The follow-up book to the dark The Parable of the Sowers is centered on the rise of Christian Nationalism as the population is desperate to re-establish normalcy. Horrific things happen to the Earthseed group under this new theocracy. But like Earthseed‘s cache phrase “God is change”, there is hope for the future. Both books are worth reading if you can take the human suffering.

A thoughtful, often disturbing, and a mostly realistic view of a dystopian civilization as it slowly collapses. In 1993, when this book was written, it might have seemed like a possible scenario for the future. Now it seems too close for comfort. Our protagonist is a young girl with big ideas. She accepts the need to change and adapt. Excellent read but quite violent.

Le Guin‘s writing is very descriptive with interesting details about the world of Gethen, also known as Winter. It illustrates a rather hostile environment with humans who have fluid gender and sexuality. The reader is allowed to explore the world and its unique inhabitants. The exceptional detail and folk stories make this a fascinating read.

This historical fiction uses a different perspective in describing the horrors of war, a young, sheltered woman from California. Frances McGrath enlists in the army to serve in Vietnam War with heroic notions of serving with her older brother. She learns quickly of life and death, fear, friendship and love. The story continues as she returns home to face internal trauma and an unwelcoming family and country. Prepare for tears.

This factual account of the five months between Lincoln‘s election and the start of the civil war was well-written and absorbing. A non fiction narrative that produced insights on the values, thoughts and emotions of famous people as well as the lesser known characters. The increase of rhetoric and missed opportunities for unity made secession certain. An interesting read but I found it, sadly, very relatable to our current times.

Book 4 of the Bobiverse has Bob heading out to the Verse to find his friend and clone, Bender. His adventure includes finding another alien species and fending off a civil war amongst the other Bobs. Fun read with tongue in cheek humor and political intrigue, with some science and philosophy thrown in for good measure.

Roland, the Gunslinger, is chasing the Man in Black to discover the location of the Dark Tower. He travels through a dystopian world and meets people. There is some good prose, but this book feels like a puzzle that is missing a lot of important pieces. Meh. I generously gave this a So-So in the hopes that the other books of this series will redeem this experience.

This collection of nine short stories published in 1950 is extraordinary with its vision of a future with robots. Each story could stand alone but they collectively tell a larger story. The famous “Three Laws of Robotics” first appears here. Really interesting and well-thought out. Hard to believe that this was written well before artificial intelligence was developed. Bravo!

Book 3 of the Silo series, Dust, is a gripping page-turner, I was so vested in these characters that the tense situations they found themselves in had me throwing the book down, pacing in circles in agitation, picking it back up, over and over again. It was an engaging read with well developed characters and fast paced storytelling. Loved the ending…loved the series!

Surprisingly, book 2 was not a continuation of the story of Silos 17 and 18 but a prequel which was divided into 3 distinct story lines and bounced around different time lines. I found it darker and a little sadder than book 1, but still an engaging and well-written book. While many questions were answered about how the silos came into being, more questions come to mind. Book 3 is calling…

Gripping post-apocalyptic story of a generation of people living in the confines of a buried silo. Strict rules, lies, cruel punishments and even murder have kept the population in line. When Juliette is promoted from the depths of the silo to become the sheriff, her curiosity and determination to find the truth becomes an issue for those in control. Clever plot and good characters drive this very human story. Book #1 of 3.

An historical fiction inspired by the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, coal-mining and the Pack Horse Library Service. Cussy Mary is a kind and intelligent person who happens to have blue skin. For this, she suffers as a social outcast. She creates a life for herself by bringing books to the Appalachian people and is also known as the Book Woman. A story of resiliency and tenacity in the face of unrelenting discrimination.

Another good read by Stephen King. Really enjoyed the relationships between Charlie, his father, Mr Bowditch and, of course, sweet Radar. The story moves easily between this world and another more magical world. Like any good fairy tale, there is good and evil, heroes and villains. This book is an enjoyable, easy to read, page turner.

This book was based on a real person, Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer in the late 18th century. There is a murder mystery and rape, but also relationships of family and small community. This is the best kind of historical fiction: complete immersion into a historical setting and a protagonist that refuses to look the other way and approaches her life with honesty and conviction. Strong women has always appealed to me. Highly recommend.

“All signs point to your murder.” Good, solid mystery with a likable protagonist. Good hook, slow middle and then a fast action-filled wrap-up at the end. Overall, very enjoyable!

Thank you @Sharpeipup for the recommendation. I will be reading some of your other suggestions!

The body floats downstream.

#firstlinefriday

An horrific murder is committed in a small town. The investigation twists and turns with each new and conflicting piece of evidence. How the investigators (a motley crew of police, lawyers, and townspeople) come to an unusual conclusion that the suspect an otherworldly outsider is Stephen King‘s specialty. Trigger warning for gore, body horror and violence to children.

Finally, holidays are over and quiet has descended on the house. Ready to read! Great start to this mystery with “Your future contains dry bones”. I am all in!

In fairy tales, when a witch tells you your fate, you listen.

Sweet romance. Would be a perfectly good “beach read”. Didn‘t sweep me away…

Set in Spain during the Inquisition, this is a story about a scullery maid with some small magical abilities. In a desperate effort to improve her life, she allows herself to be swept up in the politics of ambitious men and women who attempt to improve their social positions by exploiting her. She finds unexpected friends, a dark and tortured soul to fall in love with (who can‘t resist that?), and discovers the depths of her magic. Fun read.

“Is the mouth of a shark an opportunity?”
“For the shark it is.”

Here are a few facts about me!
I am married, have grown kids, and a very old Sheltie.
I work with kids with diabetes.
I 💕 to knit and crochet.
I am a gamer and I currently play Splatoon 3.
I have a lot of Christmas earrings.
In the 4th grade my teacher was reading The Book of Three to us in class. I asked her after class “where did you find these amazing stories? she said, the library of course. Never looked back!

I am super excited about the list of fabulous reads from @Sharpeipup . They all looked so good that I am starting at the top! Thanks to #auldlangspine2025 for organizing🩷🩷📖🩷🩷

1. How to Solve Your Own Murder
2. Unreasonable Hospitality
3. Grown Woman Talk
4. The Paris Novel
5. The Wedding People
6. Ghostland: American History of Haunted Places
7. Out on a Limb
8. To Have and to Heist
9. American Sirens

Cheers!

Sweet, coming of age story about escorting two giraffes across the country during the Great Depression. Based on a true event, this book provides a small glimpse of life at that time and is a nice read for animal lovers.