Which Book Will YOU Be Your First Read of 2026?

 

Last autumn, I received the free PDF version of The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney from BookSirens to read in exchange for an honest review. 

I need to have this novel read and reviewed towards the end of this month. So, this will be my first read for 2026.

The Shimmer by David Morrell

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Shimmer by David Morrell, which was nicely narrated by Phil Gigante. My only complaint about the audio production for this novel is that it is a tad difficult to hear the narrator reading this novel due to the audio quality. 

The Shimmer by David Morrell was my last read for 2025. I'd read Morrell's novel, Murder As Fine Art, and I have been meaning to read more of his novels ever since then. In fact, Murder As Fine Art is the first novel in a series. I need to finish this series.

I like The Shimmer as it is different from what I normally would read or gravitate towards. David Morrell seems to do a lot of research for his novels, which I enjoy as it gives his books more depth due to both his research and his writing style. I especially enjoyed hearing David Morrell read the afterward he write for The Shimmer as he discussed how he came to write this novel.

If you are a fan of of thrillers and suspense novels, then you may enjoy The Shimmer as well. I enjoyed the writing, storytelling and the characters for this novel. There are so many layers to The Shimmer, which makes it an engaging read.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Shimmer by David Morrell from Chirp's website:

Creator of Rambo and co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization, David Morrell has been called “the father of the modern action novel.” Now this award-winning, New York Times bestselling author delivers The Shimmer, a novel of chilling impact.

When police officer Dan Page’s wife disappears, her trail leads to Rostov, a remote Texas town where unexplained phenomena attract hundreds of spectators each night. Not merely curious, these onlookers are compelled to reach this tiny community and gaze at the mysterious Rostov Lights.

But more than the faithful are drawn there. A gunman begins shooting at the lights, screaming “Go back to hell where you came from!” then turns his rifle on the innocent bystanders. As more and more people are drawn to the scene of the massacre, the stage is set for even greater bloodshed.

To save his wife, Page must solve the mystery of the Rostov Lights. In the process, he uncovers a deadly government secret dating back to the First World War. The lights are more dangerous than anyone ever imagined, but even more deadly are those who try to exploit forces beyond their control.

With The Shimmer, David Morrell takes readers on a brilliant, terrifying journey. Suspenseful, yet thought-provoking, it is the master at his very best.

I am giving The Shimmer by David Morrell a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse

I watched 'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse' last night via Kanopy. I enjoyed watching this documentary a lot. This documentary was released earlier this year about the life of Art Spiegelman and his works, including Maus, which won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize. 

I highly recommend 'Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse" if you love comics/graphic memoirs.

I read Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman in the mid 1990s for an English course in college.

I recently reacquired the hardback edition of this book, which contains both volumes of Maus. I look forward to rereading it in 2026.

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

  

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I admit it!! I am a book lover and I acquire books like crazy. I have them in all formats; hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Honestly, I have know idea how many books I currently have in my 'to be read' stack... Let's just say that I have enough books for a mini library.

Below are my most recent acquisitions.

1. Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl PhD

2. Murder in the Forbidden City by Amanda Roberts

3. Toto A. J. Hackwith

4. The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison

5. Chained Birds by Carla Conti

6. Dark Wild Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

7. The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens

8. The Fear of Winter by S. C. Sterling

9. The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian

10. Medusa by Nataly Gruender

Have you read any of the above books I've recently acquired?

I read The Bluest Eye back in college 30 + years ago for a Women In Literature course. Recently, I've wanted to reread it again. 

I also recently finished reading and reviewing Dark Wild Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

Shrouded Memory by Krista Wagner

 

I snagged the unabridged audio version of Shrouded Memory by Krista Wagner, which is narrated by Leo Goodman, from Chirp for 99 cents. 

I'd never heard of the author before. However, based on the summary of Shrouded Memory and the 99 cent price tag, I decided to give this novel a try. I like thriller/suspense novels, so I figured I'd enjoy Shrouded Memory.

Shrouded Memory was definitely not to my liking! The premise behind this novel was sound, but the execution was not. It was very boring overall with only the last two chapters having anything exciting to read about.

The leading character, Rian Field, has a traumatic experience. She was attacked by two masked men in her own home. She suffers from PTSD from this event and by another follow up event that triggers her PTSD all over again two years after the first event.

