2026 Year in Review

 Looking back at 2026, I read fewer books than I have recently, but I did hit my goal of 52.

Fiction: 40

Non-Fiction: 13

Books written by women: 43

Books written by men: 10

Non-Fiction written by women: 8

Non-Fiction written by men: 5

Favorite Fiction:

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

Runner's Up (I'm very indecisive):

All Fours by Miranda July

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Favorite Non-Fiction:

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

#53 [2025/CBR17] Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I've already read a couple of books by Taylor Jenkins Reid and generally liked them, but I think Atmosphere (2025) is my favorite (so far). I first saw Atmosphere on NPR's Favorite books, and then my book club started talking about it too, which is why I picked it up.

Atmosphere takes place in the early 1980's at the NASA space shuttle program. We follow the women who are in NASA's second class of astronauts to ever allow women. Joan Goodwin is an Astronomer unhappily teaching introductory classes to spoiled Freshman when she hears that NASA has opened up applications for women. After not making it her first try, she tries again the next year and is accepted. 

The book jumps back and forth between 1981--following Joan when she first comes to NASA and her ensuing training, and 1984--when Joan is in the control room for a space shuttle mission. Both story lines are compelling. 

***SPOILERS***Atmosphere contains themes of women in male-dominated spaces, the excitement of space flight, and family, but it is more than anything a love story. Joan meets a fellow woman in her class, Vanessa Ford. Joan admires Vanessa, and the two become friends. There is romantic tension there from the beginning but Joan is pretty shut down sexually, not understanding why people make such a big deal of kissing and sex. She hasn't even considered that she might not have been with the right person.

The blossoming of the relationship between Joan and Vanessa is very sweet and feels real, but it comes with its own problems. NASA did not allow gay and lesbian people in its astronaut corps. They had to keep their relationship secret, and both felt their job threatened by suspicions of their love.

Back in 1984, the shuttle is up in space and something goes drastically wrong. Joan is the astronaut in the control room in charge of communicating with the astronauts on the shuttle. Most of the astronauts on the shuttle were in her class, and she is good friends with them. The tension is high. But as I read the book, I began to understand the depth of the relationship between Joan and Vanessa. And Vanessa is on that shuttle, too.

Joan is talking to the love of her life for what she thinks might be the last time. Hundreds of people are listening, and she can't let the true nature of their relationship show. I have to tell you that I was really crying for a good chunk of the end of the book. I had become attached to the characters and the story, and the circumstances were heartbreaking. ***END SPOILERS***

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the main characters, their relationships, the excitement of a trip on a space shuttle, and the details of their training. It almost felt like this book was written for me. Strongly recommended.

P.S. Joan was a lover of the stars, even saying she was lucky to go to Joshua Tree National Park as a child to see them. I happened to be in Joshua Tree while I was reading this book. I tried to appreciate the stars like Joan did, and they did look cool. However, I am too ignorant, and I don't know what I'm looking at. I tend to lose interest quickly.

#52 [2025/CBR17] Tilt by Emma Pattee

I am so excited by all of the end-of-the-year book lists coming out. I have so many books to read and so little time. I found Tilt by Emma Pattee (2025) after I saw it on both the Times and NPR's lists. The NPR blurb about this book made it sound a little more lighthearted and fun than I found it to be. However, it did keep my interest.

Annie lives in Portland. She is nine months pregnant, due any day, and picking out a crib in Ikea. She is hungry, her feet hurt, her back hurts, and she is frustrated with herself for her lack of ability to just get things done. And then a huge earthquake hits, and there is immediate chaos. Annie is initially trapped under some collapse, but is helped by the Ikea clerk who had been so annoying just a moment before. 

When the two make it out of the store, they are separated. Annie doesn't know what to do, so she decides to walk to the coffee shop where her husband is working. It is a hot, sunny day. Annie is thirsty and tired, and she sees evidence of the destruction all around her as she walks. 

The book goes back and forth through Annie's memories as she walks. How she met her husband, how she dropped out of college with big dreams of becoming a playwright, and how those dreams slowly faded away. Now she has a child on the way, and she has become terrified of what might happen to him. Her relationship with her husband is struggling because she can't talk to him about how she feels.

When Emma can't find her husband at the coffee shop, she heads towards downtown, which she has heard has been ravaged. At some point she sees the same Ikea woman, Taylor, in her bright yellow Ikea t-shirt. Taylor is walking to her daughter's school, desperate to find her. Annie and Taylor stay together until after they reach the school. I thought this was a very moving part of the book.

Afterwards, Annie heads out on her own, still trying to get downtown to find her husband. It was this part of the book that felt especially uncomfortable for me to read. It was often more and more details of Annie's pain and suffering as she walked without much purpose. I didn't understand what was pushing Annie to drag her poor body all over the city when she had no idea where her husband would be. Wouldn't he head home, if he was able? I wanted Annie to either get to a community shelter or head home herself. 

