Everything I Read in January 2026
My new year reading has started off strong, featuring a mix of new books, re-reads, and TBR listings. I listened to a few great audiobooks, including Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck, and branched out from my usual themes with Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval. At the same time, revisiting a classic — Wuthering Heights — has made me curious to pick up more books I read in high school and college, to see how my experience with them has changed. If you’re looking to be more intentional with your reading this year, download my free reading tracker here to help you stay organized and discover patterns in what you love.
Of the 12 books I read this month, here are my top 3 favorites:
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang & Kate Quinn
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
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Table of Contents:
January 2026 In Books
(Note: books with an asterisk are currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
Contemporary Fiction & Romance
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
5/5 Stars
An epistolary novel, The Correspondent features a cast of characters all centered around an elderly protagonist who insists on corresponding via letter. Some letters are to authors and public figures, receiving no reply, but most are to relatives and friends, describing events of the protagonist’s life, both past and present. It takes a bit to get oriented in the book, and I think that is by design, because as you get deeper and deeper into the story, a clearer picture emerges — ironically, all while the protagonist’s eyesight diminishes. The audiobook was incredibly well done and very moving.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here. I highly recommend the audiobook, available here.
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams (Rome, Kentucky Series Book 4)
3.25/5 Stars
This was an entertaining and enjoyable romance, though not my favorite in the Rome, Kentucky series by far. The characters were well written, overall, but it didn’t come together for me the way the first three books in the series did. The audiobook was well done, but I found my attention drifting off. There were bits and pieces about the couples from the previous books, which I typically enjoy. However, there were not enough to make their updates a part of the plot — but enough to distract from the main storyline.
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
3/5 Stars
A short novel that I easily read in a night, Paradise Rot was intriguing, curious, and surreal. The characters are mysterious, despite a decided lack of boundaries between the protagonist and her roommate, and leaves the reader to fill in gaps in their personalities and stories. I found it to be a thought provoking and visceral read.
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
5/5 Stars
A collection of short stories in — and about — New England, The History of Sound was a unique audiobook experience that, at first, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy. However, by the end, I was gripped. There are some threads between the twelve stories, with overlapping plots both past and present, spanning three centuries. The audiobook was read by some fantastic narrators, including Paul Mescal, Jenny Slate, and Nick Offerman, among others.
The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here. I highly recommend the audiobook, available here.
Classic Literature
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
5/5 Stars
In preparation for the new movie, I reread Wuthering Heights for the first time in years. I first read it in early high school, I believe, and so much of the story was definitely lost on me the first time around. While reading it this month, I kept marveling at the dark and curious story — and wondering how anyone can think of it as a love story, really.
Bearing in mind that the story is narrated by a third party observer, the characters are all so troubling in different ways, their actions either aggressive or disjointed, especially since the narrator is not all-seeing (and, as such, the reader’s vantage point is limited). I’ll be interested to see how the new film adaptation plays out, and rereading this has piqued my interest in revisiting more classics.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
Historical Fiction
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
5/5 Stars
This has been on my TBR for some time, and I was inspired to pick it up — well, listen to the audiobook — because of the new film. The audiobook version I listened to was narrated by Jessie Buckley, who plays Agnes in the movie, and was incredibly well done. She brought the story to life in a way that makes me even more excited to see the movie.
The story is heartbreaking, of course, and you know that from the start. What is so compelling about it, though, is the way the author makes the waves of emotion blend with the mundane aspects of daily life, all while painting a robust picture of life during the Black Death — and without saying the name Shakespeare.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here. I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Jessie Buckley, available here.
The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang & Kate Quinn*
5/5 Stars
I love anything Kate Quinn writes, and The Phoenix Crown is no exception. Before this, I hadn’t heard of Janie Chang, but I want to look into her writing, as well, because the duo crafted an incredibly well-rounded novel together. The Phoenix Crown is a multilayered drama set against the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, California. Bouncing between two main characters, the novel illustrates different aspects of society through two women who, though they are in very different situations, both seek to escape their current circumstances. There is love, betrayal, art, and history, all wrapped into one moving book.
The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang & Kate Quinn is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
The Tarnished Crown Series by C.F. Dunn*
- Wheel of Fortune – 3/5 Stars
- Sun Ascendant – 3/5 Stars
- Degrees of Affinity – 3/5 stars
I read three of the four books in this series this month; the fourth book comes out in July. Overall, it was an enjoyable series, offering a unique view of the Wars of the Roses. The first book was rather confusing, I thought. I spent most of the first book thinking that the characters’ names were left unsaid because they were certain political and historical figures — this was probably because I had just read Hamnet — when they were not. This was not made any easier by the fact that so many fictitious characters have the same names as historical figures (IE: there is a woman with daughters named Elizabeth, Cecily, and Margaret, who is not Elizabeth Woodville).
However, the main character is fictitious, and finds herself embroiled in the politics of the day, despite being powerless at the hands of important men (who generally abuse her, so be warned). It’s been an interesting read — and available with Kindle Unlimited, which is a plus — but not my favorite. I’ll probably read the fourth book when it comes out.
The Tarnished Crown Series by C.F. Dunn is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
Daughters of New France Series by Aimie K. Runyan*
- Promised to the Crown – 4/5 Stars
- Duty to the Crown – 4/5 Stars
Available on Kindle Unlimited, this historical fiction series offered an interesting look into the lives of women who left France for Quebec in the second half of the 17th century. The novels each focus on a generation of the settlers, with the first telling their different stories before and after setting sale for Quebec, and the second illustrating the second generation’s experience. I had a tough time keeping the characters straight at first, but they quickly became well-rounded individuals within the context of the novels. Overall, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into a chapter of history I don’t know much about.
Daughters of New France Series by Aimie K. Runyan is available from Amazon here and Bookshop.org here.
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*Some of the novels featured here were gifted to me as part of various book review programs in which Cats & Coffee participates.
