Books Read and Reviewed in 2026

Books read and reviewed in 2026

January

1. The Long Winter (Little House #6) Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1940. 334 pages. [Source: Library][audiobook, historical fiction, classic]

2. Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury. 1953/2011. 194 pages. [Source: Library][5 stars, audiobook, dystopia, science fiction, adult classic]

3. Westfallen #2: Into the Fire. Ann and Ben Brashares. 2025. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, series book, mg speculative fiction]

4. Anne of Ingleside. L.M. Montgomery. 1939. 274 pages. [Source: Bought] [3 stars, audio book, classic]

5. Little Town on the Prairie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1941. 374 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, audiobook, historical fiction, children's classic]

6. These Happy Golden Years. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1943. HarperCollins. 289 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, classic, audiobook]

7. The First Four Years. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1971. 134 pages. [Source: Library] [historical fiction, classic, series book, 3 stars]

8. By the Shores of Silver Lake. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1939. 290 pages. [Source: Library] [audiobook, j historical fiction, series book, 4 stars]

9. The Running Man. Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman). 1982. 317 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, action, thriller]

10. Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte. 1847. 532 pages. [Source: Library] [audiobook, classic, adult romance, 5 stars]

11. The Experiment. Rebecca Stead. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Review copy] [j fantasy, j fiction, mg fantasy, mg fiction, j mystery, mg mystery, j science fiction, mg science fiction, 4 stars]

February

12. Frankenstein (Oxford World's Classics). Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. 1818/1998. 261 pages. [Source: Library, Audiobook, classic, science fiction, speculative fiction.]
13. Eureka. Victoria Chang. 2026. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA Historical Fiction, MG Historical Fiction, verse novel]
14. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by John Tenniel. 1865/1871. 247 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, audio book, classic, children's classic]
15. Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space. Charles R. Smith. Illustrated by Evening Monteiro. 2025. 45 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book biography]
16. Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies. Margi Preus. Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book biography]
17. That Swingin' Sound: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Rekha S. Rajan. Illustrated by Ken Daley. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book biography]
18. If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon. Ellen Levine. Illustrated by Elroy Freem. 1986. 80 pages. [Source: Bought] [4 stars, children's nonfiction]
19. Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams. Katherine Paterson. Illustrated by Sally Deng. 2025. 112 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, middle grade nonfiction, books about books, aftermath of world war II, biography]
20. All the Blues in the Sky. Renee Watson. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, Newbery, verse novel, grief, problem novel]
21. Bittersweet: Based on the True Tale of the Berlin Candy Bombers. Christy Mandin. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction picture book, history, world war II aftermath]
22. A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out. Nicholas Day. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction, middle grade nonfiction, history]
23. A Canticle for Leibowitz. Walter M. Miller Jr. 1959. 335 pages. [Source: Bought] [4 stars, science fiction, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, classic]
24. Gone With The Wind. Margaret Mitchell. 1936. 1037 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, audio book, classic fiction, historical fiction, adult romance]
25. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. 2025. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, mg nonfiction, ya nonfiction, world war II]

March

26. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury. HarperCollins. 1958/2006 edition. 268 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, science fiction; short stories; classic; audiobook]
27. The Lions' Run. Sara Pennypacker. 2026. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, j historical, mg historical, world war II]
28. To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee. 1960. 281 pages. [Source: Library][Audiobook, 5 stars, classic, coming of age]
29. Farmer Boy. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1933. 372 pages. [Source: Library]
[3 stars, audiobook, children's classic, historical fiction]

April
30. The Littlest Elephant. Katherine Applegate. 2026. 36 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book, animal fantasy]
31. Scarlett. Alexandra Ripley. 1991. 884 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, historical fiction, sequel, adult fiction, adult romance]
32. Magnitude. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, historical fiction, mg historical]
33. Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Edited by Pamela Smith Hill. 2014. South Dakota State Historical State Society. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, memoir]
34. If You Lived During the American Revolution. Chris Newell. Illustrated by Steffi Walthall. 2026. 88 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, history, nonfiction]

May

35. The Bad Beginning. (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. 1999. 162 pages. [Source: Library] [j fantasy, mg fantasy, j fiction, mg fiction, 5 stars]

36. The Martian. Andy Weir. 2011. 369 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, 5 stars, space]

37. Project Hail Mary. Andy Weir. 2021. 476 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, 5 stars]

38. Wombat Waiting. Katherine Applegate. 2026. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, animal fantasy, j fiction, wildfires, dogs, pets, animals]

39. My Brother Sam is Dead. James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier. 1974. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg history, mg fiction]

June

40. After My Brother Sam. James Lincoln Collier. 2026. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [1 star, mg historical fiction, why does this book even exist]
41. Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews. Julie Hedlund. Illustrated by Ilaria Urbinati. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, biography, music appreciation]
42. The Midnight Library. Matt Haig. 2020. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [adult fiction, adult science fiction, fantasy]
43. The Midnight Train. Matt Haig. 2026. 296 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult speculative fiction, adult romance]
44. Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton. 1990. 466 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult science fiction, dinosaurs, action/thriller]
45. The Other Bennet Sister. Janice Hadlow. 2020. 463 pages. [Source: Review copy] [adult fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, Austen adaptation, 5 stars]

July

46. The Andromeda Strain. Michael Crichton. 1969. 327 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, adult science fiction, science fiction, thriller]
47. How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-The-Pooh. Annette Bay Pimentel. Illustrated by Faith Pray. 2026. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, picture book]
48. The Lost World (Jurassic Park #2) Michael Crichton. 1995. 448 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, 5 stars, dinosaurs]
49. Rainbow Valley. L.M. Montgomery. 1919. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, series book, children's classic]

August

50. The Knife of Never Letting Go. (Chaos Walking #1) Patrick Ness. 2008. 512 pages. [Source: Library]
51. Rash. Pete Hautman. 2006. 256 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, YA dystopia, YA fiction, YA futuristic; YA Sports]
52. Prey. Michael Crichton. 2002. 507 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book, 5 stars, adult science fiction, adult thriller]
53. The Best Bear in All the World. Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Jeanne Willis, Kate Saunders. 2016. 115 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, audio book, Winnie the Pooh sequel]
54. The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins. Melanie Dickerson. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, clean romance, historical romance, Jane Eyre wannabe]
55. The Future of Us. Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. 2011. 356 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA fiction, YA science fiction, coming of age]
56. Paperboy. Vince Vawter. 2013. Random House. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, MG fiction, coming of age, MG historical, based on true story]
57. This is Christmas: Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits. 2023. 224 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, Christmas, music appreciation]
58. Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film. Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, adult nonfiction, essays]
59. The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster. Illustrated by Jules Feiffer. 1961/2011. Random House. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, children's fantasy, children's classic]
60. A Mismatch Made in London. Melanie Dickerson. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical romance, clean romance]


September
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December


© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews