Hi all. Happy Mother’s Day. I hope you’re having fun celebrating somewhere. I am thinking of my Mom and plan to enjoy some gardening on a partly sunny spring day.
Last week was pretty good — it included my first round of golf for the season with my ladies league, yay. Of course I was sort of rusty but that’s to be expected since I haven’t played since last September. It was good fun nonetheless, and on the way home I stopped off to visit a farm that has seven miniature donkeys … the sole boy of the group is a sweet runt named Holger. I befriended the owners a couple months ago and now they sometimes let me come and brush the donkeys and feed them. They are very cute and I’m learning about how to care for them. Apparently the donkeys always need straw in addition to hay but can’t over-graze. They must watch how much they eat, which is key … and for us all, lol. I will try to get some better photos when I visit them next time.
Meanwhile last night we watched the movie adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix based on the novel by Shelby Van Pelt and it was quite heartwarming and better than I thought it’d be. The filmmakers did a good job making the octopus Marcellus look real and captivating, even though he’s mostly computer generated. They were able to do that by using interchangeable footage of a real-life Pacific octopus named Agnetha, who lives at the Vancouver Aquarium. And the actors did well, with Sally Field giving a good performance as Tova, the cleaning lady at the aquarium who befriends Marcellus. The movie brings the story to life in almost a better way than I thought the novel did … but see what you think.
We also finished watching Season 1 of the Netflix comedy series A Man on the Inside starring Ted Danson as a man who is hired to go undercover at a retirement home in San Francisco to solve a theft. It’s enjoyable and we liked how it’s light and funny and also manages to touch on real themes of aging, loneliness, and connection at the retirement place.
Apparently the show is based on a true 2020 documentary about an 83-year-old man who went undercover at a Chilean nursing home to investigate potential elder abuse. In the U.S. series, Ted Danson is his usual charming, suave self and has gained attention in the role. The show has been a success apparently and has already been renewed for Season 3.
And now in book news you might have heard last week that author Daniel Kraus, a writer of the horror genre, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel Angel Down, which was a New York Times Best Book of 2025. According to the Times, it’s a World War I novel, told in one sprawling, 285-page-long sentence, about a failed draft dodger who finds an angel on the battlefield.
The novel seems rather unusual with its structure and is said to be very graphic of its depiction of the war in the trenches. And apparently it marks the first time a horror-tinged novel has won the award since Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road in 2007. I’m curious enough to want to investigate after listening to Daniel Kraus be interviewed about it on the New York Times podcast and seeing Carmen’s favorable review of it too on Goodreads.
Now here (above) is a photo recap of the books I finished in April. I enjoyed most — if not all of these — so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Tina and I had a good discussion while reading Buckeye, so I’ll go ahead and choose that one. Meanwhile, the outlook for May reading is looking much slower as I’ve taken on a very long fall novel to review for Publishers Weekly. This undisclosed novel will likely consume me this entire month, alas. But in the meantime I will try the audio of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, which will be a buddy read again with Tina at Turn the Page, who has the print version. We will see what all the fuss is about with this bestselling new novel.
- A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (audiobook, dystopian novel) — 2025
- Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (hardback, a buddy read with Tina at Turn the Page) — 2025
- Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (audiobook, novel) — 2025
- 107 Days by Kamala Harris (hardback, ghostwritten by Geraldine Brooks!) — 2025
- Cape Fever by Nadia Davids (audiobook, novel) — 2025
- A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford (paperback, crime debut novel) — 2026
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished while I was away in California.
Cape Fever by Nadia Davids / Simon & Schuster / 240 pages / 2025
4.3+ stars. I was quite impressed by this Gothic tale set in a colonial town in 1920 about a young girl, Soraya Matas, who lives in the Muslim quarters part of town and comes to work as a maid for Alice Hattingh, a British widowed settler. Alice is a snooty lady, who is quick to set Soraya straight about what she wants done about the house and tells Soraya that she’s required as a live-in maid and can only go home once a fortnight to visit her family, much to Soraya’s disappointment.
Soraya finds the cleaning work pretty dull and repetitive but is happy at first and is able to commune with a couple ghosts in the house. Then Mrs. Hattingh starts putting more demands on her and longer stays as she is expecting her son’s return from London, who was injured in the war. To appease Soraya, Mrs. Hattingh offers to write letters for her to Soraya’s betrothed young man since she’s led to believe Soraya can’t read or write. It’s during these letter writing engagements between maid and employer that things take a turn.
