The latest book in the Hana Westerman series finds a major character in peril and the search for the perpetrator. It‘s excellent, but I‘m saddened by a choice Bennett made here (though it works for the book). If you‘re looking for gritty mysteries set in New Zealand with Māori characters and author, definitely check these out.

As far as I‘m concerned, Annie Hartnett officially has a hat trick: three books, all of excellent. I really enjoyed her latest, which deftly blends tragedy with humor and her signature offbeat style story. I could have done without the judgmental, sanctimonious daughter, but she does make a good foil.

Not a book I would pick, as I already know a fair amount about checklists and how impactful they can be. But I‘m checking out the book club at the local library and this is the next read. The writing is so good that it really kept me engaged, so bravo to Gawande!

I meant to post yesterday but forgot. 😬 I‘ve been crocheting lately and love my little cow! I got the pattern from the tagged book.

#ShowandTellTuesday

Littens! We are good to have so many unread books! Woohoo!! 🥳

https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/do-i-own-too-many-books/

I‘m so glad I finally read this—it‘s brilliant! Hurston is clearly an incredible writer, and the audio reader (Ruby Dee) is absolutely fantastic. It made me sad while listening to this that as a kid they had me read crap like The Old Man and the Sea in school and we should‘ve been reading this.

In this clear-eyed book, Beinart addresses Jewish people who continue to support the war in Gaza and enumerates through data and the breaking down of straw man arguments why they should not. This is by no means a screed and he is firm in his support for all Jewish people. I worry that this won‘t move the right people (I‘m not Jewish and already agree with him), but I very much hope it does.

While this book has hands down the best title of the year, the title implies a cheekiness or lightness the book lacks, so I think it does it a disservice. It‘s an exploration of two highly visible trans women who don‘t “pass,” their relationship, and the hate they receive. And all around how shitty and judgmental people can be. It‘s not a perfect book, but I‘m glad it exists. Low pick for me.

This one just isn‘t working for me. I‘m not a fan of the writing or the structure, which frequently flips into memoir after a very short snippet of science.

I know Boyne is well liked, but apparently he‘s as bad as JKR and I thought people might want to know.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/aug/11/polari-prize-nominees-and-judges-w...

This is an interesting look at how the earth is alive and shaped by the organisms upon and within it, and not just us. It‘s a narrative story but also filled with fascinating facts—there are bacteria far below the earth‘s surface, a single elephant print can sometimes hold 50 gallons of water, etc. I really enjoyed it.

This book was published in 2017 as a direct response to and rebuke of 🍊1. Now we‘re here again but it‘s even worse, making this book more relevant still. The key is: if enough of us fight against this crap, we‘ll protect our democracy. So, please read it and whatever way you choose, STAND FAST AND FIGHT!

I really liked Penner‘s first book then strongly disliked her second, so I didn‘t know whether to try this or not. Ultimately, the cover pulled me in and I ended up really enjoying it. It has two timelines, and I found the each equally engaging with good characters. It gives me hope for her future books!

This is the story of Ona Judge, a woman enslaved by our first president (alongside A LOT of others) who found her way to freedom and stayed free for the rest of her life. Not only is it well written with a superb audio reader (💙 Robin Miles!), it emphasizes some of our history that certain people would rather we not know. I can‘t think of a better reason to read it right now.

During one of Capri‘s true crime San Fran tours, a participant sees a woman being attacked. But when the police arrive, nothing is amiss. Capri can‘t let it go and starts investigating, and pretty soon someone turns up dead. This is a really well constructed mystery with fun characters and interesting info about SF. I really enjoyed it!

I‘m usually not a fan of child protagonists, so I wasn‘t sure how I‘d respond to this. I ended up really liking Janet, no doubt because she has a healthy slug of Ramona Quimby in her, and I really related to Ramona as a kid. We know at the start she has a tragic fate, which tinges the whole story, but she‘s such an exuberant presence, it was still a bit of a shock at the end.

People Like Us is such a sly book. A sequel to Hell of a Book (though each can be read without the other, it‘s a laugh out loud funny ride that made me do just that several times. But then the sobering ending makes you realize that all along you‘ve been reading a book with weighty topics like gun violence, racism, suicide, and a place you are from making you feel like you don‘t belong. Really well done.

