My Year in Books
Hi friends. Here are all the books I read this year. If I had more time or patience, I would have grouped them into all the star ratings, but I only listed the 5-star ones.
I set a lofty goal of 100 books this year, but didn’t achieve it. No Biggie. Reading 82 books (maybe 83 if I finish one more in the next few days) still feels like I spent a good chunk of my time reading.
Here is my Goodreads wrap-up in photos.
And here are all the books I gave 5 stars to.
At a glance, there were also a lot of 4-star books, so maybe I will figure out a way to keep track of things better in 2026.
From my list of 5-star books, the ones I have thought about since finishing them are-
The Last Illusion of Paige White. It was the first book I read this year, & it really stuck with me, something about the main character being stuck in a loop of Instagram posts after her death really struck a chord.
I ADORED the whole Me Before You series. I was so sad when I finished it. Same with Elizabeth Strout’s Amgash series. I listened to all 5 books on audio & they are brilliant. One of my favourite genres of books is “people living ordinary lives”, where not much happens, but you just love being in their world. That’s what the Lucy Barton/Amgash books are.
Meg Bignell’s books are an easy read, but they actually had me laughing out loud, which is rare in a book.
100 Years of Betty & Mad Mabel are similar in that they both tell the story of an older woman, which I really love.
The Wedding People & My Friends were almost a DNF for me because they both have a very melancholy vibe to start with, but I am so glad I didn’t stop reading because they are brilliant books.
And After I Do has been on my shelf for years. When I finally picked it up, it was the exact book I needed to be reading at the exact right time. It’s not often that a book truly changes me or my thinking, but this book kind of did. Like I said, right book at the right time.
The other ones I loved just because I did lol
I’ll share my 2026 reading goals with you soon, but in the meantime, do you have a favourite book of the year? Do you set reading goals or challenges? Are you on Goodreads? Send me a friend request if you are. I’d love to keep up with your reading throughout the year.
Talk soon xx
I managed to read 42 books this year. I think my favourites were Friends by Fredrik Backman, The Good Losers by Meg Bignell & Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. I actually enjoyed all of the ones I read. For 2026 my goal is to read the alphabet. I have gone through and pulled books off my shelves, one for each letter of the alphabet. You can see the pile on my IG page Lilydencreations if you are interested. I’m just missing Q which I’m sure I’ll find during the year. I thought it was a good idea to try to get some books off my shelves that I probably wouldn’t rush to read. It still leaves room to read any others that I come across. I’ve sent you a friend request on Goodreads as it looks like you & I have similar taste in books 😊
I discovered Lucy and the characters made come to life by Elizabeth Strout a while back…and became OBSESSED and got all of the ones on Audible and listened twice…in order after I worked it out. What an amazing writer she is!