These are the books I narrowed down as my ten favorites of the 40 books I’ve read so far this year. A few of them were soft calls, while there are at least 3 I think are likely to still be up there when I choose my top ten reads at the end of the year.

In no particular order:

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow The author describes this book as “the tale of a big sad lady-knight stuck in a time loop and the anxious historian trying to save her”, and says it’s about “the endless cycle of authoritarian abuse which fabricates the past in order to justify the present, but made more fun by the inclusion of a romantic arc and some sword fights”.

I LOVED this smart, emotional time loop story about the power of narratives and an epic romance. If you, too, love getting your heart ripped out before being placed back inside your chest (possibly with the addition of a little something extra???), you should definitely give this book a read.

A series adaptation of this novel is currently in development at Netflix.

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher The magical realism in this horror-adjacent book, manifested via the mythology and folklore of the American Southwest, successfully sets a tone both whimsical and spooky as our main character Selena works to understand the startling things going on at her new home and why she seems to be their target.

As is par for the course in a Kingfisher novel, this story features an inclusive cast of absolutely delightful characters. There is healing, growth, and a message that forging connections with people is its own act of courage. And when a vengeful personified spirit deity comes to collect, it might just be these bonds that save the day.

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher What can I say, she’s a master at her craft! This Gothic horror story is full of creepy crawlies that will make your skin shiver, but also the author’s signature strain of human warmth. Sonia Wilson is a thirty year old spinster at the turn of the nineteenth century when she takes on a job as the illustrator for a naturalist’s book cataloguing parasitic insects and their life stages. She lodges at his home in North Carolina, befriends his small staff, and enjoys walking in the woods when not using his library of specimens to make her watercolor renderings. But some of the woodland creatures, sporting botfly larvae warbles, are acting strange. Why does no one want to talk about the illustrator who came before her? And why is the padlock on the shed she stumbles across in the forest on the outside, as if to keep something in rather than out?

In the acknowledgments, Kingfisher explains she used to live near a population of squirrels that were infested with botflies, and the idea for this novel was born when she thought, “Huh. What would happen if one of those latched onto [redacted]?” And reader, the resulting story did not disappoint!

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Dodgson Not just another fantastical school competition story, but the wonderful start to a new high caliber epic adult fantasy trilogy.

The time has come for the Emperor of Orrun to step down, and whoever is to replace him on the throne will be decided by a competition, as is tradition. Members of society are divided up by which of the Eight divinities they pledged themselves to (Raven, Bear, Fox, Tiger, Monkey, Ox, Hound, or Dragon), and an individual from each contingent will go head to head with the others in several trials in a bid to become the next ruler. Raven High Scholar Neema Kraa had planned to spend the days of the competition in the library doing research, but political machinations suck her into the history unfolding before her–and it becomes clear something nefarious is afoot.

This well written story features engaging characters and a fascinating world. The action mostly unfolds on a single island, but we do learn about the world at large, its politics and religion–but never in an overwhelming manner. The inclusion of one member of the world’s pantheon as a POV character/s was a wonderful touch.

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan This historical fantasy novel reimagines the story of the Beast of Gévaudan, the man-eating animal that terrorized a region of France over a period of years in the late eighteenth century, as the werewolf origin story. It’s dark and bloody, it’s got elements of mythology and the paranormal, and it features footnotes of the delightful variety (often introducing some levity through humor).

The main character, Professor Sebastian Grave, has lived for centuries hosting a Spirit guest (it’s considered uncouth to use the term “possessed”) called Sarmodel. This book is Sebastian relaying the story of the time a young nobleman called him back to Gévaudan for a contract unfulfilled. As the two travel there together, Sebastian in turn tells him the story of when he first signed the contract some twenty years before. He, among many others, had answered the call of the king of France to hunt down the Beast that had been slaughtering livestock and citizens alike. During this time, Sebastian had carried on a love affair with the nobleman’s father, and shared some of the secrets of his true nature with the man. A couple of decades later, the slaughter has begun anew; it seems the Beast may be back, and the professor practiced in the Arcane arts may be their best hope.

The Children by Melissa Albert This is a delicious dark fairytale, an adult fantasy novel with horror vibes. It alternates between two timelines, one of which is in the 1990s when Guin, her brother Ennis, and their parents lived at the Farmhouse in a rural area of Vermont. Their mother, Edith Sharpe, writes five books in a bestselling children’s fantasy series, using her own children’s names and likenesses as the main characters (without their consent, mind you). The home becomes a sort of bohemian commune where other artists of all stripes and talent levels show up and stay for indefinite lengths of time. Meanwhile, the children are left to their own devices (read as: neglected). There was supposed to be a sixth and final book in the Ninth City series, but a tragedy at the Farmhouse leaves the children orphans, and Edith never writes it.

