Life on the Mississippi

 

Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain, 450 pages.

That's a wrap on our 2026 Big Book Challenge! This book is part memoir, part travelogue, and all Mark Twain. His specific dry humor and tall tales permeate the book, and give it a very distinctive character. I really enjoyed the tall tales and historical look at the region I call home (I especially got a kick over his excitement of this hot new thing, Forest Park), although I did find the whole thing a little disjointed and meandering. I still think it is definitely a worthwhile book, and I am thrilled I got to talk about it with a great group of library patrons last night! 

Promise of Blood

 

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, 545 pages.

Revolution is a bloody business, but Field Marshal Tamas and his powder mages have no regrets about removing the foolish king and his cabal of Privileged sorcerers. But after the guillotine has fallen on the king and his nobles the nation is still tottering under the weight of debt, war, complex alliances, and betrayals. Beyond the political, the removal of the king had symbolic ramifications, and the people are seeing dark signs everywhere. Signs that may well be more than peasant superstition.

Brian McClellan was a student in Brandon Sanderson's writing classes, which makes a lot of sense to me, because this feels very reminiscent of his work. I really enjoyed the diverse character perspectives that give a very three-dimensional feel to a complex world. This book had a bit of a slow build, as a lot of it is very focused on the day-to-day of the aftermath of a revolution, but I was still very engaged the whole time. I'm very excited to read the next book, which given the end of this one, will have even more epic stakes.  

Where the Girls Were

Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz (2026), 368 pages

It is late 1960s San Francisco and high schooler, soon to be Valedictorian, Elizabeth "Baker" finds herself pregnant. Obviously, this disrupts her whole future as she had planned to attend Stanford and then head to Paris. Against her will, she ends up in a home for pregnant women. There she explores the complicated situations that landed the other women there and what their futures might hold.

I am back and forth on this book. I think it covers some very important topics (such as women’s choice) that are still very prescient today. It delves into the limited options women had and the very real judgements they faced if they became "in the family way" - whether it was by choice or violence. It also touches upon the lack of knowledge women had about their bodies and the taboos older women had in sharing valuable information to younger women. That said, Baker's naiveté was almost to the point of unbelievableness. There were libraries back in the day. I wish more time had been spent with the interesting characters in the women's home and how the women's rights movement was progressing through San Francisco. The ending is pretty unbelievable, but, if you get a chance, I would still read it. 

Hungerstone

  

 

 

 Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, 336 pages

A retelling of the classic story Carmilla, but with a backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. Inside a  remote country manor in the Moors, Lenore must face an unhappy marriage, nightmares that leave her desiring more, and her past traumas. 

I really enjoyed this book! I have read Carmilla and enjoyed it, although given the time it was written it was hard to understand at times. This novel brought a fresh perspective to the classic, while still maintaining key themes. The ending did feel a bit rushed. 

 

A Fortune of Sand

A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys (2026), 304 pages

Marjorie is the artistic youngest daughter of a Detroit automobile glass tycoon. She finds herself accepted into an exclusive arts residency program funded by secretive benefactor from which, life changing secrets unfold.

I wanted to like this book (as who doesn't want to know more about the dark underworld of Detroit during its automobile heyday), but it totally missed the mark. There was so much potential and interesting tidbits that the author could have delved more deeply into! Instead, we got an insufferable main character, an unbelievable benefactor, and a scattered storyline. I wish I had more to say, but that is all I got.

 

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, 368 pages

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, 368 pages

It is very difficult to summarize this book! I’ll give it a shot: An eccentric, musically genius ex-nun is widowed and impersonates a priest in the Minnesotan wilderness for much of their life, becoming ingrained in the local Native American community. The tone is somewhere between historical/ (mostly) realistic fiction and Capital L Literature.

This book has all of the things that a Louise Erdrich fan is looking for: A terribly interesting and admirable protagonist, Native American culture and community, love stories that are interesting and surprising...and yet never the focal point of the story.