I won't go into detail about the ending, but I found it frustrating. It felt abrupt, and I wanted to know more. I'm sure that was the point of the book and may even make it more memorable, but I felt disappointed. In the end, I thought this book was both interesting and painful to read. It is well written, but I found it occasionally frustrating. I'm not sure I would recommend this one to everyone.

#51 [2025/CBR17] The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

I feel like I've read a string of self-help books lately, and I still have a couple more to go. The Let Them Theory (2024) by Mel Robbins was another recommendation from my therapist. I thought it was easy to follow, interesting to read, and had generally helpful advice. I've definitely been thinking about some of her recommendations and using it in my own life.

Early on in her book, Robbins mentions that she's good at distilling a lot of information into clear, easy-to-understand bites. I think she's successful in doing this for The Let Them Theory. When you look at the whole book, there really is a lot of information, but Robbins narrows it all down to, "Let Them," and "Let Me." The gist is that you can't control other people, and the more you try, the more anxious and miserable you get. So you "let them" do whatever it is they're going to do anyway. But then you "let me" do whatever work that needs to be done to make you happier about the situation.

For example, if your boss is horrible, don't waste your time and attention focusing on how you'd like your boss to be better. Focus on actions that you can take. The best option is often finding a new job, but it is also what will make you happier in the long run. Robbins takes this theory to every part of life, including work, family, friendships, and romantic relationships.

Robbins includes a section on friendship where she explains the difference between friendships as children and friendships as adults. This wasn't new information, but it was presented well. Robbins states that you have to be more flexible with adult relationships because moving, stress, children, spouses, etc., can all affect friendships in the short and long term.

Robbins also has a section on romantic relationships, which fits well with her "Let Them" theory. When someone says they're not interested in you, let them, and move on. This section reminded me of He's Just Not That Into You, because it basically says the same things. I was impressed by how Robbins described how painful breakups can be, but how important it is to move on. I agree with her completely, although I'm not sure if I would have been able to follow this advice when I was younger. I still might have been slow to see and accept the disinterest.

The most difficult section for me was when Robbins discussed dealing with people you care deeply about who are not doing well. This would include alcoholism, depression, weight gain, gambling, unable to support yourself, and/or making generally bad decisions in life. Robbins says you have to "let them" because trying to influence someone usually has the opposite effect, and it will only worsen your relationship with them. People have to decide for themselves if they want change. 

Robbins says that adults have to feel the pain of their bad decisions before they might want to change. If you protect them from their bad decisions, then they will never have the motivation to change. You can support them if they want help, but you should not enable their bad behavior. It's a tricky line, and it sometimes means leaving people out to either get better or die. It's definitely another thing that's easier said than done.

Robbins says the only way you can influence someone is by modeling good behavior, which will hopefully encourage them to follow your good example eventually. The only other thing to do is follow her "ABC's of asking questions." ABC's include:

APOLOGIZE (for being judgmental and trying to butt into their lives), then ASK open-ended questions

BACK OFF, and observe their BEHAVIOR

CELEBRATE progress while you continue to model CHANGE

I found this book pretty easy to read with some useful information. I appreciated that Robbins was very open and honest about her own life and the problems she has struggled with. I think this made it easier to take advice from her.

#50 [2025/CBR17] A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

I've found a number of interesting books when I need a new audio book by just seeing what is "available now" at my library, sorted by popularity. Is that how I found A Marriage at Sea (2025) by Sophie Elmhirst? Honestly, now I can't remember. I may have seen it on a list somewhere. Also, now that I've read it, I'm seeing this book everywhere, including NPR and NYT's 2025 lists. Spoilers follow.

A Marriage at Sea is the true story of a couple, Maralyn and Maurice, who were sailing around the world when their boat was hit and broken by a sperm whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. With an unfixable hole under the waterline and very limited time, the two bailed out onto a dinghy and a life raft. They had very limited supplies and no radio. Maralyn and Maurice barely managed to survive an amazing 118 days at sea before being picked up by a South Korean fishing boat. 

This book was a continual surprise for me. First, I had in my head that this shipwreck took place back in the 1800's or something, so I was surprised when I started listening and learned that Maralyn and Maurice were married in the 1960's and their shipwreck occurred in 1973. Second, this book is not just about the ocean journey and their survival. After they are picked up, the book goes into detail about the flurry of fanfare and press surrounding them, as well as their preparations for a second voyage to Patagonia.

But what stands out the most throughout this book is the relationship between Maralyn and Maurice. They defied expectations by choosing to not have kids, quitting their safe, respectable jobs, selling their home, and taking to the sea. In all of this, Maralyn was usually the instigator. It was her idea to sell the house and get a boat. And once they were shipwrecked, it was Maralyn's determination and optimism that kept them going. In many ways, they seemed suited only to each other.

Later in the book, Elmhirst likens the fanfare of a wedding to the fanfare of christening a new boat. The celebrations are all excitement and anticipation of what is to come, although the reality of marriage as well as a sea voyage can be much more difficult. In fact, some would not go through with it if they knew everything that was to come.