It’s a good cat and mouse kind of Gothic tale, with subtly tense chess moves between the two — maid and employer — to figure out what the other is doing and how to subvert them. The publisher notes that the novel is “reminiscent of works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Daphne du Maurier” and I think that’s a good comparison. This book has put author Nadia Davids on the map for me in a good way, so I will look for whatever she writes next. She grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, and is a notable playwright in addition to writing fiction. She is now said to live in California.
A Bad Bad Place by Frances Crawford / Soho Crime / 353 pages / 2026
3.75 stars. This is a coming-of-age, crime debut novel set in 1979 Glasgow, Scotland. It alternates chapters between 12-year-old Janey Devine, who finds a dead body while out walking her dog, which turns her young life upside down … and her 66-year-old grandma Maggie, who is trying to raise and protect her. It turns out the victim was the 22-year-old daughter of a local crime boss, who now wants to know more from Janey (since she found her) as do the police.
Meanwhile Janey is full of bad dreams about the dead girl and is anxious about the killer trying to get her. She’s a mess, and her grandma, who’s raising her, is doing her best to keep a waitress job and ease Janey’s fears and get her life back to normal. But Janey is keeping something from the police and her grandma that she knows about the murder that is keeping her on edge. As the viewpoints of Janey and her Grandma alternate, the case unfolds and the hunt for the murderer ratchets up in their tight-knit community.
I found the first half of the novel pretty strong amid the characters in their working-class, gritty neighborhood — I liked young Janey and sympathized with what she’s going through — and her loss of innocence in this coming-of-age crime tale. There are a number of shady types who could have committed the murder. The second half dithers around a bit – with some repetition – and loses some pacing, but still I was patient to find justice as Janey wanted. Written in a bit of a Glasgow dialect, it’s a debut with plenty of atmosphere of the neighborhood and crime. You can pretty much feel its tough circumstances through your fingertips.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read any of these novels mentioned — and if so, what did you think? Have a great week.
Ooh, Cape Fever does sound good. And those miniature donkeys are very cute. Glad you got to visit them. And I’m looking forward to seeing the movie version of Remarkably Bright Creatures. I enjoyed the book a lot…mostly for Marcellus. 😀 Have a great week!
Thanks Lark. Yes I think you’ll like the movie of Remarkably Bright Creatures. Marcellus plays an endearing role. And Cape Fever did surprise me in a good way. Cheers, Hope you have a good week too!
Aww, look at those cute donkeys. Hmm, guess I didn’t realize there’s a difference between straw and hay! When do you plan to get your own?
We plan to watch Remarkably Bright Creatures as soon as we finish Detective Hole. It will be nice to watch something that isn’t quite as gritty as Harry Hole!! Octopuses are such amazing creatures.
Not sure if I up for (or is it down for?) Angel Down. One long sentence? WWI? Maybe not for me.
Hey, I thought you were finished with PW reviewing. Change your mind?
My mom started Yesteryear, but gave up. I’ll be interested to hear what you and Tina think.
I had to laugh when I read that Janey Devine finds a dead body while out walking her dog. We always laugh when watching murder mysteries. It’s either a dog walker or a jogger who finds the bodies!
Hope you have a good week, Susan!
Hi Lesley – thanks, nice comments. We’re moving a bit slow on getting a couple donkeys (and getting the equipment for their food & water & electricity at the barn) … but I haven’t given up the idea yet. But we have a ways to go still.
And I think you’ll find Remarkably Bright Creatures a bit uplifting when you get to it. I enjoyed it and it’s light and a bit nice to be set in the Northwest.
I also have concerns about Angel Down being one long sentence — but I heard it’s readable so I might eventually get to it. Though I’m bogged down at the moment.
As for PW, you’re right I did give it up …. but then I told them (crazily) that I was interested in this one fall book … which they held for me — so I’m reading it now but it’s very long and I’m quite slow. But it’s not that I’m back fully with PW.
And I’m only at the beginning of the audio of Yesteryear … it’s different so far.
Like with Janey Devine, it seems like bodies are often found like that in real life too eh? Sad but true. Remember a dog walker found the body of Chandra Levy in Rock Creek Park in 2002 … gosh I was there then. Awful.
Enjoy your week too.
I still keep intending to read Buckeye. The book is sitting within a few feet of me right now, and I’ve heard lots of good things. Why haven’t I read it yet?! Glad you are getting back to golf, and thank you so much for the lovely small donkeys picture. I look forward to seeing more small donkeys pictures.
Hi Deb, I’ll try to add more donkey pictures to uplift us during these rife times. They are sweet creatures. And thanks, it’s nice to be getting back into the groove of golf, fun for me. As for Buckeye, I think it’s a bit of a commitment to take on … it’s quite a long book and written in an exposition style that isn’t quick. Still if you’re used to The Brothers Karamazov … this will likely be a piece of cake, lol. Enjoy your week.
