mom died dec 23rd 2025
for several weeks prior to that my world was different, slower, harder, colder
i read lots of books once my mom was bed bound and dying
sometimes i'd read to her
sometimes i'd listen to a book on headphones and just hold her hand for hours
my 2025 book list was never completed
my 2026 book list is inaccurate because as i start this in mid february, i'm going to write down the books i remember reading and not logging, though i'm not certain when i read them exactly. here's to having a smoother ride eventually. i'm still sad a lot. i'm surprised by how hard it has been. which seems a dumb thing to be surprised about. of course i'm still sad.
2026 book list that will start inaccurately:
1. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
2. Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel
3. The Mammoth Hunters by Jean Auel
4. Plains of Passage by Jean Auel ..... My mom started reading Jean Auel in 1980 and I read each book after her. I believe my brother, David, also read each of them after us. So Clan of the Cave Bear, book 1, is what I read aloud to her at the beginning of her ending. And then I switched to audio books. I have all six book on Audible from eons ago, and I have listened to all of them multiple times, even though they decrease in goodness after the first three. The last one is really not so great. The two main characters that I love aren't very lovable in that last one. So, I started reading book 1 to mom in December, and last night I finished listening to Plains of Passage. I'll continue the next two books, I think, as my bed time listening, putting the timer to end of chapter or 15 minutes, depending on how tired I am. I frequently wake up and don't want to get out of bed, so i relisten to the last couple minutes to make sure I didn't sleep through anything important. I've read them so many times, that it usually doesn't matter if I snooze through a bit.
5. Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica by Sara Wheeler. Well. This one I know I read last year while I was in Antarctica ... on an airplane on my way actually. Fun to read it in situ. I know I didn't add it to last year's list.
6. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
7. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
8. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros ... I like this series and I"m trying to make myself feel better. I think rereading or relistening to favorite books is like comfort food. I might be holding my breath til the next one comes out
9. If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley .... a romance with a cancer twist. Easy read.
10. Theo of Golden: a Novel by Levi Allen. For January tennis book club. I think another book club is reading it too.
13. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. same as above. rereading because i've read the other Hunger Games books loads of times and it felt like a reread of this would be comforting. Which is weird, cause it is a pretty horrific book ... but a great add to the series.
14. Flesh by David Szalay. I read about this one on a list of Booker Award 2025 nominees .... and it sounded interesting .... all the descriptions talked about how surprising it was..... well. I read it. and GOSH it was surprising. Way too much flesh for me. haha. And then it got picked for my Wedn book club for February. Eek. They are not going to like it. I have found myself sticking up for it among my girlfriends. If you come at it from a place of acknowledging his trauma, it is easier to be sympathetic to the character that is not that likable.
15. Artemis by Andy Weir.... a reread because I wanted some sci fi and I like the main character, probably because she's a woman.
16. The Rush by Beth Lewis ... tennis book club for Feb. .... Western crime novel
17. The Hitch by Sarah Levine .... listened to it on a road trip with Jody .... because it was a selection in Roxanne Gay's online reading club. A little boy is POSSESSED by a Corgi that died. OMG what an awesome, oddball premise. Very Funny. I loved it.
18. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin .... for February INK book club at my house .... I loved it. Reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six with a musician main character. Also similar to the Odyssey. haha.
19. The Shelters of Stone by Jean Auel (book 5)
20. The Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel (book 6)
21.The People We Keep by .... Hosted a Tuesday book club and my other Thursday book club one week after the next for this book. I picked it. I loved it. Reminiscent of Daisy and the Six. Coming of Age novel.
22. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir ... a reread for me for a Th. book club @AF's house. She made desserts that looked like Rocky! haha. Perfect to reread before the movie comes out.
23. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by ..... this is a reread for me. I read it right when it came out. Excellent non fiction book for the ecology minded. For Wednesday book club in March
24. Raising Hare. I remember when this book came out during the end of pandemic time, I think. I read some excellent reviews of it and put it on a TBR list but never got it from the library or bought it ..... i checked.... it's crept farther and farther down on my list for no other reason than when I found it I was in a READ THE BOOKS YOU ALREADY OWN phase. haha. I felt fortunate that it is a Tuesday book club pick at JH's house. I finally got to read it. EXCELLENT. It is non fiction/memoir and I'd call it an environmental book.
25. Names by Florence Knapp ... for one of my Th book clubs at MP's house .... interesting premise with three different timelines for a family. Very creative. Complex character development.
26. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell...... a reread ... though I couldn't find a spot where I said I'd read it. I was talking about it with a friend and decided I needed to do a reread. Historical fiction about Shakespeare's son dying. Focus on grief. I loved Agnes. Beautifully written.
27. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl. (cause I adore Paris and am Duolingoing French so I can go back and sound tres intelligente ! I loved the food, I loved the sorting out of the MC's past/parentage, I loved that it is set in the 80s when i studied there during college, i love that stella rhymes with cinderella and the old man is the fairy godmother with gowns and all, loved the art history twist with Manet and his model Victorine. Perfect book for me.
28. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. WOW i loved this. I'm not sure how I heard about it but I have now recommended it to all 4 book clubs, so maybe someone will pick it! It is a very spare post apocalyptic story. I am not going to tell you anything about it cause it would give away all the things. I feel like I shouldn't even say it is post apocalyptic because you really don't know that when you are start reading. FANTASTIC. one of my favorites lately.
29.
TO READ
Hello Molly by Molly Shannon ... non fiction/memoir by the actor/comedienne....
Convenient Store Woman by Sayaka Murata is a Wednesday book club pick at JK's house.
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