Three top reads of 2026
October 9, 2026 § Leave a comment
For the last several years I’ve been putting together a list of three of the books I most enjoyed reading for this interesting emerging literary organization called Book DNA, which has been conceived as a competitor to Goodreads. This year’s selection is unusual in that included two nonfiction books and only one novel. Here’s the link.
Note that these are books I read in 2026, not ones that were published in 2026.
I think it’s important for writers and readers to support organizations that are trying to get the word out about good books. For one thing, it’s a way to circumvent the powerful media channels dominated by conglomerate publishing; instead of the books they say we should be reading, why not listen to each other? Word of mouth, not well-funded marketing campaigns, after all, is a much more reliable way to find good books.If you’d like to create your own list, it’s very easy to do. Just click on this link!
Book DNA is a refreshing upstart, and I love what they’re doing for books and authors, so I tend to respond when they approach me to make this kind of list. Here are my lists so far:
Best historical novels of early colonial New England
Enjoy!
Book DNA: best recent speculative novels
July 6, 2026 § Leave a comment
For several years now I’ve been making book lists for Book DNA, the upstart Goodreads competitor previously known as Shepherd. It’s an appealing, well-organized site designed to help you find new reads that share “Book DNA” with books you’ve already enjoyed. In that spirit, here’s my new list. Click on the image below to see my choices for five of the best (or at very good!) recent speculative novels.
“What is Speculative Fiction?” Libby Life spotlights THE GATEPOST
June 10, 2026 § 2 Comments
This one comes as a very pleasant surprise. OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools (my agent calls it “one of the hidden behemoths of publishing”), has featured THE GATEPOST on their Libby Life blog, in a post titled “What is Speculative Fiction? Here’s what it means (and what to read first).”
The Libby app allows users to borrow e-books, audiobooks, and magazines for free using a valid library card. Because it offers many of the same audiobooks found on commercial platforms like Audible, it has become a favored, budget-friendly alternative for avid readers. It is a highly popular digital portal, serving more than 22,000 public libraries and thousands of educational and corporate institutions worldwide.
And they love THE GATEPOST!
