Books I’m Reading in 2026 — A Running List
For more than five years, I’ve published a retrospective each January listing all the books I read during the previous year. For 2026, I decided to try something different. Instead of waiting until the end of the year, I’m keeping a running list that I update as I finish each book.
Rather than simply listing titles, I’m including a sentence or two about each one. My hope is that these brief notes will be helpful to anyone looking for something good to read.
If you have books to suggest, please leave them in the comments. I’m always looking for ideas—especially ones that lead me to books I might not have discovered on my own.
The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay
A coming of age story of a South African boy intent on becoming a boxing champion and the major influences and mentors in his life. A must read!
Educated, Tara Westover
Memoir of a backwoods Mormon who left home for an education. Focuses on her complicated relationship with her family. Fascinating!
King of Ashes, S. A. Cosby
A screwed up man lets a drug deal go south. Financially savvy brother swoops in to save him. Sister runs the family crematorium because gang put the Dad in a coma. They all get tied up in gang violence and murder. Violent, but engaging.
Speaking from Among the Bones, Alan Bradley
Book five in the Flavia de Luce mystery series. The precosious 11-year-old solves the murder of the local Church organist, whose body was found when they unearthed the remains of the Church patron, Saint Tancred. This series is one of my guilty pleasures.
Slow Horses, by Mick Herron
For various indiscretions—real or manufactured—spies from the Service are exiled to Slough House, a dumping ground for damaged careers. There they are relegated to boring, humiliating work and quietly forgotten. In the first book, Slough House finds itself maneuvered into taking the blame for a kidnapping engineered from within the Service. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but given there are follow-on novels the investment of time will pay off.
Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman, Patrick Hutchison
The author chronicles his adventures fixing up a cabin in the Pacific Northwest. With friends, perseverance, and many missteps he gradually transforms from completely clueless to competent craftsman. I love reading books set in the Pacific Northwest where I lived for many years.
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books, by Aaron Lansky.
An amazing, fascinating, and sometimes humorous story of how one man’s passion led to the creation of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA. My book club chose this one. I thought it might be boring but I couldn't put it down! I want to learn Yiddish.
In the Bleak Midwinter, by Julia Spencer-Fleming.
The first in a murder mystery series where a female Episcopal priest teams up with a local police detective to solve two related murders. It takes place in upstate New York, which is what attracted me to the story because I was raised in Albany. I look forward to reading another in this series. The priest is an ex-army helicopter pilot, so she has survival skills that come in handy.
Anxious People, by Frederik Backman
A bungled bank robbery leads to an unexpected hostage situation at an apartment open house. Told with humor and compassion, the story jumps through time as the author slowly reveals the lives and struggles of each character.
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Set in a future where clones are created to provide organ donations, the story follows three students raised at a mysterious boarding school where they are treated humanely, unlike most clones. We follow Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy from childhood to adulthood as they gradually discover the true purpose of their lives.
The Sisters, by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
A man reflects on his life through his long, complicated fascination with three sisters whose presence shapes his sense of identity, memory, and possibility. Written in a nonlinear style that is often captivating and sometimes tedious.
Heartwood, by Amity Gaige
When a woman vanishes while hiking alone, the search for her becomes a multi-voiced story told through rescuers, witnesses, and the pages of her own journal. Full of twists and shifting perspectives, Heartwood turns into less a story about the missing hiker herself than about the people drawn into the search, making it an unexpectedly gripping page-turner.
Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay
While investigating a story for a French publication, a woman unearths a hidden family secret whose painful legacy divides those around her, even as it illuminates her own life with new purpose and understanding.
A Fountain Filled with Blood, Julia Spencer-Fleming The second installment in the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne series, this mystery unfolds in a quiet upstate New York town where a proposed spa resort stirs old tensions—and new violence. As bodies surface and secrets seep through the community, Clare and Russ must navigate faith, duty, and desire to uncover a truth far darker than anyone expected.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, Mary Wollesncraft Shelley
The original story is strikingly different from the films it inspired. The creation of the creature happens almost “offstage,” described in only a sentence or two. Instead, the novel turns its gaze toward loneliness and isolation, the cruelty of judging a being by appearance, and the selfishness and moral failure of Victor Frankenstein.
