What Fiction are you reading this week, June 14, 2026

[hermetic]

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Last edited Sun Jun 14, 2026, 12:30 PM - Edit history (1)

Happy "you know what" day.


I'm still reading The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung. It kind of drags on in the middle. First it was hard to put down, now it's hard to pick up.

Listened to The Tree of Light and Flowers by Thomas Perry. Jane Whitefield has spent over a decade rescuing and sheltering people from dangerous foes, taking them to new locations, and teaching them to live under new identities. Now she has to do the same for herself and her new family.

Now I'm listening to the extremely funny So Far Gone by Jess Walter. "...a hilarious, empathetic, and brilliantly provocative adventure through life in modern America, about a reclusive journalist forced back into the world to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren." Just came out last year so it's very spot-on.

Stay safe out there.

[LearnedHand]

1. Did you mean maybe So Far Gone?

I don’t see Too Far Gone under Jess Walter.

[hermetic]

3. Absolutely!

Wow, I must not have had enough coffee. Thank you!

[PittBlue]

2. I just finished The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill.

I was very disappointed in this book. One reviewer said it was like a Hallmark movie sponsored by the Catholic Church.

[LearnedHand]

5. 🤮👎

[hermetic]

6. Wow, what a day

This one is actually called The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. He was born with red pupils so he was called "Devil Boy" and other things. Yeah, lots of God in this one. Some people really liked it, evidently. Not my cup of tea. Thanks for sharing, though.

[txwhitedove]

12. Thanks, won't read that one. Laughed at review. 😂

[cbabe]

4. The Crossroads/C J Box

A Joe Pickett story. Except he’s shot in the head and is in a coma.

The three Pickett girls and Nate and the new sheriff take up the hunt for the bad guy. Turns out there’s a whole county of bad guys including fentanyl manufacturers, a bankrupt billionaire, and more.

Not only a page turner but paragraph to paragraph suspense.

[hermetic]

7. Oh no!

Joe's in a coma! Well, that bites. Now I'll have to read it to see if he recovers. (Don't tell me)

[cbabe]

9. I agree. No spoilers. Except the coma is a bit of a spoiler. Sorry. I'll

make it up to you with elk, moose, dogs, and a blizzard. Cheers.

[hermetic]

11. Thanks...

[Bok_Tukalo]

8. "Tender is the Flesh" by Agustina Bazterrica

It is a dystopian Argentine novella about the industrialization of cannibalism. People are cattle for other people.

Seems like a metaphor for the class system of the world. Even to the point that while consuming people with two names is frowned upon, if you act up too much, you will be sent to the slaughterhouse.

[hermetic]

10. Yikes, that sounds pretty wicked

From 2020:
"The electrifying, award-winning, internationally bestselling novel about a dystopian world in which animals have been wiped out, humans are being harvested for food, and society has been divided into those who eat and those who are eaten."

[txwhitedove]

13. 100% chance of rain here, with kids scattered from Marfa, Tx, to Alaska,

Wyoming, and one in Finland who says they all look alike...? Good reading day.

Just started nonfiction again, How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell. Good writing and fascinating reading in many ways from my Scots heritage, as one who has been called a witch for clairvoyance, and disdain for patriarchy. "Nothing brings people together like a common enemy, and witches were the greatest enemy of all. Scotland, 1563: Crops failed. People starved. And the Devil's influence was stronger than ever—at least, that's what everyone believed. If you were a woman living in Scotland during this turbulent time, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch."

I have lots of fiction ready to pick up at library, always a new book. Meanwhile, Frank, the yellow and black striped Gulf Coast Garter snake, has taken residence in my pond.

[hermetic]

15. Most of my ancestors

lived in Scotland back then. Some of us survived, obviously. Hey, we might be related.

[Buzz cook]

14. rereading

Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series.
And now that I've got my cataract surgeries done and a new prescription I hope to read lots more.

[hermetic]

16. Good for you!

I had my eyes done last year. It's made a wonderful difference. Happy reading!

[mentalsolstice]

17. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

An elderly actress of Hollywood’s yesteryear enlists a young woman to write her biography. I’m going to have to check out So Far Gone, sounds good.

Have a great summer week everyone! 🌷☀️🕶️

[hermetic]

18. That sounds pretty good

"A mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means -- and what it costs -- to face the truth."

Looks like lots of people really enjoyed it.

Thanks!

[Jeebo]

19. Re-reading Replay by Ken Grimwood

It's about a man who lives his life over and over and over ... Along the way he finds a woman who is having the same experience. I've read it before, some years back, and it was so fascinating that I decided I'd like to read it again. What's more, re-reading Replay seems appropriate, for some reason ...

— Ron

[hermetic]

20. Yeah, I was going to mention that...

Very popular, from 1987. Lots of 5-star reviews.

[Bayard]

21. "The Woman in Cabin 10," by Ruth Ware

"On a lavish yacht for an assignment, a journalist sees a passenger go overboard. But when no one believes her, she risks her life to uncover the truth."

I'd give it a B-. I liked the plot, but I got aggravated with the main character. Too much self-reflection. The last couple chapters were suspenseful.

Going to start, "Fox Creek," this evening, by William Kent Krueger. "A thrilling mystery novel set in the Northwoods, where Cork O'Connor races against time to save his wife and a mysterious stranger from bloodthirsty mercenaries."