2026 Q3 Reading Wrap-Up with Book Reviews
Welcome to my quarter three reading wrap-up and book review list of 2026. I am so grateful for my experience with these books: some I loved, others no so much. But, you can read all about it below! Grab a warm drink and dive into this reading list.
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Classic Fiction Books
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dubliners by James Joyce
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
1984 by George Orwell
HHP Book Club Picks
Humming Hearts Publishing’s Book Club, join us in monthly online discussions on our Private discord server!
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Technically this was June’s book club choice, but I didn’t finish reading it until July.)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Dubliners by James Joyce
A Study in Scarlett by Arthur Conan Doyle
Books I read in quarter three
(includes: Classics, literary fiction, fantasy, Dystopian, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction.
It feels like I read a ton of books this quarter. And, if you’ve followed along on my other reading wrap-up’s of 2026, you’ll notice this was my most read quarter. I must say, I enjoyed almost all of these books! I discovered that Amy Harmon has become one of my new favorite authors, and I definitely fell in love with a few books I read. (I’ll put an asterisk by my most favorite reads.)
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald*
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon*
Rebirth: A Fable of Love, Forgiveness, and Following Your Heart by Kamal Ravikant*
The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon*
The Hotel for Hungry Ghosts by Christy Anne Jones
We Danced Among Shadows, Meadowbrook Ranch #2 by Ashely Dill*
Dubliners by James Joyce
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston*
Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty*
Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
Sunrise by Tea Obreht
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
1984 by George Orwell*
Fiction books Reading Wrap-up & Reviews
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996
Summary: F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, takes place in the late 1920's off the French Riviera. This tale encompasses a tragic love triangle romance between an actress, Rosemary Hoyte, and a married couple, Dick and Nicole Diver.
Book Review: Fitzgerald never ceases to amaze me with his literary genius. He knows exactly how to find the humanity in every character he writes. This book was far darker than I anticipated. Yet, Fitzgerald humanized the trauma of his characters in such a real manner. This book still haunts me, but the people are so visceral—so real. Fitzgerald wrote this while he was struggling with his newfound success as a writer, and a maddening writer’s block as he sought to maintain it. Fitzgerald’s cynicism always surprises me at the end of his novels because his enchantment of romance and life are ever-present in small moments within his writing. I will continue to read every book he’s ever written.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Vintage, June 2, 2015
Summary: A post-apocalyptic tale about the lengths a group of artists will go for the sake of art and humanity.
Book Review: This book was honestly disappointing. I read Sea of Tranquility and absolutely adored it. This tale was disjointed and leaned heavily into a cynical religious metaphor that came off like propaganda.
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
Vintage, June 2026
Summary: It’s the day before Gail’s daughter’s wedding, and she just lost her job. Her ex-husband Max shows up at her door without a place to stay or a suit, and he arrives with an unhoused cat. As Gail navigates sharing her daughter with a new family, she and Max learn their soon to be son has a secret that sends Gail down memory lane about her own mistakes. Can she confront the truth of her past and mend the strained relationship with her daughter? Is her daughter entering a broken relationship right out of the gate?
Book Review: This is a short and slow read, and not in a negative way. Anne is methodical with her prose and how she lets the narrative unfold. It wasn’t rushed. I enjoyed the first half of this story more than the second half, and part of that is because I disliked the main character. It seemed that she didn’t quite change out of her old ways: she’s a grumpy and controlling woman, who kind of stays that way. Despite the plot being quite positive, the character development wasn’t, and that didn’t work for me. This was my first Anne Tyler book, and despite that, I will still explore more of her catalogue.
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
Lake Union Publishing, April 28, 2020
Summary: A historical fiction novel set on the Oregon Trail circa 1853. Naomi May left her grief as a widow to pioneer with her family across the West. She instantly forms a connection with John Lowry, who is searching for a place in a world that sees his half-Pawnee blood unfit for either side. But, as they all traverse the wild land, everyone is met with hardship, loss, and fear. As Naomi and John grow closer on their travels, the harsh land and those who claim its soil tear them apart, until all at once dominion overtakes the pioneers. John must find his way back to Naomi, and the loyalty of his heritage is the only hope they have to reunite, but it’s also what’s keeping them apart. This epic is about survival and the resilience of the human spirit.