Orbital, Samantha Harvey
A lyrical novel set aboard the space station, told through the lives of its inhabitants as they witness Earth’s breathtaking beauty and reflect on life, wonder, and the peculiar demands of living in orbit. Its prose is luminous and contemplative. Yet for all its grandeur, the book confirmed for me that my own happiness belongs not in weightlessness, but with two feet planted firmly on the ground.
Out of the Deep I Cry, Julia Spencer-Fleming
In this compelling mystery, Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne investigate the disappearance of a local physician, uncovering long-buried secrets along the way. Amid the suspense, the simmering and forbidden attraction between the Chief and the Reverend briefly surfaces when the two are trapped together in a flooding cellar. In this third book of the series, I wonder if the Reverend's Episcopalian parish will ever fire her for detecting more than preaching!
The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester
The remarkable true story of a brilliant but troubled American doctor, confined to an asylum for murder, who became one of the most prolific contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary, forging an extraordinary partnership with its chief editor from behind locked doors.
The Way of Wanderlust, Don George
A rich collection of travel essays gathered over forty years, with Don George providing personal introductions that reveal the circumstances, inspirations, and serendipity behind each journey.
Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan
An epic novel that follows Anna Kerrigan from childhood to adulthood during the World War II era. Infused with mob intrigue, love, hope, corruption, and ambition, the story traces Anna’s journey from parts inspector to diver in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where the war opens doors previously closed to women.
The Evolutionist, Avi Sirlin
Historical fiction based on the life of Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently developed the theory of evolution by natural selection alongside Charles Darwin. Set amid Wallace’s explorations in Indonesia, the novel also highlights his discovery of the dramatic differences in species between neighboring islands, a boundary now known as the Wallace Line.
The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch is an unconventional coming-of-age novel in which two damaged young men (Theo and Boris) navigate trauma, loss, beauty, addiction, and survival in very different ways before their lives converge again in adulthood. Like Theo himself, the reader can feel lost while moving through the novel’s long corridors of memory and obsession, but by the end the story reveals itself as deeply philosophical, asking how art, friendship, and human connection help us endure suffering and make meaning from chaotic lives.
Down the River unto the Sea, Walter Mosley
A gripping crime novel featuring Joe King Oliver, a former NYPD detective whose career was destroyed more than a decade earlier by a calculated frame-up. Now working as a private investigator, Joe is drawn into two intertwined cases: uncovering the truth behind his own downfall and defending a death-row inmate accused of murdering two police officers, a man who may also have been framed.
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway’s sparse writing style made me feel as though I were traveling alongside Jake and his friends from Paris to Spain, drinking, cavorting, fishing, watching bullfights, and navigating the undercurrents of jealousy, longing, and frustration that ripple through the group, much of it centered on the free-spirited Brett. Aimlessness permeates the novel. The group’s prodigious drinking appears, on the surface, to be socializing, but ultimately serves as a means of avoiding their personal troubles and, for some, dulling the lingering wounds of World War I.
Becoming Trader Joe, Joe Coulombe and Patty Civalleri.
Perhaps my least favorite book I’ve read this century. While Joe Coulombe’s creation of Trader Joe’s is undeniably an interesting story, the book itself is poorly written and suffers from a lack of structure and organization. Rather than presenting a clear narrative, Coulombe relies on a collection of anecdotes and cutesy labels, such as “Mac the Knife,” to describe phases of the business and aspects of his customer base. Given that Mac the Knife is a serial killer, I found the metaphor more baffling than illuminating. The book reads less like a finished memoir and more like an early draft. A skilled developmental editor could have helped shape the material into a coherent and engaging story. As it stands, the book feels unfocused and repetitive, with interesting ideas buried beneath uneven execution.
I finished it only because it was a book club selection. Otherwise, I would have set it aside long before reaching the final page. Unless you’re a devoted Trader Joe’s enthusiast, I’d recommend spending your reading time elsewhere.
Telephone, Percival Everett
I was three-quarters of the way through the book when I learned Everett created three versions, each with a different ending. While the three storylines in the book are interesting, I expected the stories to come together in the end, and that the storyline of his ill daughter would be resolved. Instead, the book abruptly without resolution on any of the storylines. The two other endings (which I found on the internet) were much more satisfying.
