Book Talk – April 2026

In April I was able to slowly slowly read more. I wanted to read even more but I had no time. The books I picked up I mostly liked. I am currently 11 books behind my self-set goal for 2026. I am not pushing to catch up these days. I am glad I read at all. Let’s have a book talk.

Vom Gehen und Bleiben by Petra Hucke | ★★★★★

Book Blurb: Vischnanca is a small, beautiful village nestled on a sunny hillside. But nature harbors danger: the mountain above the village threatens to slide down. This affects everyone: Ria, a young farmer, calls this place home and has made her farm sustainable as an organic operation. The Blom family from Germany has recently moved to the village and loves everything about it—the nature, the garden by their house, and the friendly neighborhood. But now the village community must vote and faces a decision: “Stay or go?” Ria and the people around her must ask themselves how they want to live and what really matters to them.
First Sentence: Es sind nur Häuser. | They’re just houses.
What I thought: I loved this book. I loved the setting, the many characters that made the village so lively. I thought all characters had so much depth and fit wasn’t just black and white. A real joy in all the fast food reading I have been doing and that is out there. I was also impressed by the portrait of the teenagers as they felt really authentic. The usage of modern technology was woven into the story but not annoyingly like you find in other book where texts will just appear as text. Overall a wonderful book and so far the best I read this year. Definitely a contender for best of 2026.
Curious count: 12
Characters: Ria Casparian – organic farmer, Blom family – Gernan expats, Sandro – Pastor, Mathilda Vincenz – old lady, landlord to Bloms, Stella – geriatric care worker
Setting: Vischnanca – village in Switzerland, Piz Brunclia – moving mountain
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: no translations found.
Recommend to: Everyone who loves character deep stories with nature and climate changes as a topic.
Author’s Origin: born in Düsseldorf, Germany | 1978

Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius | ★★★★☆

Book Blurb: In the 1950s near the Arctic Circle, seven-year-olds Jon-Ante, Else-Maj, Nilsa, Marge, and Anne-Risten are taken from their families. As children of Sámi reindeer herders, the Swedish state has mandated they attend a “nomad school” where they are forbidden to speak their native language. As the children visit home only sporadically, their parents know little about the abuse they face, much of it at the hands of the housemother, Rita. Those who dare to speak up are silenced. Thirty years later, the five children have chosen different paths to cope with the past. Then suddenly, housemother Rita reappears. Now an old, frail woman claiming to have God on her side, she acts like nothing ever happened. But the five former students have neither forgotten nor forgiven her.
First Sentence: Anna hatte die Schuhe ausgezogen und ging auf Strümpfen über den kalten Boden im Flur. | Anna had taken off her shoes and was walking across the cold floor in the hallway in her stockings.
What I thought: This was a great way to end my arctic adventure. I started reading it when we got back to civilization. I didnt know it Tok place in Kiruna. How lovely. So I was right there in town with the characters. It was a bit hard getting all the characters sorted and the many time jumps but if you are invested it’s manageable. My least favorite character was Anne-Risten. I learned that this book was based on some family history of the author and that her mother had a big impact in giving information about the normal schools. I also sadly realized that this is a common way to “educate” natives as we see similar happenings with Canadian and US native communities. I fear if I keep looking I find more. Compared to the first in the series liked this one a little less.
Curious count: forgot to count as it was in German
Characters: Jon-Ante – Oldtimer enthusiast, Anne-Risten – hypochondriac mother of 3, Marge – geriatric care worker, Estela – adoptive daughter to Marge, Else-Maj – older sister to Sara, Sara – deceased, Nielsa – Mobber, Rita Olsen – school matron
Setting: Kiruna Sweden
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: Swedish “Straff”
Publications: German title “Die Zeit im Sommerlicht”
Recommend to: Everyone who loved the first book and everyone wanting to know about Samí culture and the Kiruna area. Works as standalone.
Author’s Origin: born in Kiruna, Sweden | December 3rd, 1971
Read Around the World: Logged for Sweden in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: book 2 of the Sápmi trilogy

Lila Leuchtfeuer Geh nicht nach Nimmerruh by Tijan Sila, Lena Schneider | ★★★✶☆

Book Blurb: Welcome to the Magichanic Workshop at 9 Sparkle Street—the best place in the village of Seven Whirlwinds and far beyond when it comes to magical repairs of all kinds! This is where Lila Leuchtfeuer lives, the bubbly daughter of the workshop manager and an aspiring magichanician! And even though Lila still has a lot to learn, you should never make the mistake of underestimating her and her fantastic talents! Because when her father isn’t around one day and the fearsome witch Tremebunda bursts in with an urgent repair job, Lila suddenly has to prove her magical skills…
First Sentence: Es war kein Tag wie jeder andere. | It wasn’t a day like any other.
What I thought: This was a very different and quirky story of a band of magical friends on an adventure. Il bed the little ideas that were thrown in that hinted to other traditional fairy tales. I thought there were some really unique ideas here I have not seen anywhere else. I would definitely gift this to children. And I am looking forward to part two.
Curious count: none counted as it was an audiobook
Characters: Lila – magichanic apprentice, Hubert – speaking Hammer, Willi – a forest spirit, Philomeno – servant of Tremebunda, Tremebunda – spooky witch
Setting: magical town of Seven Whirlwinds, on the road
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: none found
Recommend to: Every child who loves magic and girls who solve problems with a band of magical friends.
Author’s Origin: born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | 1981 & born in Frankenthal, Germany | 1980
Additional note: Read for the church bulletin.

