we're halfway through the year, so what is the best/your favourite book that you've read so far in 2026?
thank you so much for the tag @albonoooo 💞
fiction:
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
I'm cheating a bit here because technically we're talking about the 7 volumes of this series I read but they're all witty, charming and funny. They're not all 5 stars at all, in fact I only gave 5 stars to volume 5, but having a jane austen-esque heroine to root for and see the craziest things happen to her and discuss these books with other people has been so fun 💞 once again HIGHLY recommend doing the audiobook for this series, Genevieve Gaunt is an amazing narrator.
the 15 books I read in june and a short review of each one
1. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith - 3.5⭐
classic narrated by a precocious english teenage girl living in a decrepit mansion. the beginning of this book was delightful and very cozy and it had moments that made me laugh out loud but the entanglement of some characters' love lives was a bit boring.
2 and 3. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion volumes 6 and 7 by Beth Brower - 4⭐ and 3.5⭐
this series continues to be amazing and so heartwarming. half a star knocked down in volume 7 because I can't believe emma didn't choose the same man as me 🙄 once again of anyone wants to start this the audiobook is the ONLY way to go, it's so good that you'd be doing a disservice to yourself by not listening to it.
4. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson - 3.5⭐
this is the story of a forger that in order to save her life has to literally copy the soul of a dying emperor. once again sanderson's novellas are not as good as his full length novels but they're very fun!
5. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - 4⭐
Charles Ryder sees his Brideshead years as the only "real" thing in his life and over the years the other characters and the war bring him back to that house and each time is more melancholic than the last. I found the mix of deep rooted catholicism and the, frankly ahead of its time, several mentions of homosexuality in this book a fascinating mix.
6. Assim na Terra Como Embaixo da Terra by Ana Paula Maia (on earth as it is beneath translated by Padma Viswanathan) - 3⭐
this book was shortlisted for the international booker prize but Ana Paula's previous book was better to me. this is about a prison in the middle of nowhere, the few prisoners who survived it and the descent into madness the guy who runs it is going through.
7. The Children by Melissa Albert - 2⭐
this new release is being sold as fantasy when it's just in fact a literary fiction book and a very boring one at that. I do not care about these children. fuck them kids.
8. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie - 3⭐
a christie mystery with no poirot or miss marple and fun enough but far away from being one of her best works.
9. Foster by Claire Keegan - 5⭐
at this point in the month I was like "okay I need a five star IMMEDIATELY" so I hired the big guns (irish contemporary writers). the irish know how to suffer beautifully and how to make you suffer along, what can I say? this is a tiny book about a girl who goes to spend a summer with distant relatives because her mother is having another baby and needs less kids on her hands. heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
10. The Extra by Annie Neugebauer - 3⭐
spooky novella about a group going camping and suddenly there's an extra person but no one can remember who doesn't belong. that would never happen to me because I would never go camping. good luck everyone else though!
11. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe - 4⭐
PRK is such a good non-fiction writer, this is my second book by him and I enjoyed it immensely. this is the story of a 19 year old boy that fell to his death into the thames from the balcony of a luxury building. but there is SO MUCH behind that and I still have so many questions!!!!
12. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - 4⭐
this is a terrifying tale about how it doesn't matter how bad things are, a kid will always make it worse. the velociraptors are pretty scary too.
13. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - 4⭐
another hit for the verstappie book club and another delightful discussion! this is the sequence/prequel to the shadow of the wind and although not as good as the first it was very good (and way darker than the first).
14. The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery - 3.5⭐
this book pays homage to the golden age detectives and it's very fun! a footman and a batty old lady team up to solve a murder.
15. A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão by Martha Batalha - 3⭐
I don't think there's an english translation to this one, boo! this book is about the different lives of two sisters in Rio de Janeiro in the 40s. just women going through a bunch of bullshit that era made them go through.
I heard the Dutch anthem during world cup match and I was like 'omg! an old friend'. I can't believe I used to hum that anthem for a few days after the races because it would stuck due to hearing it every race lmao
I immediately have PTSD flashbacks of something we will never have again...
I only came into f1blr AFTER last year's title fight was over and finding out that you(who I think of as a cornerstone fixture of maxblr) used to be moots with passengerprincipessa (who might have been the first person I knee-jerk blocked when I got here bcs I saw smth anti max but then unblocked lol bcs I thought some reblogs of her posts were funny and I do also indulge in landoscar) is an incredible piece of f1blr lore for me omfg.
Its actually so funny like being on here post 2025 is like... I keep hearing vague rumblings of the Big Norstappen Rift and being like...what happened here lmao😭
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