The book follows Maralyn and Maurice for the rest of their lives. Maurice ends up by himself, ornery and grumpy, and missing Maralyn deeply. 

I found this book interesting and thought provoking. It wasn't as straightforward as I was expecting. The author had a number of good sources, including diaries and books Maurice and Maralyn had written. However, I still sometimes wished we could know even more about the protagonists. Recommended.

#49 [2025/CBR17] Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

I thought I'd been listening to Kristin Hannah's latest novel, Magic Hour, but now that I'm writing the review, I just realized it was written back in 2006--so, almost twenty years ago and definitely not her latest novel. I'm a little late to this party. I've read a number of Hannah's novels. Some of them I've really liked, and others I've found too contrived and I got annoyed. I was immediately drawn into this one, though, and I'm glad I read it.

A young, malnourished girl wanders into a small town in the Pacific Northwest, near Olympic National Forest. She is terrified, cannot talk, has unexplained injuries, and seems to be friends with a young wolf. The sheriff of the town is a 39-year-old woman, Ellie. They are able to capture the young girl, but they have no idea what to do with her. Ellie calls her younger sister, Julia, in Los Angeles for help.

Julia Cates is a renowned child psychiatrist who is dealing with her own demons. One of her teenage clients shot and killed some other children before killing herself. The families and the media are blaming her, and Julia has lost all of her clients. She is beginning to even doubt herself. But when she sees that little girl who needs so much help in order to not get lost forever in the system, she is determined to do everything she can.

Julia spends all of her time with the little girl they begin to call Alice. Slowly, Alice starts trusting Julia, and she makes great progress. Along with this main story, there is the somewhat strained relationship between Ellie and Julia, and the possible love connections for both Julia and Ellie. For me, the main driver of the story was Alice and her recovery. Although I also appreciated seeing the sisters understand each other better, the love stories didn't feel necessary for the book. 

***SPOILERS***

After a heyday of publicity when Alice was first found, no one has come forward to claim her. The more Julia works with Alice, the more she knows she could never leave her. She asks her attorney to start working on adopting her. Suddenly, George enters the picture. He is Alice's father, just recently released from prison on appeal for the murder of his wife and daughter. He is rich and a little selfish, but he is no murderer. He's been unjustly imprisoned for years and thought his wife and daughter were gone forever.

The courts decided that Alice needed to go with her father, and in a scene that had me bawling, her father takes her away from Julia. Fortunately for Julia and Alice, George quickly decides he can't parent Alice and he brings her back. 

***END SPOILERS***

The story of the lost little girl coming out of the woods and her slow recovery immediately grabbed my attention. This was not a hard book to read. At times this book may have felt more like a fairy tale than something that could happen in real life, but I enjoyed it. 

#48 [2025/CBR17] Replaceable You by Mary Roach

Although it's been a number of years since I've read a book by Mary Roach, I have read quite a few. Mary Roach writes non-fiction--digging into whatever topic seems to catch her fancy. Quite often this topic is at least a little bit taboo. She's written a book about sex (Bonk), death (Stiff), and ghosts (Spook). When I was told her latest book was coming out, I immediately put a hold on it at the library. 

Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy (2025) is Roach's latest book. I thought it was interesting, and I definitely learned some things, but I didn't find it quite as readable as I have some of her other books. I have discovered about myself that whatever subject I'm learning about, I prefer to really dig into it, understand it fully, and explore every corner. Replaceable You (and many of Roach's books) keeps it fast paced, jumping from topic to topic with witticisms and little jokes. It can be fun, but I found myself getting frustrated. 

Roach tackles a number of different subjects in Replaceable You, including: the history of building fake noses, skin grafting, using pig organs for humans, growing organs, repurposing sexual organs, prosthetic legs, the iron lung, ostomy bags, hair transplants, and more. The overarching theme is an acknowledgement of how complex the human body is, and how difficult a time we have when we try to create part of it ourselves. It is amazing what some doctors have accomplished, but I'm a little afraid that we're walking ourselves right into a harrowing science-fiction movie.

My favorite parts of the book were when Roach showed how the research affected people personally. I enjoyed learning about the woman who wanted a prosthetic over her real foot because her original was so damaged. I also found the chapter on ostomy bags pretty interesting. I had never really thought about the stigma and challenge of trying to live your life with an ostomy bag. Finally, the chapter on the woman who had used an iron lung at night for most of her life was both fascinating and unexpectedly heart wrenching. 

There was a fair bit of information about the use of animals in all this research, including growing pig organs for humans and more. I am not against all animal testing. I realize that it has helped countless people's lives, but it still makes me uncomfortable, and I didn't enjoy reading about some of it. I also occasionally had a hard time following some of the more advanced research. Again, I felt like I needed more explanation to really understand what was going on and how much more needed to be done before it became something that was medically useable. 

Fans of Mary Roach will almost certainly enjoy this book as well, although I didn't find it as readable as some of her others.