It would also be difficult to overstate how much I loved LROTMALNH! In addition to the point of view of the protagonist (who goes by a few different names), we see how community changes over a long period of time, and have a variety of interesting religious experiences represented, and explores complicated spirituality sincerely. While there are themes of mysticism and ethical dilemma, I would never classify this as “Christian Fiction” to someone looking for that genre. It was impressive to cover such a length of time- 70ish years- in less than 400 pages without ever feeling that the story glossed over anything. Very engrossing, too! I recommend this one if, like me, you found The Sentence to be “just okay” but want to try more Louise.

Nonstop Bodies: How Dance Shaped New York City by Rennie McDougall

Nonstop Bodies: How Dance Shaped New York City by Rennie McDougall, 384 pages

This is a series of vignettes about important moments in which the histories of dance and New York City converge. Martha Graham, Lindy Hop, Alvin Ailey, and Vogueing are a few of the topics covered.

This was pretty straightforward light nonfiction, and the audiobook was a good listen. I read quite a bit about dance and think this is a good introduction to any of the topics covered. I especially enjoyed the chapter about the dance marathons during the depression, and appreciated that the author included both performance and vernacular dance.

Native Stranger: A Black American's Journey into the Heart of Africa

Native Stranger: A Black American's Journey into the Heart of Africa Eddy L. Harris 315 pages

This is a travelogue by St. Louisan Eddy Harris, better known for Mississippi Solo, about his journey through an impressive portion of Africa. It was published in 1992, so it’s also a bit of a portrait of an Africa in which globalization wasn’t quite so pronounced.

My high school French teacher gifted me a copy of this book when I was about 16, and I remembered liking it but was curious to see how much of it had really stuck with me.

Harris is so charming and honest, I found the book funny and touching and human. I hadn’t retained much over the years, so it was rare treat to read a book for the first time, twice. Some parts are difficult, about poverty and disease. There is a lot of bodily function talk, but the author’s purpose is to face his discomfort head-on. His honesty about how the intention to not behave “Americanly” when travelling, and how that intention can erode when we’re exhausted and uncomfortable was interesting, and is not often explored in travel writing. I did roll my eyes a little at author’s preoccupation with cultural differences female modesty, but I suspect that the author, like me, would see this journey through a different lens today.

I recommend this one even if you don’t normally gravitate toward travel writing. I have written in this blog before that this genre is saturated with pretty bad writing, and now I wonder if I feel that way because this one spoiled me for the average travelogue 25 years ago.

Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks

Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks Marcia Bjornerud 288 pages

Our author tells stories from her life and career, relating them to little lessons in geology. This blends a lot of subgenres that I adore, including:

*Memoirs that are anecdotes from an interesting job
*Teacher stories
*Nonfiction in which authors look at a subject and say “We are not so different, you and I.”

This was really fun, as our author is very likable and imparts some interesting information about rocks and how the field of geology has changed over the last 50 years or so. The parts about working in really remote places and the camaraderie between the scientists were especially fun. I recommend to anyone casually interested in science.

Meeting New People

Meeting New People by Daniel M Lavery (2026) 268 pages

If one is content to read a novel with most of the action happening in a woman's head or in her past, you might want to pick this one up. Barbara lives in a small apartment on the top floor of a six floor walk-up in Brooklyn. Recently her best friend broke up with her and she really doesn't know why, and she is distraught. She spends much time considering the best friends she has had in the past, not knowing exactly what went wrong in these relationships, either. Along the way, Barbara contemplates her two marriages and divorces. She also delves into the relationship she has with her adult son, Ezra, wondering how it could be made less contentious.

She doubts she'll ever remarry, and knowing how friends can help each other get through life's trials, she wonders how she can find a friend at her age (almost 58). Meanwhile, she goes through her life's motions, working in an upscale food market while managing the staff. She also considers what religion means to her.

This was not an action-filled novel, but I felt that I really was inside Barbara's head. I enjoyed her history, her life now, and the incremental changes that make a difference.