Books Read in 2026

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" I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll

turn up in your life when you most need them."

 attributed to EMMA THOMPSON

One joy in starting a new year is wondering about the good books a person will discover in the months ahead. At this time, I have no set reading goal for this year. I might read many or a few. All I know is that I will read something everyday, even if it's only a few pages. Not to do any reading in a day is much like not putting food in my body—my soul longs for and needs the words of others. For pleasure, adventure, solace, wisdom, inspiration, or getting lost for a while in a world other than my own.  

I enjoy memoirs, biographies, and inspirational/spiritual books. I like poetry, children's books, anthology collections, and artsy/creative books. Fairy tales and a bit of fantasy. Books on writing. I like books that tell stories, even in nonfiction. I like to know how authors relate to the material they're sharing and how they work it out in their own lives. I read a lot of novels, including historical fiction. And, of course, mysteries and whodunits continue to be a staple in my reading diet. Ever since 'meeting' Nancy Drew in my girlhood, I have loved chasing after a good mystery.

Here is my simple rate list of books I enjoy at some level—I do not keep track of books I didn't care for or finish.

**** = Forever Favourite. Loved it. A keeper. Will read again. With unforgettable characters, a great storyline or message, beautifully written. 

*** = Enjoyed very much, enough to perhaps reread down the road. Great writing, great story, relatable characters.

** = Enjoyed the book enough but don't need to read again (these go directly into the give away bag). 

Books Read in 2026 = 37

1. Vittoria Cottage by D.E. Stevenson (novel, set in post WWII in an English village) ***
2. Harm by Hugh Fraser (crime novel by author/actor who played Capt Hastings in Poirot films. Well written, a page turner but a bit too gruesome/sad for me to read again) **

3. Babette's Feast by Karen Blixen (short story - as delightful as the movie) ****

4. The Christmas Chronicles (read during Dec, finished in Jan) ***

5. The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge (novel 1/3 series, 1940) ***

6. Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge (novel 2/3 series, 1948) ****

7. The Heart of the Family by Elizabeth Goudge (novel 3/3 series, 1953) ***

8. The Tale of Samuel Whiskers by Beatrix Potter (children's tale) ***

9. Jemina Puddle Duck by Beatrix Potter (children's tale) ***

10. The Huntress by Kate Quinn (WWII historical novel, 2019) ***

11. The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie (mystery, 1929) ***

12. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (mystery, 2025) ***

13. Book of Lives, A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (memoir, 2025) ***

14. The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield (diary, 1930) **

15. The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable (novel re Nancy Mitford and WWII, 2021) ***

16. The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock (novel re Princess Margaret) ***

17. Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter (first Inspector Morse mystery, 1975) ***

18. The Maid by Nita Prose (murder mystery, 2022) ***

19. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (novel, 1985) ***

20. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (sequel novel, 2019) ***

21. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (novel, 1992) ***

22. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (Poirot mystery, 1932) ***

23. Seaview House by Elizabeth Fair (English novel,  1955) ***

24. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (A Maid Novel, 2023) ***

25. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym (novel, posthumous, 1985) **

26. The Bookbinder by Pip Williams (novel, 2023) ***

27. Goodnight from London by Jennifer Robson (WWII novel, 2017) ***

28. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff (biography in letters, 1970, reread) ****

29. The Limestone Manor by Jonny Thompson (mystery) ***

30. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (novel, 1/3 Thomas Cromwell trilogy) ***

31. Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (novel 1995) ****

32. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie (Poirot mystery) ***

33. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (mid-20th century British novel) ***

34. Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (Brunetti Mystery, 1996) ***

35. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott (Sequel to Little Women, 1869) ***

36. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (memoir on tragedy and bereavement, 2005) ** (my second time reading this - probably won't read it a third time)

37. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell (novel, 1949) ** (I can now say I read this famous dystopian novel. Highlights themes of lost freedom, memory manipulation, and the erasure of individuality. Interesting but once was enough)

38.

39.

40.

Currently Reading

- At a Loss for Words by Carol Off (nonfiction on the power and use/misuse of words in our era, 2025)

- Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James (mystery based on Pride & Prejudice, 2011)

- The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird, essays on the common/extraordinary by Tim Bowling (2022)

Slow Reading in 2026

- Reclaiming Quiet, Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention by Sarah Clarkson (spiritual growth, 2024)

- For Such A Time As This, An Emergency Devotional by Hanna Reichel (meditations for perilous times, 2025)

- Selected Poetry by William Wordsworth

From the 'Unread' Cupboard

Titles left from the 2025 unread list

- Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell (novel, 1949)
- The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird, essays on the common/extraordinary by Tim Bowling (2022)
- The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (novel, 1980)
- Beauty in Photography by Robert Adams (photography, essays, 1996)
- The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R Chambers (novel, 2024)
- Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling (historical novel, 2009)
- Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson (fictionalized autobiography, 1945)
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (novel, 1891)
- A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (from the reading list mentioned in the novel The Reading List)
- Windswept: Life, Nature and Deep Time in the Scottish Highlands by Annie Worsley (nature, 2023)
- Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis (novel, 2021)