The Feather Wars: and the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds
by James H. McCommons
Fascinating bird history (2/25/2026)
This is one of the more fascinating nonfiction books l've read. It's an extensive history of the bird conservation efforts in this country starting in the 19th C through the early 20th C. The book covers the efforts of diverse people - politicians, bird lovers, conservationists, writers and others - who sought to curtail the extinction of many bird species and preserve birds - all good for the species as well as the environments birds support.
The efforts sometimes translated into laws, formation of conservation societies, etc.
It soon became clear to me that people back in the day killed many birds for food (understandable) and in the belief there were so many birds it would be impossible to kill them all off (magical thinking). Like the bison as the author points out birds like the carrier pigeon did become extinct. The "greed" option, the most prevalent Americanism when speaking about what is American culture, plays a big part too in extinction. I especially enjoyed the chapter on feather procurement between the late 19th and early 20th C when women wore hats and milliners needed these for their livelihood. And there is piracy of exotic birds and the like. The book abounds in stories of pure senseless in dealing with birds.
Many of the people mentioned are humble people who appreciated the need to preserve the environment and birds by some were more prominent like Teddy Roosevelt John James Audubon but regardless there were many heroes in the fight against wanton hunting and public opinion about birds.
There are so many fascinating things in this book that even if you aren’t a bird lover, you should find interesting.
Highly recommended.
Whidbey: A Novel
by T Kira Madden
What happens when you don’t look (2/25/2026)
This is quite a read - exhausting, sad, and maybe a little bit hopeful. It's a story of what happens when you look the wrong way and then have to face the consequences.
Three women have to deal with the consequences of a death. One is the mother, Mary-Beth, who cannot believe her son, Calvin, with "his big heart" is an abuser. One is the victim, Birdie Chang, who quietly deals with having to seek a protective order each year but rages within at what was taken from her. The last, possibly another victim but not of Calvin, Lindsay "Linzie" King writes a book about him and puts in Birdie's story under another name but this gnaws at Birdie - again something is taken from her. So when Calvin is found dead, everything is upended.
This is a dark and bleak novel - though I felt at the end Birdie could go on to a new life. Its suspense comes largely from the alternating POVs of the three main characters. Each woman is facing her own nightmares and desirous of proving something to themselves. And then there is Calvin trying to tell his story to Birdie. The complexity of this novel is very clever.
The characters are complex but realistically written. The book is structured well - how it begins sets up an expectation to "know" but the slow burn to that answer is what keeps you reading. Enjoyed the book.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me to read this ARC.
The Plans I Have for You: A Novel
by Lai Sanders
Race, identity and revenge (2/25/2026)
An atmospheric story about race, identity, and revenge with touches of magical realism that delivers. Two Asian women, Soyoung "Sophia" Moon and Shelley "Erin" Hu/Callaghan meet to exact revenge on three individuals (Amy Cloverfield, Gene Struzik, and Auggie Flores) who ruined Shelley's life. Sophia Moon comes to the seedy motel Shelley works offering her a chance at revenge. Sophia has been traumatized in a similar way so she is able to convince Shelley she can help her achieve a new and better life. Shelley accepts Sophia's offer and the plans begin. Told along with Shelley's story is Soyoung's duplicitous background which leaves you wondering what's the reason for Sophia's help, especially as Sophia's help turns into obsession and the revenge is darker than Shelley realizes.
This is kind of a thriller in a way but the friendship element that starts the book throws you off until that becomes weird as the book goes on. Another element explored in the book includes discrimination as both women have experienced this. My only criticism is the weird ending but otherwise I stayed riveted to the story lines
This is a pretty good debut novel. I encourage anyone interested is revenge stories to give this a try.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to read this ARC.
Boring Asian Female
by Canwen Xu
Obsession takes its toll (2/25/2026)
Intense and captivating story. A SIOW burn psychological thriller, the book depicts how unreasonable societal expectations and "self-inflicted" pressure can derail reason and bring out "the dark side" of one's nature.
Elizabeth Zhang has spent the last four years at Columbia waiting to be accepted into Harvard law school. She has high test scores and grade point. So when she's rejected and another girl, Laura Kim (with less distinction) is accepted, Elizabeth is astounded and upset. She sets out to find out what she did wrong and learns from her counselor, she's "boring." This sets Elizabeth on an obsessive course to get Laura to lose her scholarship, so she can get in, and the results are "astounding."
