My 2026 Book Challenge - Increasing the Spectrum
If you want to write, you need to read a lot of books.
2025 was an incredibly fulfilling year for me as a reader. I actually completed my goals of 25 books in 2025, which was a first for me!. While I held onto some of my comfort zone genres (science and science fiction), I also recognized as the year progressed for the need to challenge myself to broaden my spectrum a bit. As a result, in 2025 as part of a sub-challenge with my daughter, five of these titles were international. To be honest, these were the highlights of my year.
So for this year, I set the goal for 26 books (you may see a pattern), and 6 international titles. I’ll be updating the list below as the year progresses, but I’m interested in your thoughts, and recommendations.
So let’s start with the books of 2026!
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
What a way to start the challenge! While this is at first glance this appears to be just a science book about fungi, it is actually a call to look at all life (and not just warm fuzzy mammals) from a very different perspective, As an evolutionary biologist, this book not only caused me to think about how life is interconnected on so many levels.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
This book has absolutely nothing to do with birds. In fact, it only briefly uses the word bird. Instead, it a look at the life of being a writer from the perspective of a teacher. The humor, sarcasm, reality, and ultimate personal rewards make this a book worth reading for any inspiring writer.