My 2026 Reading Plan

You probably know that I am all about books! For my upcoming workshop in Paris, An Illustrated Feast, I’ll share with participants a list of recommended reading. I’m also sending everyone a must-read Paris food book that will be a fun surprise.

Want to be a foodie artist with us in Paris? All the info is here to get your seat for An Illustrated Feast. 

Now, onto my reading plan for 2026 which I am very excited about.

What’s your reading plan for 2026?

I don’t typically feel the need to plan or organize my reading much. I am in a local book group and last year I was also in a group hosted by Kristen Tate. I still had plenty of time to read random books that come onto my book radar.

But I craved something more for this year. I didn’t feel inspired by a goal of reading a certain number of books.

Then I saw Hook Me A Book’s 2026 Reading Challenge. Here’s their post that captured my interest: 🌎 Reading the World 🌍

Greetings book friends!

I invite you to join in my #ReadingTheWorld challenge for 2026.

There are no hard-and-fast rules, only that you read books from 24 different countries: two per month, January to December. How you interpret this is up to you. You could make it easy and simply go by setting, or take the tough route and focus on translated fiction. Or maybe just see where the challenge takes you.

We have a lively chat group, where we share recommendations, discuss what we’ve read, and generally provide support and inspiration.

If you’re up for a challenge and fancy joining in the fun, please first follow your host @hook.me.a.book and admin @sslovesbooks. Then comment ‘I’m in’.

Looking forward to welcoming you on board! ✈️

~ Hook Me A Book

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What do you think? Does this inspire you? It galvanized me. I love the idea of expanding my horizons in this way. I started a spreadsheet and so far have a dozen books on the list.

It’s fun searching for books to read in places I am traveling. The group chat is inspiring and I am getting recommendations there. So far several books from my book group make my list:

History of the Rain by Niall Williams

We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara

My Name is Emilia Valle by Isabelle Allende

So far this year I have read:

The Homemade God Rachel Joyce (Italy)

The Artist and the Feast Lucy Steeds (France)

All Fours by Miranda July (currently re-reading for book group)

Do you make a reading plan for the year or wing it as I usually do? Share your reading plan below.