The creeping dread just beneath the surface in this part of the story is masterful.

The second timeline is current day, when adult Guin has taken on the mantle of mascot for the Ninth City series, and hasn’t spoken to her brother in years. Ennis has avoided and successfully evaded her ever since the night their parents died. But now it seems he is extending an invitation to Guin to come see his newest art instillation, titled Mother. Will it be a reunion or a reckoning? Will it reveal with any more clarity the events of the night of the fire?

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White This paranormal historical fantasy novel is set in nineteenth century Europe (Amsterdam canal houses, cafés in Budapest, an abandoned village of the Greek islands, the Paris world’s fair, oh my!) filled with murder investigations, vampires, found family, and sapphic yearning.

A young Anneke Van Helsing (daughter of the famed vampire hunter) spies a creature of unnatural beauty standing over the prone and bleeding form of her father. The rest of the world believes Abraham Van Helsing took his own life, but Anneke knows better. She devotes the next several years of her life to training in forensic detective work. When a spree of bizarre deaths begin cropping up all over Europe, she alone makes the connection with her own father’s end. Finally she has caught scent of the mysterious woman, and the hunt she has long fixated on begins in earnest.

Our main character teams up with a lovely crew who together investigate the trail of bodies, becoming like family to one another as they devote themselves to Anneke’s search for her Diavola and vengeance for her father. Anneke spends just as much time pining for the beautiful woman she is pursuing across the continent as she does fantasizing about killing her. When Diavola begins sending her taunting letters, one wonders who is tracking whom? And as she learns more about her quarry, the question arises: have they been hunting the wrong monster all along?

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower Perhaps this is cheating, but I read Volumes 1 through 8 this year, and am lumping them all together as a favorite reading experience. They start off as short novellas, anyway, though they do grow rather longer as the series progresses. And the author has a total of more than twenty entries planned!

Each volume represents two months worth of journal entries by the titular Miss Lion, a young woman in Victorian England. You can’t claim these books are plot-heavy, especially in the beginning of the series, but it just so darn charming going along for the ride while our witty narrator navigates life in the village of St. Crispians and deals with its eclectic residents. It gives me Anne of Green Gable vibes mixed with a heavy dose of TV’s Bridgerton, though it’s not exactly like either. What it is is a delight, and the narrator for the audiobooks, Genevieve Gaunt, is A++.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman I’m pulling the same trick again, throwing more than one book into a spot among my top ten. I read the first book in the DCC series a few years ago. I enjoyed it, but wasn’t sure I was interested in reading on if each installment was just going to be the next two floors of the dungeon with no actual story development. Other readers assured me that this was not the case, that there was also an overarching plot that takes place over the course of the series, and so I decided to hop back into the dungeon. So far this year I’ve read books 2 and 3.

The series is LitRPG, and I think it definitely helps to have some familiarity with roleplaying games, either video or tabletop, to understand it (race and class benefits, experience points, stats, loot crates, etc). Earth becomes the next site for an intergalactic reality TV show where a planet’s denizens are forced to fight for their lives in a fantasy dungeon system. Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk is a most amazing character, and the relationship between her and Carl brings a heartwarming thread into an action-filled, crude, and absolutely hilarious story.

Yesteryear by Caro Clare Burke is what I’d probably call a literary thriller with an engaging storyline, and truly hateful characters! It reflects on some key issues in today’s world, making for a lot of compelling social commentary.

Natalie Heller Mills has the perfect life for a traditional Christian woman – or at least, on Instagram she does. Her carefully curated social media presence shows a devoted wife and mother of five (with a sixth on the way), living on a farm in Idaho and eschewing many aspects of modernity in the name of providing her family with a healthy, all natural and organic lifestyle. Behind the scenes, she in fact has two nannies taking care of the kids, migrant workers running the farm, pesticides and modern appliances hidden from the camera, and a troubled marriage.

Then one morning, Natalie wakes up in a home that looks similar to but different from her house, with a family that looks similar to but different from her own. There is no evidence of modernity whatsoever, her husband is the manly head of the household she had given up on him ever being, and they are living what seems to be the actual lives of early nineteenth century pioneers on America’s Western front. Is this a test from God? Is it some new reality show pushing the boundaries? Has she really been transported in time to live the kind of life she had falsely been claiming to live for all of her online followers?

So, reader friends, tell me — now that we’re halfway through 2026, what were some of your favorites? I would love to hear about them!