Blogmas Day 21: 26 Books in 2026
Hello! Welcome to Blogmas Day 21!
Today I’d like to join the trend and talk about the 26 books I need to read in 2026. But first…
Advent Calendar
An uneventful advent calendar day, just a cute little Santa throwing snowballs. Which is ironic, because I watched Violent Night for the first time last night. 🤣
26 Books in 2026
Just to be clear, I’m not saying I’m only going to be reading 26 books in 2026. I’ll be aiming for more like 100. These 26 are just the Top Priority books that have been sitting on my TBR for long enough. I’m excited about them! I own them! Why haven’t I read them yet?!
So in no particular order, these are the books that I’ve been staring at on my shelves for long enough:
10 classics
The Wayward Bus – John Steinbeck (I think I got this last Christmas. I was going to read a Steinbeck every year, but I guess not!)
The Odd Women – George Gissing (Didn’t get around to this one during Victober.)
Victory – Joseph Conrad (I only have 3 Conrad novels left, and then I’ll have read all of them. They’re sitting on my shelf! Read ’em!)
Childhood, Boyhood, Youth – Leo Tolstoy (Can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve picked this up and put it down again.)
To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf (This has been on my TBR list for as long as I’ve had one, and I now have it on my shelf. No excuses!)
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath (It’s never seemed like the right time, so I might as well just read it.)
Foundation and Empire – Isaac Asimov (I was so excited when I started the Foundation series, but I’ve still only read the first one!)
The Caves of Steel – Isaac Asimov (Ditto his Robots series.)
La Planete des singes – Pierre Boulle (The Planet of the Apes in its original French. I told myself when I graduated last year with my minor in French that I would read a book in French every month, and I haven’t read a single one since!)
The Black Joke – Farley Mowat (My uncle’s favourite author and one of Canada’s most beloved, but do I read him? No!)
2 memoirs
Becoming – Michelle Obama (I owned this a few years back, lost it, found a copy in a Little Free Library last summer, and STILL haven’t read it.)
I’m Glad My Mom Died – Jennette McCurdy (I’ve heard great things about it, got it this year.)
Favourite authors
The Final Girl Support Group – Grady Hendrix (I want to read everything he’s written, and if I get to How to Sell a Haunted House before the end of this year, this one is my next priority.)
Mongrels – Stephen Graham Jones (How have I had a SGJ masterpiece unread on my shelves for over a year???)
Sourdough – Robin Sloan (I want to read all of his books, so why don’t I?)
As Good As Dead – Holly Jackson (The 3rd of the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, which I’ve loved. Bit nervous to finish it, but I need to!)
The House of Fortune – Jessie Burton (The sequel to one of my favourite books, The Miniaturist. I was giddy when I got this. Why haven’t I read it??)
God Emperor of Dune – Frank Herbert (I started a re-read of the first books of the Dune series, intending to then complete it. That was, what, 2 years ago? 3? This was where I left off.)
Others I want to try
The Road – Cormac McCarthy (Still haven’t read my first McCarthy, but I’m excited to.)
Songbirds – Christy Lefteri (I’m pretty sure I’ll love all of Christy Lefteri’s books, but I’ll never know until I read a second one, will I?)
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro (I’ve wanted to read this for years, so why do I just stare at it on my shelf? It’ll be my first Ishiguro.)
The Hours – Michael Cunningham (I was given this months ago and meant to read it then and there.)
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell (Years. YEARS!)
The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga (I remember thinking when I got this that I was going to love it, but now I barely remember why.)
My Year of Rest and Relaxation – Ottessa Moshfegh (Will I be a Moshfegh lover or hater? I’ll never know unless I read one of her books!)
The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan (I’ve been meaning to read this since the 90s.)
Pretty sure that’s 26. Watch this space to see if I actually read them in the year ahead!