Quick Lit: January 2026 Edition

Welcome to Quick Lit: January 2026 Edition, where I share books I chose for my own reading enjoyment in a mini-review format. These are not books I received for review, but books I’ve wanted to read or that have caught my attention. Most of them have been talked about ad nauseam or have been on my to-read list for a long time, so they don’t really need a full review. But I’d still like to give them some space here on the blog, so instead, I’m offering mini-reviews of the books that won’t get full-page space here.

I’ll be sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy and her monthly Quick Lit post. Be sure to head over to see others share their Quick Lit posts in her comments.

This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read more about that.

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Did you know I also regularly review children’s books? Check them out HERE.

I’m currently reading ( and loving) THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM for review, THE MIRACLES AMONG US, and I’m listening to UNDER THE TULIP TREE for book club.

I’ve recently shared my Best Books of 2025, Top Children’s Books, and this Instagram post about recent books added to my TBR.

Follow me on Goodreads, HERE.

This month’s Quick Lit includes books I’ve read since mid-November. Several of these were audiobooks, as that format allowed me to keep reading during a busy season. My list includes some middle-grade and young adult fiction, a romance novella, historical fiction, and fiction books.

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED
By: Jonas Jonasson
Published: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby and Paperbacks

This was our book club read in November, and frankly, none of us enjoyed it. I was hoping for a Forrest Gump-type of story, and while there were parts of that, the rest of the novel was overly detailed and at times, a bit confusing to follow.

Allan ditches the nursing home just prior to his 100th birthday party and ends up on quite a far-fetched adventure. While he is on this adventure, the police are following him due to a murder. While Allan is traveling, he flashes back to parts of his life where he had interesting interactions with particular events or people in history (the Forrest Gump connection). Allan is a cranky old man and is not very likable.

I ended up doing a lot of skimming because I didn’t find the parts of his history that interesting. I liked the parts of the story where he was on his adventure, even though it wasn’t very plausible. Keep in mind, Allan is supposed to be 100. If you are a history buff, I could see where you might like this story, but it wasn’t for me.

THE MOUNTAINS SING
By: Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Published: March 17, 2020
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby

This was our book club read for December. A young Vietnamese woman shares the stories of her family during the Land Reform through the Vietnam War. Her grandmother was forced to flee their home after the Land Reform with her six children, walking for miles and facing danger along the way. We learn the grandma’s story alongside what has happened to the woman’s family during the Vietnam War.

I have only read a couple of books set during the Vietnam War, and all of them have been from the American military perspective. I found the story heartbreaking, and it opened my eyes to many travesties during the Vietnam War. A baby born with severe deformities was blamed on Agent Orange.

THE TREE THAT WAS A WORLD
By: Jeska Verstegen
Translated by: Laura Watkinson
Published: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Middle-Grade Fiction
Format: Hardcover

I received this book for review, and although it has garnered many accolades, I found it just okay. Since I didn’t love it and it was so short, I decided to share my review here. This is a magical story of a tree and the various creatures that live in and around the tree, as well as depend on it. From the two pikes in the nearby lake to the sloth that hangs out all day and prowls at night to the ant who wants to fly and is bested by a barn swallow, each of the creatures has a worry or dream. Sometimes it is fulfilled, and other times it isn’t. Through brief chapters, we get to enter the lives of each creature and learn its connection to the tree and the other creatures.

This middle-grade novel is translated from the original Dutch version. There are illustrations sprinkled throughout, including my favorite of the spider with a fly in its web. The spider was too afraid to eat the fly, even though it was incredibly hungry, so it let it go, even though its leg was left behind.

Other stories of conundrums and situations plague the other insects and animals. Then, once in a blue moon, something spectacular appears in the sky and visits them in their dreams.

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON
Amgash #1
By: Elizabeth Strout
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Published: January 12, 2016
Publisher: Random House
Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby

I haven’t been disappointed by an Elizabeth Strout novel yet. This is the first in a series set in Amgash, Illinois. Lucy is reflecting on a time when she was stuck in the hospital for 9 weeks after a surgery and an infection. Her mother, whom she wasn’t close to at all, shows up and sits with her day and night during her hospital stay, while her husband is back home with their children.

When her mom arrives, she shares gossip about the people from her hometown and, at times, the two of them reminisce about Lucy’s childhood with a bit of tension, resentment, and hurt feelings underneath it. Lucy has never felt appreciated by her Mom. She left home, went to college, and has become a successful writer. But her mom never acknowledged her success or found value in her career. The audio narration by Kimberly Farr is excellent, and I will definitely read the rest of this series.

LOVELY WAR
By: Julie Berry
Narrated by: Julie Berry, Jayne Entwistle, Allan Corduner, Dion Graham, Fiona Hardingham, John Lee, Nathaniel Parker, and Steve West
Published: March 5, 2019
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Young Adult Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby and Paperback

This paperback has been on my shelf for a couple of years, but a recent interview with the author on a podcast made me bump this up my TBR list. I chose the audiobook to read together with the physical copy to get through it a bit quicker, as it is a longer book, after finding out that the audiobook has a full-cast narration.

