Today's Featured Book:
Wreck: A Novel
by Catherine Newman
Genre: Fiction
Published: October 28, 2025
Page Count: 223 pages
Summary:
Catherine Newman explores the hidden rules of family, the heavy weight of uncertainty, and the gnarly fact that people—no matter how much you love them—are not always exactly who you want them to be.
"In one single day, in two different directions, my life swerves from its path."
THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky.
"The intake person asks a trillion questions to make sure I don't have secret metal in my body that will shoot up into my brain and kill me as soon as the magnet's on....She runs through her list: 'Artificial limbs or joints? Pacemaker? Defibrillator? Insulin pump? Shrapnel?...Do you have an older IUD?' she asks, and I think, Do I? God, did I ever get my IUD removed? A relic from a different time, like the expired ketchup in the back of the fridge from when the kids were eight. 'Oh,' I say remembering, 'I think it fell out on its own at some point.'
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Right from the very beginning, you know where this story is going.
Still, somewhat surprisingly, it's not really a story about Problems; it's a story about thinking about Problems, dealing with Problems, coping with Problems.
And (almost) the whole story is told with humor, which helps us think about Problems, helps us deal with Problems, helps us cope with Problems.
It's a very short book. Very, very short. And your enjoyment of it will hinge on whether you are a person who prefers plot or character. Character-thumbs up, but plot? Better dial down your expectations.
As a lover of character-driven stories, I liked it a lot.
Other posts about books that I've read by this author:
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman
The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
December 26th - How many books did you read in 2025? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
With five days left in the month, I've read a ridiculous 265 books. Note: Lots of these are children's books and extremely short books.
I may still read one or two more.
Wow, Deb, you have read a lot of books. Children's books are such a delight 😊
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I was like holy smokes! I don't think I even got up to 200 but once or twice in my heyday! Nowadays I have more things I need to do throughout the day and the books I want to read are exceedingly longer! Like 500+ pages! Great job with that number though!
ReplyDeleteHere's my BBH
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I haven’t a clue how many books I read in 2025, but nowhere near 341. However, I did reread most of Charles Darwin and I am currently rereading David Quammen’s masterpiece, “The Song of the Dodo” and these are not works one skips through lightly.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be reviewing two different books in this post, both interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes your total number of books is amazing: almost one per day. If I did count it would probably be closer to one per week!
Have a great week running up to New Year’s… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yep! I saw this early this morning, but it took me until this afternoon to realize I forgot to add the summary of Wreck. Thank you, Mae.
DeleteI looked at my Goodreads tracker and I am at 51, just finishing a book last night. I hope to get one completed before NYE. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteI've never read this author. I need to check my Goodreads tracker and see how many books I read!
ReplyDeleteTwo books here. I loved all the Mantel trilogy. "Wreck" sounds very interesting too. I need to wrap up my December reading -- quickly!
ReplyDeleteYou cautioned me, too, and yet somehow it took me nearly all day to realize I'd forgotten to change the book summary. lol
Delete223 pages! I'm in! 😂 I do need to read something with more of a sense of humor surrounding everyday issues.
ReplyDeleteI have read 73 books so far, and hope to get one more, at least, in before 2026.
I got a copy of this for Christmas and am looking forward to reading it very soon. I plan to re-read Sandwich first just because I want to, not because I feel I need to. I love her books and even wound up buying Waiting for Birdy even though I'm not the target audience (expectant mother).
ReplyDeleteI'll probably hit 67 books by December 31st. I think the most I've ever read in a year is somewhere around 85 or so.
341 books! That's a lot of books!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of books.
ReplyDeleteWreck sounds interesting. I do love character-driven novels, though there does need to be some plot. ;D
ReplyDeleteCoping with problems and using humor is always a welcome story to me. Congratulations on reading so many books this year.
ReplyDeletei think i am up to around 190 books this year! but there is still time for more :=)
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
that is an extraordinary number of books regardless of whether or not they're childrens books, good for you.
ReplyDeletehttps://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2025/12/friday-book-beginnings-and-book-blog-hop.html