An Unfinished Love Story, Doris Kearns Goodwin
An Unfinished Love Story is a nonfiction memoir woven from letters, diaries, and other materials preserved by Doris Kearns Goodwin's husband, presidential speechwriter Richard Goodwin, during his years working for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Interspersed throughout are Doris's own experiences working in the Johnson administration and her later career as a historian and author. The result is an intimate portrait of two presidencies, particularly Lyndon Johnson, whom I knew far less about than Kennedy. It deepened my understanding of both the men and the era. A fantastic read.
Vinyl Detective: Flip Back, Andrew Cartmel
In the fourth installment of the Vinyl Detective series, the Vinyl Detective and his friends survive a series of murder attempts while searching for a rare recording by the elusive folk band Black Dog. As always, Andrew Cartmel blends mystery, humor, and a healthy dose of vinyl lore into a fast-paced adventure. An entertaining read for anyone who enjoys quirky mysteries and the world of record collecting.
All Fours, Miranda July All Fours has been hailed by many critics as a brilliant exploration of perimenopause and female identity. My reaction was quite different. I found the main character narcissistic, self-absorbed, and ultimately unlikeable. She bids farewell to her husband and child for what is supposed to be a business road trip to New York, only to impulsively check into a motel a few miles from home, where she spends three weeks while maintaining the fiction that she is traveling cross-country. That premise launches her journey through perimenopause, but I found it neither particularly insightful nor especially well written. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Miranda July, and her voice struck me as whiny and grating, which made it even harder to connect with the story.
A Secret Gift, Ted Gup.
Journalist Ted Gup discovers a suitcase of letters revealing his grandfather’s remarkable generosity during the Great Depression in Canton, Ohio. As he researches the recipients of his grandfather’s gifts, he also uncovers long-held secrets about his own family. An endearing and fascinating story.
Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams
This memoir by a former Meta employee gives an insider’s view of Facebook’s company culture and its approach to privacy, ethics, and political influence. The picture she paints is deeply disturbing.
Whistler, Ann Patchett
The story of a woman who reunites with her stepfather decades after he left her mother. As a child, she never understood why he abandoned their family. As the story unfolds, we learn more about each character’s past and the events that shaped their lives.
Kim, Rudyard Kipling
Chronicles the life of an Irish orphan growing up on the streets of India in the late 1800s. He becomes the disciple and traveling companion of a Tibetan lama, whose spiritual quest takes them on a journey across India. Along the way, Kim receives a British education and becomes involved in the Great Game of espionage, but at its heart the novel is about Kim’s growth into adulthood and the lama’s search for enlightenment. Fantastic descriptions of India and the extraordinary variety of people they encounter along the way.
Every Man a King, Walter Mosley
Another Joe King Oliver crime novel, in which King ends up working for a billionaire to investigate the incarceration of a white supremacist. In a parallel plot, Joe is coerced by his ex-wife into helping get her embezzling husband out of jail. The title echoes Huey Long’s populist slogan, later turned into a song. The phrase evokes wealth, power, and class in America, and so too does the novel. Through his storytelling, Walter Mosley touches on all three themes as the two cases come to a head.
The Hidden History of Burma: A Crisis of Race and Capitalism, Thant Myint-U
I read this book to gain a deeper understanding of the Rohingya refugee crisis. The Rohingya story actually comes near the end of the book, but understanding it requires learning about Burma (now Myanmar), its many ethnic groups, the British colonial period, and much more. Thant Myint-U does a wonderful and thorough job of explaining the country’s past and how it shaped the Myanmar of today. It is a deeply troubled country, and the book makes clear just how complicated the roots of its troubles are.
Rosarita, Anita Desai
I enjoyed this short literary novel for its vivid descriptions and the mystery it lays out. Bonita, the daughter of Rosarita, knows little about her mother’s past. Then, while traveling in another country, she meets someone who claims she knew her mother. Is this woman truthful or a trickster? What does someone do when she really wants to believe? I can see why Barack Obama chose it as one of his summer reads.
