What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
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FINISHED:
CHILDREN OF THE WILD by Kevin Powers, read by Graham Halstead. Texas Book Festival author 2026
A WWI story of two young Virginia men who go to the French trenches and the horrors of the battlefields. Back home is a young woman both of them have loved but she chose one over the other. The Spanish Flu devastates their connections to Virginia while they are deployed. I really enjoyed the characters that tell this story ranging from France to the western United States while exploring themes of friendship, family, love, and loss. 
The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel—
It’s my spooky season read and there’s Hitchcock on the cover and a Hitchcock quote as an epigraph. I’m thinking I might be in good hands. Six college besties: Alfred owns the Hitchcock Hotel; Zoe is a restaurant cook and recovering alcoholic; TJ is a buff body guard; Grace is a worn out mom and company executive seeking an escape; Samira has a self built sex toy company; and Julius is an eccentric. In honor of the hotel’s first anniversary Alfred invites the friends to a hosted weekend with a hidden agenda. All things Hitchcock adorn the hotel with authentic memorabilia including an aviary with over 30 crows in a nod to The Birds and a shower scene that hearkens back to Psycho. Suspense abounds and the reader knows little more than the guests.
LUNA, PHOENIX, QUEEN by Julie Orringer—Texas Book Festival author 2026.
This family drama contains multitudes: extra marital affair, dementia, love, dogs, publishing, and death. It’s not sad, maybe melancholy is more accurate. This excerpt from the book jacket says it way better than I can: a tale of artistic and marital betrayal in eight intimately linked sections, in a chorus of voices. This one comes with a high recommendation from me.
SWITZY by Emma Cline—Booker Prize long list 2026.
David Hastings is valiantly trying to maintain control of his rapidly deteriorating life due to some sort of dementia. He has a number of memory cues that are all failing him and he gets glimpses of old memories, song lyrics, and people that have been important to him even if he can’t quite recall why. He and Cody, his assistant, are on a flight, ultimate destination Switzerland, where his life is scheduled to end. Along the way they stop for brief visits with a friend and with David’s daughter and her young son. The book is told in fragments that are meant to simulate David’s experiences of clarity in one moment and complete loss of continuity in the next. He’s trying so hard to maintain enough lucidity to qualify for the upcoming procedure he has chosen.
It is sad and periodically funny as David lands himself in some predicaments that are confusing and quickly forgotten. Cody keeps all processes moving ahead and politely looks the other way in embarrassing moments.
NOW READING:
THE BEAUTY OF THE DAYS GONE BY by Jason Stone, read by Richard Poe— Texas Book Festival author 2026.
In early pages this seems to be a cross between Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy.
NORTH WOODS by Daniel Mason—rereading for irl book club.
PLY by Hernan Diaz—Texas Book Festival author 2026.
ETNA. 2026 I’m really loving this book. Written from the perspective of a ex-military service dog on a search to find his puppyhood home. Just mesmerizing!
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Just finished SWITZY. I can’t say I “enjoyed” this book. It was just very sad even if well written.
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Continuing to read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. It’s certainly unusual and I am enjoying, but I wish I had taken notes from the very beginning just to organize my thoughts on it better. Halfway through the audiobook of Passing by Nella Larsen, I’m finding that’s it’s not at all what I thought it would be, but I like it.
Did you know there is also a movie for Passing? It’s very good!
I was lucky to snag MISS WOLCOTT’S GHOST from the library. This is the newest from Louise Penny. The characters are the same and the mystery surrounds a murder as usual. Ruth and her pet duck are predictably eccentric and so enjoyable. I’m sure other BB readers know these stories.
While in Green Bay at the Packer’s Pro Shop, I found the sought after book, LAMBEAU LADIES. This is a fascinating view of the NFL Packers during the Lombardi years from the perspective of the wives, based on individual interviews. In the early years the ladies packed lunches for their husbands for practices and before games. No chefs to prepare meals like today. Even if you’re not a Packer fan, hard to believe, readers who enjoy the NFL will appreciate this viewpoint. The co-authors are a mother and daughter, last name Biskupic. Mom is the daughter of a Packer player from years past, Ron Kostelnik.
@Anne_Glasgow did you like Switzy? I couldn’t tell if you were recommending it from your post, and that one’s on my radar.
I finished a YA book that was fairly good for our author program - The Prince and the Serpent. Slow start, but original.
