90 ratings | 33 reviews | avg rating:3.89

Van’s Year In Books

Van’s 2025 Year in Books

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Van Temple

Goodreads Author

Born

in Ruston, Louisiana, The United States

Website

https://van-temple.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, Memoir, Thriller

Member Since

August 2016

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Van Temple is a Southern-born writer whose stories come soaked in humidity, heartache, and history. Raised in Ruston, Louisiana, and a graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Van spent over four decades working in the guts of community development, nonprofit leadership, and city government. From Texas to Indiana, he witnessed the fragile machinery of public service and the people caught inside it.

After 43 years in the field, Van retired to Southampton, Pennsylvania, to do something riskier than policy reform: write fiction. His work is informed by a life spent fighting for civil rights, affordable housing, and economic justice. He doesn’t write heroes. He writes real people, scrappy, stubborn, and stuck somewhere between good intentions and ...more

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Combine Editions
Van Temple’s books

Average rating: 4.59 · 56 ratings · 12 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Whisperwood: A Confederate Soldier's Struggle by Van Temple (Goodreads Author), Anna Zakelj (Illustrator) 4.63 avg rating — 51 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Breakfast at Mema’S really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Previews it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Van is Currently Reading

Van Temple is currently reading

Dark Matter

by Blake Crouch (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 16, 2025 06:35PM

Van Temple is currently reading

Hell No We Won't Go: Vietnam Draft Resisters in Canada

by Alan Haig-Brown

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Dec 16, 2025 06:33PM

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Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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read in January 2026

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Jan 17, 2026 06:04PM

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Van’s Recent Updates

Van Temple rated a book really liked it Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 17, 2026 06:04PM · like
Van Temple wants to read Wexford Omnibus (First): From Doon with Death / New Lease of Death / Best Man to Die by Ruth Rendell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2026 06:39PM · like
Van Temple rated a book really liked it Heartwood by Amity Gaige (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What an absorbing read. I read it in three sittings. Highly recommended.
Jan 15, 2026 06:37PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Heartwood by Amity Gaige. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Heartwood by Amity Gaige <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Van Temple is currently reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 06:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dark Matter by Blake Crouch <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Van Temple is currently reading Hell No We Won't Go: Vietnam Draft Resisters in Canada by Alan Haig-Brown	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 06:33PM · like
Van Temple is currently reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 06:32PM · like
Van Temple rated a book really liked it Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Excellent storytelling. Deeply engaging. A novel that tells a true story. Believe me. I lived nearby.
Dec 16, 2025 06:31PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Long Bright River by Liz Moore. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Long Bright River by Liz Moore <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Van Temple rated a book really liked it The Women by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 26, 2025 10:38PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Women by Kristin Hannah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Women by Kristin Hannah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Van Temple rated a book really liked it East of the Mountains by David Guterson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 10, 2025 04:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of East of the Mountains by David Guterson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — East of the Mountains by David Guterson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Van Temple rated a book liked it The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 19, 2025 04:53PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Nine by Gwen Strauss. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Nine by Gwen Strauss <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">