26ish books 2026

I'm on the waitlist for Atmosphere at the library, so I'm hoping it's a good one.

Thank you for this - I always buy local books when I holiday in Southern Africa but it can be so hard to find any when back. Will be getting this and having a good browse through the connected books!

5 The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu. Highly recommend. Very readable but also very deep.
We saw Hamnet tonight, looking forward to reading it but might leave it a couple of weeks.

I'd like to join, I used to read a lot but have lapsed a bit recently. So far this year I've read:

1 - Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City that Never Was. Slightly niche non-fiction, very enjoyable

2 - Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders. I'm usually a bit wary of modern sequels to classic books, but has a real feel of E Nesbit.

3 - Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. Less intense than The Marriage Portrait and Hamnet, but I loved it.

Currently reading Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield.

Finished #3 today. The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie. Took myself off to a cafe BY MYSELF (never done before!!!) and finished it with a large latte and a slice of cake - bliss! Loved it - lovely slow moving story of the owners of the same sewing machine over 100 years.

Book 4 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Loved her other book so have high hopes!

I am so far the only person I know who didn’t enjoy it at all and didn’t even finish it. It just didn’t engage me at all even though I love nature.

I read this last year and loved it! So nice to hear I wasn't the only one.

2: Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton
Enjoyed this so much. The author rescues a leveret and raises it in her home whilst also trying not to make it a pet. The way this wild animal adapts to her life, and she to it's life, is a wonderful read.

Started book 4: The Housemaid,
Haven't actually finished book 3 yet but now I have a book for upstairs and a book for downstairs!

5 Howard's End - EM Forster
6 Never Let me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
7 How to Build a Boat - Elaine Feeney

I really enjoyed Howard's End in the...well in the end 😁. In fact couldn't put it down. To the PP (sorry I can't go back a page to check your name) thank you for the encouragement. I have seen the film but it never resonated as much as A Passage to India which I read and then watched when I was younger. I think I will find the film of Howard's End and watch again.

I absolutely loved Never Let Me Go which id strange as it had been a DNF before.

I can also recommend How to Build a Boat. Its been on my Kindle Wish List for a while now and I got it for 99p on a deal.

I'm also reading a couple of books for work purposes but they are a bit niche and I don't include these work/research ones.

second book: Shakespeare, the man who pays the rent - Judi Dench

i adored this book, I’m a director so maybe more than most, but it made so much sense and I made copious notes and god it makes me miss the theatre? And I love her sense of humour

1. The Mitford Affair~ Marie Benedict. A must read for anyone interested in the Mitfords or the politics of the 20s-40s.
2. Theo of Golden ~ Allen Levi

1. Famous Once ~Jane Green A short story. Implausible, fluffy but fun.

Fantastic book, one of my favorite reads of 2024.

I enjoyed all the colours of the dark @MammaGnomes. Definitely wasn't a predictable storyline. I read on a Kindle so didn't quite realise how long a book it was until halfway through, think you did good making that your second

Just finished book 2

2. All the colours of the dark by Chris Whitaker

this started off slow for me but then kept me guessing right to the end. Would have been a 5 star read had it not been for the writing style which left me confused in places.
loved how it spanned the decades and you watched the characters grow both in age and personality.
Heartbreaking, terrifying, brilliant

I've 3 books and am half way though another.

1. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
2. The Man who saw Everything by Deborah Levy
3. A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind by Shoukei Matsumoto (not really sure this can be considered a book as it took about 2 hours to read).

I'm currently reading Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant and am about half way though, will hopefully finish over the weekend. So far I'm enjoying it a lot although I'd also recommend The Man who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy.

1. The Marble Hall Murders by Antony Horowitz

2. Table for Two by Amor Towles

3. North Woods by Daniel Mason

I loved all of these books! I recommend them all.
A great start to 2026, my first year of (hopefully) reading 26 books.

2 - Mania by Lionel Shriver I enjoyed this and thought it was brilliantly clever. I know she’s controversial and this book certainly shows her political views pretty clearly but it was a great read anyway.

4 . His & Hers, Alice Feeney

Wanted to read this before watching it on
Netflix. It did keep me guessing throughout, but ultimately I knew who it was in the end otherwise a certain part of the story was totally pointless. Still gave it a 4 ⭐️ as it gave me whiplash and it was engaging throughout.

I didn't mind "Brain damage" but struggled with the Housemaid. I am on the second of the Housemaid series and not that bothered about it but I will try to finish it.

Finished book 4
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King.
An interesting read - 21st century Chinese American college students and their grandparents who lived through WW2 Shanghai. I found the college girls a bit lightly drawn but the war and post war background interesting.

I have been following the Goodreads bookmark challenges so have read a few things I wouldn't otherwise. I'm very bad for feeling obligated to read things that are "on my list" and then not enjoying them so will have to watch for that. Luckily Hamnet is on the list and I've ordered a second hand copy from eBay.

@MuddlingThroughLife I love the sound of that spreadsheet.

Hi, can I join in? I followed this thread last year for inspiration and managed about 17 books (including some audiobooks). Hoping to reach the magic number of 26!

1. The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howes.

1. Tells the reimagined story of the painter, Thomas Gainsborough’s two daughters set in 1700’s. I love historical fiction and this was along the lines of Maggie o’Farrell (my favourite). Really enjoyed this and will look to read her next about Charles Dickens’ wife.

I’ve finished the clock house murders (nice read - Japanese locked room mysteries are a little outlandish but keep the suspense up!)

onto 4 kokoro by Natsume Soseki