Latest posts tagged with #read2026 on Bluesky
Photo of the book 'Hilbert', by Constance Reid'. The yellow cloth-bound hardcover has Hilbert's signature debossed into the boards.
Hilbert, by Constance Reid.
A great book, showing David Hilbert's passage from a bold young and ambitious mathematician to an old man surrounded by the ruin of the mathematics department in Göttingen in the 1930s. This helped me place a lot of names of […]
[Original post on mathstodon.xyz]
Photo of the cover of the book The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún by Tolkien, with illustration a photo of an old Scandinavian wood carving
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, by J.R.R. Tolkien (edited by Christopher Tolkien)
This is Tolkien's adaptation/telling of the matter of the Volsungs and the aftermath with the Huns, to bridge a most unhappy lacuna in the main source text for the Icelandic […]
[Original post on mathstodon.xyz]
Photo of the cover of The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise, by Christopher Tolkien, in a modern paperback issue
The Sage of King Heidrek the Wise, by Christopher Tolkien. This was the published version of Christopher's graduate thesis (he did a B.Litt. degree, roughly equivalent to a research masters in literature) that did a critical translation and edition of the […]
[Original post on mathstodon.xyz]
Photo of the cover of Beare's book "J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion". Part of the series Babel Handbooks on Fantasy and SF Writers, volume 10, from Nimrod Publications. The cover is yellow and has a black stylized illustration that looks like something from a piece of Classical pottery.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, by Rhona Beare.
Beare was an academic, a lecturer in classics in Newcastle here in Australia, and when younger had a correspondence with Tolkien in the 1950s and 60s. One of her questions led to the correction to the 2nd […]
[Original post on mathstodon.xyz]
Cover of the book Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. It's yellow and dark, showing a silhouette of a man in a long coat and hat with 2 hellhounds with red eyes watching the man.
Tenth book of the year.
I like the world building but Dresden is not an interesting character. I don't care what happens to him.
4 out of 7 knights
#booksky #read2026 #fantasybook
The cover of my copy of Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer. The illustration shows a boy in a suit and a girl with pointed ears wearing a high-tech bodysuit clinging to the outside of a train carriage.
#read2026
Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
Everyone from the first book is back to quell an inside plot in Fairy government and try to rescue Artemis’s rather from the Russian Mafiya. Extremely full of action and not as interesting to me as the first book. Still enjoyable though.
iPad showing book cover image: "Discipline" by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Abdel-Fattah on narrative control: who gets to tell the story of Gaza, and what it costs those who choose silence. Fiction is a lesson in empathy, which might explain the furore around this author. A good read but the message drove the plot rather than the other way round. #read2026
The cover of my copy of Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp, by Odo Hirsch. It shows an intricate border design in dark red over a maroon background, and then in the centre is an intricate oval design reminiscent of a peacock’s tail in gold. Over the top of this is what looks like a slightly crumpled piece of paper holding the title of the book in handwritten script in pink and purple, and taped on with coloured sticky tape.
#read2026
Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp, by Odo Hirsch
Amelia Dee’s house has an intricate lamp lighting the central staircase, which inspires her to start writing stories. A man who lives in an apartment below has an elderly yoga customer whose story is mysteriously connected to the lamp.
Cover of the book Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. A blueish snowy landscape with a black raven in the middle.
Eighth book of the year.
Travelling day is reading day.
Wanted more of the actual DI Perez but got mostly other people. It was an enjoyable read but not amazing. I think I want to read more about the investigation and not the perpetrator.
4,5 sheep of 7
#booksky #read2026
Seventh book of the year.
Liked the characters more than the plot. It was an okay read and I liked it being set somewhere else than the US of A.
3 and a half ghost cat out of 7.
#booksky #fantasybooks #read2026
The cover of my copy of The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. The background is a fancy wallpaper pattern dark blue on even darker blue, and on top of this an illustration in gold outline shows a winding staircase made of books, with three doors, one at the bottom, one in the middle and one at the top. The one at the top looks like an open book, and light shows through the doorway. The title is in large white letters over this illustration. A tagline says “Some doors should never be opened…”
#read2026
The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown
As he dies, a regular customer at Cassie’s book store gifts her a book which allows the holder to travel between any two doors. But it’s not the only magic book and dangerous people want to possess them at any cost.
iPad showing book cover image “The Rest of Our Lives” by Ben Markovits
Twelve years after his wife’s affair, once the children have left home, Tom goes on a road trip across America without a destination in mind. Someone is going to need to explain to me why this was shortlisted for the Booker …#read2026
The cover of my copy of Rebel Gods, by Will Kostakis. Under the title is a 3D maze with many stairs and arches and bridges drawn in gold and blue, with two women in off-the-shoulder dresses standing apart from each other. Above the title are three teenagers: a boy has a plant growing out of his hands, another boy has a sword strapped to his back, and a girl has fire encasing her hands.
#read2026
Rebel Gods, by Will Kostakis
The creator gods imprisoned some of their children millenia ago and Connor, Locky and Sally have to deal with them escaping their prison. Suspenseful and funny and poignant, and a great conclusion to the story started in Monuments.
iPad showing book cover image: “Audition” by Katie Kitamura
Kitamura follows an actress auditioning for roles on stage and in life—the parts we play, the selves we perform. Atmospheric, unsettling, and a compelling construction. #read2026
Finished The Confidence-Man today. I’m going to have to ruminate a bit, but it’s certainly Melville. #read2026
The cover of my copy of Ottilie Colter and the Withering World by Rhiannon Williams. A winged big cat flies towards the viewer, a teenage girl standing on its back brandishing a flute in one hand. All around fly creatures that look like dragons and ravens.
