Tigers Betwen Empires   
by Jonathan Slaght (2025)

read: 18 January 2026
rating: [+]

An exceptional book about wildlife, specifically tiger, conservation in Siberia and also to a lesser degree in China. Slaght, who also wrote a compelling book about fish owls in the same region, talks about US/Russian cooperation for the Siberian Tiger Project from the early 90s until now. A lot changes, a lot stays the same. Color photos of amazing animals and a lot of nerdy science. You really get to know the place; an excellent geopolitical conservation tale.

The Night Hawks   
by Elly Griffiths (2021)

read: 18 January 2026
rating: [+]

Another one of the forensic anthropologist mysteries where we again are working towards a thrilling conclusion of the series. This one had a convoluted mystery, a lot of rando characters with similar-sounding names and not a lot of history stuff which is usually my favorite part. And then there’s the overarching plot arc which continued in a good way. A nice familiar read but not one of my faves of the series.

Providence   
by Max Barry (2020)

read: 13 January 2026
rating: [+]

I’ve liked Barry’s other books and I liked this one in a different way. It’s a straight up long-haul forever-war sort of story about a crew of four flawed people on a four-year tour of deep space with a mission to kill a seemingly endless supply of one type of alien creatures. Oh and their ship is run by an AI so sophisticated that the humans are really only there for PR purposes, and maybe to help the AI company sell more AI. Written in 2020 but still feels fresh. That said, there’s a lot going on in the past maybe 5% of the book which made me feel differently about the first 95%.

Family Style   
by Thien Pham (2023)

read: 11 January 2026
rating: [+]

A graphic novel memoir about the author’s journey to the US starting as a Vietnamese refugee coming to Thailand on a boat under awful conditions & slowly getting to the US and eventually becoming the graphic novelist and cartoonist that he is today. It’s told in chapters each of which has a different food (some Vietnamese and some very much not) as a framing device. It’s really interesting getting to see the refugee experience through the eyes of a child. A well told story.

The Lantern Men   
by Elly Griffiths (2020)

read: 6 January 2026
rating: [+]

Another one in this series with a slightly confusing cast of whodunit characters, a bike race, and some local lore at the center of it. This particular book took a big jump in a few plot points, mainly in good ways but some in less-plausible-feeling ways. Feels a bit like the author is trying to readjust some story arcs to wrap it all up which it does a few books from now. I enjoyed getting to see the same folks again, but not my fave of the mysteries.

The Hidden Life of Trees   
by Peter Wohlleben (2024)

read: 4 January 2026
rating: [+]

I have not read the original book that this is an adaptation of. However, this is a glorious book in and of itself, discussing not just the author’s knowledge of trees and forest ecosystems, but his path through finding a way to find meaningful work studying and promoting these things. The adaptation is masterful, the drawing, lettering, and coloring all add to the final product, itself printed on sustainably forested paper.

The Stone Circle   
by Elly Griffiths (2019)

read: 30 December 2025
rating: [+]

Another one in the Ruth Galloway forensic anthropologist series. This one has a lot of character development, a slightly lackluster mystery and doesn’t really end with a thrilling conclusion for which I am grateful (early books always saw someone in extreme peril - lately there’s just low-level peril). I’m aware the series is wrapping up soon, so this seems to be laying groundwork for it. All the usual characters have good roles.

Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology   
by Angela Hsieh (2025)

read: 25 December 2025
rating: [+]

This is a quasi-simple book in a slightly-fantastical world where some animals are part of the geography of a place. And Goodreads tells me it’s for middle grades but I liked it for me as well. Lu and Ren are kind-of friends when they are tiny and they meet up again as young adults to try to track down Lu’s grandmother, a geozoologist, who is maybe missing or maybe just on an adventure. Gorgeously drawn and told and there’s even a mobile library which makes an appearance. Worth your time.

A Pros and Cons List for Strong Feelings   
by Will Betke-Brunswick (2022)

read: 25 December 2025
rating: [+]

This is a memoir about a year in the life of the author when their mother was diagnosed with a “not long to live” cancer. They also came out as trans to their family. Also all the characters in this book are drawn as birds for some reason. I’m not usually great with “my mom had cancer and died” stories (my mom had cancer and died, it’s a me thing) and I’ve had a hard time with graphic memoirs from younger people in the past. However, this one was quite good, everyone’s managing their own feelings and trying to do it together in a way that is empathetic to the fact that not everyone feels (or shares) their feelings in the same way.

The Dark Angel   
by Elly Griffiths (2018)

read: 24 December 2025
rating: [+]

Don’t know if it’s the librarian’s fault or mine but I started reading the next book in this series by accident. A LOT happens in this one and it was a little confusing. This story is mainly in Italy in a small town where everyone has known each other forever, including when the Nazis were occupying. Old secrets surround a skeleton found at a dig, and an old friend asks for Ruth’s assistance. Then the gang shows up for $REASONS. A good story, but a little unusual for this series.

Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance   
by Denali Sai Nalamalapu (2025)

read: 23 December 2025
rating: [+]

This is a graphic novel about the Mountain Valley Pipeline project and the people who resisted it. It’s an odd book about resistance only in that they didn’t “win,” the pipeline went through anyhow. This is a book about tactics and about hope, the differing ways people connect to the land and their various strategies in trying to combat injustice. The book gives an overview and follows six people. A bit short on the short site and it felt a bit flat to me, but I liked learning about the project and its resistance.

The People’s Library   
by Veronica Henry (2026)

read: 19 December 2025
rating: [+]

I will read any book about a library. This one was particularly good. A near future tale of book-type libraries being shuttered in favor of “check out an AI author/personage” experience-based libraries. But something’s up. The “virtus” (as the virtual personas are called) are escaping. And things may not be what they seem. Our protagonist is an introverted book-loving African American librarian with synesthesia (TAKE MY MONEY) who is trying to figure out what’s up and make it right. There are a lot of wrinkles to what goes on and I liked the various places it went. Most importantly, to me, the librarian character felt real, not just a staid book-toucher and not some cybrarian telling the book-lovers to get with the program. It’s tough to do well and I appreciated Henry’s care with the character.

Thriving in a Relationship when You Have a Chronic Illness   
by Lisa Gray (2025)

read: 19 December 2025
rating: [+]

Thriving in a Relationship when You Have a Chronic Illness. This was a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book (self help is one of the categories I am interested in). I don’t have a chronic illness per se, but I think for any couple who is aging together you hit a time when there are more medical things than maybe when you met. And navigating that may pose its own challenges especially if partners approach those things differently. This book is mainly talking about chronic stuff for people of any age. It has a self-published feel to it, but has very solid ACT-based advice and a compassionate approach.

Black Ops and Beaver Bombing   
by Fiona Mathews (2023)

read: 11 December 2025
rating: [+]

A book by two naturalists discussing the decline of some animal populations in Britain. These range from beavers (where people sneakily rewild them) to hedgehogs (so many hedgehog hospitals) to red squirrels (outcompeted by greys) and one kind of seal. They visit locations trying to spot these animals, and discuss the political issues involved with trying to save one species when balanced against others. Some good humor and trivia along the way, quite good

The Chalk Pit   
by Elly Griffiths (2017)

read: 11 December 2025
rating: [+]

This is the next in this series, about some rough sleepers, and then some pretty white ladies, who go missing. Some bones are discovered in an underground location where they’re building a new chichi restaurant. Ruth the forensic anthropologist winds up working side by side with Nelson. There’s a lot of character development (and discussions of empathy for unhoused etc) and I felt like it was a strong addition to the series.