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Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Goals for 2026

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Bookish Goals for 2026

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2025

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is our bookish goals for 2026. Check out the other posts on Jana’s blog. I’m really interested to see other people’s posts.

I feel like I’ve posted some really intense goals for the last several years, and I’m not sorry. It helps me to focus and read books in areas I might otherwise neglect. But it also means I fill my reading calendar to overflowing in the rush to check off books on my reading list.

This year, I’m wondering if I can find a gentler approach that leaves me some flexibility while also giving my reading life a bit of structure. Here are the goals I came up with.

1. Read a poem every day.

I started this last year after reading Why We Read by Shannon Reed. She struggled to read poetry and felt bad about it, but discovered that one poem per day was a really sustainable pace for her. I tried this in 2025, and though I took a bit of a break this fall, it was very successful for me. Absolutely worth repeating this year. I got a few poetry books for myself this Christmas, so I’m armed and ready for this.

2. Connect with Other Bloggers/Reviewers

In 2025, I connected with some KidLit book bloggers who meet once per month for a Zoom chat and post on the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, and It’s Monday, What Are You Reading weekly memes. It’s been so much fun to talk to other reviewers and bloggers about kidlit. We even have a quarterly book club meeting, so I get to talk to actual humans about a book we’ve all read. It’s heavenly. I’m excited to continue in 2026.

3. Finish Some Book Series

In 2024, I started using a Reading Tracker spreadsheet that I really like, so I now have a record of the series I’ve started and intend to finish. I’d love to pick a few from this list and prioritize catching up or finishing the whole series.

4. Journal Regularly

When my oldest daughter was little, we started a Mommy & Me Journal and wrote letters back and forth to one another. I still have the journal, and over the years, I’ve periodically written to her again in its pages. I think I’d like to keep doing that more deliberately this year and start writing to my littlest. I like the idea of leaving behind a record of memories and encouraging words for them to read someday.

5. Visit My Library

Over the summer last year, my daughter and I visited the library about once per week. It was a great way to get us out of the house and give us new books to read. When school started, we dropped back to visiting about once every two or three weeks, and I’d like to continue doing that.

6. Create a Bookish Workspace for Myself

For the last 10 years, I have worked at the dining room table using my laptop. Every evening, I have to pile up whatever I was working on and put it all away so we can use the table for dinner. (There are six of us in our house, so we need the whole table!) Over the summer, my partner and I crafted a plan to create a permanent workspace in the front room of our home. Some work/health/family hoopla tabled the project, but I’m excited to get started this year.

7. Preorder 12 Books in 2026

Preorder sales really help authors. While I want to be careful to read more of the books I actually own, I want to choose one book coming out each month this year and preorder it as a gift to my future self.

This is kind of a cheat goal since I preordered seven books on January first, to add to the two I’d already preordered for this year. Here’s what I have on preorder so far:

8. Read Books I Own

In previous years, I have used two reading challenges (Book Riot’s Read Harder and Austine Decker’s Beat the Backlist) to motivate myself to read books I already have on my shelves. The first year I did this, it really energized me to read books on my TBR. Last year, my approach to the challenges was more of an afterthought.

This year, I am going to try something different. I might try to jump into a couple of weekend readathons, or pick a small project for the month, like reading a certain author’s backlist or finishing a series.

9. Continue to Self-educate Through Reading

I don’t have a firm plan for this yet. It might be nice to feature one nonfiction book for each celebratory month (Black History Month, National Native American Heritage Month, Disability Awareness Month, PRIDE Month, etc.). That’s not the only time of year to read these books, but it might help me to have specific targets.

10. Notice What Excites Me About Reading

I like the idea of leaning into whatever is exciting me about reading. I read a wide range of genres, so this could take me all over the map. If I can pay attention to what’s energizing me as a reader, I think setting shorter-term goals, like reading a particular series I’m excited about or catching up on an author’s backlist, will be really fun.

What are your bookish goals for 2026?

I’d love to hear about your reading plans for this year. Are any of my goals similar to the ones on your list?

