READ ON
12 titles to consider adding to your list
BOOKS
What's the plan — you do have one, right? No, not one for your budget or your life choices (sure, fine, do those too) — but I'm asking about your reading plan in 2026.
At a time when many have already abandoned their New Year's resolutions, some people remain serious about their reading goals and tracking them.
Last year, I tried harder to document my reading and — wouldn't you know it — I ended up reading more last year than ever before. Another benefit of keeping tabs? Looking at my list from the first weeks of 2026, I realize I'd already completely forgotten about a book I'd enjoyed just two weeks ago.
So, what's the plan for this year? To keep hitting the books, that's what.
Current events, history and more
Are you going to wade into the fastmoving swirl of current events? If so, you might pick up Elizabeth Buchanan's "So You Want to Own Greenland? Lessons from the Vikings to Trump," which offers a brisk, informative look at the island's long history and interactions with outsiders, from Erik the Red's lost settlements to the current administration's interest there.
Buchanan, a "polar geopolitics expert who co-founded the polar warfare program at West Point" and was head of research for the Royal Australian Navy, manages to balance a deep understanding of the island with a penchant for pop culture references, including "Sex and the City," Andre the Giant and James Blunt.
Possibly, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, you might want to get a copy of the award-winning "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space" by Adam Higginbotham (who also wrote the excellent "Midnight in Chernobyl").
I'm working my way through this one between other reading and am stunned at its deep research and compelling narrative, especially as I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to revisit the devastating moment when the world watched on TV as the space shuttle's seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, died as Challenger came apart less than two minutes into the flight.
And I just got a copy of "Nicola Griffith: She Is Here," which collects essays, poems and short stories by the author. I've already mentioned how much I like her recently reissued Aud Torvingen crime thrillers, and Liz Ohanesian interviewed her about her novel "Menewood," so I'm looking forward to checking out this collection.
FICTION
If you’re going to be reading more new fiction, this is a good time to start. Some intriguing reads recently hit stores:
■ “Vigil” by George Saunders
■ “Passage to Tokyo” by Poppy Kuroki
■ “Missing Sam“ by Thrity Umrigar
■ “The Seven Daughters of Dupree” by Nikesha Elise Williams
■ “When We Were Brilliant” by Lynn Cullen
■ “The Final Score” by Don Winslow
NONFICTION
A selection of recent nonfiction releases includes:
■ “Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island” by Mike Pitts
■ “Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made” by Austin McCoy
■ “The Crown’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas” by Brooke N. Newman