Elizabeth is a character you somewhat love to hate. Throughout her obsession with Laura, I kept wanting her to just accept what happened and maybe get to know Laura. However, the sly, clever ending disabused me of that. This a 50/50 character-plot-driven novel. Upon finishing the book I can understand why the author gave us the slow burn because she wants to show how Elizabeth's misguided beliefs about social class superiority that kept her out of Harvard and how she isn't liked are figments of her imagination-she never really tested any of her theories. Nonetheless these themes demonstrate how we can be our own worst enemies.
I enjoyed this read and highly recommend this book.
A Scandal in Königsberg
by Christopher Clark
A minor dispute turns into a scandal (2/21/2026)
An interesting examination of a religious dispute in 19th C Prussia between two Lutheran preachers, Johan Ebel and Georg Heinrich Diestel.
Apparently the two preachers were accused of leading a cult which practiced sexual improprieties (though the writing style is so pedantic I wouldn’t get too excited about reading that) and spread heresy. The accusations were made by a prominent aristocrat but lacked any real evidence. However in pre-21st C times this was enough to cause consternation and distress to the ordinary people making it a scandal.
Given that the Protestant religion was state-sponsored at that time, one can understand how this issue might have significance but also it seems to show similarly that state required religion can’t be foisted on people - take a look at what happened when England attempted to install a state required religion - I think Charles I might want his head back. These things don’t work out well (white Christian nationalists need to study history a bit).
It was an okay but a laborious read - just a little too high brow to be really appreciated. Nonetheless, I applaud and appreciate learning from the past and being exposed to events from the past regardless of where they occur as these really do inform the present.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Press for allowing me to read this ARC.
Lady Tremaine: A Novel
by Rachel Hochhauser
Clever retelling of a fairy tale (2/21/2026)
What a clever retelling of the Cinderella story. I was a bit leery at the start of the book but once the unnamed character narrating that first section became clear, the story rolled forth magically. Beautifully written, the author does a nice job of making Lady Termaine realistic: neither cruel or sweet. She’s a mother trying to make sure all three of the children under her care are feed, clothed and cared for. The author sticks to the main elements of the fairy tale without magic and then the twists at the end story add modern elements, again making the story realistic. No spoilers here; you have to read the book to appreciate the retelling. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.
This Story Might Save Your Life: A Novel
by Tiffany Crum
Awesome read (2/21/2026)
This is a story from the heart. A second-chance romance on one level but on another an emotionally packed mystery. I listened to this awesomely narrated book and would recommend this format.
Joy Moore and Benny Abbott are podcasters. They have a serious following and are the best of friends until . . . . Benny finds she and Xander not in their vandalized home. Benny calls the police and reminds them Joy has been stalked by a fan. The story is told from Benny’s POV and Joy’s (some from the book she’s writing and later on in real time). We feel Benny’s desperation to find Joy and Joy’s need to flee from an untenable situation.
I liked the story. Mashing a mystery with a romance has been done before but there is a cleverness to this story. I think I liked how the mystery is more important than the romance but the romance is always underneath simmering. I also liked both Joy and Benny. Their vulnerabilities are endearing.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ARC. Julia Whalen fans take note: she’s Joy and is oh so good. Sean Patrick Hopkins has nailed Benny.
#thisstorymaysaveyourlife
#fiffanycrum
#macmillanaudio
Evil Genius: A Novel
by Claire Oshetsky
Dark comedy at its best (2/21/2026)
This is an awesome dark comedic novel focusing on issues of coming-of-age, identity, patriarchy and abuse. I listened to the novel excellently read by a narrator who was able to capture all aspects of Celia Dent as she comes-of-age.
It’s the 1970s San Francisco and 19 year old Celia Dent is married to “her Andrew or Drew”, working at the phone company and obsessed with the recent murder of one of her co-workers, Vivienne, who was having an affair with another of her co-workers, Randall. During their lunch break at Vivienne’s, her husband comes home and shoots her. From there Celia is obsessed with the story as a way to fend off Drew’s cruelties and manage the awful job she has. The story has some great funny moments and tragic in many ways. The ending is a surprise though. .
Celia is a complex character. She’s wacky for sure - she hears voices, collects Barbie dolls, and is in total thrall to Drew - she’s kind of pathetic there! As Celia tries out new things, she still is longing for love but sometimes willing settle for “the known pain” over the unknown. She is often puzzled by her own behaviors. Telling her story from 50 years in the present is revelatory for her as well as the readers.
I enjoyed this book so much I listened to it in one day!
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to read this ARC.
Lucien: A Novel
by J.R. Thornton
A delicious read (2/21/2026)
I love vile characters at times. These characters are among the ones you love to hate but find yourself in thrall to. Such is Lucien Orsini-Conti - he’s smooth, so so confident, rich and so amoral.
