. As usual, I loved it. I don't think Dusti Bowling can write a bad book. 

Happy April! I had a pretty terrific month with some definite standout reads. Favorites were The Road to Tender Hearts, James, Across the Desert, The Canyon's Edge, Blue Pastures, The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2, and Death Comes to the Archbishop. But, I liked or loved everything else with only a couple of the Elsa Beskow books disappointing me a bit. The Flowers' Festival is the only one I think I'd never reread (given my love of children's books, it's not unusual for me to reread picture books). Other than The Flowers' Festival, there was nothing at all that I actively disliked or found significantly subpar so I'm calling this a fabulous reading month. 

The oddity of the month was that I actually read 3 -- THREE! -- ebooks. Normally, I am not much of an ebook reader but when I discovered Have Space Suit — Will Travel was finally accessible to me without breaking the bank, I was excited to dive right in. Blue Pastures . . . well, I'll read anything by Mary Oliver, so I was excited to read it for free. And, I suspect I might have a copy of Death Comes for the Archbishop in paperback but not knowing where it was at a time when I agreed to do a buddy read, I dashed out and found an ebook for a whopping 54 cents. So, I don't have to feel guilty if I discover I do, in fact, already own a copy. 

We also had a banner month for books that walked out the door as we donated 10 boxes of books to one of the local libraries (and then I volunteered to help sell them — I'm hoping that works out). The last year's book purge has been a success, although there's still more to be done. But, the biggest victory is that we have dramatically fewer books stacked on the floor or in boxes. There are still some but we're getting close to having everything neatly shelved. After that, the goal is to have actual space on the shelves as we simply have too many books to read in a lifetime. 

Hope your March was an excellent one in every way and that April treats you right!

©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 February, 2026

February:

18. Star-Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy - April Ajoy grew up the daughter of an evangelical minister who traveled to spread the Word of God to other countries and by RV in the United States before settling into the Dallas area to lead a large church. Like myself, she was a pious little thing, raised to believe that any little sin could end up causing her to be cast into Hell and therefore trying her best to be perfect. But, in spite of the fact that she was mostly homeschooled or taught in private schools, she had questions. And, there weren't always good answers. On January 6 of 2021, she and her Christian husband (they are both still Christians) watched the Insurrection and recognized people they knew. That was when it dawned on her that she was a Christian Nationalist. 

Star-Spangled Jesus describes growing up fully indoctrinated in the God-Guns-Patriotism of Christian Nationalism, what exactly Ajoy grew up believing, what changed her mind, and what it's like being a Christian who no longer is a nationalist. Of particular note are the facts that Christian Nationalists consider everything they don't believe "demonic" (something I've heard or seen a lot coming from certain personalities, lately), including voting for Democrats. I was lucky not to be so completely indoctrinated as to believe that everyone else was going to Hell but us Southern Baptists (although I knew people who thought that). But, as Ajoy described, I had a lot of irrational fears and it took me literal decades to deconstruct. The tone is slightly silly and sometimes she's a bit repetitive, but I think Star-Spangled Jesus is worth reading if you're curious about Christian Nationalism and what exactly is going through the heads of people who bizarrely say they're pro-life and then blow off solutions to things like gun control and abortion that don't put people in danger, who support the most braggarty sinner America has ever vomited up, and then go around referring to everyone they disagree with as a demon. A very interesting read. 

19. Poetry: January/February, 2026 - I've never even seen this journal, as far as I know. Maybe I just ignored it in the past, but I was in Barnes & Noble after an errand and decided to give it a go. Like short story anthologies, a journal of poetry is always going to have some you like, some you don't. And, that was definitely the case but I found enough favorites that I latched onto a couple of authors whose books I plan to hunt down and one I'll be stalking till he gets a book published (Andy Chen). There were two featured poets who were introduced with nice bios, both of whom intrigued me. And, I closed the journal thinking, "Hmm. I might want to get a subscription." 

