Q4 is officially under way, and we are barreling towards the end of the year, trying to finish 2026 goals, already thinking about 2027 goals, and someone handling the rush of great books and library holds deluging my life.
My major goal for this year was to read 250 books, as I have currently finished 219 books, which Goodreads says is 11 books ahead of schedule. I am currently reading 2 books–one that’s a short story collection I likely won’t finish til December, and a book I started on the last day of October and only made it a few chapters through. Let’s break down what I read in October, though.
In October, I read 23 books, which included
The Last 2026 Newbery Honor to Complete My Goal
Another one of my smaller goals this year was to read all the Newbery Honor Books, of which there were four. This month I finally read The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli, and it was delightful!
5 and a little bit audiobooks
This month, I listened to 4 kids audiobooks (quick ones, some Who HQ and the new Witchycakes), but my primary audiobook for the month was Arthur Brooks’ The Meaning of Your Life which was good, but definitely validated my relationship to leisure! I also listened to a little bit of my Liberty’s Torch book–maybe two or three chapters–on audio while I was doing household things, but I read most of it, so I’m not really counting it as an audiobook.
1 Poetry Collection & 1 Biography in Verse
Years ago, the poetry book Information Desk was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and I was intrigued by it, and so for some reason this month I put it on hold at the library and decided to read it. Some of it was great, but I’m not sure that day I spent reading it wouldn’t have been better spent elsewhere…
I also read Chasing Eruptions, which was a YA biography of two volcanologists written in verse. It was interesting. I don’t remember how this came across my radar, but it was a quick and interesting read, culminating in their death at the hands of a volcano, of course.
3 Graphic Novels
In October, I read three graphic novels: the new Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel, BSC on Board, which was a super-special and very fun, one of the Junie B Jones graphic novel adaptations, and Fruitcake by Rex Ogle, which is the first of the graphic novels I read of his, and I liked it a lot more than I’ve liked some of his non-GN works recently. The coloring was glorious.
3 Shorter Kids Books
I read the new Kevin Henkes chapter book, Poppy, as well as the last Venus Washington book–full of chaos–and a book for a review group that was somewhere between a really really long picture books and a short graphic novel. All were fine–no major standouts, but it was nice to return to the Miller household, even if they killed someone off…
1 Traditional Middle Grade Novel
This month, I read FRAMED by James Ponti, which was right up my alley as a Middle Grade novel about art crime. It’s so funny, because when I did an art heist unit with my 4th graders using the National Gallery, one of my best students DID write about the theft of the Monet umbrella painting. I bought this book with a bookstore gift card I had back in July I think, and will try to read the 2nd and 3rd book in the series…eventually.
7 Adult Fiction Novels
Not sure what got into me this month, but I plowed through some adult fiction books this month, including the new John Green and Jodi Picoult, my first Freida McFadden book for a book club, The Bell Jar, a classic I’d never read, my first Agatha Christie novel (Murder of Roger Ackyrod), The Paris Express, and Just Like Home, which was very creepy.
1 great adult non-fiction book
This month I hosted an author talk with Elizabeth Mitchell, author of Liberty’s Torch, so of course read the book before our discussion. I mostly read the book, but I did listen to a few chapters and the audiobook was very well done.
So…that’s what I read in October 2026! November hopes to be a busy reading month with some Thanksgiving travel, a lot of library holds that just came in, and hopefully crossing off at least 2-3 450+ page books off my list so I can get closer to that goal.
What did your read this month?
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