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.

Book 9 - One of us is lying. Karen.M. Mcmanus. As is often the way with these sorts of books, I enjoyed it right up until the end. Its as if the author comes up with a good idea without thinking through how to finish it up

Book 10 will be The Housemaids secret. Not my choice to read it now but a friend insisted I borrow it!

Bury Our Bodies in the Midnight Soil.

I wanted to love it, but I just didn't care for the characters enough.

Book 12 was Life Lessons from Historical Women by Eleanor Morton. Really enjoyed this, it was a fun canter through an anthology of the stories of lots of women of importance, including some people I'd not heard of. Thought it was really well written and quite funny.

Book 14 Middle England by Jonathan Coe

Well. This has been on my shelf since brexit times and as I'm finally reading through my piles of books, I thought I'd tackle it.

It seemed oddly historic now, in the post-pandemic world. A bit on the nose, underlining, unnecessarily, its themes of Englishness vs otherness and city vs rural cultural divison; but overall an ok read, though several characters felt a bit clumsy and I wasn't at all invested in⁷

8: My Family by David Baddiel. Memoir, audio version narrated by the author. VERY frank story of David's dysfunctional upbringing, he pulls no punches when describing the extraordinary behaviour of his parents through his early life. It's definitely not misery-lit, no self-pity here just a frank and funny look back with a strong theme of "I cannot believe they did this" running through it.

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
(8) Never Lie by Frieda McFadden
(9) All Her Fault by Andrea Mara (Audio book)

Latest book....

(10) The Locked Door by Frieda McFadden

Book overview
Some doors are locked for a reason…

While eleven-year-old Nora Davis was up in her bedroom doing homework, she had no idea her father was killing women in the basement.
Until the day the police arrived at their front door.
Decades later, Nora’s father is spending his life behind bars, and Nora is a successful surgeon with a quiet, solitary existence. Nobody knows her father was a notorious serial killer. And she intends to keep it that way.
Then Nora discovers one of her young female patients has been murdered. In the same unique and horrific manner that her father used to kill his victims.
Somebody knows who Nora is. Somebody wants her to take the fall for this unthinkable crime. But she’s not a killer like her father. The police can’t pin anything on her.
As long as they don’t look in her basement.

Another enjoyable, easy read - what you expect from Frieda McFadden - think I am going to try a different author for my next read!

Happy reading everyone :)

A Barbara Kingsolver theme for my recent reading.

I read her early books decades ago and then the Lacuna and The Posionwood Bible 15 years ago. I was so blown away by the Lacuna I immediately started on the Poisonwood Bible, a book I had previously looked at every so often but declined to read as nothing about it interested me. Despite this remaining true, I was even more blown away by the Posionwood Bible. I recommend them both.

Book 10 Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver - I have had Unsheltered sitting on my shelf for a few years because when I first started to read it, it read like it could have been written by Anne Tyler who I dislike and I couldn't continue. I picked it up again and pushed on. It links the present protagonists to the past protagonists which includes Mary Treat (a real person who corresponded with Charles Dickens) by the house and location of the house. I much preferred the historic parts as, at times, some of the modern parts had an Anne Tyler flavour. Kingsolver also lays her politics on quite thick in this book and about climate change. Some of that was interesting but it was a bit too much for me and I think other readers have found the same. It had strange character names for the characters which is a pet annoyance of mine - Zeke, Willa, Anitgone, Aldus, etc. I was also not sure that the somewhat unusual circumstances of a middle aged American professor losing tenure because the Uni he worked at went bust could really be used as a wider comment on the state of the USA but Kingsolver certainly tried! I read the most fun we ever had a year or two ago and I felt that the mother and father character had similarities to those in this book but maybe they are quite typical US characters as I think Anne Tyler uses them too (I have read a couple of her books and not enjoyed them at all so I have tried to block them out). Worth a read but not her best imo.