For review, I read Red Ants by Kimberly Blaeser last week. Holy cow, what a great set of short stories. Here’s what I wrote at the conclusion of my review:
I’m not generally a short-story reader, but this collection is so amazing it may have changed my mind about the genre. Every chapter drew me in and exposed me to a new worldview, affording me a profound literary experience I haven’t enjoyed in a very long time. Its complex themes and glorious writing make this one a winner – one I highly recommend to all audiences; it would also make a great book for discussion.
I know we’ve had discussions about short stories before, and many here aren’t fans of the genre. But boy, this one is exceptional. It was longlisted for the National Book Awards for a reason.
I’m still reading The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz - waaay overdue on getting my comments into the 1000 Books discussion. I’ve been distracted, and I’ve really only been able to concentrate on it the last few days. I’m finding it interesting and I’m glad I’m having the opportunity to read it. (Shameless plug: Anyone’s welcome to join the group at any time, if you’re interested. We’re voting on our next book right now. Check it out!)
After that, it’ll likely be Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See for an upcoming book club read.
In audiobook, I finished Angel Down. @Anne_Glasgow was absolutely right about it being a stellar audiobook. Now I’m listening to The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian. Next I’ll likely try to find something set in the Middle East to wrap up my Challenge. (Shameless plug #2: Anyone can participate in the Challenge, too! It started in July, but you can count your books retroactively so it’s not too late to join.)
Shameless Plug #3: We’re gonna have an East of Eden discussion. The topic will open November 15. Comments about both the novel and the miniseries are welcome.
I think I admired Switzy more than I loved it. Emma Cline did a remarkable job of taking the reader on this final journey inside David’s demented mind. I often find myself less engaged with fully character driven narratives and this was definitely a minimalist plot that became pretty repetitive. So someone who loves a character study may really love it so long as they are prepared for the final trip aspect.
OMG! I had no idea you were going to listen to the entirety of Angel Down even though I loved and raved about the narrator. It still sticks in my head because he did such an amazing job of bringing the story to life. I would listen to him all day long!
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@Anne_Glasgow, I thought Angel Down was good enough that it warranted a reread anyway, and this seemed like a great excuse. And you did ask nicely, after all, haha. Plus I’m not much for sampling things (books, audio, beer…). I can’t really tell what I think from just a taste so I always prefer to go whole-hog. 
I probably liked the audio version even more than the book. The structure was less of a distraction, and the lyricism of the language stood out more.
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On a personal note, our middle child has a 100.7 fever and has to stay home from school today and tomorrow. They are a happy kid so it enabled a lot of reading.
I finished “You Like It Darker” by Stephen King and it reminded me of why I liked the guy’s work. Many of the stories have heart and something paranormal enough to keep his world interesting. I especially like “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” and the legal drama that ensued.
Next in the stack is “Pride and Pleasure” by Amanda Vaill, which tells the story of the Schuyler Sisters. Biographies are not usually my thing, but the Pulitzers are seldom wrong, I am willing to devote my time to it.
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Reading Luna Phoenix Queen now and all I can say is WOW.
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@Anne_Glasgow I did not know that! I finished the audiobook of it this evening and was totally shocked at the ending and need to gather my thoughts. Even though it was a short book it contained so many elements for evaluation. And I’ll look for the movie.
@Evonne_Benedict & @Anne_Glasgow, do you think Luna, Phoenix, Queen would be a good audiobook listen, or is this one best in hard copy?
I think it would b fine as an audio. The main thing to know is that each section ( she is deliberately using this term instead of chapter) is from a different character’s pov and may be a different point in time. Looks like they have recorded it with multiple narrators so it will probably be really good as an audio.
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I am reading MURDER UNABRIDGED by P. J. Nelson.
Passing is free on Netflix if you have that.
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I’m not an audio-reader (but I’m hoping to start) - the hard copy was easy to follow. Though I stayed up late to finish so may reread the last 15-20 pages today. It was a 5-star for me.
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My husband has been a diehard Packers fan for almost 70 years. We did the Lambeau Field guided tour 5 years ago and even I, not a big NFL fan, enjoyed it. That gift shop is the size of a football field all by itself! I don’t know how I missed the book section.
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Finished the ARC copy of The Spirits for the First Impressions review. Now listening to Lawhon’s The Pirate Queen and reading Osman’s We Chase Shadows - both engaging reads so far.
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