We’re halfway through 2026! Somewhere around the summer solstice, I like to take stock of my reading year: what were the highlights, lowlights, trends, gaps, etc. This year, I made the family participate as well. Here are everyone’s favorites so far.
JEREMY: My reading year has been heavily marked by diving into the vast world of Star Wars books. I’ve read about 15 this year, including some adjacent non-fiction titles. Brian Jay Jones biography George Lucas: A Life was a compelling, eye-opening look at the creator of the franchise; Lost Stars by Claudia Gray mixed coming-of-age, romance, moral complexity, and adventure. I really enjoyed both of them.
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere was also on my shortlist, along with my re-read of The Dog Stars.
JANE: Amity Gaige’s Heartwood was a favorite for both of us earlier in the year and has steadily held its place. It combined an outdoorsy survivor tale with an intense, unpredictable mystery, and added a lot of beautiful psychological depth and insight as well. Great stuff.
GRAHAM (11 years old in a week): Seemingly out of left field (for me), the eldest kid picked one of my favorite YA books of all-time. I hardly even knew he read The Giver, let alone enjoyed it, outside of a passing mention that his class went through it towards the end of the school year. Excellent choice, son.
WILLA (8 years old): The middle kiddo’s reading has been all over the board this year, but there’s been a constant as of late: constant re-reads of Vera Gosgol’s Be Prepared. Seems we have another one in the family who can’t resist an outdoorsy coming-of-age story. Good for her.
BO (5 years old): Willa has been reading to Bo a couple nights per week (so cute!) and apparently he has really enjoyed Super Pancake. I had no idea. Seems fun though!
Your turn! What’s been your favorite read of the year?
So far it’s been my re-reading of Lonesome Dove. It’s a hard book to top
Fiction: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I've since finished Bring Up the Bodies as well, and I slightly prefer the first of the trilogy, but only slightly as they're both fantastic. The Mirror and the Light will be soon to come.
Non-Fiction: It is a toss-up between American Prometheus by Bird and Sherwin and Every Man for Himself and God Against All by Werner Herzog. Intensely different profiles of very eclectic figures that I found endlessly interesting.