It hasn't been that long since I posted
my first reading roundup for 2026, which means it must be time for a new seasonal reading list! Before we jump into my recs, let's review my reading habits so far this year.
So far in 2026, I've read twenty-one total books. Ten of those were new reads, and eleven were rereads (two full series). That account for all of January and February and the first week or so of March, so about two-and-a-half months. I feel like that's a bit on the low side but pretty on par with last year's pace. This time of year is busy in schools as we really start to get into the nitty gritty of our content. In my class, especially, January and February typically cover the toughest concepts and skills of the year. Those months are also the peak of hog show season, which means less free time for reading on top of the reduced mental space for deeper topics.
This is technically the second seasonal reading list for 2026. I published my
Winter Reading List in December with the knowledge that it would include January and February. That list included twenty titles total. I've read six of them so far, and I have started reading a seventh title. Let's check in with the rest of my 2025 reading lists.
Boy Swallows Universe
Author: Trent Dalton
This coming-of-age story is my March book club pick. It is about a young boy named Eli whose only steady adult influence is a notorious felon who holds the national record for successful prison escapes. Life's challenges are starting to stack up around Eli -- his father is lost, his mother's in prison, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. Meanwhile, he's falling in love for the first time, facing off against some truly bad guys, and trying to save his mom...all before starting high school.
The House at Mermaid's Cove
Author: Lindsay Jayne Alford
My April book club pick is written by one of my all-time favorite historical fiction authors. It's set during World War II on the shores of Cornwall where Alice has just washed ashore after she survived a German U-boat torpedo. She's found by Viscount Jack Trewella, who believes Alice is either a prisoner of war or a spy. Alice seizes the chance to reinvent herself, and as she begins to fall for the Viscount, she realizes she's not the only one with secrets.
Call the Canaries Home (May)
Author: Laura Barrow
This is my book club pick for May. It's set in a small southern town and revolves around a trio of sisters reuniting to dig up a time capsule twenty-eight years after they buried it. That was also the year Savannah's twin sister, Georgia, disappeared. Inside the time capsule, the sisters find a photo taken on the day of Georgia's disappearance, and in the background is a familiar woman. Savannah's sisters just want to move forward, but Savannah can't let it drop.
The Teacher
Author: Freida McFadden
I've never read anything by this author, despite her viral popularity. None of the ones that have been all over social media have interested me in the least, but this story caught my attention. Maybe because I'm a teacher. Anyway, this is about an inappropriate teacher-student relationship. Eve, a teacher who isn't involved in the scandal, believes there's more to the scandal than meets the eye. But the student involved, Addie, will do anything to protect her secrets.
The Lies They Told
Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
When Lena and her daughter arrive in America, they are separated from her mother and teenage brother who are deported back to Germany. A widowed family relative, Silas, reluctantly allows them to come live with him in Virginia, where Lena is expected to care for Silas's home and children. Already struggling to adjust to her new reality, things are made even tougher for Lena when a social worker from the Eugenics Office sends her away for promiscuity and feeblemindedness.
The People's Library
Author: Veronica G. Henry
I feel like this book is so timely right now, and even though sci-fi is not my typical genre, I'm pretty excited about this one. The People's Library is a collection of human consciousness. It includes humanity's greatest minds and historical figures who have been recreated through a controversial technology. An anti-tech rebellion is taking shape, and the library's curator finds herself at the crossroads.
The London Seance Society
Author: Sarah Penner
I have high hopes for this book after reading The Lost Apothecary and absolutely loving it. This one is about a psychic medium who's gained international fame for her work summoning the spirits of murder victims so that they can identify their killers. Lenna wants answers about her sister's death, but she is deeply distrustful of Vaudeline's process. In order to build that trust, Lenna takes on the role of understudy as Vaudeline attempts to solve a high-profile murder in London that involves the exclusive London Seance Society.
Chasing Stardust
Author: Erica Lucke Dean
This book gives me an Elizabethtown vibe, and I like that movie a lot, so fingers crossed this lives up to expectations. Zoey is traveling across the country spreading her mother's ashes. The trail she's following is David Bowie's 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour, along which Zoey's grandmother claims her mother was conceived. She also claims that David Bowie is Zoey's grandfather. The trip seems doomed to failure when Zoey breaks down outside Nashville, then she meets Dash at a diner and he offers to drive her the rest of the way.
The Second Mrs. Astor
Author: Shana Abe
I remember when the Titanic movie first came out way back when that I was kind of fascinated by the Astors, but I've never really learned much about them beyond the fact that John Jacob Astor went down with the ship in 1912. His wife, Madeleine Talmage survived and give birth to their son. There was a ton of scandal around their marriage, but after the disaster, Madeleine is regarded as a virtuous, tragic heroine. All that's left is for her to decide what's next.
This Book Will Bury Me
Author: Ashley Winstead
I've been into psychological thrillers lately, and this sounds like a good one. Having just lost her father, Jane dives into the world of online true crime forums. When three college girls are found brutally murdered in Idaho, Jane and her online friends become part of the investigation. An investigation filled with contradictions that feels scripted and too polished.
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