If goals are too structured or anxiety-inducing, leave a comment and let me know what bookish event (book release, conference, author event, book you want to read, etc.) you’re most looking forward to this year.

MMGM Review: Eureka by Victoria Chang

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Eureka
Victoria Chang
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published January 27, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Eureka

A novel-in-verse by poet Victoria Chang that relates the tragic events surrounding the 1885 expulsion of Chinese Americans from Eureka, California.

Love illuminates the dark.

The year is 1885. San Francisco is dangerous for Chinese immigrants like twelve-year-old Mei Mei. She must venture on her own, without her family or friends, to Eureka, California, where it is supposedly safe.

But 300 miles from home, Mei Mei misses her Ma Ma’s kindness, helping out in her Ba Ba’s store, and playing hide-and-seek with her best friend, Hua Hua. Despite her fear and the increasing violence against her community, she finds hope in an unexpected friend, the giant Redwood trees, and a new learning how to read in English. As the world around her grows more scary, Mei Mei discovers her own power, as well the joy of found family, the importance of courage, and the nature of freedom.

My Review

This is the second historical novel-in-verse that I’ve read this month, and the second about a moment in history that I’m not as familiar with as I’d like to be. I love that authors are bringing these stories to the page.

Mei Mei faces some intense circumstances, but the descriptions and her understanding of what’s happening stays appropriate for a middle grade audience. She finds friends and builds community even when she moves far from her family. It’s easy to root for her and cheer her on as she faces difficulties.

While the story identifies some of the cruel and racist things that happened to Chinese immigrants in 1885, the novel also highlights the power of hope and the importance of taking care of one another. Mei Mei helps others when she can, and others look out for her at different points in the story, too.

If you enjoyed Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani, a novel in verse set in the 1940s during the British Partition of India, add this book to your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A thief steals items from Mei Mei’s parents’ store. Dangerous people come to the shop looking for Mei Mei, planning to kidnap her in exchange for her parents’ debts. Mei Mei witnesses someone mistreating household staff. Someone locks her in a closet to punish her. Mei Mei worries about anti-Chinese sentiment that could lead to violence against her or others.

Mei Mei’s mother’s feet have been badly damaged due to the practice of foot binding that was common in her generation in China. Walking is painful for her, which limits what she’s able to do.

Drug Content
Mei Mei witnesses an adult who’s been drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: The Gender Binary is a Big Lie by Lee Wind

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The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World (Queer History Project)
Lee Bind
Zest Books
Published August 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World

What if you discovered that the whole concept of a gender binary is an illusion?

While many people identify as men or women, that is not all there is. The idea that all humans fall into one of two gender categories is largely a construct created by those who benefit from that belief. The reality is that gender is naturally diverse, falling inside and outside of those boxes, and more expansive ideas of gender have always existed.

In the second book of the Queer History Project, The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities around the World, author Lee Wind uses historical evidence and primary sources―poetry, ancient burial sites, firsthand accounts, and news stories―to explore gender roles and identities. Gender identities and physical bodies are as diverse as the human experience. Get ready to shatter those preconceived notions of nothing but a gender binary and dive deep into expressions of gender―both past and present―that reveal the infinite variety and beauty of everyone’s gender.

My Review

Last year, I read the book Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe, and I feel like that left me with a lot to think about. So, when I saw a copy of this book available for review this year, I felt like it was great timing.

I’ve been increasingly aware of the fact that I live at a particular point in history and in a particular place. Lots of the rules and values I encounter are heavily influenced by this truth. It impacts even the way we interpret things like the Bible, and I think we don’t give enough thought to that.

At any rate. So. The Gender Binary is a Big Lie. Let’s talk about it.

The book begins with a lengthy introduction that gives readers a framework for how to talk about intersex and transgender people. This section defines terms and offers some insight into why certain words are not used anymore. It also gives a high view of some important historical discoveries that support the books core idea: that many cultures have not subscribed to a limited gender binary across history and the globe.

After the introduction, the book focuses on a few examples of cultures with well-defined outside-the-binary gender identities. I thought this was the coolest part of the book. References appear throughout the text. (The backmatter lists more than fifty pages of source material.)

