I’ve been an avid reader for most of my life. I’m happy to share that passion with my wife, Lisa. We’ll often spend several hours at a time sitting next to each other on our couch, each happily lost in the respective books we’re reading.
Each of us tracks the books we read in Goodreads and The Storygraph. Both of them are fantastic places for book lovers. One thing I like, in particular, about The StoryGraph is that it will count reading streaks for you. Each consecutive day that you log your reading progress in their app, your streak will go up. If you miss a day, it will reset to zero. Neither Lisa nor I have missed a day in close to eight months.
As of today, my reading streak is going strong at 235 days. I don’t think I’ve ever read that many days in a row before! I’m sure my streak will end at some point, but I’m going to keep it going for as long as I can.
In conjunction with that, I also set a reading goal for myself for 2026. Initially it was 36 books, but I recently bumped it up to 48. I’m currently reading books #28, #29, and #30, so I’m right on pace to reach my goal.
I’ve read some truly fantastic books since the start of 2026, including two that are the first novels of two long-running mystery series I see myself reading for quite a long time to come.
Below, in the chronological order I read them, are my seven favorite books so far this year.
1. Fortune Favors The Dead (2020) by Stephen Spotswood
This is the first novel in the Pentecost and Parker Mysteries series. Set in New York City in the 1940s, the story is told by Willowjean “Will” Parker, a former knife-thrower (among other things) in a traveling circus. She now works as the protege of legendary private investigator Lillian Pentecost. In this story, they try to solve a high society murder that involves several very interesting characters — including a fortune teller.
One of the many things I think is done very well in this novel is the way the author handles that Will Parker is bisexual. While it certainly plays a part in the story, it’s rather subtly presented. Her sexuality doesn’t define who Will is. It’s just a part of who she is — and she’s a truly wonderful character.
I enjoyed this book so much that, immediately after reading it, I bought the five remaining books (so far) in the series. I’ve already read the second one, Murder Under Her Skin, and I enjoyed it just as much as Fortune Favors the Dead.
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This novel is a Hollywood drama about glamorous film legend Evelyn Hugo. It spans several decades of her tumultuous life and career, including her many marriages and scandals. The famously reclusive, now‑elderly Evelyn stuns everyone when she chooses Monique Grant, a young and struggling journalist, to write her life story. It’s a decision that baffles the public and Monique alike.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an incredibly compelling story, and I had a hard time putting it down. This is just the second novel I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, with the first one being Daisy Jones and The Six — which I also liked a lot. I definitely plan on reading others by her soon.
3. The Dentist (2020) by Tim Sullivan (Audiobook: Narrated by John Heffernan)
This is the first novel of the DS Cross Crime Thrillers series. The main character is DS George Cross, a middle-aged detective in Bristol, England. What makes George unique, and often contributes to him not being easy to be around, is that he is on the autism spectrum. He has trouble showing empathy for others and often appears cold or uncaring to others around him, including his father and co-workers.
However, George is an incredibly brilliant detective. His single-mindedness and attention to detail have led him to be the most successful detective in his precinct, with a 97% conviction rate.
Not only is George a great character, but the story here was very compelling. I listened to the audiobook version of The Dentist and I loved it. The narrator, John Heffernan, did a fantastic job with his performance.
Like the Pentecost and Parker series I mentioned above, I foresee the DS Cross series taking up a lot of my time in the future. I’ve already read the second book, The Cyclist, and I loved that one too.
4. Biblical — Rob Halford’s Heavy Metal Scriptures (2022) by Rob Halford (Audiobook: Narrated by the author)
This is the second book from Judas Priest’s Rob Halford. I listened to the first one, Confess: The Autobiography, a couple of years ago, and I loved it. A huge part of what made it so entertaining was the great narration by Halford.
Because of that, I was thrilled to learn he wrote and narrated this second book, Biblical: Rob Halford’s Heavy Metal Scriptures. Despite the religious-sounding words/phrases in the title, I assure you this book has little to do with Halford’s thoughts on God, religion, etc.
Instead, it’s all about his experiences with rock and roll & heavy metal — particularly as the lead singer of Judas Priest from 1973–1992 and again from 2003 to the present. He covers their recording experiences, life on the road, interactions with fans and other bands, and many, many other things.
If you’ve ever wondered what the life of a “Metal God” is like, this would be a good book for you to read or listen to!
5. Remarkably Bright Creatures (2022) by Shelby Van Pelt (Audiobook narrated by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie)
My wife listened to this audiobook a few years ago and strongly recommended it to me. Although I was interested in it, I didn’t get around to it until just a few months ago. What prompted me to finally do so was that the film version of Remarkably Bright Creatures was soon going to be premiering on Netflix. I knew I wanted to watch it with Lisa, but I wanted to listen to the book first.
If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s very unique, centering around three fascinating characters: A down-on-his-luck young man named Cameron, a giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus, and a widow named Tova who works as a cleaner at the aquarium where Marcellus lives.
It’s an incredibly touching story and one of the best books I’ve read in many years. I also highly recommend the movie, which stars Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, and Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus.
P.S. – If you like audiobooks, I strongly urge you to listen to the audiobook version of Remarkably Bright Creatures. The narrators, Marin Ireland and Michael Urie, are both fantastic.
6. Still Alright: A Memoir (2022) by Kenny Loggins with Jason Turbow (Audiobook narrated by Kenny Loggins)
I’ve enjoyed the music of Kenny Loggins for most of my life. Among the first songs I remember hearing on the radio when I was a little kid were his early hit songs “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and “Danny’s Song,” both of which he recorded as half of the act Loggins & Messina. When Kenny went solo in the late 1970s, I became a huge fan of his solo music. To say he’s had a long and amazing career in the music world would be a major understatement!
This autobiography covers it all — and a lot of other aspects of his life.
If you’ve ever liked Kenny Loggins’ music and you want to learn more about him, I highly recommend this enjoyable memoir to you.
7. Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith (2014) by Joe Perry with David Ritz (Audiobook narrated by Joe Perry)
While I’ve always liked Aerosmith a lot, I can’t say they’ve ever been one of my ultimate favorite bands. Like most music lovers around my age (somewhere between 40 and 400), I own one of their greatest hits compilations and a couple of their studio albums, and I even saw them once in concert. However, I haven’t followed their career step-by-step or purchased every single release from them.
Still, I like Aerosmith enough that I wanted to listen to this memoir from one of their founding members, their lead guitarist Joe Perry. I’m really glad I did because it’s an incredibly informative and entertaining book!
Also, it’s very honest. Perry doesn’t hold back about troubles he and his bandmates have had over the years, including their very well-known addictions to drugs and alcohol. He’s also very open about the many struggles he’s had with Aerosmith’s lead singer, Steven Tyler.
However, the book is far from all “doom and gloom.” Far from it. Joe Perry writes mostly about his love of music and the wonderful life he’s had making it.
If you’re even a casual fan of Aerosmith, you may enjoy this one. I sure did.
So, how about you?
Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? If so, what did you think of them?
Also, I’m always looking for great books to read or listen to. Please let me know some of your recent favorite reads!
All of the above was inspired by a similar list of books from my aforementioned wonderful wife Lisa. Click below to see her favorite reads so far this year:
Thank you for reading! If you’d like to see what I do elsewhere online, I can also be found on BlueSky, Instagram, Threads, Medium, and Goodreads. Let’s connect in one or more of those places too!
Best wishes,
Buddy
NOTE: A slightly different version of this piece was originally published in Big List Energy on Medium.
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