My local bookstore is doing summer reading bingo and Read a Graphic Novel is one of the prompts. I‘m so glad I chose this one. Remembering the story of John Lewis and others who marched with him is more vital than ever and hopefully inspiring for fighting the current ongoing and escalating injustices. I‘m not proud of my country now, but I‘m proud to be from the same country as John Lewis.

This is a perfectly fine but not exceptional thriller until something happens which hasn‘t been developed at all and it was just impossible for me to buy. Unfortunately, it‘s the hinge for the rest of the book, so it‘s a meh for me. I did like the ending, though.

An interesting take on the divorce novel. Here, a woman learns her husband has been having an affair (and is leaving her) immediately before learning she has breast cancer. So, she names her tumor after the other woman, as you do. It‘s threaded with humor and abounding with metaphors. I liked but didn‘t love it.

In the 1970s, the ruling junta in Argentina disappeared thousands of people, including pregnant women. It became clear that they waited for those women to give birth before murdering them and giving their babies to other families. This is the story of the group of grandmothers who tirelessly sought out their grandchildren for decades. I thought the first part was poorly organized, but then it smooths out and is very good.

A young witch, Lydia, learns about a powerful dark grimoire that a coven helping Hitler hopes to find. Lydia knows if they find it, the war, and likely the world, is lost, so she goes in search of it herself. This is an absolutely smashing debut: engrossing story, very well crafted, and utterly unputdownable. I just loved it!

Here‘s my books for August #ReadYourEbooks. Let‘s see how I do this month! 🤞🏼

I meant to post this a couple days ago but forgot. I didn‘t manage to read any of the July books, so let‘s see if I do better in August! #roll100

This outstanding book chronicles the life and work of Roxie Laybourne, a woman who was just trying to do work she loved. She had a knack for taxidermy and was hired by the Smithsonian (unpaid for a while, of course) and found she was especially good at birds. This segued into her pioneering a way to ID bird species from airplane bird strikes. I can‘t emphasize how good this book is—amazing woman with fantastic writing.

This is an interesting book about how internet language has jumped into and shaped our daily lives even offline, but also how algorithms have impacted that by amplifying certain things. The author is well positioned to discuss this as an influencer and content creator who has also done his research, but he‘s also an undergrad who keeps referring to himself as a “linguist,” which I find premature.

I‘m not usually a fan of childhood memoir, but I enjoyed this look back at Saramago‘s young years. Around 100 years ago in Portugal is so different from my own experience, and he tells vignettes, giving an overall impression rather than a straightforward recounting. His writing is just so good that I was carried along.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one went a little off the rails for me. It lacked balance, with too many preposterous things piled on and not enough about the polar bear research, which was terrific when it was present. I‘m sure I‘ll continue the series, but I‘ll take my time getting to the next book.

I finished this one up on today‘s #audiowalk. It explores the pop culture effort over the past 30‘years or so to undermine women and girls, encouraging self-hatred and internalized misogyny. I found myself nodding along to a LOT of it.

Part of the University of Alberta lecture series, this slim volume sees Eden Robinson exploring a bit of her family and Haisla heritage. Unsurprisingly, her prose is magnetic and I was drawn right in. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer.

The central premise of this book is good: focus your diet on plant-based, whole foods and stop focusing on individual nutrients. But much of the book contradicts itself, making it rather muddled. It‘s also dated (particularly in the bit about alcohol). I do think this book was ahead of its time back in 2008.

Lexie works as a matchmaker, her specialty, psychopaths. What could possibly go wrong? I was drawn to this book by the title/cover and it has a bit of a rocky start, but then became the fun, zany, slightly off the rails read I was hoping for.

Here‘s my #ReadYourEbooks list for August. I read one of the picked books for July and was going to wait until the eleventh hour to post this, lest I read another, but realistically, that won‘t be happening. Can‘t wait for the spins!

