I am, first and foremost, a mood reader and therefore I’m not someone who usually makes a concrete TBR list. Although I normally pick up a book based purely off of ‘vibes’, there are several books that I want to read this year and I’ve decided to make my own list of books I’d like to read in 2026 (a BILR if you will). I don’t like to put pressure on myself to read certain books but these are ones that have been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read, and this year will hopefully be the time to do that.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

• Published: March 31, 2020
• Pages: 372
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Set in the late 1500’s, Hamnet follows a family after the loss of their eleven year old son, Hamnet. Prompted by this loss, Hamnet’s father writes the renowned play Hamlet.

Hamnet has received major praise, especially recently with the film adaptation release, and that is one of the reasons I’m anticipating reading this book; Another reason is simply because I love Shakespeare, Hamlet being one my favourite plays and I’m excited to see the ideas behind this story take shape.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Published: June 3, 2025
• Pages: 352
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, LBTQ+

Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin as she enters the Houston’s Johnson Space Center Training program. There, she finds love and friendship, and begins to question her place in the universe.

I have a lot of love for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing, The Seven Husband’s of Evelyn Hugo is one of my absolute favourite novels and I’ve loved her other works as well. Although Atmosphere is probably not a book I would immediately reach for if she hadn’t been the one to write it, the same can be said for Carrie Soto is Back and I highly enjoyed that.

The Defender by Ana Huang

• Published: October 28, 2025
• Pages: 464
• Genre: Sports Romance, Contemporary Fiction

Vincent DuBois, the captain of the Blackcastle Football Club, and Brooklyn Armstrong, daughter of Blackcastle Football Club’s coach, end up living together after circumstances force them closer. A relationship between the two of them could never work, however bound by secrets and an all-consuming desire for one another, they might just end up risking it all.

Ana Huang is one of the most popular romance authors at the moment, and I do feel that title is deserved. I personally find her books can be hit or miss, but when she gets it right, she really gets it right. I found the first book in this series, The Striker, to be quite predictable and I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I have done in her other works but I’m hoping The Defender might turn it around for me.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare

• Published: March 4, 2025
• Pages: 557
• Genre: Fantasy, Romance

In the follow-up to Sword Catcher, Kel and Lin are thrust back into the grip of danger as they seek help from the leader of Castellane’s underworld, the Ragpicker King. Both must decide who to trust as they risk death, or worse, to save those they hold most dear.

Cassandra Clare is one of my favourite authors and having read her books from the age of 13, I feel confident that I will always enjoy her releases. The Shadowhunter Chronicles is my favourite series/ collection of books and Cassandra’s writing is the perfect mix of humorous and emotional for my own taste. I enjoyed Sword Catcher and I’m looking forward to reading The Ragpicker King.

Babel by R.F Kuang

• Published: August 23, 2022
• Pages: 544
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Academia

Robin Swift has trained for years in preparation to enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, aka Babel. Known as the world’s center of translation and magic, Babel is renowned. However, Robin begins to realise that Babel bolsters imperial expansion and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, can he allow for the betrayal of his homeland or could the institution be altered from within.

R.F. Kuang is another popular author that has received a lot of positive reviews. I’ve wanted to read her books for a while now, however I have not gotten around to actually picking one up (despite the fact that I own at least three of them). Out of all her books, Babel seems the most interesting to me and I am hoping to finally read it this year.