20. A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich - I would not be surprised if my mother was a fan of Bess Streeter Aldrich when she was alive because she loved reading about Pioneers and was from Nebraska. Bess had Pioneer ancestors (or, maybe even close relatives) and the beginning of A Lantern in Her Hand is based on her own grandmother's story, she being an Irish peasant who married into the aristocracy, lost everything, came to the U.S., and then moved West. Abbie Mackenzie Deal, the main character whose ancestry mimics the author's, knows about her family history and has been promised one of the few treasures salvaged when the Mackenzie wealth was lost. Her greatest desire is to sing and to one day look as classy as the painting of her great-grandmother that she's heard described. But, when she falls for a farmer named Will Deal and they move west to the Nebraska territory, instead of becoming a great singer she ends up living in a sod house, raising children, and working the exhausting job of a Pioneer farmer's wife. As the years go by, Abbie experiences disaster and joy, success and loss. The story is bookended nicely by the story of her death, which begins and ends the novel. I particularly loved reading about the most challenging years in the sod home, before the family moved into a house. The only time I was briefly bored was when Abbie became elderly and started spending a lot of time reflecting on the past. But, I found A Lantern in Her Hand almost impossible to put down, so I gave it a 4.5/5 rating and I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.

21. Source: Poems by Mark Doty - Mark Doty was one of the poets recommended when I asked people on Threads to recommend accessible poets and I would say . . . most of the time, yes. There were moments I didn't follow but I think if you read his poetry aloud (or in your head like you're reading to an audience), doing so clarifies the natural rhythm. I had a few particular favorites but only wrote down two of them. "Essay: The Love of Old Houses" is one (the title reflects the content). The other is about a shop parrot who spends half his time hanging upside down, speaks to customers and has a sign on his cage warning that he bites. One of Doty's poems appears to be about men dealing with AIDS during the early years and is incredibly moving. His poems tend to be very long, pages long so that I didn't feel like there was anything I could photograph to share with friends. But, they don't feel so long when you're reading them to your audience (the cat) and really getting into it. 

22. The Cay by Theodore Taylor - In The Cay, it's 1944. Phillip has lived on the island of Curaçao for 4 years and is now 11. His mother hates island life and wants to return to Virginia but Phillip loves his life and his friends. When U-boats start blowing up fuel ships in the area, Phillip's mother decides that she and Phillip must return home; his father must stay for work. Disaster strikes and Phillip ends up on a raft with Timothy, an older black man, their ride to Miami blown out of the water. Phillip was hit on the head during the disaster and has lost his sight, but Timothy is strong-willed. When they reach a small island, he refuses to let Phillip mope and puts him to work. Blind people can work, too, he says. With WWII raging and no rescue in sight, will Timothy and Phillip survive? An adventurous read that I've reread many times since my elementary school librarian read it aloud in class. Rereading it now, I can see why it's the kind of book that restores interest in reading, as it did for both my sons during their aversion to reading phases. I read an extra copy that I bought at the library sale for my grandkids. I can't part with my own.

23. Proverbs of Limbo: Poems by Robert Pinsky - My general feeling about the poetry in Proverbs of Limbo is "too much effort". Also, I frequently agreed with one Goodreads reviewer whose review was a mere three words: "What the f***?" In other words, Pinsky's writing is difficult and inscrutable, so it requires effort to unravel what he's trying to say. I like straightforward, accessible poetry. I don't want to read a maze. Having said that, I had a few favorite poems from this collection but I wanted to get the book over with so I didn't mark them and then I couldn't remember which poems I actually liked. Bottom line: I probably will not read Pinsky again, in spite of occasionally liking a poem. 

24. Class Act by Jerry Craft - A companion book to New Kid, a Newbery-winning graphic novel that has been frequently banned, I happened across Class Act and decided it would be worth reading on. Drew has a nice circle of friends as he starts a new school year. Drew still feels a little self-conscious about the fact that he's a scholarship kid in his fancy school. When Drew and his friend Jordan are invited to friend Liam's house, which is extremely large and even has a heated swimming pool, Drew is thrown off-kilter. Additionally, there are reminders at school that he's Black all the time — people wanting to touch his hair, micro-aggressions. He knows he'll have to work harder to get by in life and the size of Liam's house feels like having that thrown in his face. Will he be able to continue being friends with Liam? 

Basically, I think the best way to describe this book is "an everyday look at life in an exclusive private school with glimpses of racism and its effects." The scene I liked best is one in which two kids are getting a ride from one of the Black fathers when he's pulled over for a broken light. The father is utterly terrified. The scene screams, "What we know can happen to a person during a traffic stop, merely because of skin color." And, it's extremely effective. Overall, an enjoyable and meaningful read. I like the fearless portrayal of racism, the sweet friendships, the humorous background details, and the budding romance. Has Class Act been banned? Briefly, because some Katy, Texas parents complained that it had "CRT" content. It was eventually returned to the shelf. 

25. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi - One of the better Scalzi titles I've read in recent years, The Android's Dream takes place in a future time when Earth has ambassadors from other planets and distant space travel is common. The story begins with trade negotiations in which someone from Earth at the table bears an old grudge against one of the Nidu ambassadors. An incident takes place and sets in motion the potential for regime change on Nidu. But, a Nidu coronation must involve a particular form of sheep. This sets off a hunt for the sheep, the result of which feels like a big, bad spoiler. A lot of hacking of computer systems, murder, attempted murder, escape, and a big furry thing called a Takk eating people leads to the final and very clever Human vs. Nidu negotiations and the ceremony. All of which is rather twisty and spoilery, so I guess I don't feel like I can say much about this book apart from: I liked it; I really really liked it. I have had this book on my shelf for a year or two but read it because of the challenge I mentioned in January. I didn't know who created it but I've found the source. It's the Massachusetts Center for the Book 2026 Reading Challenge. I spun the genre wheel at their site and got sci-fi for my February read. Lucky spin. I definitely recommend The Android's Dream. I keep telling myself I'm going to ditch any challenge that doesn't work for me but here I am, planning my March read. 

26. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower - Emma will soon inherit her birthright, Lapis Lazuli House, a 4-story London townhouse previously owned by her deceased father and inhabited by Cousin Archibald, related only by marriage and not a fan of Emma due to past events. Emma has been acting as companion to elderly Mathilde and is waiting for her pay for 3 years' work while Archibald has relegated her to the garret and is refusing to pay her allowance. Completely without funds, she does her best to make the garret look cheery and livable but Cousin Archibald has been up to no good. When Emma finds out, she takes charge in the only way she knows how. I read The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion for book group discussion. The first handful of pages didn't grab me but were pleasant enough that I was pleased when the story really began to unfold and it even became a bit addictive. However, at just over 100 pages, the series is a bit too expensive so I'm having to listen to the second book via Hoopla. Have I ever told you what a terrible listener I am? Also, earbuds hurt my ears. So, I have to hold a phone or prop it nearby on a pillow to listen. Well. We'll see how that goes, but I did love the first book and I'll keep pinching myself so I don't fall asleep through the second. 

27. On Drawing and Painting by Paul A. Landry - An older book (1977) on the basics of value, intensity, color mixing, perspective, supplies, etc., with walk-throughs of the steps made to create each of several paintings, On Drawing and Painting is for novices. While I've painted for years, I have mostly taken online follow-the-leader classes (where you copy the steps in a specific project) and lack some basic knowledge, so I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone already knowledgable about beginning art essentials. I personally liked the way Landry starts with very basic concepts and works his way up to showing how he creates a realistic painting. He describes oil painting, but the generalities of building a work of art still apply and he's given me some ideas for completing a pastel landscape. So, it was worth my time. On Drawing and Painting was a library sale purchase. 

Well, goodness, not my best month but there were a few jewels. I loved The Android's Dream, especially the clever way Scalzi pulled everything together in the end. I got some good basic information from the drawing and painting book. And, I am totally hooked on The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (but I still can't stay awake reading audiobooks so I'll be looking for paper copies at the library). Star-Spangled Jesus hit close to home but also contained some interesting information and I was relieved to be reminded that I wasn't indoctrinated into some of the worst of Christianity, although my childhood indoctrination was bad enough. 

A Lantern in Her Hand was excellent and I'm certain I will not forget the characters for a long time. Class Act was a good choice for Black History Month as it tackles racism head-on. And, I was pleased to find that The Cay still holds up well. This month's poetry choices all had some poems I loved but I discovered that Robert Pinsky is not for me. At least one of the poets who had more than one poem in the Poetry journal was so exciting that I feel like he should really hurry up and publish a book. And, I feel like it will be worth it to read more by Mark Doty. 

So, overall, I'm pleased with what I read in spite of not reading a great quantity. Also, my year of poetry is going very well with 6 books and one poetry journal completed. For the Massachusetts Center for the Book Challenge, March's prompt is, "A book featuring an unlikely friendship." I had to look online for suggestions and found James by Percival Everett, which several friends have been encouraging me to read. I doubled up and made it the book choice for my WhatsApp book group, so hopefully it'll both work for the prompt and be a fun discussion book. We shall see. 

Happy Reading and Happy St. Patrick's Day (a wee bit early)!

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