Book Reviews and More: Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books First Quarter 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books First Quarter 2026

It has been an excellent year for reading so far, not my best to date, but my second best. I averaged over a book and a half a day. Faster than the last few years, but I had the first few weeks off work, and so many books and series I am working through.

In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more.

This quarter I read 151 books and I did not any to the ‘did not finish’ list, one of my highest quarters since I started keeping track, below is the comparison with the last 9 years:

2026 - 151

2025 - 132

2024 - 119

2023 – 160

2022 – 145

2021 – 97

2020 – 96

2019 – 123

2018 – 91

2017 – 100

2016 – 52

One of the things that always causes a spike in the first quarter is I endeavour to pray a Stations of the Cross Friday of the year and each day through Lent. And this is the first Lent I have hit each day, at least so far. At the beginning of Lent this year I had 10 Stations I had never read. I have read 20 new ones and still have 4 I have year read, which I hope to do during Holy Week. But back to this year by the numbers:

Books Read: 151

First Time Reads: 122

Fiction: 37

Non-Fiction: 114

5/5 Stars: 111

5 Stars Fiction: 27

5 Stars Non-Fiction: 84

The first quarter of this year was great. I can state again that looking back 2016 is a bit of an outlier as late that year I switched jobs and have since had much better work – life balance. In the spring of 2016, I worked through Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now (now available on ClaitasU). The year before that I removed all games from my phone and tablet and my reading had doubled. This year I received a physical Kindle for Christmas; instead of reading on my phone; and my reading has gone up again.

Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the fourth quarter of 2024.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:

1. The Forgotten Way: The Saint James Master Plan - Matthew Kelly

2. 15 Days of Prayer with …New City Press - Focolare Media

15 Days of Prayer with Blessed Chiara Badano - Florence Gillet

15 Days of Prayer with Chiara Lubich - Florence Gillet

15 Days of Prayer with Dorothy Day - Michael Boover

15 Days of Prayer with Saint Bernadette of Lourdes - François Vayne

3. Poetry of John Irvine

A Treasury of Irish Saints

A Voice in the Dusk

By Winding Roads

Green Altars: Poems

Lost Sanctuary and Other Poems

Selected Poems

4. Great Spiritual Teachers Series - Ave Maria Press

Living in the Presence of God The Everyday Spirituality of Brother Lawrence - John J. Kirvan

That You May Have Life: Let the Mystics Be Your Guide for Lent - John J. Kirvan

True Serenity 30 Days with Thomas à Kempis - John Kirvan

We Are Beloved 30 Days with Thea Bowman - Karianna Frey

5. Coached by Paul the Apostle Lessons in Transformation - Father Nathan Cromly

6. Saint Michael the Archangel Through the Ages - Fr. Frederick Schmit O.Praem and Fr. Peregrine Fletcher O.Praem

7. The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life - Michael Dubruiel

8. Just A Minute Meditations - Pauline Books and Media

Finding Inner Peace - Kathryn J. Hermes, FSP

Embracing Hope in Christ - Kris Frank

9. Art and Prayer - Mary Charles-Murray - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

10. Lent for Little Folk - Roderick Vonhögen

11. The Boston Rob Rulebook Strategies for Life - Robert C Mariano

12. The Way of the Passion: 40 Stations with Jesus - Julien Chilcott-Monk

Bonus Books New Stations of The Cross:

The Way of the Cross with the Saints - TAN Books

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Susan Tassone

John Paul II's Biblical Way of the Cross - Amy Welborn, Michael Dubruiel, and Michael D. O'Brien

No Greater Love Stations of the Cross for Teens and Young Adults - Amy Welborn

With Jesus in Jerusalem: The First Way of the Cross - Étienne Méténier

You Have Redeemed the World: Praying the Stations in the Holy Cross Tradition - Andrew Gawrych C.S.C. and Kevin Grove C.S.C.

Stations of the Cross with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus - Fr. William F. Prospero and Fr. James Kubicki

Stations of Strength: Praying the Stations of the Cross in Times of Suffering - Alice Camille

My Wounded Hands A Way of the Cross - Renzo Sala and Fulvia Simonato

Stations of the Cross for Young Catholics - Sister Anne Flannagan, FSP

Top Ten Fiction Books:

1. A Stranger Among Us - Connor Gallagher

2. Hypergifted - Gordon Korman - Ungifted Book 3

3. Pilgrim Tales An anthology of fiction by the Catholic Writers Guild

4. Tales From Wakken Wood - E. P. Cowley

5. The Kidnapped Prince - Roger B. Thomas - The Chronicles of Caol, Book 1

6. The Fixer - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Ruling Class

Lessons in Power

7. Begotten - Antony Barone Kolenc - Incarnate Book 2

8. Black Dog - Dean Hamilton - A Tyburn Filos Novella

9. The Ultimate Blindside - Leslea Wahl - Blindside Series Book 3

10. Mac's Mission Diary: Operation Save the Summer - S.J. Engelman

Bonus Books:

Conspiracy 365 - Gabrielle Lord

March

April

Ted Talk - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI, Short Story

Pogue Too - Edited by Liska McCabe - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 72

I have averaged just over a book a day over the last decade; and closer to a book and a quarter over the last few years. In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are sometimes in the bonus section.

But if you want more options check out my favourite books year by year list.