26ish books 2026

[Tinkhasflown]

A shiny new thread for 2026.

All welcome and note 26 is just a number. Everyone can set their own target and you are welcome here even if you only read 2 books a year.

I personally count the larger novel style books I read to my children and audio books I listen to. Others don't and there are no rules.

I look forward to all your suggestions again this year.

I went to see the musical of this last month and loved it, but haven’t read the book.

16 Sisters in Science by Olivia Campbell. Four female physicists who escaped Nazi Germany. Really interesting but a tiny bit preachy at times.
17 The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Good, evocative, well written and short! Very poetic.

8 - Ordinary Saints - Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin I generally enjoy Irish contemporary fiction so had high expectations for this but it didn’t work for me. The protagonist is unlikeable and has a constant victim mindset with the inability to empathise with anyone else ,and it was difficult to connect with the rest of the characters. The story rambles and could be a lot shorter and sharper. The author has a good command of words and I think she has the potential for something good one day as this was readable, but it wasn’t for me.

@EnchantedDays yes I have heard the musical is good.

@TranslatethedogI’m just reading Slags, really enjoying it. Have you read any of her other ones? Hope Allen Carr did the trick, I used that book to stop smoking, it was a godsend!

Book 8: The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell - what a read, I found this an incredibly sad but interesting story

2026 books so far:
then she was gone
beautiful ugly
the intruder
the shadowman
the family upstairs
Rock Paper Scissors
The Family Remains

7. James by Percival Everett

this has been on my want list for a while and I saw a few recommend it on this thread so was delighted to see it available on my library app.

it didn’t disappoint. Heartbreakingly fantastic.

im currently listening to Project Hail Mary but im struggling a bit. I’m about 5 hours in but im going to stick with it

list so far
What a Way to Go - Bella Mackie
All the Colours of the Dark - Christopher Whittaker
The Briar Club - Kate Quinn
The Names - Florence Knapp
None of this is True - Lisa Jewell (audio)
A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas

@MammaGnomesI’ve got Project Hail Mary downloaded on my Audible app, was going to be my next audiobook - interested to know why it is a struggle to listen to?

@MargotMoon I have it on in the background whilst I’m working and think I probably need to concentrate on it a bit more. There’s a fair bit of scientific jargon that goes straight over my head and the duel timeline often confuses me. I guess the duel timeline would be easier to follow written than it is spoken.

it is starting to get a bit better though I think I’m about halfway so will stick to it.

my last audio was none of this is true by Lisa Jewell which was bloody brilliant. I’m not sure anything will top that!

Finished book number 9, Another England: How to Reclaim Our National Story by Caroline Lucas. Quite an interesting read especially as I'm someone who'd describe myself as British rather than English but I think it was quite weak in places. Much better where she was talking about politics, but I'm not sure she quite managed to define an alternative "Englishness" to the one currently espoused by certain sections of our media and politicians.

Finished book number 9 - All the Broken Places by John Boyne. This is a sequel to the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which I know is controversial (as is this one). This was a brilliant read about the child of a German commandant who grew into a woman riddled with guilt. It has an interesting format, where alternate chapters are about her young adulthood, and her life as an elderly woman who has tried to hide their identity throughout their life. Definitely recommended.

I read that a few weeks ago, I found the sections about the countryside and how our access to the land has been dictated by wealthy landowners over the centuries (and still is by and large) particularly interesting.

Oh my gosh if you enjoyed those bits you should definitely read The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes - I read it a few years ago and it made me furious but super super interesting.

Thanks, I’ll look out for that one. One of my DCs has access to the countryside as a particular interest too.

James by Percival Everett
I liked this book but really wanted to love it.
I’m don’t know why I found it disappointing, but I did.
However, the ending was great.

Book 6
Game Changer Rachel Reid
Jumped on the bandwagon for this one. Not for the faint hearted! There is a LOT of sex, and to me a bit like an X rated YA book. Enjoyed it none the less and will read the next one

12 Victorian Psycho - Virginia Feito
The only good thing I can say about this book is that it's less than 200 pages. What a load of utter tripe. I can't believe they are making a film of it.

