My TBR list doesn't exist. I've never really had one. Not in any formal form. If I had one, Vol 9 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion would certainly be on it, as I expect it to be released in 2026. I might also reread all the books leading up to it. But that is my "to be read" list. Now, I have already lined up several other books from Amazon to try starting tomorrow, more about them in a moment, but I'd hardly call that a TBR list. But other than those books, I don't know what I'll be reading in 2026. Indeed, to tell the truth, I'm approaching my 2026 reading with some trepidation. I don't know if I'll find many books that I want to read.
I guess I've always been on the cusp of running out of books to read. And sometimes I do. This is due, in large part, to being something of a fussy reader. I know what I like, and don't stray far from it. What I'm looking for is posted on every Saturday Morning Post book review.
I have, however, made real efforts over the last several years, to expand the types or genres of books I'm willing to read, with some great successes. I would never have discovered the Emma M Lion books if I hadn't given Jane Austen a try. Nor all those Georgette Heyer Regency romances that I've greatly enjoyed without a willingness to try something new. The problem is that I enjoy books more for the way they are written than the plot or genre, which makes the books I like harder to identify, since the writing I enjoy might be found in a variety of genres.
The problem going into 2026 is that I'm going in mostly empty handed. While there are still Heyer books to read, most of the remaining ones are either historical novels or mysteries, neither of which I can get too exited about. I'm not a fan of mysteries, and neither of hers that I've read have impressed me. And I'm finding that historical adventure stories are no longer my cup of tea either. There are plenty of L M Montgomery novels to read, but again, I'm not too excited about them either. I've read one of her non-Anne books, and while it was fine, it was not enchanting. Ellis Peters wrote quite a few books under her real name and other pen names, but a number of them are mysteries... and others may be hard to find.
Going forward I am going to have to pursue a number of new avenues if I'm to find books to read. I'll have to expand the number and types of book-tube channels and book bloggers I look in on for suggestions. I will have to look back on old books and authors I've enjoyed in the distant past, and see if I can track down more books from them, ideally on Gutenberg. And I'll have to see what I can find on Amazon as well.
I have made one move in that direction already. Amazon has been offering three months of Kindle Unlimited for $.99. I've taken them up on that offer, so I have three months to find my next favorite authors, if any exist, on KU. I had KU for several months earlier in 2025 and I found it hard to find books that interested me in the program, despite having several million books on offer. I'm going to have to try harder this time.
Indeed, I've started already. I picked up the Horowitz mystery book that I had on hold at the library. Now if this one works better than the first one I tried, there are several more books in that series that I can borrow and read. Plus, I found a Heyer book that the library doesn't offer.
And of course there are millions of self-published books to be found. I just have to come up with authors and titles that I thought were interesting, but not interesting enough to spend money on a digital file.
And if nothing else works, I can wander the shelves at the library. I have found books that way in the past.
2025 is going to be a hard year to top when it comes to reading. I've read some great books, and a lot of books as well. I'll sum up on my 2025 reading in January. Hopefully, I'll find new treasures in 2026. And if not, well, what's the point of having a wall of books, if not to revisit the best of them?
Nice to see all those Tom Swift books on your shelf, I have read many of them. I cut my teeth on the Tom Swift Jr. My memory tells me the editions were the yellow covers. I was in grade school in Billings when I started them. This was before the internet, circa 1976, and I wasn't able to find a bookstore that carried them, even though Billings MT was about 70k at the time. However, my parents would take me to visit my grandparents in Aberdeen SD and they had a bookstore there that carried them, so each trip I would return with a new one.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on finding some books that will bring you joy. You were right about the depiction of the non-english in his books. Luckily I don't tend to judge books by modern standards, but the standards of the time it was written so I found them an enjoyable read.
Did you ever read the Baum's OZ books?
The Tom Swift Jr books were the first books I collected, after discovering reading in 5th grade... ca 1961. I aways checked out the book section of Gimbles department store that carried them, picking them up as soon as they came out. And later, Tom Corbett et.al.
DeleteI first learned of the original Tom Swift books when "Tom Swifties" became popular for a moment. My dad took me down to the used bookstore in downtown Milwaukee and bought the 13 titles they had for $1 a piece. I think I liked them better; upstate NY in 1912 was a strange alien world to me. Fixing motorcycles might not be awe inspiring, but the stories were more engaging for the setting and time.
I never got into the Oz books; I don't recall seeing them in the library, but by that time, it was Heinlein juveniles and such I was looking for.
I look on the commonplace racism in old books as a testimony to how far society has come in the last 100 years. Still far to go, but progress is progress.
Thanks for commenting. I hope you have a great 2026, and find a lot of great books to read!