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@nomadpenguin.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 4:18 AM

An unexpectedly apt pairing with my last read. Private Bagger and his good-for-nothing comrades rescue a fallen angel from the battlefields of WWI. A visceral, cinematic story of greed and desire. And the writing! The novel is one long polyphonic sentence. Masterful. #read2026

iPad showing book cover image “Angel Down” by Daniel Kraus.

@davidkbutler.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 7:02 PM

#read2026
The Wrinked Crown, by Anne Nesbet

In the Wrinkled Hills, girls are forbidden to touch or play the lourka lest they be spirited Away, but Linny makes her own and her friend is taken instead of her. She journeys to the Plain to save her, discovering political plots and an ancient prophecy.

The cover of my copy of The Wrinked Crown, by Anne Nesbet. The cover shows a tree with golden leaves arching over the top with the title on top of it. Behind it is a forest scene which is coloured on the left and grey on the right. A girl stands with her body away from us but looking back over her shoulder. She wears a dress with a blue top and red skirt. Over her back is slung a stringed instrument and in her arms she cradles a cat which is half silver and half gold, with the silver eye glowing blue.

@davidkbutler.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 6:49 PM

#read2026
Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Morrigan discovers her late mother’s family is from Nevermoor and the extremely snobby Silver District to boot, but a star dragonrider is murdered on the night of his wedding to Morrigan’s aunt, which makes things complicated.

The cover of my copy of Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. It shows a girl in a black coat over a pink dress standing on a stone bridge, with brightly lit houses lining the river in the background and fireworks in the night sky. A dragon flies above the bridge with a shadowy rider in its saddle and a plume of flame shooting from its mouth.

@nomadpenguin.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 2:51 AM

(Image: Affirm Press.) Another beautiful installment from Williams, this time focused on Tilda’s time as a volunteer nurse on a German ward in an army hospital during WWI. Far more insular than her other books, and very much a love story, with hints of People of the Book. A page turner. #read2026

A stylists book cover of The German Ward by Pip Williams.

@nomadpenguin.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 2:32 AM

This was aiming for profound but was just puzzling. And boring. I’m at a loss how this ended up on the Booker long list. #read2026

iPad showing book cover image “Helen of Nowhere” by Makenna Goodman

@davidkbutler.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 8:41 AM

#read2026
Charlotte Mason’s Living Math, by Denise Gaskins

Gaskins takes the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason and applies it to teaching maths (especially in the homeschool setting), the main thrust that maths should be living in the sense that it is made by the thoughts of the learner.

My copy of Charlotte Mason’s Living Math by Denise Gaskins. The cover shows a painting of a woman sitting on a bench while two children stand looking up at her holding dolls in their hands in the woman’s lap.

@davidkbutler.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 8:30 AM

#read2026
The Kite Rider, by Geraldine McCaughrean

In 13th Century China, young teen Haoyou tries to provide for his widowed mother by making kites to sell and then by becoming a kite-rider in a travelling circus.

The cover of my copy of The Kite Rider, by Geraldine McCaughrean shows a cloudy sky with green land far below and a red kite on a rope with a horse tail hanging from it, and a person strapped to the kite with their arms out.

@nomadpenguin.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 9:49 AM

Less a survey of AI than an examination of its moral and creative implications. Her own kids turn up as unexpectedly sharp interlocutors. Anna has a dry wit and makes clever connections. #read2026

THE GOD WE MADE: THE THREAT AND PROMISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

By ANNA GOLDSWORTHY

@davidkbutler.bsky.social Sep 13, 2026, 8:14 PM

#read2026
Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship, by Amelia Mellor

Cori escapes life on a pirate ship by taking an ancient magical artefact before the captain, but he will stop at nothing to get it. Full of action and set in an interesting world with cool people.

The cover of Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship, by Amelia Mellor. It has a bright blue border and the title Oceanforged is written in big stylised letters in the same blue, while the subtitle The Wicked Ship is in much plainer white letters at the bottom. In the middle is an illustration of a young person steering a small boat on ocean waves while a big three-masted ship chases in the distance.

@nomadpenguin.bsky.social Sep 8, 2026, 9:08 AM

Strout moves on from Olive and Lucy, and we meet the wonderful Artie Dam. A well crafted exploration of loneliness. We’re also in newish territory with direct commentary on current events and their ripples in society (an earlier book explored the effects of the pandemic), and I loved it. #read2026