#read2026
Ottilie Colter and the Withering World by Rhiannon Williams.
The last book in the Narroway trilogy. The villain from the previous book tries to use Ottilie and her friends to awaken an ancient evil and enact her revenge on king and country. Much suspense and action, and a LOT of lore.
Sixth book of the year.
A total banger! I really liked this one. It's a nice story and I liked the whimsy. And the MC is so brave and very well written
7 out of 7 slices of cheese.
#read2026 #fantasybook #booksky 🪐📚
The cover of my copy of Ottilie Colter and the Master of Monsters by Rhiannon Williams. Above a green hill with a castle on it, a winged big cat flies, a teenage girl on its back shooting a bow and arrow.
#read2026
Ottilie Colter and the Master of Monsters, by Rhiannon Williams.
The dredretches that the Narroway Hunt hunts are becoming bolder and Ottilie and her friends work to make sure everyone can fight — even those not traditionally allowed — as well as to solve multiple mysteries.
The cover of my copy of Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt by Rhiannon Williams. With the sunset in the background, a young person with short hair wearing some sort of leather uniform and a bow and arrow kneels and pats the nose of a gigantic silver lion-like creature with wings.
#read2026
Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt, by Rhiannon Williams.
Ottilie’s brother is kidnapped and forced to become part of the Narroway Hunt, and she follows him, pretending to be a boy to find a way to get him out.
Fifth book of the year.
(Yes, I've missed to post some of the books here)
It was okay, but the three different personalities aren't distinct from each other and feel a bit too young.
I liked the world building, but the plot felt forced. It's not bad. 4/7 tentacles 🪐📚 #read2026 #fantasybook #booksky
iPad showing book cover image “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. It was a bit corny, the middle needed more propulsion, it felt written ready for a dramatic movie script, and the sister was completely unbelievable. And yet a small moment at the end had me in tears. Still a good read. #read2026
The cover of my copy of Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars. It shows a girl staring upwards in wonder, with a stone necklace around her neck and shooting stars surrounding her in a swirl.
#read2026
Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars
Hester pretends to be a boy to take the entrance exam for a navigation school, so she can find her father who was lost at sea. The story follows all the twists at the country manor where the school is hosted.
iPad showing book cover image of “The Magician” by Colm Tóibín
Tóibín novelises the life of the lauded German author Thomas Mann, including the rise and aftermath of Nazi Germany. I didn’t intend for this to be a paired text with present day events but it was chilling. #read2026
The cover of my copy of Comes the Night, by Isobelle Carmody. Between the author’s name and the title, against a starry sky, flies a bird with a real head and real tail feathers, but a body made of what looks like folded paper, with a variety of patterns in red and pink and orange.
#read2026
Comes the Night, by Isobelle Carmody
Will lives in a domed Canberra fifty years in the future, and stumbles upon a dark conspiracy, connected to the strange nightmares he keeps having involving his dead uncle and the electronic kite his uncle gave him.
The cover of my copy of The Last Hero, by Terry Pratchett, illustrated by Paul Kidby. The illustration shows a skinny old man in a loincloth and fur cape sitting on a throne with his head on his fist and a despondent look on his face. The background is in various shades of blue and has various faces and scenery.
#read2026
The Last Hero, by Terry Pratchett, illustrated by Paul Kidby.
Cohen the Barbarian sets out on a quest to return fire to the gods with interest, so the Patrician enlists Leonard of Quirm to design a way to get a team there to stop him, because an explosion on Cori Celesti may end the world.
iPad showing book cover image: “Assembly” by Natasha Brown
A young Black British woman in finance navigates ambition, racism, and the exhausting performance of belonging. Visceral and searing in just 100 pages. The microaggressions, the code-switching, the self-surveillance, and the choice she seems to be moving toward. #read2026
The cover of my copy of The Key to Rondo, by Emily Rodda. It shows a woman with very long blonde hair wearing a blue gown and a high gold crown. In one arm she holds a small fluffy dog with a gold collar and with the other hand she beckons to the viewer.
#read2026
The Key to Rondo, by Emily Rodda.
Leo inherits an exquisitely painted antique music box, and his cousin Mimi releases the evil Blue Queen from the world in the painting. They follow her into the world of Rondo to rescue Mimi’s dog.
The cover of my copy of Everless, by Sara Holland. The design shows an hourglass with blood instead of sand. At the top, the churning surface of the blood is the silhouette of a face. At the bottom, a stately home stands in a sea of blood. Everless in fancy silver lettering is written across the centre of the cover. The tagline says “Time is a prison. She is the key.”
#read2026
Everless, by Sara Holland.
The sci-fi/fantasy concept was very cool, but the writing is a bit uneven and the main character is a little too angsty for my taste. I don’t think I want to seek out the second book to find out what happens.
(More about the plot in next post.)
Drop a comment with your 2026 reading goal!
#read2026 #readerlife #bookish #2026books #readinggoals #bookstagram #booktok
Book cover “Flesh” by David Szalay
István doesn’t shape his life so much as drift through it - from adolescence in Hungary to war in Iraq and wealth in London. The double detachment - István from himself, reader from István - somehow creates profound empathy. Award-worthy? Unsure. But a story I’m still thinking about. #read2026