The last chapter is also great information. One of the things I have had multiple conversations with people about is the existence of intersex people, so it is very helpful to have some references for myself to refer back to or to refer others to for more information.

Conclusion

While I’m sure this is not an exhaustive text, it’s a great introduction to thinking beyond our American, 21st century experience with identity and gender norms. Though the chapters are long, the text is broken down into shorter sections that make the information much easier to digest. I highly recommend this text for readers looking for more information on identities beyond the gender binary. I’m excited to read a few of the books listed in the backmatter as well.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to romantic relationships of real historical people. One chapter offers facts and information about intersex people (people whose genetic biology doesn’t fit a gender binary).

Spiritual Content
One chapter shows teachings from Classical Judaism. Another section offers some information about Australian First Nations traditions. A different chapter talks about Hindu beliefs and the hijra community. One chapter talks about Hawaiian and Tahitian traditions and identity.

Violent Content
Some explanation of how colonialism impacted indigenous communities and belief systems. In the chapter on intersex identities, the author explains that historically (and still sometimes currently) people are forced to have medical surgery to alter their bodies to fit a gender binary. This chapter also mentions death by suicide.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen

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Her Name in the Sky
Kelly Quindlen
Roaring Brook Press
Published January 27, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Her Name in the Sky

Hannah wants to spend her senior year of high school going to football games and Mardi Gras parties with her tight-knit group of friends.

The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a girl–especially when that girl is her best friend, Baker.

Hannah knows she should like Wally, the kind, earnest boy who asks her to prom. She should cheer on her friend Clay when he asks Baker to be his girlfriend. She should follow the rules of her conservative Louisiana community–the rules that have been ingrained in her since she was a child.

But Hannah longs to be with Baker, who cooks macaroni and cheese with Hannah late at night, who believes in the magic of books as much as Hannah does, and who challenges Hannah to be the best version of herself.

And Baker might want to be with Hannah, too–if both girls can embrace that world-shaking, yet wondrous, possibility.

My Review

This book originally came out in 2012 but is being re-released in 2026. This year, I read it for the first time. Kelly Quindlen is a new author for me as well. I’d heard of her books, but hadn’t read them before.

The thing that I think this book does absolutely brilliantly is to capture Hannah’s emotional and spiritual journey. We see her wrestle with her faith and her identity in heartbreaking, anguished scenes. I love that Quindlen shows this, not once, but as an ongoing process for Hannah.

I also like that the book shows characters with a spectrum of beliefs. Some support Hannah immediately, while others seem to want to opt out of responding to her at all, and others target her with cruel words.

The relationship between Hannah and Joanie, her sister, was really nicely done. Joanie absolutely had my heart by the end of the book. If there’s ever a spinoff novel about her, I need to read it. The way that she and Hannah navigate their estrangement and reconciliation felt so much like true sisterhood.

The only thing I struggled with was how much time the characters spent drinking alcohol. In fairness, some of those scenes weren’t really about casual drinking, but showed an unhealthy pattern that involved drinking or needing to be drunk in order to do certain things. So from a plot perspective, it was an integrated part of the story and evidence of some destructive behavior. (Mainly an attempt at shame-avoidance.)

There’s a scene toward the end where a dad confronts a man who’s saying some homophobic things, and I need more dads like this in young adult literature and everywhere. I cheered at how both parents handled one moment in the book.

Reading this book was such an emotional roller coaster, in all the ways it was meant to be. I feel like I bawled through almost half of the story. It’s really moving. Definitely grab you some tissues for this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Brief descriptions of and references to sex.

Spiritual Content
The main characters attend a Catholic school. The school’s priest speaks about spiritual topics. Hannah wrestles with questions about whether her identity as a lesbian makes her bad and shameful. The priest’s teaching says it does. Another teacher tells her it doesn’t.

Violent Content
Some homophobic statements and behavior. A girl shoves another girl. Two boys get into a fistfight that starts a brawl.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol in several scenes. One teen drinks alcohol as part of a self-destructive spiral and nearly ends up hospitalized.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Worst-Case Scenario by Ray Stoeve

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Worst-Case Scenario
Ray Stoeve
Amulet Books
Published January 20, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Worst-Case Scenario

New from Ray Stoeve comes an enemies-to-lovers romance about nemeses who are forced to share their school’s Queer Alliance presidency following a tie in the election.

