The beginning of a new year is a great excuse to lay out well-meaning reading plans, which I have done already.
Last June, my husband bought me the audio version of The Little House series, read -- performed is more fitting -- by Cherry Jones. And since I get the itch to read The Little House series every two years, I plan to listen to all nine books in 2026.
I've also been working through a Self-Education Project since summer. My last student graduated in June, and as I am now a retired homeschool mom, I thought, What ever shall I do with myself without homeschooling? Therefore, I pulled out our history spines (TruthQuest History by Michelle Miller) and started from the very beginning of Creation. I have completed the first three books of the series (Beginnings, Greece, and Rome), and now I shall begin jousting into the Middle Ages. I have a list of supplemental history and literature to read and continue reading.
Now that I am done with The Well-Educated Mind reading list (though I intentionally skipped many of the plays), I long to return to the novels...again.
I am also working through my Bible, Bible Commentary, and three possible books for the Simply Bible Book Club by Simply_Bible on Instagram.
And, of course, I always add unread books from my unread shelf, which has slowly reduced to 33 books. I think it is safe to say, however, that I won't be reading 50 books this year; therefore, I am lowering my threshold to 40.
So here is what my TBR looks like for 2026. (For reference, I completed 62% of my 2025 reading goals.)
THE LITTLE HOUSE SERIES (AUDIBLE)
1. Little House in the Big Woods
2. Farmer Boy
3. Little House on the Prairie
4. On the Banks of Plum Creek
5. By the Shores of Silver Lake
6. The Long Winter
7. Little Town on the Prairie
8. The Happy Golden Years
9. The First Four Years
SELF-EDUCATION PROJECT / MIDDLE AGES (some re-rereads/unreads)
1. TruthQuest History Middle Ages (Miller)
2. The Story of the Middle Ages (Miller)
3. Fire Upon the Earth (Langford)
4. No Other Foundation (Jackson)
5. How Should We Then Live? (Schaeffer)
6. Beowulf (Tolkien)
7. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (Pyle)
8. Purgatorio (Dante)
9. Paradiso (Dante)
WELL-EDUCATED MIND (all re-reads)
1. Don Quixote (Cervantes)
2. The Pilgrim's Progress (Bunyan)
3. Gulliver's Travels (Swift)
4. Pride and Prejudice (Austen)
5. Oliver Twist (Dickens)
6. Jane Eyre (Brontë)
FOCUS ON FAITH
1. Thru the Bible (McGee)
2. Morning and Evening (Spurgeon)
3. Voices of the Martyrs (Foxe)
4. The History of Christianity (Johnson)
SIMPLY BIBLE STUDY BOOK CLUB (re-reads)
1. Mere Christianity (Lewis)
2. Confessions (Augustine)
3. Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer)
MISCELLANEOUS UNREADS
1. Undaunted Courage (Ambrose)
2. Colonel Roosevelt (Morris)
3. Mornings on Horseback (McCullough)
4. Broken Bread (Dillehay)
5. Roots of the American Order (Kirk)
Total projection: 36, with room to add, if possible. And I know that is definitely possible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
AND WISHING YOU BEST SUCCESS IN YOUR READING ENDEAVORS!
Ohh, this looks fun! I've read and loved several books from the Little House series, but never ran through the entire series. The cabin in Little House in the Big Woods is my secret dream. **I** want to live in a cabin in the woods with no neighbors but deer, raccoons, and coyotes!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I noticed you found a wordpress I set up for a school project last year (in which we had to do a personal portfolio webpage). I didn't realize it was find-able without knowing the link! O_O
LOL! Leave it to me to find an obscure link on WP. The truth is, I have found much success commenting directly on the WP feed than on one's blog. I tried to find your blog on WP, but only a personal contact came up. So, that's what happened.
DeleteAnyway, when you mentioned living in the woods alone, I thought of Walden. When I first read that in college, I had a secret wish to live like he did. It never happened, but even today I wish I had my own tiny house by myself. Just for a little peace and quiet.
Interesting!
DeleteAnd yeah, I can see still wanting a tiny house. Paul Kingsnorth has a family cabin on his farm in Ireland, but he ALSO has (somewhere else on the property) a smaller cabin where he retreats to do his writing. I think Wendell Berry does something similar.
Very ambitious! Lots of old friends and some books I would also love to read!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt is good to see your wide-ranging and varied 2026 reading list which promises to be of enrichment on different levels. And good to see this from you. The Story of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig is a poignant memoir which you may have read previously. A tragic ending for the author and his wife happened after this work's completion. I just finished listening to it on Audible through a young lady's YT recommendation. My wife has a boxed set of the "Little House" series by Harper Trophy books. They are decked out in covers with blue trim and complete with black-and-white sketches throughout each of them. Maybe your enthusiasm will inspire me to dip into these frontier classics-I loved Lonesome Dove and listened to its entirety twice; maybe I can change gears for the Wilder series. Good fortune to your reading exploits.
