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:
CITY OF WIDOWS by Nadia Hashimi—this powerful and beautiful novel tells the story of Marjan and her daughter Hawa Afghanistan under the Taliban. They have escaped from the house of Marjan’s cruel husband into a difficult life of odd jobs and subsistence living. For a large section of the book the two are separated but Marjan is dedicated to creating a life for the two of them. Marjan has a remarkable life in some ways and the final quarter of the book is incredibly intense as they fight for survival. This story is a glimpse into the regime’s disregard for women and the strength of those women to survive and to protect and care for one another. 
THE REST OF OUR LIVES by Ben Markovits.
Shortlisted for Booker Prize 2025. Texas Book Festival author 2026
Unhappy marriage. Empty nest. Tom drops his daughter off at college and just keeps driving. His wife, Amy has remained behind feeling very conflicted because of somewhat unstable relationships with both Tom and daughter, Miri. On his long distance road trip Tom visits family and friends and plays pickup basketball (possible fodder for a writing project) until he finally arrives on the west coast and at the home of his son. He’s also trying to outrun some worsening but undiagnosed medical symptoms. In a story that to me felt really futile he is trying to figure out the rest of his life.
FEAR AND FURY: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage by Heather Ann Thompson—
Texas Book Festival author 2026
Bookended by brief summaries of NYC then and now the author tells of the subway shootings of four Black teens, the man hunt and then subsequent criminal and civil trials of Bernard “Bernie” Goetz. Readers enter the subway car along with other passengers who witness Goetz pulling a handgun and shooting the teens at point blank range. While all suffered serious injuries, one was paralyzed below the chest and suffered brain damage during hospitalization, none died. After a few days Goetz turned himself in and admitted in a recorded interview to his part in the crime. The author then turns to the criminal prosecution of Goetz in the middle of a NY city largely in support of the sort of vigilante justice he had meted out. The author reportedly had access to never before seen materials, legal files, government documents and she put the meticulous details to use in retelling the events of a span of several years. As sad and traumatic as were these events, this book almost reads like a thriller with an up close and personal look at each of the individuals involved along with their long-term outcomes.
NOW READING:
UP ON COVE MOUNTAIN: Adventure, Tragedy. and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail by Earl Swift—I only wish someone had talked the author out of reading the audio. With his vocal fry and low energy presentation it was hard for me to stay engaged. It often felt like he was completely depleted of vitality.
The Book of Chuck by LaToya Watkins—
Texas Book Festival author 2026
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Anne_Glasgow, Hi Anne, you are an amazing reader with fiction and nonfiction. May I ask, are you doing ebooks or aurdio? Do you read in morning or evening? I am looking to change things up, so I am looking for inspiration. I do a combination of hard copy and audio. I love audio for when I am doing errands. Thanks for your detailed reviews. Be well, Dee
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Hi @Dee_Driscole. I read all the time in all formats. I walk for an hour + every morning so there’s always an audio running in my head. I used to do almost exclusively nonfic for this but now I find I can follow a fiction story if it is pretty straightforward. A favorite is to read travel/hiking books while walking. They give me inspiration and motivation along with good information. When it comes to fiction I’m pretty agnostic about format and just grab whatever I can get next from the library. I tend to read in big chunks so I can really immerse myself in a story. That means knocking out errands and then settling in for a long read. I think it’s mostly a matter of priorities and reading just happens to be high on my list
I hope this helps but I’m always happy to talk about reading.
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Thanks so much for the inspiration and tips. I never thought about travel books when walking. I agree, I have reading high on my priorities, but I can also get distracted (ah, life and dang a good podcast) But the fall season is a colder season where I live so, I am going to change my routines. Thanks again
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I’ve been reading for sheer entertainment/escapism the past week, which I sorely needed. Certainly not literary tomes but they took my mind off an upcoming dental procedure and the every increasing depressive news cycles. First up was “Ops-Room Girls” by Vicki Beeby, followed by “Finders Keepers Library” by Annie Rains–I’m a sucker for both WW II English “aga sagas” and any book about books so both hit just the right spot. I’m currently on hold for the library’s copy of Amanda Peters’ “Birthing Tree”; hoping it will be as good as “Berry Pickers”.
Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh is still a work-in-progress, that I am really enjoying for its uniqueness. However, a new shiny penny in the form of Kate Atkinson’s new book Our Noble Selves became available this week so I started that book, too.
I finished Angel Down by Daniel Kraus which is the 2026 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction. The author tells the story of a misfit WWI doughboy, Cyril Bagger, who is assigned to head up a ragtag group of four other cast asides from Company P during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive to take care of a fallen soldier whose unremitting shrieks are intolerable to to those near and far’s sanity. The group, with tremendous difficulty, make its way through the hellish landscape to no man’s land between the German and Allied lines. When the group reaches the source of the shrieking, they find an angelic figure clad in a red dress and blue cape who is ensnared in razor wire. Contrary to their commanding officer’s order to “help” the soldier, which they take to mean “put him out his misery”, the group decides to transport the angel to safety at command headquarters. The revelations that come about through this journey are totally unexpected and explosive. There are very few books that I can truly say will stay with me forever, but I think this one will.