Chris “Atlas” Novotny comes from immigrant parents. He’s poor, unslick, decent and incredibly talented artistically - he’s also Lucien’s roommate at Harvard. Lucien introduces “Atlas” (Lucien thinks Chris is a boring name and so dubs Chris with this nickname) to the glitzy side Harvard. Along the way, Chris finds himself in need of money and Lucien engineers an illegal plot - don’t want to give the essence of the story away: it’s so good.
This is a great literary thriller - I read in one day! Lucien is a deliciously crafted character and Chris is a guy you pull for.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper for allowing me to read this ARC.
Judy Blume: A Life
by Mark Oppenheimer
An amazing bio (2/21/2026)
I have never read a single book written by Judy Blume, not because I found her controversial or had read/heard bad things about her but she’s sort of my generation and when she started writing I thought I was too sophisticated for her books - that’s how dumb you can be when you are young. After reading this fine biography, in one of my upcoming book challenges I plan to read one of her books.
I enjoyed this biography. I knew very little about Judy except kids liked her books - my daughter did. I knew of the controversy on her books being censored but as identified in the bio, in a 1984 Crossfire episode, Judy turned the tables on Pat Buchanan who had not read her books (love it when a good woman can outwit a “big for his britches” man!).
The biography chapters are broken down by years and the author tracks Blume’s literary output in each of these. The biography highlights Blume’s ability to write realistic stories about the anxieties, insecurities, and questions children face or have is her consummate strength as a writer. And, of course, know-it-all parents had problems with this - eventually a child grows up, and if those questions in youth or childhood aren’t answered, they are still there for the person to deal with (it’s called developmental delay! So Judy’s books serve an elemental purpose).
Judy has lead a very interesting life and has had loved deeply. She has also won many accolades. Based on the fine biography, she’s a woman of depth and purpose. I highly recommend this biography.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and G.P. Putnam for allowing me to read this ARC.
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In The Fields of Fatherless Children: A Novel
by Pamela Steele
Finely crafted novel (2/21/2026)
This is a finely crafted novel set in 1960s Appalachian mining country. Like others set in this part of the country, I’m always in a saddened state when done. The poverty, misery and abuse that fall between the pages of these stories are heartbreaking and heart wrenching but make for some of the most insightful stories written. Such is this book.
Sixteen year old June Branham is pregnant, unsure who the father is - raped by one and loved by another. June’s brother, Tom, and June’s love, Ellis, are off to Vietnam. Her stepfather, Isom, hates Ellis for his mixed blood (but mostly because June’s mother, Bethel, had an affair with Ellis’s father. June struggles with the pregnancy and when Isom kidnaps her daughter, Grace, June is faced with dangerous choices.
The depictions in the book of the landscape of strip mining is dark. Rains make the overworked land collapse. Houses are swallowed up by floods. It’s pretty grim.
I liked June and the narrator, Granny Justice. June epitomizes the resilience and fortitude needed to survive in this landscape and time. The women in the novel are the strength - it’s never a surprise to see this in novels especially in times when people want to wipe out our contributions. Women can’t be vanquished.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.
Paradiso 17: A Novel
by Hannah Lillith Assadi
A moving daughter's tribute (2/21/2026)
A very moving tribute to the author’s father as he roams the world looking for home, this a “cradle to death” fictional memoir as a displaced man seeks to find himself and his home.
Born in 1948, in his childhood, Sufien is forced to leave his home in Palestine. He flees to a Syrian refugee camp where he meets many of his life long friends, especially Bernard, a Jew. At 17 he goes to Italy and reinvents himself as Franco Leone and eventually gets to New York City where drives a cab, married and had a daughter. He eventually lands in Arizona but returns to New York for medical care. In each of these moves, Sufien believes he has found home. But what is home? That’s the question this book seeks to answer.
In a sense this is also a coming of age story. At first Sufien is a sweet, funny and “beguiling” character but underneath we sense a deep sadness. As he grows up he makes terrible personal and business decisions. But through it all everyone loves him. There is this tiny spark that attracts you. But he is always endearing.
I always try to understand book titles. They “foretell” I believe the essence of the novel or book. So the title taken from Canto 17 of Dante’s Paradiso is where Dante is told he will be banished is perfect. Chapter 67 is entitled “Paradiso 17” where Sufien is watching his funeral in “exile” in heaven. I loved that too. loved the writing. I loved the story.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read this ARC.
