Welcome to the 2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge! Thanks to my Christmastime vacation, I'm a little late getting things going this month. From now on, I will post these updates at the beginning of the month, not in the middle of it. 

I've read four books so far this year and none of them have been bookish in nature. There are some 2026 new releases with bookish themes that I'm looking forward to. I have ARCs for some of them, so I may get to them in January. We'll see.

Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum (available January 13, 2026)—Historical fiction author Blum pens her first contemporary novel with this bookish murder mystery featuring two novelists whose relationship becomes very sketchy very fast. 

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (available February 3, 2026)—Another bookish read, this one features a new widow who is shocked when she's informed that her late husband left her a birthday gift at their local indie. The present is twelve books, one for each month of the first year without him, to help comfort and guide her through the grieving process. She vlogs about her reading and reading-inspired adventures, finding a global support system that carries her through a difficult year.

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (available February 17, 2026)—Quinn's latest and greatest centers around a young woman who finds refuge from her struggles in the real world in the reading room at the Boston Library. When she discovers a hidden doorway leading to a secret library where lonely souls can literally disappear inside their favorite books, she's dazzled. Then, she's confronted by a frightening enemy who's a danger to everyone the library has sheltered. As she escapes through various books, she must figure out how to defeat this threatening foe.

How about you? Do you have any bookish books on tap for January?