Spike's 2026 Reading List!
Well well well here we are again! Starting the list off this year a few days late (I finished my first book of the year on the 10), but better late than never!
For those of you that are new to the reading list I keep, I mostly record books and authors as the year goes on, write up little blurbs about my overall thoughts, and assign them an entirely arbitrary rating from 0 (Did Not Finish) to 10 (adored it entirely). Points can be awarded or deducted for: characterizations, overall writing style, vibes, whether the book complimented my morning coffee, irritating side characters, whether I think the author has bad opinions, etc.
If you'd like to review last year's list you can click the link here. I also have a Storygraph account where I update my progress on what books I'm currently reading, and you can see my "to be read" list! We can also be book friends if you'd like!
And of course, if you ever have a question about a book on the list, or just want to talk about it, my ask box is open and I am happy to reply!
The Last Great Mountain: The First Ascent of Kangchenjunga, Mick Conefry - Solid 6 stars - this is a matter of fact book about the history of one of the less-written-about 8000ers, and I overall really enjoyed it. A good read for anyone interested in mountaineering! 6.5/10
The Hiding Place, CJ Tudor - So the writing style is great, and the characters are interesting. The problem is they’re also pretty much all terrible people, and the story for all its supernatural window dressing is mostly a story about terrible people doing terrible things to each other, and also there’s ghosts. It’s a fun enough read if you’re looking for something spooky, but with a slow start and sort of a cliche ending it’s overall pretty average. 5/10
Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster, Andrew Leatherbarrow - Although a little bit dry in places, the author kept things moving well with memories of his trip to Pripyat and Chernobyl, and he did a great job of not getting too in the weeds with the details. I would have liked a little more detail about the timeline of the accident, including the lead up and minutes surrounding the accident itself, but this book did a great job covering much of the remediation, which was intensely interesting. 7/10
In a Dark, Dark Wood, Ruth Ware - Well-written, compelling, and such a page-turner! The last 1/3 had me reading as fast as I could to see how it would turn out. Great, fun read! Ware is making a place for herself on my favorite authors list for sure! 8.5/10
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party, Daniel James Brown - This book was great. Detailed, methodical, and well researched, it brings you on the cold, terrible journey the Donner party endured. It doesn’t spare the grisly facts but doesn’t dwell on them, either. I enjoyed how comprehensive it was, and how the writer did a great job leaving you feeling cold horror as he slowly laid out the facts and the journey as it unfolded. Also the title is a real banger. 8/10
Lost in the Jungle, Yossi Ghinsberg - Okay full disclosure: I listened to the audiobook. And overall this is legitimately an amazing story of survival - I couldn’t stop listening which is saying a LOT because the narrator was atrocious. Ghinsberg’s tale is almost unbelievable, a thrill all through, but somehow also leaves you feeling at loose ends with the lack of resolution in some aspects of the story, though I doubt that’s the fault of the narrator (although this too is up for debate - everyone’s got a theory). Well worth the read for any fans of adventure books, but not worth the listen honestly until it’s re recorded by someone who can actually read aloud. 6.5/10
Strange Phenomena, Peter Henshaw - Gorgeous photos accompany brief blurbs about a wide variety of “strange” subjects, although strange is in the eye of the beholder. Ranging from things like stigmata and ghosts to the Grand Canyon, each little section has enough information to give you an overview, although nothing is particularly in-depth. Still, it was entertaining and as mentioned, some of the included photos are really stunning (okay maybe not the ghost ones but the natural wonders? Yes). 6/10
Just Like Home, Sarah Gailey - Deliciously spooky, haunting, and tense. The story pulled me along to figure out what was going on the whole time, and I enjoyed it very much - a great haunted house story if that’s your thing! 8/10
Braiding Sweetgrass: indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer - This is just a really wonderful book - the author blends her obvious botanical expertise with indigenous traditions and stories to pull plants we all see every day to the forefront and let them shine. Deeply worthwhile, and if read with an open mind I’m sure it will cause you to stop, look around, and reflect on the delicate, gorgeous world all around us. The sobering last chapter highlights the precarious position we humans currently find ourselves in as well, but leaves hopeful seeds all throughout to inspire movement and change for a better world. 10/10
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Heather Fawcett - I picked this book up from a “blind date with a book” based on the fact that a very basic description sounded like something I would enjoy - although I never would have picked this myself, I truly DID enjoy it. A fun, snowy romantasy that twists and turns around a few surprising bends and secret plots, as one can expect with faeries. The world building was really interesting too, and I’m happy to see there are more books in the series because I’d like to spend a little more time in the world! 7.5/10
The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides - This book was … good until it wasn’t. I was tearing through it - I LOVE the writing style - and then the twist. And. I’m not sure why, but the twist just fell flat. I think because it was the cliche ending that was so blatantly trite that I assumed the author wouldn’t do that? I had been told how good this book was so many times, and how the twist was so good, so I ASSUMED it wouldn’t be the obvious “twist” possibility but then it was. So … I still liked it to be clear, and I would read this author again because the writing is GOOD. I just wish the ending hadn’t been so done. 7.5/10
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, Kevin Fedarko - Although this is a good story, the thing that just kept bugging me the entire way through was the absolute audacity of the author and his co-hiker, Pete. Repeatedly throughout the book they fail to take things seriously, assume things will be fine, and then either waste the time of more serious companions or worse, put them in danger. I was interested to hear about the Canyon, the ecology, and the history, and I appreciate that the author included all of that as well as the politics of the indigenous people of the area surrounding the Canyon, but I just kept getting distracted wondering when the author was going to get someone killed. 5/10
Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson - I really liked this book - a wonderful blend of history and modern exploration, and so well researched! The information about diving was fascinating, and some of the scary moments had me on the edge of my seat. But for all the loss and danger the book also does tells a great story of Kohler and Chatterton’s mission to put a name to the ship and the men on it and bring closure to the mystery. 8.5/10
Highfire, Eoin Colfer - After reading the reviews I was not expecting to like this book, but to my surprise it was just overall very fun. The writing style was lovely, and I thought Colfer did a really nice job with the dialogue - I could read his “southern accent” all day. A fun book and a solid read, especially for any fans of dragons. 7/10
What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall - Run of the mill thriller: guarded, traumatized woman visits her past and meets a strange new man with a shadowy past who she falls for/trusts implicitly after 72 hours (she laments this of course but doesn’t change anything). Various attempts at murder ensue. A fun summer read I guess with the backdrop of the woods of the Pacific Northwest, but the insta-romance between the main character and the mysterious man required a little too much suspension of disbelief for me. 5/10
Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters, Serhii Plokhy - This area of history is always very interesting to me, and so I overall really enjoyed this book. I went into it knowing quite a bit about TMI and Chernobyl, but the other events covered are things I’d either never read much about at all (Khyshtym) or was very interested in learning more about (Fukushima). It did get a little dry/into the weeds once or twice, but not often enough to detract much from the narrative. The audiobook narrator did a great job too, so overall a solid book.
Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green - I liked a lot about this book - the history of the disease, the drugs to fight it, and Henry’s story especially - but there were parts of it that I found repetitive, and other parts where I feel like the author was trying to be clever, or where I felt he unnecessarily inserted/centered himself, to the detriment of the narrative. I still liked the book to be clear, and a lot about it will stick with me, but I’m not sure I’ll pick up anything else by this author. 6/10
Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, Margot Lee Shetterly - Having only seen bits of the movie, it surprised me how little this book was about NASA/the space race, and how much it really was about racism, civil rights, and incredibly strong/smart/driven women. The author did a great job conveying the stories of these engineers and mathematicians, and I enjoyed learning about their lives and their journeys very much. 7.5/10
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, Rebecca Thorne - This is not really my usual genre, but I did give it a shot on a recommendation. It’s not a bad book, but it’s also not a great book. It’s very much fine. Cozy, meandering, and kind of corny if I’m honest, but if that’s your type of thing it isn’t a bad read. If you like the “coffee shop AU” genre of fanfiction this one’s for you. 5/10
The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder, Douglas Preston - An interesting collection of articles. Some of them were more intriguing than others, and I felt some dragged on a little longer than they needed to, but overall I enjoyed them! I really liked the information about archaeology - I didn’t realize it was a field fraught with such conflict! In general a very interesting book, and mostly enjoyable. 7/10
The Island, Natasha Preston - Sometimes you have to read a bad book to remind you how wonderful good books are, and this served the purpose for me. It’s essentially a summer slasher, but strung together with unlikeable characters and writing that is simplistic and yet at times also somehow confusing. There was more than one occasion in which I had to go back and re-read a page or two because some character had done or said something and the author had never really mentioned them being there, or had inferred they’d left. All that said, it’s a nice, brainless read with plenty of running and gore, so if you’re in the mood for that it will do the trick. 3.5/10
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers, Nick Offerman - Admittedly this book was not what I expected. Well, the first few chapters were, in that they focused on historical figures, and then it took a bit of a turn into the author writing mostly about his friends. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable, because Offerman is funny, and I could listen to those dulcet tones forever, but I was kind of hoping for a little more history. Still, I liked the book. It has some really poignant moments, and some big thoughts to chew on. It also has a strong central theme of kindness, which I appreciate tremendously, even if the text does get a little preachy sometimes. 7/10
When The Wolf Comes Home, Nat Cassidy - Wow. Wow wow wow. This book drags you along through ALL the feelings and then punches you a few times on the way. It’s horror, it’s supernatural, it’s absolutely heart-rending. The story is both huge and small and sticks the landing in an incredible way, and doesn’t once let you go, not even after you close the book. 10/10
Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect, Benjamin Stevenson - Firecracker! No really it was quite good. I feel like the author did hammer the mystery rules a little too hard, but the writing is witty and the story is fun, so I can forgive it. I loved the first book in the series and although this doesn’t have quite the same level of excitement it was still a really enjoyable read. 8/10
Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-rays, and Isotopic Murder — a Journey Into the Wild World of Nuclear Science, James Mahaffey - The book starts out strong exploring the experiments and debunking of N-rays, and there are high points throughout (the cold fusion experiments for example), but at other points things get a little dry and slow; I would find myself drifting off here and there and thinking about other things. That said it was still enjoyable, and I feel like I learned about the topic presented, so overall above average! 6/10