I sympathize with Rian's circumstance, but the author essentially shows Rian having the same haunted thoughts and actions throughout most of the novel. This grows old and boring after a while. There needed to be other interesting plot developments and scenarios to keep this book more engaging for readers.

Below is the publisher's summary for Shrouded Memory by Krista Wagner from Chirp's website:

A gripping psychological thriller: Marine biologist Rian Field survives a shark attack — only to be haunted by fractured memories of masked men invading her home. As nightmares bleed into reality and a new break-in shatters her illusion of safety, she begins to suspect those closest to her. To survive, Rian must confront the past before it destroys her…

I am giving Shrouded Memory by Krista Wagner a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

SciManDan Science Book Club - A New Book Club For 2026 For Science Lovers!

 

Are you a lover of science and also an avid book reader? 

Then I have great news for you! Popular YouTuber, SciManDan, has created a new science based book club that starts next year in March 2026 called the SciManDan Book Club.

This will be a curated book club by SciManDan himself. Six science based books will be available for this book club in either a physical format or a digital format. The choice is yours!

There are plenty of perks that come with SciManDan's Book Club. Below are a few of the benefits:

* A thoughtfully curated science title chosen for depth and readability.
* An A6 card with personal notes, thoughts, or context about the book and a QR code to a Book Club ONLY video from Dan.
*Access to the private Book Club Discord server.

To learn more about the SciManDan Book Club, please watch the above eight minute YouTube video. Or click on the above link to read more about the SciManDan BookClub and join!

The Birthplace of the First Alphabet!

 

Without the alphabet, we wouldn't have a written language, nor books to read. I found this short video about the birthplace of the alphabet fascinating.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

I've had plenty of book and reading mentors over my lifetime, BUT my mother has been the biggest influence as to me becoming the book reader I am today. 

My mom is not an avid reader of books. In fact, she can't seem to still still long enough to read full length books written for adults. She reads plenty of newspaper and magazine articles, no problem though!!

As a toddler and small child, my mom read children's books to me. This is where I learned to love books and stories. Thank you, mom, for the gift and love of reading books.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

At the start of this month, I was given a strong recommendation to read Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy from a former college professor of mine with whom I'm still in touch with decades after I graduated from college. It just so happens that my former college professor, Bill, is also an avid reader, like myself. We discuss the books we read with each other when we speak periodically on the phone. 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy happens to be one of Bill's favorite reads this year. With that kind of recommendation, how could I resist reading this novel? I should also add that we have similar taste when it comes to reading books. So, I had no doubt that I'd enjoy reading this novel.

I immediately downloaded the unabridged audio version of Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy to my iPad and began listening to it cold... Meaning that I didn't even bother learning what the book was about before I began reading it. I simply wanted to be surprised by the storyline and plot development as it unfolded over time. 

All I can say is that Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is magnificent!! In fact, I think it may be my favorite novel read in 2025... The Seas by Samantha Hunt and Pet by Akwaeke Emezi are very close runner ups for favorite novels read this year... And, I haven't even mentioned my favorite nonfiction books read this year!!

Okay, so where to begin? The very first chapter for Wild Dark Shore, which is very short, grabs your attention in a big way! I wanted to know what the heck was going on after reading the first chapter and where this novel was leading readers.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy has so much going for it. The writing is wonderful! I loved the characters, along with the character and plot development for this novel. The pacing was great for this novel. 

Additionally, there are so many layers to Wild Dark Shore. I loved the amount of depth there is to this novel. It touches upon climate change, nature, family dynamics, love, and isolation. There's plenty of mystery, intrigue, and enough plot twists and turns leaving you wanting to read more. In other words, it's a real page turner. 

I'd say that Wild Dark Shore falls equally into both the climate fiction and the thriller/mystery genres. I am not going into the plot synopsis here in my review. Read the publisher's summary below if you want to know more.

Also, if you're into audiobooks, then I highly recommend the audio version for Wild Dark Shore as it is read by multiple narrators and they do a terrific job.

Below is the publisher's summary for Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy from Chirps's website:

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late―and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

I am giving Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading! 

Merry Christmas!!

 

Wishing you the very best this holiday season has to offer! Have a happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful 2026. May you also be blessed with plenty of delightful books to read in the new year. I am looking forward to reading your book reviews in 2026. Did you receive any books for Christmas this year?