A Look Forward to the End of 2026

I'll be doing a little prognosticating in this post, seeing what books I might finish the year with. But first, let's update my reading and such. 

Not a lot to report since my last update. No books completed although I did give up on one.

Books Not Completed

1. The Strange Adventures of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn by John Buchan (Short Stories / 1932). I like Buchan but I just didn't have the energy for this one.

"The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn and Other Stories by John Buchan, published by Penguin Books 2008 ended up being a DNF for me. I have read a few books by Mr. Buchan and I tended to enjoy them, especially the Richard Hannay books (The 39 Steps for one). This collection of stories was published between 1896 and 1932 and while I plodded along, I can't say that they really grabbed me. 

I think I found them just a bit ponderous. I kind of liked Politics of the May Fly because it added a bit of humour. I'll keep the book because I like the cover and maybe try it again someday when I might be more in the mood for it. 140 pages read, 7 stories completed of the group. NR"

New Arrivals (Two Arrivals in October)

1. Republic of Glass by Catherine Leroux (CanLit / Dys / 2024). I also have The Future by Leroux.

"In near-future Montreal, where housing is a luxury that few can afford, rumours have begun to stir.

Sidonie, a trailblazing journalist, is the first to break the news of people disappearing off the streets—unsettling reports of unmarked government vehicles and attacks that have left encampment communities on edge. The story spreads like wildfire, thrusting Sidonie into the spotlight as the trusted mouthpiece for the most vulnerable population. But as public outrage and concern mount, Sidonie must decide how much she’s willing to risk to tell this story.

Eventually she finds herself on the other side of the mirror, within the walls of a new kind of institution whose residents may or may not be paid for their labour, and of which they may or may not be captive. In this context, Sidonie’s only escape is through her writing. As she reconstructs the events that led her here in her journal, she begins to realize that the page can provide an escape in more ways than one, and fiction, not truth, might set her free."

2. The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes (Fan / 2025). A new author for me.

"He was sent to kill a pest. Instead, he found a monster.

Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.

In a complex, chaotic city, Guy Moulène has a simple keep his sister out of debt. For her sake, he'll take on any job, no matter how vile.

As an exterminator, Guy hunts the uncanny pests that crawl up from the river. These vermin are all strange, and often dangerous. His latest quarry is a worm the size of a dragon with a deadly venom and a ravenous taste for artwork. As it digests Tiliard from the sewers to the opera houses, its toxin reshapes the future of the city. No sane person would hunt it, if they had the choice.

Guy doesn't have a choice."

Time to Prognosticate

I tend to read about 10+ books a month, so I'm going to say 30 more books for 2026... hoping I might read more. At the moment, I've got 9 on the go, mostly Horror. I'll list them by Challenge Grouping.

Currently Reading

1. 12 + 4 Challenge - Shiny New Books. I'm currently reading Heart on my Sleeve by Jeanne Beker (Non Fic / 2024). I'm about half way through this and could finish in one night as it's a nice easy book. It'll give me 12 books completed for this challenge.

2. 12 + 4 Challenge - Dustiest Books. I'm just over half way through Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Classics / 1881). I've been working on this book since May but I will finish as I do want to see what happens to poor Tess

3. Individual Challenges - Slightly Dusty Books. American War by Omar el Akkad (Dys / 2017). Interesting book about the 2nd Civil War. I'm over half way through it.

4. Individual Challenges - Slightly Dusty Books. Off - Season by Jack Ketchum (Dead River #1 / 1980). I'm just about half way through this and it's giving me the creeps.

5. Individual Challenges - Slightly Dusty Books - The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes (1913). I've just started this and think it falls somewhere in the thriller / horror category. We'll see.

6. Individual Challenges - Shiniest Books. Another I've been working on for awhile (since mid - Jun) but will finish. Interesting fantasy with dragons. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023)

7. Individual Challenges - Shiniest Books. Bunny by Mona Awad (Hor / 2019). I'm not sure about this one but I'm only about 60 pagers in.

8. Individual Challenges - Shiniest Books. Terminal by Brian Keene (Hor / 2005). A new author for me and I'm just about to crack it open.

9. Individual Challenges - Shiniest Books. Northern Nights by Michael Kelly (Short Stories / 2024). A collection of short stories in the horror genre by Canadian authors. I've read the 1st one so far.

Upcoming (in no particular order... and subject to change of course)

10. 12 + 4 Challenges - Dustiest Books. I have read 8 so far and if I finish Tess in time, then maybe one more; The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters (Cadfael #18 / Historical Mystery)

11. 12 + 4 Challenge - Shiny New Books. When I finish Heart on my Sleeve, I'll have completed my 12 books but I think I'll still try one more at least, Tuck Everlasting, the Graphic Novel by K. Woodman-Maynard (2025)

12. 12 + 4 Challenges - 2nd Half Books. I have 3 books left in this challenge and they are all short so I'll probably read them all. Case Pending by Dell Shannon (Lt. Mendoza #1 / 1960)

13. 12 + 4 Challenges - 2nd Half Books.  The Motive by Evelyn Piper (Mys / 1950).

14. 12 + 4 Challenges - 2nd Half Books. We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed (Annual Migration of Birds #2 / 2024)

15. 12 + 4 Challenges - Short Stories. I've read 11 books in this challenge so plan to read one more. Games without Rules by Michael Gilbert (Mystery UK / Calder & Behrens #1 / 1967)

And the remaining 15 will come from my individual challenges.... probably. Let's say 5 from each group

Dustiest Books (#17 - 416)

16. The Trials of Rumpole by John Mortimer (Rumpole #2 / 1979).

17. Suicide Excepted by Cyril Hare (Mys / 1939)

18. Gently Between the Tides by Alan Hunter (George Gently #29 / 1982)

19. Catalina by W. Somerset Maugham (Fiction / 1948).

20. Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood (Corinna Chapman #2 / Mys Australia / 2005)

Slightly Less Dusty Books (#417 - 832)

21. The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod (Kelling & Bittersohn #1 / 1979)

22. Satan's World by Poul Anderson (Sci Fi / 1968)

23. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (Murderbot #4 / 2018)

24. Dawn by Elie Wiesel (War / 1960).

25. The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum (Oz #5 / 1909).

Newest, Shiniest Books (#833 - Infinity)

26. The Blonde Lady by Maurice LeBlanc (Arsene Lupin #2 / 1908)

27. The Union Club Mysteries by Isaac Asimov (Short Stories / 1983).

28. Unprotected; A Memoir by Billy Porter (Biography / 2021)

29. The Story-Teller by Patricia Highsmith (Mys / 1965)

30. Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal el-Mohtar (Fantasy / 2026)

If I can get through these before end December, I may try to squeeze in one or two more. Ideas for reading anyway. Maybe in one of my next posts I'll tell you my ideas for 2027 Reading Challenges. Enjoy October.