What are you reading in 2026?

[Old Fezziwig]

I finished The Sword of Shannara the other night. Not a lot to say about it that I haven't already said, save that I didn't remember any of the stuff that happened in Callarhorn or, indeed, most of the last half of the book from when I read it in middle school. At some point, I'll continue and read Elfstones of Shannara -- in his prologue to the second book, Brooks talks about how hard it was to write, and I want to see if he learned anything through that process and if his craft improved at all.

This morning, I finished Legs Hearts Minds by Chris Jones. It's a memoir about recovery, grief, and football. He's a natural storyteller, and it goes down easy.

 

[Retros_x]

I finished "In the Woods" by Tana French, my first book her but definitely not my last. I had her on my radar since I was looking for crime books with more realistic police procedures. But recently I had a talk with my mom about books and she heavily recommended her to me and it honestly reminded me a bit of Stephen King - gruesome plot, but its less about the plot and more about the characters and themes, don't expect everything to tie up neatly, that's what she told me. I was happy to find out after some quick googling that the connection is actually there: Tana French says that Kings "It" was a huge inspiration especially in the themes of childhood trauma and memories. And King wrote a glazing review of one of her later books for the NYT, which boost her popularity even further.

But after reading it, she reminded me of a very different author and book: "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. They have very different plots and settings (dont expect dark academia here), but they both have a crime at the core of its plot, although both books are not really about the crime. Both books have this immersive prose that I love where I just get sucked in the world immediately. Both have the deep characterizations and relationships. Both have an unreliable apathetic first person narrator who actually suck a lot. Both have layers of subtext the more you think about it (and thus are definitely worth a re-read). Both left me deeply melancholic and sad by the end with lingering thoughts for days.

I wont tell more, but if this kinda sounds like it might be your thing, definitely pick it up and read it. I loved it. Don't read if you want a classic mystery/crime that gets solved neatly and don't read if you hate being in the head of unlikeable characters or need main characters who you can identify with to enjoy the story.

 

[Thierry-Advent]

Trying to finish Tchaikovsky's Lords of Uncreation. My third attempt. I made the characters really HUGE on my tablet. That seems to be working, for now. Read a chapter last night.

 

[Corinnguard]

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen. Every 100 years, the Greek Gods hold an event known as the Crucible in order to see who gets to sit on the Throne of Olympus. Each god picks a human champion and puts them several Labors. The champion with the most wins determines who wins the throne. The main character finds herself becoming the champion of Hades, who decided to participate in this Crucible after not participating in the previous ones. This is book one of a trilogy.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

This morning, I finished Legs Hearts Minds by Chris Jones. It's a memoir about recovery, grief, and football. He's a natural storyteller, and it goes down easy.

I didn't think I had anything to say about this book, but there's been a quote that's been sticking with me since I put the book down yesterday morning about supporting sports teams that (to me) articulates the bargain that supporters make better than I think I've seen it made before. By way of background, two pieces of context: (1) at the beginning of the memoir, Jones's marriage has fallen apart, and (2) Jones is a sportswriter but hasn't really rooted for a team since the Blue Jays in the early 90s ("It was foolish to love something that would never love you back" (p 58)):

"But I also needed a new vessel for the leftover love I had felt for Amy, because it had been real and significant. Like my grandfather, I decided to give it to Burnley Football Club, and now I understood more fully why he had, all those years ago. They wouldn't love me back. They didn't have to. Their part of the bargain was always being there to accept mine." (pp 72-73)

 

[Richards]

I'm reading Zen Attitude, a modern-day mystery set in Japan, by author Sujata Massey. This is apparently her second novel, but it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything by not having read her first one. The mystery seems to revolve around an antique chest of drawers, of all things. I'm 86 pages in and enjoying the story thus far.

Johnathan

 

[Autumnal]

I’m listening to an audiobook of The Left Hand of Darkness - since my cardiac and autonomic troubles of recent years, listening is often easier for me than reader - and was suddenly struck by a thought I haven’t had before. In the years since 1969, when Le Guin wrote this book, neutral/inclusive have become entirely routine in a lot of communities. Few readers now would blink if all the Gethenians were described as they/them except for the days of kemmer each month. I went on to wonder if Ann Leckie had Left Hand in mind much when make she/her ubiquitous in the Radch books.

 

[jian]

I’m listening to an audiobook of The Left Hand of Darkness - since my cardiac and autonomic troubles of recent years, listening is often easier for me than reader - and was suddenly struck by a thought I haven’t had before. In the years since 1969, when Le Guin wrote this book, neutral/inclusive have become entirely routine in a lot of communities. Few readers now would blink if all the Gethenians were described as they/them except for the days of kemmer each month. I went on to wonder if Ann Leckie had Left Hand in mind much when make she/her ubiquitous in the Radch books.

Just started reading The Left Hand of Darkness and had the same thought. Yes, probably, about Ann Leckie.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I'm reading Zen Attitude, a modern-day mystery set in Japan, by author Sujata Massey. This is apparently her second novel, but it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything by not having read her first one. The mystery seems to revolve around an antique chest of drawers, of all things. I'm 86 pages in and enjoying the story thus far.

Johnathan

I enjoyed those. I think she wrote like 8 of them, but my library system only had up to vol 4 or so. They weren't compelling enough for me to buy the rest though.

 

[prabe]

I’m listening to an audiobook of The Left Hand of Darkness - since my cardiac and autonomic troubles of recent years, listening is often easier for me than reader - and was suddenly struck by a thought I haven’t had before. In the years since 1969, when Le Guin wrote this book, neutral/inclusive have become entirely routine in a lot of communities. Few readers now would blink if all the Gethenians were described as they/them except for the days of kemmer each month. I went on to wonder if Ann Leckie had Left Hand in mind much when make she/her ubiquitous in the Radch books.

The edition of this book I recently read had an afterword by Charlie Jane Anders that made this exact point. I didn't agree with everything Anders said, but I do wonder if the gendered pronouns were one of the reasons I liked it less in 2026 than in 1993 or so.