Have you missed my book talks? Well, apparently I forgot to write my post in January. And then I didn’t read a single book in February. Sigh. This year is off to a very very rocky start when it comes to reading. I am behind by 10 books. Even on audiobooks I am behind. I have thought that 2025 was a rough reading year but it looks like it’s continuing into 2026. Nevertheless let’s talk about the few books I have read between January and March 2026.
Helle Tage Helle Nächte by Hiltrud Baier | ★★★★☆
Book Blurb: Two very different women, a decision that changes everything forever, and the vast expanse of nature. Spring. The cherry trees are in bloom. It could be so idyllic. But Anna Albinger, who lives in a small town at the foot of the Swabian Alb, falls seriously ill. Suddenly, she is overcome by the feeling that it might be too late for some things. Because there is this great lie in her life. With a heavy heart, she writes a long letter for her niece Frederike to take to Lapland. Frederike, recently divorced and looking for a fresh start, is less than enthusiastic. Reluctantly, she leaves her sick aunt behind and sets off for the desolate north, searching for the man to whom Anna’s letter is addressed. But Petter Svakko seems to have vanished. Left to fend for herself in the mountainous landscape of Lapland, Frederike realizes that sometimes you can be in the wrong place and still find what you’re looking for.
First Sentence: Dieser Tag passte zu meinem Vorhaben, dachte Anna, als sie die Balkontür öffnete. | “This day was just what I had in mind,” Anna thought as she opened the balcony door.
What I thought: I really really enjoyed this book. It a lovely family mystery that spans generations. An older lady struggling with the lies and the eminent end of her life. A neighborhood that is a bit quirky but supportive. I love the characters, They all had some unique detail to add to the story and made it wholesome. I loved the description of Swedish lapland and how the mountains calm brought peace. From all my arctic reading this was at the best fiction I read.
Curious count: forgot to count
Characters: Anna – aunt, Frederike – niece to Anna, Petter – swedish man,
Setting: small village in Swabian Albs, mountain camp in Lapland
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: none found other than German
Recommend to: Everyone loving a good family mystery and has a thing for Swedish lapland.
Author’s Origin: born in Heilbronn, Germany | August 13th, 1960
Alles überall auf einmal by Léa Steinacker, Miriam Meckel | ★★★★☆
Book Blurb: We are experiencing the “iPhone moment” of artificial intelligence; for the first time, the technology is available to everyone. This places us at a decisive turning point in our cultural evolution. Everything is changing everywhere at once. Miriam Meckel and Léa Steinacker highlight the opportunities that crossing this threshold holds. We need not fear being rendered obsolete as human beings, because: Everything AI does stems from the way we interact with it. But that also means: We are now faced with the task of steering its development in the right direction. But how can we achieve this, and where do risks, unwanted side effects, and ethical dilemmas lurk—whether in the workplace, the economy, human relationships, or everyday life? Which questions are better addressed today than tomorrow, whether regarding self-driving cars, virtual medical assistants, or automated fake news.
First Sentence: Es war auf dem weg zum Zukunftsfestival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas als der Groschen fiel. | It was on the way to the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, that it finally clicked.
What I thought: This was really interesting and inspiring. I started reading it back in October 2024 while I did my AI course and then ran out on my library loan at 70%. It took me until this year that I got a hold of a copy. I often wondered if I should by a copy. It is packed with lots of smart thoughts, great facts, many referred studies and an insight at where science and research is with AI. Since I read it over a stretch of a few years I can say that it isn’t (yet) outdated and still very interesting. Lots of food for thought.
Curious count: 6
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: no translation found
Recommend to: Everyone wanting a holistic, objective and at times critical view on how AI is changing our world.
Author’s Origin: Léa Steinacker born in Lüneburg, Germany | January 11, 1989 || Miriam Meckel born in Hilden, Germany | July 18, 1967
Additional note: I started as an audiobook and finished with the ebook version. filed under audio since most was listened to.
Heard of/Recommended by: bookclub host and friend Tina B.
The North Pole: The History of an Obsession by Erling Kagge | ★★★★☆
Book Blurb: Throughout recorded human time, few places on Earth have inspired as much fascination as the North Pole. This is an otherworldly place with no latitude and no longitude, a place where the sun rises and stays aloft for six months before setting, plunging the expanse of ice and water into darkness for half a year.
Long before we ever journeyed to the North Pole, human beings have wondered what the northernmost point of our planet might be like. It became densely mythologised by writers, thinkers, historians and philosophers across civilisations. Perhaps it was the actual garden of Eden? Or the sunny land of the Hyperboreans, as Herodotus surmised? Only recently did we get to the North Pole – fending off scurvy, polar bears and frostbite – to report on its strange wonders.
First Sentence: Als Børge Ousland und ich am 4. Mai 1990 am Nordpol ankamen, waren wir die Ersten, die den Polpunkt auf Skiern ohne Hunde, Versorgungsdepots und motorisierte Hilfsmittel erreichten. | When Børge Ousland and I arrived at the North Pole on May 4, 1990, we were the first people to reach the pole on skis without dogs, supply depots, or motorized vehicles.
What I thought: The German title is suggesting a totally different book than the English version. It says literally translated: My north pole a biography. Instead you get a history of obsession. I had hoped for a deep insight under which struggles, beauty and adventures Kagge reached the North Pole. But this wasn’t much part of the book. Instead you get the detailed history of every expedition that tried to reach the pole. The first maps, the spirituality, the deprivations and the greed for acknowledgment. It was interesting and very well researched. I just wasn’t totally in the mood for a history lesson and it took some time to get through. And I feel like I hardly remember anything. Sad. It still is a very interesting book though. I have another one by the author in my shelf that leans more into the philosophical teachings and I am looking forward to reading that.
Curious count: not tracked
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: Norwegian “Nordpolen. Natur, myter, eventyrlyst og smeltende is”
Publications: German title “Mein Nordpol Eine Biography”
Recommend to: Interested in the history of the North Pole.
Author’s Origin: born in Oslo, Norway | January 15th, 1963
Read Around the World: Logged for Norway in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: He is the first person to reach the “three poles”: North and South Pole and Mount Everest.
Heard of/Recommended by: author introduced by Steffi K.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: When Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, falls ill, he realizes he needs the expertise of a very specific healer. As fate would have it, that healer belongs to an enemy faction, the Haelan Order.
Aurienne Fairhrim and her fellow Haelan are inundated by sick children suffering from an outbreak of a long-forgotten Pox. Unable to get the funding needed to launch an immunization program, the Haelan Order is desperate for money – so desperate that when Osric breaks into their headquarters to bribe Aurienne to heal him, she is forced to accept.
As Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of the Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which only fuels the tension between them.
First Sentence: It wasn’t until Aurienne Fairhrim that Osric learned that eye contact could hit like a knife.
What I thought: I listened to this as an audio book and I had some trouble. It was British accents and I never really feel comfortable there. And the names were really hard to understand (I ended up looking for the names online) and I was also confused with the constant usage of last names and then first names. The story itself is engaging but I feel I missed a lot. I think they have some sort of spirit animal that can travel through space and work like a phone? They have names and shapes but I didn’t get it. And I just saw that the book version seems to have a map. I think this book would have been better as an ebook. I am interested in reading the sequel though.
Curious count:
Characters: Osric Mordaunt – member of the Fyren Order of assassins, Aurienne Fairhrim – healan
Setting: some fiction world
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy – Wie man sich (nicht) in seinen Erzfeind verliebt”
Recommend to: Everyone loving an enemy-to-lovers-slo-burn-romance set in a fantasy world.
Author’s Origin: born in UK (?) | unknown
Read Around the World: Logged for XXXX in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: Book 1 of the “Dearly Beloathed” series
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaki, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard.
Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time—to see their entire life flash before their eyes
First Sentence: The hands and pendulum of the old wooden clock on the wall were motionless.
What I thought: This hardcover is a gem. It looks so good and feel so luxuries with its gilded edges and fine paper. The story reminds a bit of Haigs Midnight library but is totally different. I was drawn to the time travel aspect and the photography set up. The story is told in three different character essays. I personally had hoped for a bit more interwoven story lines. I had higher hopes for this book – wich doesn’t mean it’s bad or unreadable. I think the English blurb fits the book much more than there German one.
Curious count: none found
Characters: Hirasaka – book store owner, Hatsue – nursery teacher, Waniguchi – yakuza, Mitsuru – young girl
Setting: Tokyo book quarter
Medium: hardcover
Original Language and Title: Japanese
Publications: German title “Die Erinnerungsfotografen”
Recommend to:
Author’s Origin: born in Japan | 1974
Read Around the World: Logged for Japan in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: This was a Heybooklovers book club book. Bought with a voucher from church.
Der dunkle Raum: Die Geschichte der Migräne und mein Weg zur Linderung by Celia Svedhem | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: What does it mean to suffer from chronic pain?
How does it affect one’s identity, self-image, and zest for life? Celia Svedhem offers deep insights into her search for a way to live with migraines in a society focused on performance and perfection, and recounts a fascinating cultural and medical history of the condition.
First Sentence: Ich erwache mit diesem metallischen Hämmern im Kopf. | I wake up with this metallic pounding in my head.
What I thought: This was an interesting read. I had not anticipated the historical view at the disease and the many known people who (might) have also suffered from migraines that she researched. Definitely interesting if migraine is something you want to learn about.
Curious count: none recorded
Medium: hardcover through library
Original Language and Title: Swedish title “Det mörka rummet: Om migränens historia och jakten på lindring”
Publications: none other found
Recommend to: Everyone wanting to learn about migraine on a more cultural and historic level peppered with a personal account.
Author’s Origin: born in Stockholm, Sweden |1984
Tropic Hustle by Nathan van Coops | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: There’s some truth in every liar.
Luke Angel loves three things: his easy Florida lifestyle, his dog, and his seaplane business.
But a pilot needs a plane, and when a registration problem tangles up Luke’s antique flying boat, the only fix is to talk to the one man Luke despises most of all.
His father.
Perennial jailbird Frank Angel has been released from prison. But he’s not alone. Frank’s decades of flying in the drug business made him a lot of money—and plenty of enemies. Now a cadre of dangerous criminals are dogging Frank’s trail, sniffing for a payday.
Frank’s biggest problem? The secret whereabouts of his hidden treasure now rests with the son who hates him.
It’s a tangle of dirty money, broken family, and lies.
If Luke wants to live to fly another day, he’ll have to navigate a deadly gauntlet of greed and murder, and decide if he can trust a man he swore he’d never forgive.
Take off for another high-flying tropical thrill-ride today.
First Sentence: Frank Angel walked out of auburn Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida to a view of dark clouds a d distant lighting.
What I thought: I just love the stories Nate van Coops writes. They have a particular kind of humor I enjoy and I am usually not one to smile or laugh while reading. But here it happens and I enjoy it. The cases in this series are also fun – not too gory, not too exciting the right amount of suspense for my little heart. I am happy to continue reading this series.
Curious count: 7
Characters: Luke Angel – pilot, Frank Angel – father, Reese – employee, friend and former military member of Luke, Murphy – dog, Cassidy – pilot & ex wife to Luke,
Setting: St. Petersburg, Florida, tropic island of the coast
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: none
Recommend to: Everyone loving thrillers, tropic feels and flight stunts or vacationing in Florida.
Author’s Origin: born in Calistoga, U.S.A. | November1980
Additional note: Book 3 in the Archangel Aviation Thrillers Series | review book 1, review book 2
From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.
After seventeen years – and countless broken bones and broken promises – she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything. Including Ivan Lukov.
First Sentence: By the time I’d busted my ass five times in a row, I figured it was time to call it quits.
What I thought: This was a quick read and what I needed at the time but it wasn’t really as enthusiastic as the person recommending it. I didn’t really connect with the characters. Ivan maybe a bit more than Jasmine. I found her bit too self centered and egocentric.
Curious count: 4
Characters: Jasmine Santos – female ice skater, Ivan Lukov – male ice skater
Setting: Lukov ice rink, homes of Jasmine and Ivan
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “”
Recommend to: Everyone loving a romance on ice.
Author’s Origin: born in Texas, U.S.A. | unknown
Read Around the World: Logged for XXXX in my Read Around the World Challenge
Heard of/Recommended by: fictionfairy
Wo wir uns finden by Nicholas Sparks | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death.
First Sentence: There are stories that rise from mysterious, unknown places, and others that are discovered, a gift from someone else.
What I thought: This was entertaining and I enjoyed the story. It was a bit predictable with it being a romance novel but still held me captive. I enjoyed the story line in Zimbabwe.
Curious count: non as it was an audio book
Characters: Hope, Tru, Kim – Trus ex wife, Trus son, Josh – Hopes ex partner
Setting: South Carolina Beach, Zimbabwe
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Wo wir uns finden”
Recommend to: Everyone loving a story where the main characters are not in the 20’s. Fans of Nicolas Sparks.
Author’s Origin: born in Omaha, U.S.A. | December 31st, 1965
Additional note: Read for the church bulletins book recommendation.
The All-Or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work by Eli J. Finkel | ★★✶☆☆
Book Blurb: The institution of marriage in America is struggling. But as Eli Finkel’s most recent research reveals, the best marriages today are better than the best marriages of earlier eras. Indeed, they are the best marriages the world has ever known. Still, the quality of the average marriage is in decline. This book reverse engineers the best marriages – from the “traditional” to the utterly nontraditional – showing how any marriage can be better.
First Sentence: I was working hard to look relaxed, as if the two of us were just having a regular research meeting.
What I thought: Honestly, I can not remember a thing about this book two month after listening too it. I know there was an analysis about the different marriages in the decades, the influences of culture, religion, society and how it was shaped. But I didn’t take anything from it. Very American focused so maybe that was why I this book didn’t really connect with me.
Curious count: none recorded
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: none found
Recommend to: Everyone interested about this topic living in the U.S.
Author’s Origin: born in U.S.A. | 1975
Book Stats for January
Book Stats for March
New books on the shelves
Always buying books even though I am trying to reduce my TBR pile. Here is this month purchases. Please hold me accountable and ask if I read them or just piled them up.
- Salt for Air by M.C. Frank – kindle freebie
How is your reading coming along in 2026? Any tips to get out of book slumps? How do you handle when library books have to be returned and you are not done? How many new books on your shelf this year so far?
