Three Books I'm Reading Now, 1/19/26 Edition

The Books I'm Reading Now

I'm reading Paula McLain's newest historical fiction told in two timelines, Skylark; I'm listening to the charming Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz; and I'm reading the wonderful Catherine Newman's novel Wreck.

What are you reading, bookworms?

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01 Skylark by Paula McLain

Paula McLain's Skylark is a historical fiction story set in Paris and told through dual timelines.

In 1664, Alouette is the daughter of a master dyer at the famous Gobelin Tapestry Works. Certain dye colors are only available to the highest classes, and her father, striving to create a never-before-seen vibrant red, is constrained by longstanding rules and regulations. Alouette herself yearns for creative freedom, but as a woman with no standing, she is not allowed to express her artistic ideas.

In 1939, Kristof is beginning his medical residency and living on the Rue de Gobelins. His neighbors are a Jewish family that fled Poland, and when the Nazis enter Paris, Kristof may, implausibly, be the only one who can help save the Jews under grave threat.

McLain is also the author of When the Stars Go Dark, Circling the Sun (a captivating account of the real-life Beryl Markham's adventures as an aviator in 1920s Kenya), and The Paris Wife (which I still haven't read). 

I received a prepublication version of Skylark, published January 6, courtesy of NetGalley and Atria Books.

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02 Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

The powerful dark lord Shadowfade is dead, and Violet Thistlewaite is determined to shed her identity as the Thornwitch, Shadowfade's right-hand woman, and start anew.

She decides to settle in the nearby town of Dragon's Rest and open a flower shop, attempting to use her magical powers for good and to create beauty and inspire joy.

But it's tough to tame her power when she's been trained since childhood to be expecting attacks and enacting dastardly deeds. And she's really distracted by the handsome, grumpy alchemist who's renting Violet the space for her shop.

I'm listening to Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore as an audiobook. The tone and the cozy-magical-mystery focus is so far reminding me of A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping.

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03 Wreck by Catherine Newman

Catherine Newman's novel Sandwich focused on a family and its menopausal matriarch Rocky on vacation as its members navigated close quarters, health issues, life changes, complicated dynamics, and messy love.

Wreck picks up with the same family two years later at home, and life is just as unruly, complicated, and guided by love, good intentions, and missteps as ever.

When a local young man dies suddenly, Rocky and her young-adult daughter Willa, temporarily living at home again, become fixated on the circumstances, loss, and blame. And Rocky is facing a mysterious, possibly grave, illness that doctors find difficult to diagnose.

Catherine Newman is also the author of Sandwich (one of My Very Favorite Bossy 2024 Reads), We All Want Impossible Things, the wonderful nonfictionWaiting for Birdy, and How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up.