RoyallyReading's 2026 Reading Journal

Hi everyone! I'm Sam and this is my Reading Journal for 2026.

This year, 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

Here I'm mainly going to be logging my novel reads for the year. I read too many picture books for storytime at the library to keep a proper running tally of those on a thread like this. My collection for my storytime books is here if anyone would like to reference them at any point for their own storytimes or littles at home!

Library Storytime Reads 2025 & 2026

My Club Read Journal from last year for personal reference: Club Read 2025

This is the tag I'm using to group everything I read this year in one place (novels, picture books, and comics all in one):
2026 Reads

I've decided to kick-off the first portion of the 20 Books with Black Women/Black Folx with children's picture books, since that's what I read most at work. 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

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) by 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 Powerby 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.

Hi Sam, I'm Lisa and I homeschool my two nieces, aged almost-6 and 9. I can tell your thread is going to result in a plethora of library requests. A couple of years ago, I separated out my children's books into a separate account: @labfs39kids. I'm going to scoot over and see how much overlap we share. :-)

>1 royallyreading: love your catalogue of story time reads (linked here). I had so much fun with books when my children were young. It was really such a special thing. Alas, they grow up. Potential grandkids aren’t on the horizon yet.

>5 labfs39: Hi Lisa! Seems like we have a fair amount of overlap! My younger sister was homeschooled; it's such a rewarding and interesting experience to assist with and observe.

We read an interesting picture book last week that you might find interesting: Together a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature's Diversity and Our Own by Roz MacLean.

>8 labfs39: My library does have a few copies in the system! I'll put it on hold tomorrow so I can check it out :D Thanks for the rec!

>4 royallyreading: I envy you I miss being able to read to the kids in the classroom and I'm retired now but But I have some physical issues that stopped me from doing that I would enjoy hearing new books you've been reading to the kids

>10 royallyreading: 33rd! I’ve only read one - the Orient Express one. 🙂

Another book, Sam. Sounds fun enough

>15 royallyreading: Nice review of Between the World and Me. This has been on my radar since it came out, but your review wants me to finally get a copy.

>15 royallyreading: Coates talking to Baldwin (sorta). Enjoyed your review!

>20 labfs39: It's super interesting, I definitely recommend it.

>21 dchaikin: Yeah, it certainly felt that way at times. Like it was adding to a broader dialogue in its reflections. I've read one of Baldwin's works, but I have several more on my TBR that I'll eventually get around to tackling :)

>22 royallyreading: Baldwin is a favorite of mine. If you need encouragement, I can provide this! But I should be careful not to go overboard. 🙂

>23 dchaikin: I'm aiming to start Go Tell It On The Mountain next month. I previously read The Fire Next Time in early 2024, so it's been a little while between Baldwin books. I'd love to know what your fav of his is!

>24 royallyreading: my favorite Baldwin is easily Giovanni’s Room. It has all his power and a beautiful touch. It’s an all-time favorite book of mine.

The Fire Next Time is his most important book. I’m glad you have read that. Go Tell It On the Mountain is very powerful, tying into his religious childhood, with serious anger and disillusionment.

>24 royallyreading: Let me know if you read Go Tell It on the Mountain next month. After I read the outstanding biography Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs last month I've decided to reread Baldwin's entire oeuvre over the next three years or so, in the order the books were written, as I have the three volume Library of America collection of his fiction and non-fiction works.

>25 dchaikin: I agree with you completely, Dan.

>26 kidzdoc: love that you’re doing this. I would like to. (But … i haven’t read Virginia Woolf yet. Or Hemingway. Or Joyce. Or Kafka. Or Henry James. Or Forster. Or… )

>27 dchaikin: I could definitely go for Kafka, and maybe Hemingway. I doubt I'll ever get to the other ones, though.

Nice to see some new review posts from you. Glad you enjoyed at least one of these two.

I've finished my initial picture book concentration for my 20 Books by Black Folx/Black Women 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
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

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.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

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
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Your lists of picture books by Black Folx continue to be a resource. I heard Mae Jemison speak in 2015 and still have notes from that lecture on my phone. I read some of the picture books about her to my nieces when we were studying astronomy. She is a great role model.

>33 labfs39: I'm so glad it's helpful! That sounds like an amazing lecture; I've loved reading about her story and definitely plan to read more about the great women involved in space and NASA.

With Project Hail Mary, I've completed my first quarter novel reading for 2026. On to a second! Project Hail Mary is very likely to be my favorite read of 2026....it's really up there for me right now and it's still early in the year!

Second Quarter Reading of 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}
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 & Jan Berenstain {May 22}
43. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan {May 28}
44. The Picasso Heist by James Patterson & Howard Roughan {June 5}
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

>35 royallyreading: I loved your enthusiasm for Project Hail Mary. I really enjoyed it as well. Be forewarned, Artemis is very different from The Martian or PHM. I didn't care for it nearly as much as the other two.

>37 labfs39: I do like that I've seen Artemis described as a heist novel. That's a topic my sister and I frequently discuss, so I'm hoping that story point bolsters our experience when we eventually buddy read it. We're about to buddy read The Martian. A first read for her, a reread for me. Right now she's reading Project Hail Mary since I loved it and couldn't shut up about it. Which is super fun cause she doesn't read a lot of sci-fi but has been willing to give the genre more of a try lately.

>37 labfs39: That sounds very fun. I think Artemis didn't work for me because I was expecting more science-y science fiction and got something different. Sometimes when I like the first book I read by an author, it sets up an expectation for more of the same (which PHM, on the other hand, was).