As the year comes to a close, I’m sharing what’s on my 2026 TBR (to-be-read) list — the novels, memoirs, and classics I’m most drawn to in the year ahead, and the reading intentions behind them.

In this Season 1 finale of Fireside Lit, I talk through how I choose books, why I’m prioritizing slower, more intentional reading, and the themes I’m hoping to sit with in 2026.

This episode is less about checking boxes and more about curiosity, return, and letting books meet us where we are.

I’ll be taking a short break in January and will be back in February with Season 2. Until then, thank you for listening — and happy reading.

Not a list — just honest reactions to the books that held my attention this year, and the ones that didn’t.

A quiet, reflective recap for readers who want opinions without hype.

I talk through what I loved, what I struggled with, and which books stayed with me after the last page — without rankings or pressure to agree.

This is an episode for readers who care more about how books feel than how many they finish ✨️

This episode explores the central themes of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, reflecting on the historical reality of the Magdalene Laundries as well as the tension between personal morality and institutional loyalty, and the difficult questions that arise when faith intersects with authority.

I also share reflections from my own experience being raised Catholic and what it has meant to wrestle with belief, doubt, and spiritual autonomy in adulthood — with respect for those who remain devoted and honesty about the questions I'm still grappling with to this day.

This is not an episode about abandoning faith.

It’s about refusing to abandon your conscience.