RoyallyReading's 2026 Reading Wonderland

Want to be sure to do some of my reading housekeeping ahead of time, so I'm not scrambling come New Year's Eve! This will begin my second reading journal here at The Green Dragon.

In 2026, I'm planning to tackle a few Reading Challenges:
- 20 Books By Black Women/20 Books by Black Folx
- Anti Brain Rot Challenge
- Tackle My TBR
- 100 Books in a Year

2025 Reading Journal (for quick, personal reference)

I'm not going to keep my overall picture book tally running here, simply because doing story time at the library means I read way too many of them to keep up with reasonably on a thread like this.

Happy New Year & happy reading everyone!

I've decided to kick-off the first portion of this challenge with children's picture books, since that's what I read most. I'm trying to create a better diversity ratio in this area particularly. Throughout the year I'll add in other levels of books to keep branching out my reading.

20 Picture Books by Black Women
1. Going Down Home with Daddy - Kelly Starling Lyons
2. My Daddy is a Cowboy - Stephanie Seales
3. Shhh! The Baby's Asleep - JaNay Brown-Wood
4. Grandma's Tiny House - JaNay Brown-Wood
5. Imani's Moon - JaNay Brown-Wood
6. Princess and the Peas - Rachel Hime
7. Ready? Set. Raymond! - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
8. Becoming Vanessa - Vanessa Brantley-Newton
9. Water, Water - Eloise Greenfield
10. Justice Ketanji: The Story of US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson - Denise Lewis Patrick
11. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
12. How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace - Carole Boston Weatherford
13. Dream March: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
14. By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, The Father of Gospel Music - Carole Boston Weatherford
15. Beause of You, John Lewis - Andrea Davis Pinkney
16. Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps - Charlotte Watson Sherman
17. Brown Sugar Babe - Charlotte Watson Sherman
18. Glow - Ruth Forman
19. Magic Like That - Samara Cole Doyon
20. Mae Among the Stars - Roda Ahmed

20 Picture Books by Black Folx
1. Carrimebac, The Town That Walked - David Barclay Moore
2. Knucklehead Fred - Arias Williams, Bolaji Olaloye
3. Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space - Charles R. Smith Jr.
4. The History of We - Nikkolas Smith
5. Hair Love ABCs - Matthew A. Cherry
6. Jazz - Walter Dean Myers
7. An American Story - Kwame Alexander
8. The Gathering Table - Antwan Eady
9. The Last Stand - Antwan Eady
10. There Was a Party for Langston - Jason Reynolds
11. When Alexander Graced the Table - Alexander Smalls & Denene Millner
12. The Old Sleigh - Jarrett Pumphrey
13. I Got You - Derrick Barnes
14. The Undefeated - Kwame Alexander
15. Bronzeville Boys and Girls - Gwendolyn Brooks
16. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters - John Steptoe
17. Thunder Rose - Jerdine Nolen
18. I Love My Hair! - Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
19. The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music - Roberta Flack
20. Mama's Library Summers - Melvina Noel

>1 royallyreading: Happy new thread!

>1 royallyreading: Happy New Thread!

Good luck with all your challenges :)

Since you're so early, you get my first 2026 New Thread welcomer -

>1 royallyreading: Happy reading!

>5 Bookmarque: Love it!

Thank you all!

First quarter reading of 2026:

1. Super Rabbit Boy vs. Super Rabbit Boss! (Press Start #4) by Thomas Flintham (Jan. 1)
2. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (Jan. 10)
3. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Jan. 14)
4. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Jan. 15)
5. Super Rabbit Boy Blasts Off!(Press Start #5) by Thomas Flintham (Jan. 16)
6. Spirit Week Showdown (The Magnificent Mya Tibbs #1) by Crystal Allen (Jan. 22)
7. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo (Jan. 26)
8. Shuri Takes Control by Terrance Crawford (Jan. 27)
9. The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid #2) by Freida McFadden (Jan. 28)
10. The Super Side-Quest Test! (Press Start #6) by Thomas Flintham (Jan. 30)
11. Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes (Jan. 30)
12. Infected(Piggy #1) - Terrance Crawford (Feb. 3)
13. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #20: Partypooper by Jeff Kinney (Feb. 9)
14. Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber (Feb. 11)
15. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Feb. 16)
16. Bemused by Farrah Rochon (Feb. 19)
17. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Feb. 22)
18. Diana and the Underworld Odyssey by Aisha Saeed (March 5)
19. May Day by F. Scott Fitzgerald (March 6)
20. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates (March 15)
21. African-American Poetry: An Anthology, 1773-1927 edited by Joan R. Sherman (March 21)
22. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (March 26)
23. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (March 27)
24. The Cure (Piggy #2) by Terrance Crawford (March 28)
25. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (April 5)

