It took me 363 days but I have hit my reading goal for the year! Did it require some superhuman feats going down the stretch? Yes, but let’s move on from that. This year, more than ever, I really pushed myself to expand my horizons and read for both pleasure and learning. From werewolves and magical beings to academics and reporters, I read like a gazillion romance novels but also some of the most brain-melting literature I’ve ever read. Now technically, there are 12 books in this list BUT, it’s a trilogy that is of amazing quality and essentially one complete story so…deal with it. You can see the full list of books I read here on Goodreads but here’s the short list of the top 10 books that I read in 2026.
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray
Horsefly by Mireille Gagné
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
The Falcon and the Foe by A.J. Truman
The Forever Desert Trilogy (The Lies of the Ajungo, The Truth of the Akele, The Memory of the Ogisi) by Moses Ode Utomi
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy