My Top Three Reads So Far This Year
So many books, so little time. Okay, that is a cliché. But a cliché becomes one because it is true. So I’m sticking with it.
My reading year is off to a great start. I’ve completed 15 books so far in January and February, and I wanted to share my favorite ones (two novels and one non-fiction). I’ve shared my rating system before, but here is what I mean when I rate a book either four or five stars:
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved it. Will recommend to others.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
5⭐️
Oh. My. Goodness. Someone in my book club recommended this book, and I’m so glad I listened to that recommendation. I loved everything about the story, even the really hard bits (dealing with poverty, nursing homes, loneliness, dementia, etc.). Love oozes out of the pages of this story. Fred is a wonderful character. Amazing. Believable. One of my favorites ever, I think, even at the age of 82. Closer to the end of the book, when I realized what Fred was going to do to make certain Hannah would benefit from the truth, I gasped out loud. During the story I also laughed out loud and cried real tears. It is beautifully written, and if you treat yourself to the audiobook, the narrator’s Aussie accent will pull you even deeper into the story.
The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright
4.25🌟
Francine Rivers told me about this book several months ago. Wow! Am I ever glad I gave it a read. In many ways this is a homage to the joy of reading and the importance of stories in every culture. It’s also about a love birthed in harsh realities. Perhaps it was a little longer than it needed to be, and it failed to make me cry, even though I think it should have. Nonetheless, I loved it and will recommend it to others. In addition, the audiobook narrator’s accent (whether real or acted) brought the story to life as I listened and made me feel very present.
Bringing Heaven Here by Brad Gray and Brad Nelson
4.5🌟
I have learned so very, very much about reading the Bible in context through the ministry of Walking the Text, especially their teaching series videos. Therefore I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it. I was not disappointed. The subtitle is “How The Lord’s Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World,” and the text takes us to many places in Scripture to help us understand this prayer that Jesus told His followers (including me) to pray. The authors remind us of the danger of familiarity that can steal away the power and purpose within this prayer. This book helps us guard against that. I suspect I will dip into this book again in the future, and I highly recommend it to others.
What are the best books you’ve read in the first (not quite) two months of 2026?
~robin
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I finished The Book of Hours by Davis Bunn in January and really enjoyed it. A man grieving the loss of his wife discovers her aunt in England left him her castle in her will. It’s old and run down, and he has no money, so he plans to sell it. The people in the surrounding village are not happy with him. Then he discovers his late wife’s aunt left him a letter with clues to find something within the castle that will affect the whole town.
Thanks for sharing, Barbara. I have enjoyed a number of Davis Bunn’s books, but haven’t read that one.
My top read out of 10 books so far is Whispers at Painswick Court by Julie Klassen. I rated it 5 stars. This is a true Gothic mystery with great characters, surprises, and a number of twists that will keep you guessing. One of Julie’s best!
Thanks for the recommendation, Betty.
Just this morning at breakfast I finished Graceful Influence: Making a Lasting Impact through Lessons from Women of the Bible by Lori Stanley Roeleveld. I love digging into the lives of women of the Bible, and this book did a wonderful job of comparing and contrasting positive and negative examples from the lives/choices of women in Scripture. So much rich application for our lives as women today. I think someone from this blog might have recommended it, maybe even you, Robin. I don’t remember who, but I’m so glad I picked up a copy.
It wasn’t me, Karen, but I am making note of it now. Thanks, Karen.
Wow. All three of those sound great! More to add to my list. I think my best read of 2026 so far is The Correspondent. I absolutely love a well-done epistolary novel.
I am reading The Correspondent right now, D’Ann. I’m loving it. Deb Raney recommended it to me, and I’m so glad she did.
My reading has slowed down this year. So far I’ve only read 6 books. Of those I really enjoyed Sarah Sundin’s Midnight on the Scottish Shore and The Pursuit of Elena Bradford by Ann H. Gabhart.
One book I received for review purposes was And They Were Persuaded by Naomi Craig & Donna E. Lane–which I enjoyed. Now I’m reading their first book, And The Numbers Grew, and it is excellent!
I find I read Kindle books slower than actual physcial books.
Thanks for sharing those titles, Martha.
And They Were Persuaded By Naomi Craig and Donna E. Lane and the After Climeri series Books #7-14 (I have a tendency to binge.)
That’s two mentions of And They Were Persuaded!! Thanks, Lauraine.
Mine are Heart of Heart of Winter by Johnathan Everton (great on audio) and my current read Edge of Trust by Janice Cantore. I dare you to stop after you read the first chapter.