Super Rabbit Boy vs. Super Rabbit Boss!
I started the Press Start series last year. It's an early chapter book series that is part of the Branches imprint from Scholastic. It's designed to get kids reading chapter books while being very friendly visually. It crosses the gap between picture books and chapter books. The Press Start series is video game themed, which is what drew me to it. The protagonist, Super Rabbit Boy, is very much like Super Mario. He has a fast hedgehog friend named Simon, there's Singing Dog who lives in Animal Town, and his nemesis is King Viking.

As a long-time gamer, there's a lot of fun nods to classic games through the characters, settings, and plot points of this series. Super Rabbit Boy is clearly a mirror of Mario, Simon is Sonic, and Singing Dog/Animal Town seems like a mirror of K.K. Slider and Animal Crossing. The third book was like a spin on Mario Kart. This 4th entry provides an actual mirror dimension of Super Rabbit Boy's universe. I love seeing the comparisons to real games and I can think of several kids I've seen in my library who would love this book series. I get a lot of Minecraft and Sonic fans at my location, so this is right up their alley. I'll be continuing on with this series so I can keep pinpointing the various Easter eggs.

Happy New Year and new thread :)

Belated Happy New Year and Thread!

Happy new year! I wish you all the best for your reading goals!

Super Rabbit Boy Blasts Off!
This is the 5th book in the Press Start series of early chapter books. It takes the hero, Super Rabbit Boy, to space to chase his nemesis. I'm still really enjoying all the gaming references. The space adventure treats young readers to a new landscape for the series and it's a fun read. I'd readily recommend it for young gamers who have maybe been a bit hesitant about reading. I feel like it would really help bridge the gap between gaming and reading having the potential to be genuinely fun.

>17 royallyreading: This sounds really cute! I wish I'd known about it a couple of years ago for my goddaughter, but I think she's a bit too old for it now.

>15 royallyreading: This is going on my Libby audio list. Your review is just the push I needed.

>18 royallyreading: I enjoyed this duology very much as well. I didn't like Shadow & Bone quite as much, but it's still good. It feels a little more like YA than Crows did. It's a fascinating world, though!

>23 royallyreading: I have this book on my Kobo, waiting for its turn 😊

I really like Japanese mysteries, so I am glad you liked your first one.

>24 clamairy: I'm so glad! It's very thought-provoking so I'm happy to have helped you pick a future read!

I need to read the rest of the series, but yeah, totally agree. Even though it mainly takes place in Ketterdam, somehow the world felt bigger and more real in Crows, more nuanced. I also think the group has had to deal with more and has matured more rapidly in many ways compared to Alina. I think I also just really love the group dynamic and found family aspect.

>25 Alexandra_book_life: Which Japanese mysteries would you recommend based on what you've read so far? 😊

>27 royallyreading: When it comes to more modern ones, I can really recommend mysteries by Keigo Higashino - you could start with Devotion of Suspect X, The Salvation of a Saint or Newcomer. The Noh Mask Murder I read recently was quite good too - it's a classic.

I've finished my initial picture book concentration for this challenge, so it's time to expand to additional categories!

20 Kids/Middle Grade/YA Novels by Black Folx
1. The Magnificent Mya Tibbs #1: Spirit Week Showdown - Crystal Allen
2. Shuri Takes Control - Terrance Crawford
3. Garvey in the Dark - Nikki Grimes
4. Infected (Piggy #1) - Terrance Crawford
5. Legendborn - Tracy Deonn
6. Bemused - Farrah Rochon
7. The Cure (Piggy #2) - Terrance Crawford
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20 Adult Novels/Non-Fiction by Black Folx
1. Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
2. We Were Eight Years in Power - Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. African-American Poetry: An Anthology, 1773-1927 edited by Joan R. Sherman
4. Say It Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches edited by Catherine Ellis and Stephen Drury Smith
5. A Burst of Light: Essays by Audre Lorde
6. Haruko/Love Poems by June Jordan
7. The Panther and the Lash by Langston Hughes
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20 Comics/Graphic Novels by Black Folx
1. Miles Morales: Shock Waves - Justin A. Reynolds
2. Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir - Walter Dean Myers
3. Static: Up All Night - Lamar Giles
4. Orisha Vol. 1: With Great Power - Huzayfa Umar
5. I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina
6. Aquaman: The Becoming by Brandon Thomas
7. Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe by Shauna J. Grant
8. Mimi and the Boo-Hoo Blahs by Shauna J. Grant
9. Shuri & T'Challa: Into the Heartlands by Roseanne A. Brown
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I love this book so much. It's definitely in the running to be my favorite book of this year, even though it's SUPER early in the year still.