I will look for the Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix. I am a fan of the book and saw an interview with Sally Field, so now I’m psyched.
A Man on the Inside. We watched the first two seasons. There was a lot of story to tell. I like Ted Danson more than I expected. I think he is at his best here. We watched the old Netflix series, Mindhunters, the past two weeks. It is the story about how the FBI learned about criminal profiling by interviewing serial killers. I keep thinking about the series and the awful lives those criminals lead.
I am in line at the library to listen to Angel Down. I thought a 280+ page sentence would drive me crazy. We’ll see if it obvious in the audio version.
Moving Buckeye up my list. If it was your favorite, I’m sure I will like it. I’ve been mired in long, read tedious, books this years so I was worried this would be another overly long book.
My brief Sunday Salon: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2026/05/sunday-salon-mothers-day-2026.html
Hi Anne, I think you’ll enjoy the movie (RBC) Remarkably Bright Creatures — and it has good shots too of the Northwest (Vancouver standing in for Wash. State).
Good to know you watched the Ted Danson series … we will start Season 2 soon. I hope you haven’t had any bad dreams after watching Mindhunters … it might give me some.
And you might get to Angel Down before me …. so you can vet it and see if the one sentence novel is readable or listenable …
I’m not entirely sure if Buckeye is a given that you’ll like it …. it is a bit of a commitment … as it is quite long and the style offers not much dialogue. But see what you think. It kept my interest. Hope you have a great week.
Those miniature donkeys are cuteness overload! It’s good that you were able to play golf; little by little you are getting back to regular shape. Thanks for the shout out about my review. I really enjoyed Angel Down. Despite the graphic nature of war depictions, it’s a very accessible read. The one long sentence won’t be noticed unless you’re making notes about the writing structure, which I tend to do in reviews with novels that are different than the usual lot. It really was one of the best books of last year, so I encourage your readers to give it a chance. I’m about to finish Yesteryear tomorrow; it’s a riot! So funny and true. I hope Tina and you enjoy your buddy read. Can’t wait to hear what you guys think of it. If the PW read it’s going to take you most of the month, then it’s a whopper of a doorstop! :-o. Enjoy your reading week! Summer is about to arrive in full force towards the end of this coming week.
Thanks Carmen, cuteness overload is what I need, lol. And slowly but surely I’m trying to get back to my regular activities after this knee fiasco. Fingers crossed.
I’m glad to hear that Angel Down is accessible! This is key. I am going to add it for sometime later this year. I’m bogged down at the moment in the long fall book for PW. It’s surely a big doorstopper! (Only trouble is I’m very slow at doorstoppers.) And I’m only at the early stages of Yesteryear … but glad to hear you liked it … I will wait to see what you think of it on GR till after I finish. It’s a doozy so far, lol. I guess summer is coming quickly and I’ll probably want to do a summer reading list. Will you be making one? Cheers. Have a good week.
I don’t make summer lists but I have like 10-14 books that are supposed to be released between June 2-October that I am interested in reading. My reads typically include books that are vetted by the Amazon Book Review, the NYT Book section, and Barnes & Noble Reads teams. What’s usually on their list of the best books of the month, I choose from, emphasizing the ones that show up repeated on two or all lists. Plus anything else that strikes my fancy. Anyway, I do have a list but not in so constrained a term. 🙂 Ann Patchett, Maggie O’Farrell, Hernan Diaz, Chris Bohjalian and Daniel Silva are definitely there.
The donkeys are so cute. I once visited a hime in Massachusetts where a woman kept a miniature horse in her barn named Jack.
Angel Down. I haven’t read the book but I was thinking of posting about it. A part of me is annoyed that what amounts to a giant sentence won the Pulitzer Prize. I believe its possible for a brilliant writer to create a book with only one sentence where you dip in anywhere and are immediately transported. But is Angel Down that book? I’ll probably have to read it but I go in skeptical.
Hi Kathy, funny a mini horse named Jack seems cute. They have some mini horses too up the street from us … I’ll take a picture sometime.
And I understand being skeptical of the structure of Angel Down … I am too. But I hear it’s quite accessible — so perhaps one gets used to the ongoing long sentence. Still it remains to be seen. We need to vet it! Have a great week.
Thanks for the reviews. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is on my watchlist and I hope to get to it soon, even more so now that I see you enjoyed it. I loved the book and Marcellus. And I’m also looking forward to watching “A Man on the Inside.” It sounds like it might be a winner. “Cape Fever” goes on the “want to read” list but my feelings are mixed about the Crawford book. Maybe…
Great donkey picture and I look forward to seeing more. They are wonderful animals.