The Beheading Game: A Novel
by Rebecca Lehmann
Great speculative fiction (2/19/2026)
I love British history though the period of Henry VIll is my least favorite and the story of Anne Boleyn is just too over done. But I was immediately attracted to this ARC (thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing) offering a different picture of the woman who brought down a religion!
This is a delicious piece of speculative fiction. It's 1536 and Anne wakes up in her coffin finding her head severed from her body. She escapes, sews her head back on (remember this is speculative fiction) starts out to find Henry to kill him - though she is very concerned about Elizabeth and her well being, seeing her the heir to the throne and just as good as a male heir. Her journey takes her back in time to remember things from the past especially about her brother, George. During her flight, she meets up with interesting characters (Alice is a delight) and is talked about as a ghost. The ending was a surprise but I liked it.
This is a character-driven novel and I think the author did a fine job with Anne. While I'm no nearer to liking Anne Boleyn, this book presented an alternative glimpse in maybe how Anne may have seen herself. She does get vilified a lot, so it's good to remember that there may be some good elements to a person.
Historically the author's note gives highlight to what is true and what she added. That's helpful if you are a history nerd like me.
This is a great book for lovers of speculative historical fiction.
Mothers and Other Strangers: A Novel
by Corey Ann Haydu
Exploring relationships (2/19/2026)
This is a raw but intimate novel exploring motherhood, mother-daughter relationships and friendships, all essential parts of life. Sydney and Mae meet as children as their mothers, Beth Ann (type-a personality) and Joni (free-spirited) watch them play. A friendship between the mothers makes them inseparable until a falling out. Years later single pregnant Sydney still misses Mae. She and her mother, Beth Ann, are drawn into mid level marketing scheme. Across the city, Mae finds herself single and pregnant and missing her mother, Joni, who died mysteriously. Mae is an artist famous for her picture of two girls. Eventually the two young women meet and start to untangle themselves from coercive elements like ex-boyfriends, moms groups, etc. but as they reunite it becomes clear there is a secret that underlies the friendship that could destroy it all.
Well written. Taut and suspenseful. Great read.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Hachette Books for allowing me to read this ARC.
A Beautiful Loan: A Novel
by Mary Costello
Poignant read (2/16/2026)
What a poignant story. The book explores a woman’s journey of self-discovery through two tumultuous relationships and through her passion for Camus and Carl Jung. It’s told simply but eloquently.
Anna is fresh from rural Ireland, young and very naive when she meets Peter, a man who’s 16 years older (she’s 19 when they meet). She eventually married Peter but theirs is a relationship where Peter controls and Anna seeks to be better for Peter. Eventually this grows tiring, especially after two failed pregnancies and they separate. Several years later she meets a Muslim man, Karim, and is attracted to Islam and converts but this too is unfulfilling for Anna as she misses many things from her former life like having her dog, Boo, be able to live inside rather than outside.
The story unfolds over 25 years and we see Anna looking for safety as several traumatic events occur this period. I found Anna a puzzling character. She threw herself into learning to improve her chances of understanding her world but didn’t seem able at times to learn from her mistakes but when she grows a spine, she’s quite arresting and strong.
As many books dealing with relationships show, the female is always seemingly willing to accede to the man. Anna does that because she seems Avery but with both men neither understand their roles to support those they love. Their interests predominate. I think Anna was better off for leaving both behind.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and W.W. Norton & company for allowing me to access this ARC.
The Red Winter
by Cameron Sullivan
Dark fantasy (2/12/2026)
Based on the Gévaudan legend, this book follows Sebastian Grave, the immortal monster slayer, who is requested to help find the beast. Set in pre-revolutionary France (1785), there is also a theme of the plight of the peasants and the cruelty of the powerful. All in all, this book manages to encapsulate a lot - horror, tenderness, fear and love.
The Gévaudan legend is a werewolf origin story. The beast is quite frightful. The premise of the story is that Sebastian is called back to hunt the beast he defeated years ago. In so returning, he uncovers the truth of its origins and past loves. Sebastian is accompanied by his indwelling demon, Sarmodel - who takes payment in living hearts) who is among the many demons and other magical elements in this book.
This book is not for the faint of heart. If you love blood and gore, this is, however, for you! It's a dark fantasy too embodying a story of queer love that is deeply passionate and poignant. Sebastian and Antoine's story though has a lot of angst to it. As noted previously, this book is set in the precarious times preceding the French Revolution. The people are desperate and the Church is leading a campaign against heresy. The beast sees this as the perfect time to take them all down! An interesting side note are the chapters that go back to the 15th C and we gain insight into Sebastian's story.
