More Books of 2026

It's been awhile since I posted about the books I've read this year.  If you're at all interested in what I read earlier in the year have a look at this post and this one. 

As the year draws to a close I'm l looking at my reading stats. I set a modest reading goal of 50 books and I met it. I learned from Jeanie over at Marmalade Gypsy that a good goal is to set the pages at 20, 000 pages for the year. This works better for me as some boys are quite short and the occasional one is quite long.  If I read a short book or two it can really affect the number of pages in a year if I only stick to the number of books read. In any case, 20,000 pages in a given year makes for a little more of a challenge. At the moment I've got just over 1000 pages to read before the year ends in order to hit the mark.  It's very doable.

Here are the books read since September 2026.  The book covers are rather small but if you click on them you will see a larger image.

Of the 5 books in the photo above, 3 of them are about women. The Lost Girls of Paris is about a group of English women trained to be spies and assist in WW2 war effort based out of France.  I've read a number of similar books and generally enjoyed them including this fictional effort. 

Little Wonder is a wonderfully written book by 'new to me' author, Sophie Chen Keller.  It's about a poor woman left to raise her child as a single mom and widow in China. It happens that her child has a great gift for music and for playing the piano in particular.  She works hard to ensure her child is able to take lessons and they eventually move to Beijing to continue lessons with a great teacher based in that city.  Almost immediately upon arrival in Beijing the child and the mother become separated. The remainder of the story is about how each of them cope during their involuntary separation and what they do to try and reunite.  Eventually they do make their way back to one another but not in a way you might expect.  The story unfolds in the most tender and loving way illustrating the bond and the love between a mother and her child.

Sisterhood is the story of two sisters who end up going through unexpected hardships and life challenges at the same time.  They step up to support one another and along the way discover new things about themselves and each other. It made me miss my sister who was gone too soon from this life. 

Passport Photo Service is a fun little book consisting mainly of photos of famous and not so famous customers of a passport photo office in London. I found it fascinating to see the various photos, some of various people taken over decades. Sadly the particular photo office is now closed after having operated for over 50 years.

Lost Girls is book #2 in a series.  I read book one, Lilac Girls last year. Book 2 is set a generation earlier and is inspired by real life events from 1914 through to the Russian Revolution.  The book follows 3 strong women Eliza Ferriday, Sofya Streshnayva and Varinka. Eliza is a wealthy, New York philanthropist who helps Russian refugees.  Sofya Streshnayva is a Russian aristocrat and cousin to the Romanovs.  She becomes separated from her son Max during the Bolshevik Revolution. Varinka is a Russian peasant women hired as a nanny to care for Max but her associations eventually lead to danger for Max and his family.  I found it a little hard to keep everything straight in this sweeping story and I was interested in some aspects of it more than others.

Out of the 6 books in the above photo, my favourite was Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See. Three women arrive in the small and dustry pueblo of Los Angeles in 1870 during a time of anti-Chinese sentiment. The women all come from very different backgrounds but are brought together one night during the Night of Horrors.  This novel gives one an appreciation for what it is like going to a far flung country when civilian sentiments are against you and one's struggle for survival despite the hardships.

The Paris Daughter is a gut wrenching book.  In 1939 Paris, two young American artist and mothers Eliza and Juliette meet and become friends.  Both of them have young daughters and when Eliza has to flee due to her husband's arrest and becoming the target of the Nazi's, she leaves her daughter in the care of Juliette.  After various tragedies including a period in the concentration camp, Eliza searches for her daughter ultimately tracking both her & Juliette to New York City.  This story is powerful and gut wrenching dealing with themes of trauma, grief and love. 

Meet Me in Paris was a change of pace from the historical fiction that Ms. Harmel generally writes.  The book is set in contemporary times and which is appropriately all about love since it's set in Paris, the City of Love.  Nine Americans meet in Paris and what follows are 7 intertwined love stories, all very unique and some very bittersweet.  It was a pleasing reading experience.

In The Parisian Chapter a young American, Lily and her friend Mary Louise move to Paris from their small town in Montana. It's 1995 and they share a 6th floor walk up surviving on baguettes and French cheese. Lily wants to be a writer and Mary Louise wants to become an established painter. When Mary Louise suddenly moves out Lily is left alone trying to navigate a new chapter. She finds a job at the American Library in Paris and begins a written correspondence with Odile, a French woman who lives back in Montana and who also worked at the ALP.

Mansfield Park is a novel by the very well known English author of the 17th century, Jane Austen. I'd read this book a few years prior and enjoyed it so I thought I'd read it again.  I very seldom read books a 2nd or 3rd time because there are so many books I've yet to read a first time.  In the book, Fanny Price is sent to live with her well to do uncle and his family.  Over the course of time as she develops into a young lady she draws the interest of a well to do gentlemen who asks for her hand in marriage.  She refuses to accept him raising the concern of her uncle and other family members who pressure her to change her mind but she stands firm in her refusal to accept the offer of marriage.  Her refusal stems from what she's observed as a character flaw in her intended suitor and fiancé.  I won't say how the book ends in case you haven't read it yet and want to add it to your reading list.

Perfect Recipes for Having People Over is just exactly what it says. I found the book very useful in identifying potential meals and preparations for entertaining. Personally I enjoyed the recipes unlike some reviewers who didn't think the recipes passed muster for entertaining purposes.  Whether you agree or disagree will likely depends on your personal style and the kind of people you want to entertain. I found the recipes tasty looking and fancy enough without being too labour intensive or intimidating to try. If I was buying books I'd buy this one for a reference.

Out of books read this autumn my favourite book was Little Wonder followed by Daughters of the Sun and Moon. 

I have several books more books so I have lots of reading material for the rest of the year.. The next book that is ready for pick up is called The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenhoff(she wrote The Lost Girls of Paris see above at photo 1).  In this new book, Marta survives Nazi concentration camp and after escaping she meets Paul, an American soldier.  They make plans to meet in London but Paul dies in a plane crash so he doesn't show up.  (This kind of reminds me of the movie, An Affair to Remember when Cary Grant's character is supposed to meet Maureen O'Hara's character at the top of the Empire State Building.  On her way there she has a car accident and never meets him changing the trajectory of her life.  Anyway, I digress).  Eventually Marta meets and marries a kind British diplomat but her peaceful life is threatened when the British Government identifies her for an undercover mission.

Thank you for sticking with me and seeing what's been on my reading list. I'd be interested in hearing what books you're reading and in particular, what book you enjoyed most in 2026.