Nan's Reads in 2026 > Likes and Comments
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1. Heterodox Haiku--Contrarians (Dissent in Japanese Inspired Micropoetics), edited by Jerome BerglundHaiku and senryu often speak truth to power, and in this chapbook, haiku poets from around the world speak out and do just that. In these poems, a reader will find poets "tilting at windmills" to express their emotions about world events and so much more. But not every poem is angry; many poems just see clearly what is going on in a few words.
The editor, Jerome Berglund, divides the book into different sections and C.X. Turner provides context in the introduction about haiku poetry and its changing role in the world.
That this reader has a haiku/senryu (I don't always distinguish between the two) just makes me proud to be a contrarian.
Read in 2025 when it first came out.
2. The Lioness by Chris BohjalianThis is a heart-racing story of a photo safari in the Serengeti. It features a newly married couple and their friends and family.
When Katie Barstow and her new husband David Miller head to the Serengeti, they never expected to be kidnapped along with their friends.
Told from the perspective of various characters, the reader is introduced to the past and the present.
A safari gone wrong...what is behind the kidnapping of Hollywood royalty and the entourage? Who will survive this perilous trip?
Powerful story, and at times, gruesome.
3. Pets and the City by Dr. Amy Attasa re-read in preparation for a presentation at a book group
4. Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews
Two Bridezillas from the Hollingsworth clan are at the center of a murder in this latest Christmas-themed mystery from Donna Andrews. Meg Langslow is her usual self, helping out with her family, trying to keep the brides, their families, her mother, and others sane during the holiday season.
Both of their weddings are scheduled for the same day at the same church with the receptions at the same location. The two cousins have impossible demands including using the same photographer, who happens to be murdered before the wedding day.
Like most of the people who get killed in Andrews' mysteries, he is not a nice person. Who would want to kill such a nice guy? Does anyone really deserve to be murdered? Maybe not, but at least in the world created by Andrews, the person who gets knocked off is generally "deserving." There are plenty of suspects because the photographer has managed to accrue a great deal of animosity.
Per usual, Andrews provides some humorous moments and this one was no exception. This reader could not stop giggling about the visuals created by the passage about the "fascinators."
Will Meg solve the murder before someone else gets hurt? Or will Meg, once again, come face to face with the killer before escaping with her life intact? Always a fun read and the title tie-in to the golden eagles was very punny.
If only Andrews would go back and write about what happened to T2.
5. Hot Rocks by Nora RobertsRead this one out of order as this reader read "Big Jack" first, still this fills in the rest of the story and gives the background of the "Hot Rocks" in the first place.
Laine Tavish has taken a new name to further distance herself from her father. She's now running a little antique and curios shop, and she's built up a life outside of the grift until it comes back to haunt her in the town she now calls home.
When a man enters her store during a busy period, Laine dismisses him pretty easily until she sees him run out in front a car in front of her shop. It's only in his death does she recognize him, setting off a chain of events that will pull her back into a life she'd once escaped. Yet in the process, she meets sexy Max Gannon, an investigator. What next for Laine? What next for Max? Can she gain respectability and the "hot rocks" at the same time?
Wish I had read them in the correct order as some of the surprise factor was gone. It was interesting, though, to read the two different writing styles of Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb side-by-side.
6. A Doctor's Snowed In Christmas Wish by Daisy FlynnRosalind and Daniel meet under what might be called a rescue operation. Roz's ex wants to get back with her and appears on the island where she lives. Daniel plays knight-in-shining-armor when her ex-boyfriend becomes abusive.
He is only visiting the island to work out his career situation (a surgeon who is questioning whether to continue his practice), but this grumpy guy is willing to relax a bit when Rosalind wants to show him the delights of her home. Including a snowed-in Christmas.
As they get to know each other, sparks ignite. What will happen once he returns to the mainland? Will the fire go out between the two? Can they have a happily-ever-after?
A few chaste kisses throughout is as sexy as it gets. Plenty of What-the-tuck trends seen (winks galore, and a green-eyes main character) as well as the words "mischievous" and " mischief" used numerous times.
Still, a very squeaky clean romance.
3.5 stars for the wedding service that's out of order. Vows should be prior to exchanging rings.
7. Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo by Louise CallaghanThis is the true story of Abu Laith, who loved animals so much that he wanted to save the Mosul Zoo (in particular his lion, Zombie). From his early days on, he could calm the most savage dogs, and as an adult, he took care of the zoo near his home during the time of ISIS (Daesh) taking over Mosul and making life tough for the Iraqi people with tightening sharia law especially in regards to dress.