Thanks Dorothy. I hope to get more donkey pictures to try and uplift us from the daily downward news, alas.
I think you will really like the screen versions of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man on the Inside both are winners. And Cape Fever surprised me in a good way. The Crawford book has good atmosphere and a character in Janey Devine, lol. See what you think. Cheers. Have a great week.
You know I love your pictures, but this one – miniature donkeys!! So sweet. Enjoy your time with them and glad you got to play a round of golf. Take care!!
Hi Kay, thanks. I’m trying to up the ante … with a photo of the donkeys, lol. So sweet … I will try to get better shots next time. The golf too has been fun. Hooray for spring. Enjoy yours!
I started Yesteryear but put it down and haven’t gone back – partly because I realized my copy of Lady Tremaine is due tomorrow and has several hundred people waiting for it!
Hi Constance, I can understand. The first chapters of Yesteryear … were like whaaa? But I need to give it more of a chance too. I will check out what you think of Lady Tremaine. Cheers. Enjoy your week.
I have been meaning to read Remarkably Bright Creatures but I may just watch the movie instead. Not sure. Time has been short lately..
Hi Hena, if time is short — go for the movie Remarkably Bright Creatures. I actually think it’s done perhaps better than the book. And that’s rare! Enjoy your week.
I had a lovely Mother’s Day weekend. My husband and son cooked for me on Saturday and Sunday (and cleaned up) and we watched movies of my choice. As usual, it was a lovely.
I would love to see A Man on the Inside because I have enjoyed Ted Danson in several streaming series. But we are not currently getting Netflix so will wait a while on that.
I am very interested to hear what you and Tina think of Yesteryear. My husband is interested in it. I hadn’t heard much about it until recently.
I love the picture of the donkeys and I am envious that you get to spend some time with them.
Hi Tracy, thanks, the donkeys are uplifting to be around. I’m considering getting a couple for here … once I get all the right equipment.
And I’m glad your Mother’s Day weekend went well …. so sweet of your son to cook for you, nice!
The Ted Danson show is enjoyable and is shot around San Fran but I know we used not to get Netflix either. We finally broke down & have it for a month or two.
And I’m in the early stages of the book Yesteryear …. it’s a bit different and I’m not sure where it is going but I’ll keep with it and let you know.
Hope you have a great week.
I’ve not read Remarkably Bright Creatures but will try before i watch the movie. If the movie is on one of our streaming services.
Great book reviews and reading you have here. I want to get Cape Fever, sounds very good. Buckeye was good and it left off where you don’t need a followup, but I would read one if he wrote more about the families and Tom.
I think Gabriel Tallent should write another book with the main characters Tamma and Dan in later years, maybe pick up when they are about 30ish and where their lives went, their friendship. As a matter of fact, I wrote to Gabrial Tallent and told him that. It would be a hoot if i get a letter back.
YesterYear has me interested in the way you can’t look away from an accident, lol. It’s a page turner.
Love the donkeys, so cute!
Hi Tina, unfortunately it seems Remarkably Bright Creatures is only on Netflix at the moment — so we finally broke down and are subscribing to that for a month or two before likely giving it up again.
I think your book idea for Gabriel Tallent is a good one! I’d be interested in reading more about those two main characters. I hope you get a letter back.
And I agree with you about Yesteryear …. I have no idea at the moment where it’s going … but I’m still in the early stages.
The donkeys are a nice antidote for the world in a tailspin. I will try to keep visiting them for positive cuteness. talk later.
Those mini-donkeys sound like the cutest things ever. Loved the photo — they’re adorable and how lucky you are to be able to spend time with them.
Thanks for the book reviews — and at times like this, I wish I had netflix! (And thanks for your visits, too!)
Hi Jeanie, thanks, the mini donkeys are pretty adorable and are sweetness magnified. I will try to keep visiting them.
We ended up getting Netflix for a couple months but will likely give it after a while. It’s got a few good shows after all. Enjoy your week!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the film of Bright Creatures. I liked the book, which always makes me wary of the film version.
I really also liked Man on the Inside and have watched both seasons. I had no idea that is is based on a real person, which makes it even better.
Yay for starting up golf again! I played this week and if I can get myself to stop going right, I’ll be doing sooooo much better!
Hi Helen, I think you will like the movie version of RBC … it’s sort of uplifting. And I’m glad to hear you’ve watched both seasons of Man on the Inside … it is endearing and we can’t turn away from it, lol. Season 3 is being filmed apparently, yay.
Glad you are playing golf too. I’ve played three times now …. and I think I’ll be addicted soon. I like how it’s both social and a sport … I need to stay away from the sand traps! Ugh. Wishing you a great week.