This week I hope to finish listening to Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury and then start listening to The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz for our BB 1000 Books to Read Before You Die side read. I’m also reading my library’s hardcover copy of The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett for my book club meeting at the end of the month. I love my small town’s (pop. 750) library!
It seems I had more DNF books these past few weeks. DNF were Children of Time; The Kill Artist and Daggermouth. The first was a bit too weird about the evolution of spiders on an outer planet instead of monkeys evolving into humans. The Kill Artist would likely have been okay, but I had better books waiting and knew I could borrow easily from the library. This is the first of a series about an undercover, for hire killer who lives a public life restoring valuable art. Then came Daggermouth. The author did provide a warning describing subject matter and incidents that some people might find difficult to read. Nonetheless, I tried but a chapter in decided the content wasn’t worth my time. So onward….
God’s Country by Wlm Kent Krueger is the newest story with the return of his main character, Cork O’Conner. Over the years of writing, Cork has aged, his family has expanded, but he’s still involved in mysterious crimes. The setting is northern Minnesota with many adventures set in the Boundary Waters. The author provides vivid descriptions of the beauty and tranquility of this treasured environment. The plot is Krueger’s great style.
I read the Long Walk for next month’s discussion in the 1000 Books group. Considering we’ve had continuous daily temperature highs in the 100s here in Texas, the cold settings provided mental relief. The story revolves around a small group of men who escaped from a Russian Siberian prison in the early 40s. They trek miles and miles before reaching their destination of India. No spoiler here; however, I recommend those reading the book Google the author, Slavomir Rawicz. I was curious about his later life, etc. Surprise!
All the Beautiful Deaths - well I’m ready to jump into the BB discussion so will post comments there.
I’m currently reading San Quentin Exodus by Bill Smoot. The BB discussion opens next week. Sidenote: the author sent me the book, not the publisher. It’s a signed edition! I also googled him for an update on his career. Another surprise.
Finally (phew) I’m in the midst of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Intriguing? Yes. I’m not sure where the story is heading. I’d appreciate thoughts from others who have read the book, but don’t tell me the ending! 
Carol_Ann_Robb Good for you. I sometimes feel that I just need a lighter book. As a big reader of literary fiction, it can be rather dark, so fluff is just what is needed. If you are looking for another you may want to try Book Witch by Meg Shaffer. A book witch can visit a character in a book. It is fun and very creative. If you do audio, take a moment to look at the book in a bookstore or library, there are fun chapter drawings and chapters are divided by book genre…pure fun.
Earlier this week I finished “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” by Brian Goldstone and it destroyed me. I cannot believe that this level of poverty exists in the United States and the author provides no happy endings. I felt for each individual and wished that they could find peace in a broken system. It deserved its Pulitzer but few are willing to talk about this problem.
I am currently reading My Friends by Fredrik Backman and am enjoying it immensely. The characters have so much depth and I am really anxious to see what happens next.
I really enjoyed My Friends, @Anthony_Conty, and hope you’ll like it, too!
This week, I abandoned Catcher in the Rye. Really hated the narrator. When I realized I was dreading my daily reading time, I figured it was time to give up. I zipped through All Her Beautiful Deaths, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’m about 25% of the way through Music Against the Night (jury’s still out but I’m liking it so far).
In audiobook - I’m on the home stretch with War and Peace.
Haha, different strokes - Children of Time is a 5 star, recommend to everyone book for me, but I’m an old sci-fi head.
Yay for you for dropping Catcher in the Rye! I tend to take much longer reading a book I don’t like so I wasted 8 days of my reading life on that thing.
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Anne_Glasgow - Listening to travel/hiking books while walking – brilliant! Will definitely have to try that. For now, though, my walking occurs amongst other creatures of the forest, oh my! Probably best to keep every sense and what’s left of my wits about me.
Dee_Driscole - Care to share some of your favorite Dang! good podcasts?
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I knew the series was well loved, but still. I read most of the book but decided to move on. There are more sci fi books out there that will capture my interest. 
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I agree - no need to read a book that isn’t working for you.
I read THE BLIND ASSASSIN by Margaret Atwood for my reading challenge topic of a book that has been on my TBR list for over a year. This book was amazing and deserved The Booker Prize award for the year 2,000. The book covers the once well-to-do Chase family with the time span through both World Wars and the Depression to the 1990’s. The elder sister Iris narrates the quirks and of her younger sister Laura’s life. It is also a novel within a novel. The events of the sub novel run parallel to the lives of Iris and Laura. The two stories interact and become one at the end. I read the ebook but mainly listened to the audio version. Listening to the narrator’s voices gave the book more depth and enhancement.
This afternoon I finished THE DOOR IN PENROSE FOREST by Sean David Robinson. The book is full of imagery, fantasy, and mystery. The events of a night change an 8 year old boy’s life after he witnessed his mother climb a staircase in a forest and vanish for over 20 years. While reading this book I felt that I was watching an episode of Twilight Zone. It definitely captured my attention with an ending that resembled a spiderweb.
Just started The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon - so far, so good!
Earlier today I finished The Lost Wife by Susanna Moore - very interesting story!
Reading The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals - and Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley. I love learning just about anything to do with nature and this is right up my alley (even though I’m not physically able to go hiking).