Finding ways to protect the animals (the bears, the monkeys, the lions, and more) while hiding out from Daeshis, who want to kill him, Abu Laith elicits help from friends and family.
A powerful story that also shows the culture of the Muslim culture.
8. The Last Mile by David BaldacciHaving read the novel, Memory Man, in the past, I was aware of Amos Decker's abilities and some of his backstory. After years of serving as a cop, he is invited to join a new FBI group, and they investigate a case not unlike the one that cost him his wife and daughter in the past. Not only that, but the case parallels it when the person, a few days from execution, is cleared because of a confession from a man who is soon to be executed, too.
Melvin Mars, a man who was once heading to the NFL, was convicted of killing of his parents, spending twenty years of his life on death row, before suddenly becoming exonerated and released from prison a few days before his execution. What's going on? Who killed his parents, and why?Especially when the authorities want to put him back in prison?
A twisty suspenseful thriller that has Decker joining forces with the new FBI group and Melvin Mars himself. As Decker starts investigating, there are things not adding up. What really happened twenty years ago, and why? It was an excellent story, keeping this reader on tenterhooks throughout. One small glitch was when a character's name changed from Montgomery to Davenport and then back again. but there were few What-the-tuck trends (a smirk).
Next up is The Fix, the third book in the series, and hopefully, Mars may show up in it as he is cool character.
Loved the football angle and that Decker is from a small area, Burlington, in Ohio and played for The Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, I looked it up because I had never heard of it before.
9. The Lost Story by Meg ShafferOnce upon a time, an author wrote a fairy tale for adults. Having read other novels by this author, this one may be my favorite. Referencing so many of my childhood favorite books (Alice in Wonderland, the Chronicles of Narnia, specifically mentioning The Silver Chair, and The Wizard of Oz) it was a joy to read.
Two teens disappear in the Red Crow National Forest in West--by God--Virginia! for six months. When they finally reappear, both have "memory problems." What happened during those six months?
Neither Rafe nor Jeremy have answers, or if they do, they aren't talking.
Flash forward fifteen years, and the story gets interesting as Jeremy, who now finds lost girls and women, and Rafe, who is an artist and recluse, are trying to reconnect. Will they? And why? No spoilers here, but like all good fairy tales, it is a rollicking good story. It has heartfelt moments and scary moments. It has good guys and bad, but maybe even a villain or two. Will there be a happily-ever-after?
There is a hint that there might be another fairy tale in the making; this reader can only hope so.
10. 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine PaetroIn this seventh novel in the Women's Murder Club, Lindsey Boxer is on the case of arsonists and a missing person's case that may be murder.
Two young men, Hawk and Pidge, are burning down rich people's homes and killing the owners at the same time. It's up to Boxer and her partner, Conklin, to find who the culprits are.
In the meantime, they get a lead on a missing young man, who has a major heart defect. Will they find him in time? Will he still be alive?
A page-turner with a real twist.
11. The Names by Florence KnappThis debut novel is all about the effect of what a decision can make in regards to a name.
When a mother heads to the register office to register her son's name, she makes a decision as to what to call him. Her daughter Maia wants to call him Bear (a sweet, cuddly person who is also strong and gentle); Cora wants to call him Julian (meaning sky father), but her husband wants AND expects her to name their son Gordon after him (and the generations before him). Which will she choose?
Thus begins the novel which shows all three scenarios over the course of thirty-five years. Each path shows a very different life for the child, his sister, the mother and father. The novel is unique, but there are some unpleasant aspects that disturbed this reader like the domestic abuse (yes, I know that domestic abuse happens in too many marriages, but this was still very disturbing). Yet, it will make the reader think.
12. The Fix by David BaldacciA seemingly inexplicable murder of a woman walking in front of the Hoover Building, followed up by the man turning the gun on himself...that is the beginning of the novel in which Amos Decker, Alex Jamison, Agent Bogart, and others try to figure out what is going on. Especially when another department of the government wants them out of the way, until the agent, Harper Brown, doesn't.
Why would a man kill someone that is both a teacher and volunteer, and yet, according to his family, doesn't know who she is?
In this full-of-twists novel there are more than one mystery to be solved, and Decker is bound and determined to figure it out.
A brief cameo of Melvin Mars also appears in the novel, which this reader was delighted to see.
13. Pupcakes by Annie England NoblinA cute (sorta-Christmas themed) novel about a woman dealing with a post-divorce-getting out-there-again situation in a new city.
When she gets to live in a home whose owner is now in a care home, she takes on the "burden" of her pug, Teddy Roosevelt. Her "rent" is basically to keep the house and take care of the dog (and making trips to the care home to allow the dog to visit with Pauline).
As she grows to love the dog, she starts to create dog treats for Teddy and many of the dogs she "meets" at the dog park (recipes are included in the back of the novel). With a new city, she also develops friendships with co-workers, a physician, and Pauline.
What will happen when Pauline dies? Where will she live then? There's growth in the protagonist, and it's not just a romance novel.
There are a few What-the-tuck trends (smirks, winks, a pencil skirt, among others), but overall an enjoyable, decent read.
14. A Winter Marriage by Kerry HardieAlthough I finished the book, it was a long slog. Too literary for me (now I know why...she's basically a poet) as there was SO much description and so little action for the longest time. It took so long to really get into the story.
Hannie goes from husband to husband to survive, and I think Ned Renvyle was number five. But even then she goes from man to man, getting what she can from them, all the while being married.
Ned, having never been married before, puts up with Hannie and her son Joss, who is a troubled, lost soul. Once married, they return to his life in Ireland, but for Hannie it isn't enough. She doesn't like the farm; she doesn't particularly care for his friends, and she doesn't really care about Ned. All she wants is to protect Joss.
Time and time again, Joss gets into trouble, and Hannie bails him out until she can't, all of which doesn't help the marriage. A sad story of a marriage, that never quite gets off the ground, and even the ending leaves the reader wondering what next for Ned and Hannie, if anything.
(And to be honest, even if there were a sequel, I wouldn't care enough to read it.)
* This novel would be great for creating scratch out poetry.
15. Touched by Magic by Dorianna DurginA young boy disappears, never to be seen again. Reandn (Danny) is a Wolf (First Wolf) in King's Keep, and he goes on patrol to find him, tracking him, but suddenly the trail ends. What happened? Then another boy, this time from the kitchen, goes missing.
With each missing child, the mystery deepens for Reandn and all those near King's Keep. Reandn wants to get to the bottom of it, but when he does, he loses the love of his life, Adela as well as discovers the source of all these losses. It is magic being manipulated by Ronsin, a magician,despite the fact that magic is considered gone. Yet, Reandn knows differently. Ronsin sends him away using magic, and it is up to Reandn to find his way back and avenge Adela's death.
Reandn's adventures are the gist of the novel, and the people whom he meets along the way. Trusting no one, especially when he senses magic, he'll need all of his resources to survive.
While this is the start of a series of books, it works as a standalone novel. There are a few what-the-tuck trends (at least one tucking incident, some smirks, etc.). Some of the relationships seem a bit difficult to figure out at first, but that might just be that it took this reader months to read it because it was read here and there between other books.
16 The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie WisemanThis is a historical novel of immigrants being treated badly at Ellis Island as well as the mountain people of Virginia being forced off their land in the name of eugenics and imminent domain.
As the novel opens, Lena Conti, her mother, her brother, and her child Ella have just crossed the ocean from Germany to America where they will help out their kin, Silas Wolfe, his children Bonnie and Jack Henry. Unfortunately, her mother and brother are rejected for "issues" and Lena and Ella, her baby, are accepted. Lena meets with Silas, who isn't happy about the new arrangements, but makes the best of it. He lays down rules that make no sense until they do.
As Lena, Ella, Bonnie, Jack Henry, and, reluctantly, Silas become a family of sorts, there are others who wish to disrupt the status quo. Will it work out for the Wolfes and Lena, or will the others win?
Covering a dark period in early 1920s through the 1950s, horrors await for them all. This reader learned so much about the period, and there are parallels today. A well-written novel that is researched well.
17. Stolen in Death by J.D. RobbSixty-two novels in, not including all the novellas in anthologies, and Robb still tells a page-turning, gripping story of murder, to be solved by Lt. Eve Dallas, the NYSPD homicide detectives, and Roarke.
A robbery of an impressive collection of emeralds, combined with murder is what Dallas and crew have to solve. What more needs to be said? Robb delivers once again.
I hope to reduce the number of books on my shelves (both physical books and e-books).