Anton will bleiben by Nelio Biedermann | ★★★✶☆

Book Blurb: Anton hat Krebs – und niemanden, der sich an ihn erinnern wird. Er versucht alles, um in die Geschichte einzugehen und nicht in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Der geregelte Alltag des alten Witwers ist damit zu Ende. Plötzlich treten die Polizei, eine angehende Schauspielerin und ein junger lebensmüder Existenzialist in sein Leben.
Und die Frage, was das Leben lebenswert macht. Ein Buch über unseren Umgang mit Vergänglichkeit, der Zeit und dem Leben. Ein Buch über Freundschaft, Ängste, Einsamkeit und den Mut, neu zu beginnen.
First Sentence: Die Welt ist so, wie wir sie wahrnehmen; für einen Tauben ist sie still, für einen Hund schwarz-weiß und für Anton und mich war sie nun mal beängstigend schnell geworden. | The world is what we perceive it to be; for a deaf person, it is silent; for a dog, it is black and white; and for Anton and me, it had simply become frighteningly fast.
What I thought: This was read for my church bulletin recommendation. I would have otherwise not picked it up. It was okays for me. I would have liked the book to suck me more into the story. But maybe that didnt happen since it was a bit of a chore to read it and see if it is any good for recommendation. I liked the different quirky characters. Birds play a rather important role in this book as we get to know for of them. I am not sure if they are a methaphor for something that I didnt get.
Curious count: 2
Characters: Anton – older man with cancer, narrator – Antons friend, Katharina – neighbor with two parrots. seagull and pigeon
Setting: Antons flat, apartment by the sea
Medium: eBook through library
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: no translations found
Recommend to: Everyone wanting a book a bout life and what it means of what we leave behind.
Author’s Origin: born in Switzerland | 2003
Read Around the World: Logged for Switzerland in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: Read for the church bulletin on the topic of “going and staying”

The Art of Inheriting Secrets by Barbara O’Neal | ★★★☆☆

Book Blurb: When Olivia Shaw’s mother dies, the sophisticated food editor is astonished to learn she’s inherited a centuries-old English estate–and a title to go with it. Raw with grief and reeling from the knowledge that her reserved mother hid something so momentous, Olivia leaves San Francisco and crosses the pond to unravel the mystery of a lifetime.
First Sentence: My first glimpse of Rosemere Priory came just before dusk. when the last of the day’s sunlight fingered the old stones a rosy gold.
What I thought: This was a fun and entertaining read and just perfect for sitting long hours on a flight. It kept me reading and I had some characters I really liked – the earl was endearing. Also the friendship between Olivia and Pathi. I personally thought the secret was a bit flat or it didnt take as much room as I would have liked. I am not even sure if it really got solved. And I if it wasn’t a big reveal. This is my least favorite of the book I read by the author. But still good.
Curious count: 5
Characters: Olivia – heiress to Rosemere Priory, Samir Malakar – thatcher and brother to Pavi, Pavi Malakar – friend to Olivia, Grant – fiancé to Olivia, Earl of Marswick – mentor to Olivia, Rebecca, Tony
Setting: Rosemere Priory, neighboring town
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: no German translation found.
Recommend to: Everyone loving English estate stories with friendship and romance.
Author’s Origin: born in Colorado, U.S.A. | 1959
Additional note: Third book by this author

Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo| ★★★☆☆

Book Blurb: Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand-copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of the earth to bring them back. When Mark Antony wanted to impress Cleopatra, he knew that gold and priceless jewels would mean nothing to her. So, what did her give her? Books for her library–200,000 in fact. The long and eventful history of the written word shows that books have always been and always will be a precious–and precarious–vehicle for civilization. 
First Sentence: Mysterious bands of men on horseback travel the roads of Greece.
What I thought: This audiobook was a bit overwhelming. It was starting with a very detailed history lesson. While it was interesting it caught me a little of guard. I had hoped for more book related info. It was more a history of the world and books were there. I would have liked more anecdotes of books. I didnt enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Curious count: none as it was on audio
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: Spanish “El infinito en un junco: la invención de los libros en el mundo antiguo”
Publications: German title “Papyrus: Die Geschichte der Welt in Büchern”
Recommend to: Every history and book nerd.
Author’s Origin: born in Zaragoza, Spain | 1979

Book Stats for April

How is your reading life going? Any books I should add to my TBR? What has been the last historic fiction you read? Any character you really liked lately?