Three Books I'm Reading Now, 8/31/26 Edition

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The Books I'm Reading Now

I'm reading Madeline Cash's heartwarming and so far morbidly funny debut novel Lost Lambs; I'm listening to Anna Johnston's extremely sweet story of an octogenarian benefiting from a case of mistaken identity, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife; and I'm reading Eoghan Walls's novel told in journal format and set in 19th century Ireland, Field Notees from an Extinction.

What are you reading, bookworms?

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01 Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

In Madeline Cash's darkly funny, oddball novel, the reader can tell what Catherine and Bud Flynn cannot: their open marriage is either directly or indirectly further destroying their dysfunctional family.

Abigail is a high schooler dating a man in his twenties, a former military man nicknamed War Crimes Wes; Louise's online boyfriend seems to almost certainly be recruiting her to be a terrorist; and brilliant Harper is sent to a behavioral reform camp because she is relentless in her (accurate) accusations about a corrupt conspiracy involving all of the powerful men in their town.

In some ways, the messy, chaotic Flynn family so far reminds me of the sometimes feral Herdman family in The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever.

This is surprisingly heartwarming and wonderfully sardonic.

Madeline Cash is also the author of the short story collection Earth Angel.

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02 The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

Frederick Fife is a widowed octogenarian whose spark for life has dwindled significantly since the death of his beloved wife.

He's a day from being kicked out of his apartment (his wife's cancer treatment bankrupted him) and without any idea of where to go or what to do when he takes a forlorn walk along the river. The sudden death of a man who's Fred's doppelganger and a series of outlandish events lead to Fred's being accidentally folded into the life of a nearby retirement community, all of his protests ignored as the rantings of a man with dementia, although his mind is as sharp as ever.

Before he knows it, he's entrenched in living the lie that he is actually another man, and he's at a loss as to what to do.

This is very sweet so far, and it's heavily reliant upon the suspension of disbelief so that all of the coincidences work.

I'm listening to this title as an audiobook courtesy of Libby and my local library for my book club.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is Anna Johnston's debut novel.

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03 Field Notes from an Extinction by Eoghan Walls

Eoghan Wells's Field Notes from an Extinction is a novel told in journal form from the perspective of a stodgy, single-minded 19th-century ornithologist.

Ignatius Green is sent by the Royal Society to the remote Irish island of Tor Mor to study some of the last Great Auks left in the world. Meanwhile the potato famine ravages the mainland Irish population and all order seems lost. A trickle-down effect begins to break down the strict systems Ig has imposed upon his wild surroundings.

When the ruffian local suppliers row over not only his (rifled-through, partially stolen) supplies but also a small, feral child, all hope seems to be lost of continuing his seemingly doomed mission of observation, documentation, and providing an orderly report of the endangered birds.

Eoghan Walls is a Northern Irish poet who is also the author of The Gospel of Orla.