I really struggled with this book that explores the life of a person from childhood into middle age. He lives on a commune as a kid and it goes from there. I found some of his adult years engaging and there‘s one paragraph in the book that should be taught in craft classes, but I barely hung on to even get to that point. #ReadYourEbooks

An explosion happens at an LA beach July 4 celebration near where a Muslim teen group is celebrating the holiday. Six of the teens are accused, and the book clearly shows how the media and “justice” system can work hard to demonize certain people, whether evidence exists or not. I have a few quibbles but found this very powerful overall.

This book looks at Native American boarding schools in the US. Most compellingly, it follows the reverberations of trauma from these schools through families, including the author‘s own. I‘m horrified that these things happened, but so glad these stories are being told so that we can look them in the eye. We‘ll be a better country if we do.

Charlotte‘s an excellent student but her family doesn‘t have much money, so getting a babysitting job at a new house is a boon, even if it‘s right before Halloween. The kids seem to be able to navigate the house in a strange way, but that‘s just kids, right? No. No, it‘s not. And it gets brutal. I enjoyed this one but have some questions about the ending.

I really liked Ardern‘s approach when she was in office, so I was so happy to see she‘d written a memoir. I enjoyed this, though I did wish it was a little meatier in places, as I‘d like to know even more. But I‘m glad she shared her life so far with us and I‘m glad I read it.

In 1973, Brits Maralyn and Maurice decided to sail to New Zealand. But between South America and the Galapagos, a whale sank their boat, casting them adrift for 4 months before being rescued. Seems like it would be fascinating, but I found the book a bit too thin. It feels like an opportunity squandered.

Rose Valland fought to be in the art world in the 1930s and of course wasn‘t taken seriously as a woman. She then found herself serving as curator at a Paris museum when WWII erupted. This is her story and how she gathered info on where the Nazis were sending artworks right under their noses. It‘s a terrific read and I‘m so glad I now know her story.

I approached this with a bit of a jaundiced eye since I know my opinion of many other TikTok famous books. It didn‘t blow my socks off, but I did end up enjoying it. I would read McFadden again.

Indo-European is the language group spoken by far more people than any other. Proto looks back at how this came to be, exploring both linguistics and genetics. Really interesting and dense in the best way, as it packs so much in, all while being a good read. I may have to listen again to pick more of it up!

Black trans artist and activist Tourmaline tells the story of the life of pioneering trans activist Marsha P Johnson, including her role in the Stonewall riot. It‘s a lovely book and the author‘s love and respect for her subject really shines through. It‘s good to see examples of LGBT+ historical figures for clear proof that they‘ve always been here.

Morrison‘s final novel looks at race and colorism and doesn‘t hold back. The audio is read by her, which in some ways is a gift (though I think a seasoned audio reader would have given a better performance). The Stacks podcast will be having an episode discussing this next week, which I‘m really looking forward to—there‘s a lot here.

I‘ve liked a lot of Lepore‘s work but I struggled with this one. I think the issue is that, as she herself mentions, the historical record on Jane Franklin, Ben‘s sister, is just rather thin. It just ended up not holding my interest.

Sera is the most powerful witch in ages, but loses much of her magic after doing a spell she didn‘t know was restricted. Thus starts this story that is largely charming. I do wish the focus was more fully on the magic bits and less on the love interest, but that‘s just my preference.

While I anxiously await the next Murderbot installment (there‘s going to be one, right?!?), I enjoyed this new short story, which fits in at 2.5 in the series. Murderbot isn‘t in this one, but we do get a little time with ART, here called Perihelion.

I‘ve been meaning to read this one for a while and @Soubhiville ‘s review finally prompted me to do so. It‘s a slim volume that is doing a lot of work, and the Catholic Church definitely doesn‘t come away looking great. I‘m glad I finally read it.

I fully intended to save the second half of this for later in the week, just before our next #CampLitsy25 discussion, but I just couldn‘t wait. I LOVED this! St James does a beautiful job of showing the reader that there are many ways to be trans. This is such a stunning debut. It has earned the rare privilege of being included in my permanent collection.

While it‘s an interesting hypothesis that lead exposure could have played a role in the behavior of serial killers in the PNW, Fraser offers zero evidence to support this and ignores some available information that could refute it. As a look at some history and people from the area, this has some interesting bits, but as a scientific proposal it‘s deeply flawed.