Book Review: This is one of my favorite books of 2026. Amy Harmon has rapidly become one of my most favorite authors. This book solidified it. Where the Lost Wander is an absolutely devastating book, but one that succeeds in showcasing the resilience of the human spirit, and by showing a nuanced perspective between the pioneers and the tribes. It felt real. The world is never black and white; it’s gray, and Amy Harmon shows this brilliantly. These characters still live with me long after reading this book.
Rebirth: A Fable of Love, Forgiveness, and Following Your Heart by Kamal Ravikant
Hachette Books, January 3, 2017
Summary: A novel inspired by the author’s real life pilgrimage across the Camino de Santiago. Amit is working through his grief as he walks the Camino, and along the way learns that he cannot outrun himself.
Book Review: This book reminded me of works by Paulo Coelho. It was inspiring and uplifting. This book shares nuggets of wisdom that can resonate with any reader searching to move through grief and find forgiveness.
The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon
Lake Union Publishing, April 19, 2022
Summary: A historical fiction murder mystery novel that begins in Chicago 1923, and unfolds fifteen years later when Dani Flannigan is no longer 10 years-old but a young lady. Michael Malone, the investigator who was assigned to her case when she was a child after her parents mysterious death weaves back into her life to solve a string of murders. Malone and Dani’s paths cross once more to solve this case to find the serial killer before they become his next victim.
Book Review: Is there anything Amy Harmon cannot write? This complex tale was intriguing and heartfelt. The story has two timelines, but only initially, for context, and it never takes away from the main plot. It enriches the story. I listened to this novel and the narrator took me out of it about ⅓ of the way through, but I slightly adjusted the speed, and the pacing was so much better. I loved the mystery elements and the characterization: Amy Harmon understand people and that shows in her writing.
The Hotel for Hungry Ghosts by Christy Anne Jones
Lore Library, February 2025
Summary: An old-man ghost is in search of his lost hat to stay connected to his past.
Book Review: The writing was good, it was slow and vivid. While I didn’t enjoy the moral of the story, it was a quick and engrossing read.
We Danced Among Shadows, Meadowbrook Ranch #2 by Ashely Dill
Ashley Dill, KINDLE, January 20, 2026
Summary: A romance novel about healing. Jesse Holmes, a widowed single-dad is haunted by his grief and refuses to fall back into alcohol to quell it. Hollie Aldridge is a woman who seems like she has the perfect life: a husband, kids, and a luxurious lifestyle. But, she’s hiding something about her marriage from her family. When she’s at her sister’s wedding on their ranch, she falls for Jesse’s vulnerability—and falls into his arms, but her life is miles away in Colorado. It’s only when she’s called back to the ranch to help her sister through her pregnancy in Texas that she and Jesse rekindle what they once started. But the big question stands before everyone: isn’t she married? The truth is revealed and Hollie must finally understand that it is strong to ask for help when you need it.
Book Review: Ashley Dill is a wonderful writer. She grapples with complex themes in such a tender and graceful manner. I always enjoy reading her books. This story is part of the Meadowbrook Ranch series.
Pin this book list! 📌
Dubliners by James Joyce
Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1993
Summary: A collection of short stories that reflect the ordinary life (and the many complexities of it) within Ireland.
Book Review: I sadly have a hard time reading Joyce, and it’s mostly because there are too many footnotes inside of his books. His writing has a ton of cultural slang and references, which can make the story rich, but if you don’t know the references, you’re constantly flipping to the footnotes to read the story. That pulls me out of the immersion. Therefore, I ended up listening to the audio version for the last two stories and it was much more alive. This collection is haunting and quite melancholy, but rich in characterization.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
William Morrow, September 10, 2024
Summary: A story about grief, found family, and redemption. Frederick Fife is an elderly man who would give anyone the shirt off of his back, but there’s no one left in his life to give to. When Frederick Fife’s life crosses paths with grouchy Bernard Greer’s in an odd mistaken identity accident, Frederick takes over Bernard’s life and touches more lives than he could have ever hoped for.