After that experience, I needed to read something completely different. A re-read RWYO.

13 Bedsit Disco Queen - Tracey Thorn
A pop memoir. Love Tracey Thorn & Everything But The Girl. Always wanted her haircut but don't have her hair type.

No 18 The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Interesting, describes the kind of sharing economy that has been the case forever in the UK/Europe and I think there's a feeling that it's gone away/is now coming back but I don't think it's ever gone away.

7. The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson. I don't usually do ratings but maybe 3 out of 5. Crime / Thriller- protagonist found a murdered woman when in her teens, then shortly afterwards her best friend disappeared. 25 years later she wants to find out what happened to her friend and who the woman was.

Bit repetitive with some character traits and some plot points just got bloody irritating. E.g. "If only I could tell her what I found that night" "it's on the tip of my tongue to tell her" "I need to tell her" times a million. All from the same character about the same thing.
Likewise some clunky "oh no, I forgot to check the..." "I haven't got round to looking at the...yet" "I should do...but I'm so tired." So you know that the thing not yet done will be crucial.

I would also warn that some of the VAGW aspects get really grim too. Not in the graphic blood and gore sense more Andrew Tate type characters.

4) the list of suspicious things Jennie Godfrey. didn't enjoy as much as id hoped and found it a bit of a drag in places. 2 girls are trying to find the Yorkshire ripper by noticing things that are suspicious with people around them. They uncover many things about their neighbours and people in the community whilst doing so.

5. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

I tried to read this obe a couple of years ago and didn’t get very far. The way it’s set out in on the page on my kindle is a bit odd and I think I found it frustrating at the time. So glad I went back to the book and gave it another try.

7: Things I Couldn't Tell My Mother by Sue Johnston (audio).
Narrated beautifully by the author, I absolutely loved this book. I'm a huge fan of Sue, she has had some amazing roles and a really interesting life, the book particularly focusses on her relationship with her mother. Published around 2012, I'd love an update.

Evening 👋
(1) The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy
(2) The Outside Boy by Jeannie Cummins
(3) Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
(4) All the Broken Places by John Boyne
(5) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
(6) Crooked Branch by Jeannie Cummins
(7) Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell

Latest books.....

(8) Never Lie by Frieda McFadden

Taken from Amazon:
Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams. They think they've found it when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace years ago. But when a violent winter storm traps them at the estate, the house begins to lose its appeal.
Stuck inside and growing restless, Tricia stumbles on a collection of audio transcripts from Dr. Hale's sessions with patients. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to the doctor's mysterious disappearance.
With each tape, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and a web of lies slowly unravels. But by the time Tricia reaches the final cassette, the one that reveals the entire horrifying story, it will be too late…

An enjoyable, easy to read book, what you expect from Frieda McFadden - thought it was much better than the Housemaid!

(9) All Her Fault by Andrea Mara (Audio book)

Taken from Amazon:
Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Tudor Grove, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn't a mother she recognises. She isn't the nanny. She doesn't have Milo. And so begins every parent's worst nightmare.

FOUR GUILTY WOMEN.

As news of the disappearance filters through the quiet Dublin suburb and an unexpected suspect is named, whispers start to spread about the women most closely connected to the shocking event. Because only one of them may have taken Milo - but they could all be blamed . . .

IN A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS, WHO IS REALLY AT FAULT?

Really enjoyed listening to this to and from work - would recommend - also looking forward to watching the televised version - once I find the time!

Happy reading everyone :)

Just finished no.7 Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth.

Two middle aged sisters go on a road trip in a camper van to Scotland. Interspersed with flashbacks to their messy teenage years. I thought this was great, really well written and fast paced.

Starting Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley next.

13 - Anything Could Happen by Elizabeth Strout. Audio, much in the same line as the rest of the Lucy Baryon books but very sad and poignant at times. Think I’ve had my fill of those for a while though