I started 2026 by reading 7 excellent books in the month of January. This was definitely the month I got into historical fiction. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was a fast-paced historical crime mystery that follows a fiercely independent and outspoken midwife in the 18th century Maine. The Glovemaker by Weisgarber is a slower, somber read set in Utah in 1880s - I learned a lot about the Mormons and polygamy. Finally, my favorite read of the month was What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Set in the 1920s-30s it follows the fate of a young woman who is committed to an insane asylum simply for talking back to her father and wanting to make decisions about her own life.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is set in a near future on a remote island off the coast of Antartica. An environmental disaster is ravaging the planet, and the rising waters and unusual weather patterns threaten the seeds vault that is housed on the island.
This month I finally re-read one of my favorite fantasy novels The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and read two non-fiction books: Mad at School by Margaret Price and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Overall, this was an excellent reading month and I hope to read more historical fiction in February.