ReplyDeleteHowdy, The Story of Yesterday is not one I would be drawn to (magical realism, thriller, etc) but it sure does get high ratings. Of course, if you do want to dig into those LH books, Cherry Jones as the voice on Audible is exceptional, and it may make for light entertainment. She makes a great "Pa," and does all the singing. She should have gotten an award for it. Also, I've heard amazing reviews for Lonesome Dove, and I've got it on my radar once I read the rest of my unreads. Thanks! And to you, too.
DeleteI'm sorry that I carelessly gave you the wrong title for the book I recommended, Ruth. Its actual title is The World of Yesterday, and, of course, by Stefan Zweig. The subtitle is Memoirs of a European-this is not the first time for this goof-up, I have misnamed it verbally as well.
ReplyDeleteCherry Jones sounds like a very gifted Audible reader-and another enticement for reading the LH in addition to your own comments comes from Clifton Fadiman who said about this series: "No fake Hollywood West, no television sweetening--but the way it actually was." I'm planning for a first-time since teen-age years re-read of The House of the Seven Gables, a somewhat more Gothic form of Americana I guess. Thanks for your good wishes very much!
Ahh, yes, I would totally read that! I love true stories, esp about Europe pre-WWI. Sounds like a sad story, and a warning.
DeleteBTW, I supposedly read House of Seven Gables in college, but that was before I knew how to read deeply. I ended up hating it. But I wonder if today I may have a different experience.
Without yet reading Zweig's book, you've already characterized it tellingly. There is plenty of background information galore available on YT for anyone to dip into to get a bead on this author. He had a very prolific output. I'm a little tentative about the Seven Gables myself, but I'm finishing a Peter Straub novel on Audible and hoping that Hawthorne's work might be less stressful on my nerves. (I listened to some well-done intros on Audible by Cherry Jones and may be tempted to go more deeply into the LH series than I have before.) Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteHappy New Year, Ruth! Hope you enjoy all your reading this year. <3
ReplyDeleteGeorge's comment reminds me that I have The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig, albeit back at my parents' house. I had read the first chapter or two and really liked it, just need to get it back and dedicate some time to it. :)
I may reread Jane Eyre this year as well. I just read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (first time), and now I have a hankering to reread all the Bronte novels...
Hi, Marian! As I was telling George, World of Yesterday sounds like something I would like. I'll add it to my wishlist.
DeleteI had to check, because I could not remember if I had read Tenant of Wildfell, which I did. I remember some details about it, but I have no idea why I did not rate it. And now I cannot say how I would rate it. Puzzling.
I've read JE a couple of times, but it's just one of those stories that you can get something new out of each time you read it.
I totally appreciated my two readings of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights! Totally!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's one I probably should revisit...Wuthering Heights. I left off very moody. I am curious if I can rectify that one if I try again. You never know.
DeleteMy paperback copy of Wuthering Heights had a guide to the sort of garbled (to me) dialect of an opening character. I got past that stumbling block and others with this helpful aide. I found it to be what can better be said by Somerset Maugham: "It is very imperfect; and yet it has what few novelists can give you, power." Maugham rated it among the world's ten greatest novels in his book that goes by that title. (The World's Ten Greatest Novels.) I hope his comment will entice you to look once more into this tempestuous tale.
DeleteI'd love to reread the Little House on the Prairie books one day, but I fear my schedule is looking crowded already for 2026 (I hope to read more NF this year than usual).
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your rereads - all fabulous books and it's so interesting to see what you discover each time you read them as you mature and gather life experiences.
Thank you, and you, too. I saw your list for 2026, and I totally understand not adding more to your plate, especially if you are focusing on NF this year.
DeleteNot Inferno? I read the Divine Comedy a few years back. Engrossing! I cared for Pergatoria least. I didn't realize McCullough did a Bio on Teddy. I've got Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris queued up, but I may consider switching to McCullough. Great list Ruth, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks! I actually read Inferno a few years ago, but I have not ever read Purgatorio or Paradisio; therefore, now is the time to get those done. I cannot wait to read Mornings on Horseback. I also have Morris' trilogy on Roosevelt, and last year I read two of them. I would say, don't skip Theodore Rex. Morris is also a brilliant writer.
DeleteHi Ruth...not sure why my previous comment came up as anonymous. That was me.
ReplyDeleteLOL! No problem!! Thanks for letting me know.
DeleteWhat a great list! I know you will enjoy these so much -- and learn so much from them!
ReplyDeleteAlso, congratulations on successfully completing your homeschool teacher journey. What a triumph!
Thank you, Rachel. It was bitter sweet.
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