My Top Three Reads So Far This Year
So many books, so little time. Okay, that is a cliché. But a cliché becomes one because it is true. So I’m sticking with it.
My reading year is off to a great start. I’ve completed 15 books so far in January and February, and I wanted to share my favorite ones (two novels and one non-fiction). I’ve shared my rating system before, but here is what I mean when I rate a book either four or five stars:
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved it. Will recommend to others.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
5⭐️
Oh. My. Goodness. Someone in my book club recommended this book, and I’m so glad I listened to that recommendation. I loved everything about the story, even the really hard bits (dealing with poverty, nursing homes, loneliness, dementia, etc.). Love oozes out of the pages of this story. Fred is a wonderful character. Amazing. Believable. One of my favorites ever, I think, even at the age of 82. Closer to the end of the book, when I realized what Fred was going to do to make certain Hannah would benefit from the truth, I gasped out loud. During the story I also laughed out loud and cried real tears. It is beautifully written, and if you treat yourself to the audiobook, the narrator’s Aussie accent will pull you even deeper into the story.
The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright
4.25🌟
Francine Rivers told me about this book several months ago. Wow! Am I ever glad I gave it a read. In many ways this is a homage to the joy of reading and the importance of stories in every culture. It’s also about a love birthed in harsh realities. Perhaps it was a little longer than it needed to be, and it failed to make me cry, even though I think it should have. Nonetheless, I loved it and will recommend it to others. In addition, the audiobook narrator’s accent (whether real or acted) brought the story to life as I listened and made me feel very present.
Bringing Heaven Here by Brad Gray and Brad Nelson
4.5🌟
I have learned so very, very much about reading the Bible in context through the ministry of Walking the Text, especially their teaching series videos. Therefore I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it. I was not disappointed. The subtitle is “How The Lord’s Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World,” and the text takes us to many places in Scripture to help us understand this prayer that Jesus told His followers (including me) to pray. The authors remind us of the danger of familiarity that can steal away the power and purpose within this prayer. This book helps us guard against that. I suspect I will dip into this book again in the future, and I highly recommend it to others.
What are the best books you’ve read in the first two months of 2026?
~robin
3 recent Christian living favorites: When Life Feels Empty by Isaac Serrano (explores 7 ancient practices to counteract materialism’s emptiness), Companions in the Darkness by Diana Gruver (outlines 7 saints who struggled with depression), and The Well-Watered Woman by Gretchen Saffles (insights for women on living from the well, the Word, and the way). Two general fiction (with some lifestyles I don’t condone, but with such humor and insight that the life-affirmation is worth wading through a bit of secular tone): I See You’ve Called in Dead and Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Thanks for sharing, Wendy. I’ve had Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated in my Audible wish list for a while now. Maybe it’s time to give it a listen.
Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin W Pearson. I stumbled across this book because CBD had a sale and I helped me fill out my order to get free shipping. As soon as I finished the book I immediately ordered two more of her books and will continue to order until I have all that she has written
I read that book last year and loved it!
Oh my gosh, two books that I read this year that I can’t rave enough about are Whirlwind by Dana McNeely & Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin. I can’t wait to read Dana’s latest Mantle that will finish her series about Elijah. I almost forgot, I’ve just started Joel Rosenberg’s The Last Jihad series by reading The Last Jihad. It took my breath away.
I love seeing your recommendations! I’ve added Borrowed Life to my Audible wish list. I’ve had The Rent Collector in my physical book collection for about six or seven years..sigh.