I listened to this excellently narrated book (I loved when the narrator did Sarmodel's voice - it was so deliciously evil). I almost think this is the better way to "read" this book. This is a debut novel with more in The series.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
Fatherland: A Novel
by Victoria Shorr
Exploring fatherhood (2/11/2026)
This is a coming-of-age novel set in Ohio spanning about 30 years as a young girl deals with the loss of her father through divorce.
The novel has an eeriness to it as you read. It starts with creepy Martin Brier at a wedding plotting how he’ll remove his clothes from his house. He’s leaving his wife and three children for another woman and not planning on telling them. The book moves back and forth with different characters sharing their views through an omniscient narrator. The breakup of the family has a profound impact on Josie, the oldest child such that she has a lot of angst and ambivalence.
The book explores “fatherhood” and its impact on children. Martin is a most selfish, obnoxious and devious character. Everything revolves around him and his mean spiritedness knows no bounds. He is definitely not father of the year material. Jodie and Will experiences Martin in all his selfish splendor but manage to have successful lives because of their mother, Lora, who could have been fleshed out more, who manages to eventually find happiness.
I enjoyed this book. The narration really sparkles in its simplicity.
Thank you NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me access to this ARC.
Son of Nobody: A Novel
by Yann Martel
Extraordinary! (2/9/2026)
I wrestled with myself reading this book. It was a love-hate relationship often as I grappled with its structure and the retelling of The Iliad (I think it’s all those names I can’t pronounce) and with a character who refused to put fatherhood before scholarship. But by the end I grew to understand the profoundness of the story and appreciate that what you think should be a certain way, doesn’t have to be!
First the structure is the most unique I’ve ever seen. While it’s a story within a story as the author rewrites The Iliad from the perspective of a “nobody,” Psoad, it’s also a story of a scholar, Harlow Donne, as he studies a newly discovered Greek text of this Greek “nobody.” But these are then “divided” by a line as you would find in a history or nonfiction book where footnotes appear. Donne’s story is a “footnote” but is it? Take your time reading each. The poem is rather beautiful but the footnotes are the “meat” of the matter.
Both Donne and Psoad are nobodies. But while society may want to disregard nobodies, they are the predominant figures in it. That Psoad would dare to speak to or take on a person of vaulted stature in Greek society would be reprehensible as would Donne in disregarding the instructions of the Oxford Don, Cubitt, overseeing his sabbatical. This is the crux of the story I think. In the footnote sections, we learn of how both do this and what happens when they disregard the order of things.
Donne’s story is a study in scholarly concupiscence - what is more important: family or job/career? A tragic event brings this question to the fore. While Donne has a deep love for his family (he’s in England and they are in Canada), his choices in regard to them are shallow even though he tries to rationalize his work as a paean to his child. As to Psoad, he shows the same kind of stupidity but his story also represents how time doesn’t change much: nobodies and somebodies haven’t changed much through time.
Finally I was intrigued by the comparison at times in the footnotes between Psoad’s story and Jesus. Jesus came for the common man, which Psoad represents in his “nobodynness”. Our human vanity gets in the way of appreciating that we can be nobody and still be relevant.
Definitely this book is a deep story of “life, death,” grief and how our vanity gets in the way of honesty and meaning.
Thank you NetGalley and Norton for allowing me to read this ARC.
The Quiet Librarian: A Novel
by Allen Eskens
Simply excellent (2/3/2026)
This book deserves more hype than it’s gotten. It’s a great thriller and poses questions such as what is justice and why do we hate people who are different from us (a burning question for today’s times). Hana Babi? is a quiet, middle-aged librarian who leads a quiet unassuming and solitary life. This, however, is shattered when her close friend, Amina, is killed, and Hana’s dark past is coming back at her. Alternating between her early life in Bosnia in the 1990s and her current life in Minnesota, the book builds an intriguing and dark story of genocide. As she searches for answers to her friend’s death, she meet Detective David Claypool, someone who might be able help her, but can she trust him? The ending is unexpected and tender. I enjoyed this book immensely. Highly recommend.
The Unworthy: A Novel
by Agustina Bazterrica
A strange story (2/3/2026)
Set in a dystopian time in a world ravished by climate change, a named narrator writes of a horror-filled life set in a strange nunnery where life is one sadistic act after an other. The Sacred Sisterhood is filled with myths and strange practices all designed to scare and humiliate - which I understood as perhaps as a scathing indictment on organized religion. The women will do anything in order to survive much like in the Parable of the Sower, another book about the end of times. These actions pose the question of what does it take to survive at any time? And, is one willing to be cruel and vile to survive? Reading this in current 2025 America, we may be having to face this question sooner than we realize.
Power Reviewer