Book Review: This was a sweet story. I enjoyed the scenes with Bernard’s daughter the most because the author deals with complex emotions of abandonment with raw vulnerability.
Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty
Riverhead Books, August 4, 2026
Summary: This coming of age story is about young love. When Nora moves to Florida, she meets Leonard in high school and they have an instant connection, one that concerns his parents. When his parents' suspicions about their relationship come to fruition, they cut Nora out of their lives, but Leonard doesn’t want to be controlled. Therefore, he tries to build a life for himself, one where he can also be with Nora. But, the realities of a complex world alter the trajectory of everyone’s lives.
Book Review: I adored this story. The novel takes place within the 50’s, and I found that the writing style and characters jumped right out of the page. It’s a story about young love, and a romance that’s tested through mistakes, life’s adversity, and the social confines of its time. Although it's quite a heartbreaking story, the ending is satisfying.
Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
St. Martin’s Press, September 1, 2026
Summary: A family fueled by their secrets. This book has multiple POV’s and timelines. It shares the story of one family through multiple generations living in a small-town in North Carolina. Through the women’s lives, we explore the trauma they carry with them and into the next generations.
Book Review: Truthfully, this book was a let down. I adored Other Birds, but this new novel had many issues. This book promised magical realism, romance, and ghost story. And I absolutely love books that explore a deeper meaning, but I felt that none of those were fulfilled—at least, not fulfilled well. The book bounced between two different timelines that never actually felt complete in either one. Also, the novel wasn’t nearly as magical as her previous story. The prose, as usual, was beautiful. There are definitely some quotable lines, but the plot and characters didn’t work with the themes. And towards the end, the author shoehorned in a twist that felt like it was thrown in to fulfill a propaganda social ideal that felt out of place.
Sunrise by Téa Obreht
Random House, August 11, 2026
Summary: Multiple lives interweave at different timelines in a place called “Sunrise”. Nina and her boyfriend’s plane crashes in the Wyoming mountains, leaving them separately stranded. As Nina ventures forward for salvation, she stumbles upon “Sunrise” and learns about the town’s old ghost story of a gunslinger. Nina also discovers another story within “Sunrise” of a group of re-enactment actors reliving the old ghost story based on their perspectives of what they believe the gunslingers lived through.
Book Review: This book was a bit all over the place. The writing style is pretty good. However, the profanity was overdone, some lines that were meant to be poignant with F-bombs were over the top, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The ending was very frustrating. Also, most of the characters are unlikable, the plot was disconnected, and the storytelling is quite cynical.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Baker Street Press, November 21, 2021
Summary: Let's meet Sherlock Holmes and John Watson for the first time in this investigative mystery as we uncover the death of two Americans who were connected to some powerful yet sinister groups in Britain and America.
Book Review: I loved Part One with Sherlock and Dr. Watson. To my surprise, more than half of the book explores exposition inside of another story, and sadly we are not following Sherlock for any of it. It felt like two different books. And the second story was a bit melodramatic.
1984 by George Orwell
Penguin Books Ltd, March 7, 2008
Summary: Winston Smith works a dull life for the Ministry of Truth where Big Brother and the Thought Police monitor everyone’s movements. It’s not until Winston falls in love with Julia that his eyes open to the tyranny of the Party, he discovers that there is so much more to live for. Will he join the rebellion and live to tell the tale, or will the oppression of the government reign on?
Book Review: This was a reread for me. My in-person book club chose the book and I was stoked to discuss this classic. During this second reading, I got to experience more details that I had previously missed. I still find this novel absolutely profound and haunting. It’s honestly perfect to read during the spooky season.
There you have it! I have read a ton of books this quarter, and a lot were hits, but they can’t all be.
Some of these books I read with our book club over on Patreon, so if you’re looking for discussions about storytelling through reading, we’d love to have you! Over there, you get the full breakdown of my reaction to these books, and from a writer’s perspective we break down each narrative.
Thank you for reading my 2026 quarter three reading wrap-up.
Happy reading!
Serena
