Hello, everyone!
Somehow this is only my second post of the year. Yikes. One of these days I’ll get a consistent schedule going again. How has everyone’s 2026 been treating them? It was a rough, icy winter where I live in Virginia, and I’m very excited to finally see green grass and blooming flowers — and to hear so many birds singing! I’ve never looked forward to spring more.
Before fully plunging into spring, though, I wanted to recognize the few books I’ve read so far this year!
Reading
In 2025, I got serious about writing a more polished draft of my eternal work in progress, “Project Assassin”. In my “getting serious”, I’ve decided to read more writing craft books, and Deborah Chester’s The Fantasy Fiction Formula is one of them! I found her method for creating scenes and “sequels” extremely helpful.
My one complaint is that–aside from some references to magic–all of this book’s information could be applied to any genre. I was hoping for more fantasy-specific advice (like creating geography, politics, customs, races, magic systems, etc.), but it is The Fantasy Fiction Formula, so it’s understandable that it prioritizes story structure and conflict.
As a memoir/self help book, Wintering by Katherine May isn’t something I typically opt for. However, I did appreciate how May gleans from a wide variety of places to form thoughts and practices, drawing from religion/mythology, scientific studies, behaviors in nature, poetry, etc.
My main complaint about the book is that the narrative felt a little unfocused, ascribing winter as either the actual cold season or when we withdraw in difficult times, not so much entwining the two towards a main theme/point.
Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation was cute, but my tolerance for quirk in books is apparently quite low. I think my main gripe with romance novels is that they often feel very contrived. The characters are created to fall in love, and any of their goals are to fill in some gaps, not put a real person on the page. For me, it lacks the context to be fully believable/satisfying.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book. I liked it well enough (although I admittedly enjoyed the movie more). If you have any romance recommendations for people who don’t typically enjoy the genre, please let me know! I don’t know if this was the absolute best book to test the genre with.
Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is hands-down my favorite book I’ve read in quite some time! It does a brilliant thing by merging the tangible mundane and an elusive otherness (which can also be said for one of my favorite series, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater). I never read this middle grade classic as a child, so I’m making up for that now!
I’ve read Disfigured by Amanda Leduc in various spurts since the summer, and it’s such an intriguing book, if a bit repetitive. Its discussions on fairy tales and disability have a lot of insight to impart. As a writer, it’s also an excellent resource, contextualizing a lot of familiar archetypes and deconstructing harmful storytelling clichés.
Books Completed: 5
Most Read Genre: Nonfiction
Top Intended Audience: Adult
Started but Haven’t Finished
- The Obelisk Gate (Broken Earth, #2) by N. K. Jemisin
- Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton
- Celtic Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Sorcha Hegarty and Aron Hegarty
- A Wind in the Door (Time Quintet, #2) by Madeleine L’Engle
Writing
In March, I finally finished the first draft of a novel I started way back in 2023, Project Hometown!
The (very rough) finished draft sits at 78,288 words, 9,132 of those words written this year!
UP NEXT: I’m planning to start writing a short story soon. After that, I’ll either work on draft 3 of Project Assassin or start a new manuscript! Either way, I’d really like to get back into the swing of a writing routine. Maybe this blog would benefit from it too!
How has your 2026 reading been thus far? Have you found any new favorites? Least favorites? Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned here? What books are you hoping to read this spring? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Little Bit of All That 