Here we are in the middle of December so it's time for me to tell you about some books. Most of the books I have to tell you about have yet to be published here, because I've been focused primarily on clearing my NetGalley shelf. When I requested these books two or three months ago, February seemed like it was ages away, but now it's just around the corner so I wanted to read and review those books. Because this post would be very long if I listed all the books in one, I'm separating the list into two. Today will be about the fiction I read so far this month. As always, publication dates will vary by country so it's quite possible that these books are already published where you are, maybe by a different publisher.
I'll start off by linking back to a library book that I read recently and loved, Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin. My review of that can be found here.
Soon-to-be-published
The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien (to be published on Feb 6, 2026 by Storm Publishing)
In 2010, Leonora, known as Lenny, is recovering from a stroke on Guernsey. She wakes up at one point speaking in French and it's urgent--she wants the jumper because the Germans are coming. Her daughter and granddaughter are confused because Lenny never gave any indication that she knew French. Indeed, when the younger women had asked for help with their French homework, she said she couldn't help them because she didn't know French. The book then takes readers back to 1941 and tells Lenny's story. As this part begins, Lenny is happily going to her knitting group, a bit concerned because she hasn't heard from her brother, James, in a while. As the women are knitting, a telegram arrives, informing Lenny that her brother is missing and presumed dead. She goes to London to see if she can find out more, bringing her knitting with her, of course. When she's at the War Office, she unexpectedly finds herself offering to work to further the war effort. This leads her to begin training as a field agent. Since French is her first language, she can be very useful. At the beginning of her training, she has trouble at first remembering the Morse code, so she helps herself by rendering the dots and dashes into knit and purl stitches. When the higher-ups find out what she's doing, they decide to make this a part of the training. When in Paris, she works as a shop girl in a bookshop run by people in the resistance. Plot ensues from there.
The book is inspired by true events and real people, but it is a novel. This was a great read, which I didn't want to put down. I kept turning the pages to see what would happen. I kept reminding myself that Lenny was barely an adult so some of the more impulsive decisions she makes would be understandable, given her age and the context. I was a bit disappointed that there was not more about the knitting once she passes her training course and goes off to Paris. It's mentioned in passing here and there, but it doesn't seem to play much of a role. I think it wasn't what I expected, based on the title. In spite of that, I did enjoy the book and since this is labelled as the first in a series, I'll look forward to the second.
An Impossibility of Crows by Kirsten Kaschock (to be published on March 17, 2026 by University of Massachusetts Press)
This book opens with Agnes following in her deceased mother's footsteps and writing a diary/journal. Her husband has just left her, taking their daughter with him. We learn that Agnes is raising a crow, and as the story unfolds we gradually learn how, why. and the particular history of the crow. Agnes had moved back to her childhood home with her husband and daughter when her father died, which deepened the effects of lifelong trauma. Although Agnes' sister lives nearby, the two rarely see one another as both have chosen different paths to cope with the family trauma. The book is a story of growing self-awareness on the part of Agnes as she learns things about herself she'd rather not face. As Agnes reads her mother's letters and journals, she learns more about her family of origin as well and where she fits in. In order to avoid spoilers, I'll leave it there. For me the one of the biggest strengths of the book was the way in which the creeping dread foreshadowed what was coming.
This is a powerful and intense book. Although I was mostly appalled at the beginning, as I continued reading I found myself gripped by it. I can't say that I liked or enjoyed it, but I did admire it for a few different reasons. First of all, the writing is superb. I was eventually drawn into the disturbing world the author created. I must say that I felt some resistance to this at first because it was a world I did not want to visit. Secondly, I thought the structure of the book worked really well. As the author brings readers back and forth between Agnes' increasing agitation and her mother's thoughts, readers get a sense of the disjointed thinking going on inside Agnes' head. As she jumped around from thought to thought, I was there with her. This also worked well as readers learn about Agnes' past decisions and why she might have made them. Finally, the author tackles some very heavy and important subjects in this book. I was particularly interested in the ways trauma
is passed down through generations, something that is made worse by the silences around the trauma. Here the traumas include war, unrecognized and untreated mental illness, sexual abuse, misogyny, racism, and others.
Whether or not a book is considered a good read is entirely subjective, of course. While I considered the book to be thought-provoking and extremely well-crafted, I don't think I'm the right sort of reader for this book. For someone else, it could be an entirely different story. It all depends on your reading tastes.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Over 100 Poems on Life and Love (to be published on Feb 5, 2026 by Gemini Books Group)
This book is a lovely introduction to the life and work of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The book begins with a short biographical essay before presenting a selection of Barrett Browning's poems, separated by theme and including helpful and interesting critiques of some. The themes of the poems presented here are: love, death and spirituality, social justice, and women's rights. Reading this book has kindled an interest in Barrett Browning's life and work and I plan to seek out more. I highly recommend it!
I thank NetGalley, the publishers, and the authors for digital review copies of the soon-to-be-published works above.
I'll tell you about the excellent non-fiction I've read this month in my next post. Happy reading!
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