Book 11 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - I am sure many of you have read this. Having read Unsheltered and moving straight on (ie the next day) to this book, I was utterly amazed at the completely different writing style, language, etc. she used between the two books. I am still amazed. The skill she has as a writer is something to behold. I had put off reading this as I do not enjoy reading in detail about drugs use, and I didn't enjoy those parts much. I had read David Copperfield last year so I could remember and predict sort of what would happen to some characters. David Copperfield has a much more positive outcome though! I felt Ms Betsy as a character was short changed in Demon Copperfield. I was not entirely sure about all of the messages of the book, particularly the not moving from deadend places. The reality is people throughout history have had to move because where they lived had little to offer them, that is why so many people emigrated to the USA in the first place! I thought the Angus character was weakly done too, to say more would be spoilers. The book's success is well deserved. You can't really go wrong with any of her books because she is a phenomenal writer. I hear she has a new one coming out this year...

I love Barbara Kingsolver too and keep meaning to read some of her older books.

7: In Shock by Rana Awdish
(Non-fiction). This is an account of an intensive care doctor who ends up in ICU herself and how that experience causes her to really look at the relationship between patients and medics. Her story is pretty extraordinary and she really picks up on the throwaway comments that medical professionals make which dehumanise the patients.

11 - The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley
I loved this ❤️ Spans many genres and touches on so many themes, but it kept me reading compulsively from picking it up yesterday in a charity shop to finishing it just now. Just what I needed!*

Book 6 I will find you by Harlan Coben. This is the first book I have read by Coben, but I have loved the Netflix adaptations of his work. This didn't disappoint. It was fast paced with a good plot twist.

I'm going for something different for my next read: Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller...it's been on my tbr shelf for years so I hope it's good.

21 Maggie, or A Man and a Woman walk into a Bar by Katie Yee. Short and poignant memoir.
22 The Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak. Similar in theme to Sisters in Science but a much more engaging read and less preachy.

Apparently this was actually no 20.

@Yuja I loved "The Ministry of Time". Graham Gore was a fabulous character.

15 - The Colour Purple, by Alice Walker.

seem the film a few times but not for quite a few years, and always meant to read the book. Did not disappoint. Really empowering and beautiful

He was! I loved Maggie too

@Yuja
@Philandbill
Another huge fan of Ministry of Time here.
Original, funny, tender. And I loved the photo. He was hot!

Book 10!

The Housemaids Secret

I enjoyed this and got through ut quite quickly. Not sure if I will read the 3rd thoigh, how much bad luck can one housemaid have??

Moving on to The Safekeep for book 11

15 Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York - Andrew Lownie
Totally agree with @Tinkhasflown. The title says it all and it is very repetitive.

Just finished “A Family Matter” Claire Lynch. Brilliant, but some real heartbreaking bits. Didn’t want it to end.

Forgot to say next book is “Death of an ordinary Man” Sarah Perry.

He was indeed hot 😁

ha I love this I also thought his picture was a beautiful thing!

15. The Bullet Rhat Missed, by Richard Osman. This is part of the Thursday Murder Club series and not something I'd normally pick up. However, I am on holiday and it did so happen that my suitcase where my books were didn't make it in for the first day and a half. The hotel had a very small selection of paperbacks so I chose thissone. It was fine, but I feel like probably didn't really "get" it fully as I haven't read the previous books.

I have my stuff with me now though!

16 - Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki - Haruki Murakami

currently in Japan so felt fitting. Really enjoyed this book and spending time with Taukuru. Something just quiet about it that makes you look a bit deeper into yourself and your own life choices

Book 15 So Late in the Day - Claire Keegan more of a short story so feel a bit guilty including it. But I love everything by this author.

Book 16 The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell Really enjoyed this book, although it's not my favourite by this author.

Book 17 Antártica - Claire Keegan Listened to this on audio. It's a collection of short stories and was very good. O would recommend.

I'm currently reading another Maggie O'Farrell book - My Lover's Lover. Also listening to My Cousin Rachel, Daphne Du Maurier.

I'm getting through quite a few books this year, I've usually slowed by now because of work....