January 2026 reading is a wrap! Did you have a favorite January read?
January 2026 Reading Wrap Up
January Summary: Quiet January is one of my favorite reading months, and I’m off to a solid start! Out of 15 books completed, I had two 4.5-star reads that can be easily rounded up, eight 4-star reads, and five3-3..5-star reads. One DNF.
My most page-turning fiction read in January was Where the Wildflowers Grow by Tarah Shelton Harris.
Cussy is my January Captivating Characters of the month. Join the Link Party for #CaptivatingCharacters26 hosted by yours truly (details in the linked post). Check it out and link up (blog post, goodreads reviews, etc.) with me!
***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
ARC=Advanced Readers Copy (complimentary copy for review before pub date)
Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn
4.5 Stars. Narrative Nonfiction (WWII Germany and Pearl Harbor);. Complicated Family Drama. Family Secrets. Espionage. My review of Family of Spies here.
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Tarah Shelton Harris (ARC)
4.5 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction. Survival/New Beginning. Found Family. Diverse Read. Alabama. Pub Date: 2/17/2026
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder (MG)
4 Stars. Middle-Grade Children’s Fiction (Classic). Family Life. South Dakota. Not reviewed.
Shared Secrets for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction (WWII home front). #4 in the Home Front Nurses series. Nursing. Family Life. Friendship. Women Supporting Women. England. Review coming on pub date: 2/13/2026.
The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson (ARC)
4 Stars. Historical Fiction (1950s). #3 in the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series. Literacy. Libraries. Books About Books. Racism. Kentucky. Cussy was my Captivating Character of January. Pub Date: 4/21/2026.
The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury (Novella)
4 Stars. Christian Contemporary Fiction (Novella 208p). Romance. Christmas. Columbus, Georgia. Not yet reviewed.
Kin by Tayari Jones (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction. Friendship. Complicated Family Drama. Mothers/Daughters. Diverse Read. Louisiana. Review coming on pub date: 2/24/2026.
Abscond by Abraham Verghese (Short Story)
4 Stars. Historical Fiction (1960s). Short Story. Complicated Family Drama. Coming of Age. Character-driven. Grief. New Jersey. Well-written, but I wished for a more satisfying conclusion. Not yet reviewed.
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Romance. Fake Relationship. Rhode Island. Review coming on pub date: 5/26/2026.
You Belong With Me by Beth Moran (ARC)
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction. Saving the Island from developers with a side of Romance. Isle of Siskin (Ireland). Review coming on pub date: 2/8/2026.
The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudia Gray (ARC)
3.5 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction. #5 in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney series. FINALLY, we have some progress in the Julia and Jonathan’s romance, the slowest of slow-burn romances. Cozy Mystery. Autenesque. England. Review coming on Pub Date: 6/16/2026.
Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra (ARC)
3.5 Stars. Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Inspired by a classic. Mackinac Island, Michigan. My review of Anne of a Different Island here.
The Forever Cottage by Jill Steeples
3 Stars. Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Uplit. Cotswolds. Read this because I received an ARC of the next installment. Not Reviewed.
Healing Hearts at the Forever Cottage by Jill Steeples (ARC)
3 Stars. Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Uplit. #2 in the Lower Leaping series set in the Cotswolds. Review coming on pub date: 2/19/2026.
The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People by Meik Wiking
3 Stars. Nonfiction. Essays. Self Improvement. Not reviewed.
DNF
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Bored. Pointless. DNF at 31%. (2 Stars for what I read)
QOTD:
Did we read any of the same books?
Did you have a favorite January read?
January Blog Posts
Captivating Characters of January
Generations Review
Author Spotlight: Debut or New-To-Me
Family of Spies Review
The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West Review
Bookish Goals 2026
The Belle of Chatham Review
Anne of a Different Island Review
10 Favorite Audio Books
Daughters of Green Mountain Gap Review
Underrated Gems of 2025
2025 Blog Reflections
The London Bookshop Affair Review
Best of the Best 2015-2025
Most Memorable Reads of 2025
FREE Book Club Kits
2025 Reading Stats and 2026 Goals
Happy Reading Book Friends!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
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“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
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