Project Hail Mary wraps up the first quarter of novel reading for me this year. Time to start on a second quarter!

Second Quarter Reading 2026:

26. Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals by Dorothy Lehmkuhl & Dolores Cotter Lamping (April 11)
27. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (April 12)
28. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (April 18)
29. Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel (April 19)
30. Big Tree by Brian Selznick (April 20)
31. Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha (April 22)
32. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (April 23)
33. The Running Man by Stephen King (April 24)
34. Thick as Thieves by M. J. Kuhn Tales of Thamorr #2 (April 27)
35. Trash by Sylvia Aguilar-Zeleny (May 1)
36. Say It Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches edited by Catherine Ellis and Stephen Drury Smith (May 4)
37. Own Your Space by Alexandra Gater (May 4)
38. The Home Edit by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin (May 7)
39. Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves (May 11)
40. The Worm Poet by Sungsun Lee (May 12)
41. 1,000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets by Jamie Novak (May 21)
42. The Berenstain Bears: The Haunted Lighthouse by Stan and Jan Berenstain (May 22)
43. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan (May 27)
44. The Picasso Heist by James Patterson & Howard Roughan (June 5)
45. Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz (June 20)
46. The Stranger by Albert Camus (June 20)
47. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (June 22)
48. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (June 24)
49. About Time: Poems by David Duchovny (July 4)
50. A Burst of Light by Audre Lorde (July 8)

>30 royallyreading: Such a good book! I am glad you enjoyed it 🥰

>32 Alexandra_book_life: I might have to raid your shelves for some more sci-fi reads! We have quite a few books in common across different genres and mediums :D

>33 royallyreading: I am glad to hear that! Such raiding is most welcome 😁

>30 royallyreading: I also loved this one, although I think I liked The Martian just a little bit better. (I started Artemis and could not finish it.)

>39 royallyreading: This one looks quite good. And I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the Christie.

>42 royallyreading: Am I the only person on the planet who didn't realize this series was YA? One of my RL friends highly recommended it, and so I've been thinking about giving it a go. Now I'm a lot less interested, especially since I see it is also tagged as romance.

>43 royallyreading: Did you see the most recent version of the movie?

>44 clamairy: I knew this was YA because my sister read the first couple books a while back and told me as much. We both read a decent bit of YA regularly (she's in her early 20s, I'm in my early 30s).

For the first few books, it's light, casual romance. There's a love triangle, but nothing intense. Around book 5 I hear it gets a bit spicier, but not by much. Like the first A Court of Thorns and Roses book, is what I hear on the internet.

>45 Karlstar: I haven't seen either. I saw about 10-15 minutes of the Schwarzenegger version when hanging with my in-laws' and had some errands to run so I didn't finish it. I didn't even know it WAS a book until my sister told me, and that's how I decided to read it, before I eventually get to watching them.

>45 Karlstar: >47 royallyreading: The more recent movie version is supposed to be a more faithful adaptation of the book. I've seen both movies and like them for what they are but haven't read the book.

>48 AHS-Wolfy: That's what I heard about the most recent movie and for that reason I'm interested. I love the original movie, as campy as it was, it was still fun.

>50 royallyreading: I had a similar response to The stranger but I loved The plague.

> 51 & >52 Sakerfalcon: I am very tempted by The Plague, but I don't think now is the best time to be reading it.

>53 clamairy: No! Although it surged in popularity during Covid ...

>52 Sakerfalcon: I'll have to look into it! My library seems to have a digital copy, so I'll add it to my digi-pile for when I get lulls at desk

>54 Sakerfalcon: I do remember that! And I was tempted then, too!

Third Quarter Reading of 2026:

51. Haruko/Love Poems by June Jordan (June 17)
52. The Panther and the Lash by Langston Hughes (June 17)
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