Sidney has one goal for their junior year. Well . . . two, if they’re being honest. Number become president of their school’s Queer Alliance club. And number keep their self-diagnosed anxiety in check so their grades don’t tank like they did last year.

But when the election results in a tie with none other than Sidney’s arch nemesis, the class clown Forrest, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Sidney expects Forrest to be insufferable, but it turns out that working together is . . . kind of nice?

As surprising feelings for Forrest emerge, Sidney’s techniques for managing their anxiety stop working. With the reelection approaching and assignments starting to pile up, will all this pressure be too much for Sidney to handle on their own?

My Review

I felt Sidney’s emotions throughout this story. Their fear was palpable. I could see them slip into hamster-wheel thinking, where their thoughts spiral, and they couldn’t stop. Stoeve did an incredible job bringing these experiences to the page. I was absolutely lost in the story and desperate to see Sidney get the help they needed.

The characters had a lot of life in them, too. Sidney, their moms, their dad, their friend Anna, and Forrest all have really distinct personalities and characteristics. When a character entered a scene speaking or texting, I knew immediately who it was. Sidney also has a lot of layers, too. I like that the story never reduces them to their mental health issues. Their hopes, relationships, and other feelings consistently drive the story forward.

The development of the relationship between Sidney and Forrest is so sweet. I like that they both had misconceptions about one another, but they both have to give and grow to find their way to romance.

I’m loving that more authors are writing novels that include their own mental health experiences now. I think this can’t help but make it easier for kids to understand what it’s like to have a mental illness or to help them feel less alone and potentially find the courage to speak up about what they’re going through.

Readers who enjoy books by Sonora Reyes or Adam Silvera should pick this one up.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to making out.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Sidney remembers some intense arguments between their parents.

Drug Content
Sidney’s dad is a recovering alcoholic. Sidney remembers him behaving badly while drunk in the past.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: The Big Bad Wolf Murder by P. G. Bell

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The Big Bad Wolf Murder
P. G. Bell
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 20, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Big Bad Wolf Murder

A girl accused of killing a famous wolf must solve his murder while on the run, in this twist on Little Red Riding Hood!

At twelve years old, Ruby Calvino is the youngest human player in the Tooth & Claw championships. It’s her fast legs and even faster mind that leaves her as the last player left during the final game, and she’s ready to claim victory. But when the undefeated Alarick— the wolf player hunting her— is finally upon her, he…drops dead?

With poison found in Ruby’s bag, all fingers (and paws!) point to her. Desperate to prove her innocence, she teams up with a young wolf accused of helping her commit the crime. But figuring out who killed Alarick certainly won’t be easy while on the run from cops and another vicious wolf.

Luckily, Ruby’s Tooth & Claw training just might come in handy!

My Review

This is the first I’ve read of P. G. Bell’s books, but I will absolutely read more. I loved this mystery-laced twist on Little Red Riding Hood and the game the characters compete in during the book. The Tooth & Claw Championship is a little bit like capture the flag. One team’s goal is to cross the field without being captured and to raise their flags, while the other team (made up of anthropomorphic wolves) wins by capturing all players. Alarick’s murder interrupts Ruby’s team’s potential championship win.

The elements of the championship and the game were easy to understand and very well integrated into the story. In order to track down Alarick’s murderer, Ruby even had to use some of her best Tooth & Claw moves. I also enjoyed Ruby and Fillan as a team. They have very different backgrounds and personalities, and it takes them some time to learn to trust one another. Once they do, though, they make a powerful team.

At 224 pages, this fast-paced story is easy to read. Give this to readers who enjoyed The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter or who enjoy stories where fantasy and sports themes or mysteries intersect.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Ruby witnesses a wolf dying from poisoning. A wolf bites a girl in an attempted robbery. A wolf hunts Ruby and Fillan, clearly intending to kill them. Ruby and Fillan face other potentially fatal threats.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.