What Fiction are you reading this week, October 12, 2025? [View all]

I'm reading Nightshade, Michael Connelly's latest. Propulsive and atmospheric, this book launches a new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Connelly is “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel” (Real Book Spy). The seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island is suddenly fraught with violence and danger following two horrific crimes.

Listening to The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, historical fiction about 2 sisters in WWII France. "..a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women." Some critics from 2015-16 said it was exaggerated and that things couldn't have been that horrible. But I am having no trouble seeing fascists dining in fine restaurants while we worthless, woke folks are starving in the streets. It seems all too real. And close.