What Fiction are you reading this week, February 15, 2026?

[hermetic]

This discussion thread is pinned.

I am reading Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill, the second in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. Dr. Paiboun, one of the last doctors left in Laos after the Communist takeover, is now the national coroner. He can unravel mysterious murders "because the spirits of the dead are on his side," and sometimes uncomfortably so. This is a delightful, sometimes brutal, and amazing look at life in Laos in 1960's-70's. The author lives there so has great insight into the situation there.

Listening to A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci. As DUer Bayard said last week, "It's a wowzer." Indeed it is. Many reviewers say it's Baldacci's best. I believe it.

[Alliepoo]

1. I'm reading the

Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarr. Although not my usual kind of read- it’s strangely enticing.

[hermetic]

3. Ahh, author Yarros

Dragon riders preparing for war. Three books so far and all get thousands of 5-star reviews.

[cbabe]

13. If you like dragons:

From wiki:

The "Dragonriders of Pern" series is a science fantasy collection of novels primarily written by Anne McCaffrey, starting in 1967, and it includes 24 novels and two short story collections. The series follows humans on the planet Pern who bond with intelligent dragons to combat a deadly threat known as Thread.

[PittBlue]

2. Just starting to read "The Book Club for Troublesome Women"

by Marie Bostwick. Our Book Club just finished reading The Secret Book Society. Everyone really enjoyed it.

[hermetic]

6. Troublesome Women...

I like the sound of that. A best-seller from last year, "Margaret never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution." A "humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood."

I can only find one reference to the "Secret Book Society" and that's by Madeline Martin. Set in 1865 Victorian London about "a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free." That also sounds quite good and was just published last year.

[PittBlue]

21. That's it!

It was excellent!

[Diamond_Dog]

4. On a rec by another DUer

I started Three Men and a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I wasn’t in the mood for anything too heavy and this one is as promised.

[hermetic]

7. Oh my,

"Three Men in a Boat, published in 1889, became an instant success and has never been out of print. In its first twenty years alone, the book sold over a million copies worldwide. It has been adapted to films, TV, and radio shows, stage plays, and a musical...It ranks among The Guardian's top one hundred best English novels of all time."

That's pretty awesome.

[Diamond_Dog]

11. Yes, what took me so long, right??

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Just started "Watching You" by Lisa Jewell.

[hermetic]

8. I've read a few of hers

She's written many. Always good mysteries, usually in small English towns.

[txwhitedove]

9. Good morning. Many good books recommended and I found ebooks at my library, yay.

Now reading The Girl from Silent Lake by Leslie Wolfe. Ooh thought it was going to be too graphic for me, but daily news is too graphic too. Very good, characters, writing, mystery, all. First book in Detective Kay Sharp series. "When single mother Alison Nolan sets off with her six-year-old daughter, Hazel, she can’t wait to spend precious time with her girl. A vacation in Silent Lake, where snow-topped mountains are surrounded by the colors of fall, is just what they need. But hours later, Alison and Hazel vanish into thin air. Detective Kay Sharp rushes to the scene. The only evidence that they were ever there is an abandoned rental car with a suitcase in the back, gummy bears in the open glove compartment and a teddy bear on the floor."

[hermetic]

12. That sounds good

Too new for my library, I guess. They don't have a single book by her.

[txwhitedove]

18. Sadly not at my library either, so got low cost ebook from Amazon. And, sorry granny still

shops a bit at Amazon cause I can't hike to shop anymore.

[cbabe]

10. A forum recommendation, I think: The Hidden River by Mark Thielman

The hidden river is the Everglades. Two time lines: contemporary Special Agents hunt the killer of a renowned artist.

Mysterious history and clues from original tribes and runaway enslaved.

Clunky writing but intricate conspiracy.

Plus mosquitoes.

[hermetic]

15. That sounds really good

Surprised the alligators didn't eat the dead guy.

[cbabe]

19. Haha. How many mosquitoes make one alligator?

[mentalsolstice]

14. "The Academy" by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

The usual boarding school antics amongst students and staff. It’s pretty good so far.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

[hermetic]

16. Thanks, U 2

An "irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school."

[rsdsharp]

17. I'm reading The Hadacol Boogie, the latest Dave Robicheaux novel by James Lee Burke.

It’s set around the year 2000. I’m only about a third of the way through, but it strikes me as a typical Dave and Clete story.

His recent works have involved the occult and macabre themes to a great degree, but this one is more “normal;” as normal as a novel can be by a man who has written things like “In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead.”

[alfredo]

20. Poetry - Andrea Gibson

“You Better be Lightening.” I heard her on public radio.

[yellowdogintexas]

22. Taking a break from fiction to read a book club selection The Body A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body—how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Brysonesque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular.

This will be fun since I have a love of biology and anatomy.

I finished Secrets of the Catalogues and it left me wanting more; good thing it is a series!!

[cbabe]

23. I recommend Mary Roach, if you don't know her books.

From wlkipedia:

Mary Roach is an American author specializing in popular science and humor. She has published eight New York Times bestsellers: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, and Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy …

[yellowdogintexas]

24. Thank you. Her titles are very intriguing!!! nt