The gods of War, Love, and the Underworld come together to affect the lives of a young couple in 1917. Hazel is a shy, talented pianist who falls in love with James, who is shipped off to war. Hazel becomes friends with Collette, who falls in love with Aubrey, a black musician. These two couples try to get through WWI while the goddess and gods intervene in their lives. The story flips back and forth in time from 1917 to 1947, when Aphrodite shares the story of these young lives while being challenged for her own relationship.

Berry created such a unique way of sharing a wartime love story intermixed with the mythological tales of gods and goddesses. It took me a bit to understand what was happening between the two stories, but once I did, I was hooked. I really loved the listening experience with this one, especially listening to Jayne Entwistle, who narrated the Flavia de Luce series.

THE CHRISTMAS BOX
By: Richard Paul Evans
Published: 1993
Publisher: Richard Paul Evans
Fiction
Format: Paperback gift

I was gifted a copy of this book and read it quickly over a couple of evenings. Surprisingly, I had never read it even though I had heard about it for years. This short, faith-based Christmas story teaches an important lesson on what Christmas is really about.

“The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood.”

THE ONE-YEAR BIBLE NLT
Published: September 1, 2004
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Christian Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback

This was a gift for my birthday in 2024, and I spent the entire 2025 reading THE ONE YEAR BIBLE. Each day’s reading included chapters from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and a verse or two from Proverbs. Each day’s reading only took me 15-20 minutes. I’ve tried many times to read the Bible, but I always lose steam once I reach some of the harder or less interesting Old Testament chapters. I’ve tried to read the Bible in 90 Days, but something always would come up, and it seemed too daunting to catch up. This time actually worked, and I read the entire Bible. I’m pretty proud of myself and have a whole new appreciation and understanding of God’s world. If this has been a goal for you, I highly recommend doing it with this book.

WRECK
Rocky #2
By: Catherine Newman
Narrated by: Helen Laser
Published: October 28, 2025
Publisher: Harper
Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby

This is the follow-up to Newman’s best-seller, SANDWICH. I enjoyed SANDWICH, but I really loved WRECK. We return to Rocky and her family after the death of her mom. Her dad is living in their backyard shed. Her son is connected weirdly to a tragic train vs car accident in their community. Rocky has this weird medical issue that she can’t seem to find answers for. I’m not sure why I related to this part of Rocky’s story more, but I did. I couldn’t stop listening.

My favorite scene was when Rocky and her daughter take Rocky’s dad to get a smoothie. He has so many questions, like why would you add bee pollen? What is a smoothie in a bowl? What is acai? I laughed because for someone who has never ordered a smoothie, it’s a whole process. Rocky also talked about being on a plane and wondering if the person she is sitting next to will be the person she sees at the end of her life due to a plane crash. I have that same type of conversation in my head when I’m on a plane. Will this person hold up well if we have a lot of turbulence, or will they be the last person I talk to? Weird, I know, but I felt seen in the story. I do encourage you to read SANDWICH first, as several contextual situations will make it easier to understand in WRECK.

ONE NIGHT, TWO HOLIDAYS
A Christmas and Hanukkah Novella
By: Ali Brady
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton and Julia Whelan
Published: December 10, 2024
Publisher: Godfrey & Hammer
Romance Novella
Format: Audiobook through Audible

I was looking for a quick holiday romance, and this one was perfect. Just the right amount of spice (it’s open door) and a quick romance that blooms over a weekend beginning on Christmas Eve. This novella is available in all formats, but I chose the audio version and loved Whelan and Kennedy’s narration.

Nessa is alone over the holidays in her Chicago apartment. Her roommates are all spending the holiday with their families. Her parents are enjoying their empty-nest life by taking a trip over the holidays. 

Jack was set to fly home to Colorado to spend 4 precious days with his family over Christmas. As a resident, he has had very little time to himself, let alone time to sleep or eat. He’s been dreaming of seeing his family and eating home-cooked food for weeks. Until all flights are canceled out of O’Hare due to the winter storm. He returns to his apartment, hoping to fly out on Christmas day only to lose power. He seeks out the only person left in their building, Nessa, whom he’s seen when returning from the hospital, and wanted to get to know her, but as a resident, has no time for romance. The two spend Christmas Eve together celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas, and no surprise, fall in love. 

The audio had narrators for Jack and Nessa and chronicled their hours together from both of their perspectives. It was lighthearted, flirtatious, romantic, and had just the right amount of spice. It ended just as I hoped, and I definitely want to read more by Ali Brady, including BATTLE OF THE BOOKSTORES.

THE HUNDRED DRESSES
By: Eleanor Estes
Narrated by: Christina Moore
Published: 1945
Publisher: Clarion Books
Middle-Grade Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby

Originally published in 1945, this short middle-grade story shares the effects of bullying on a young girl who only had 1 dress to wear to school. Wanda wore the same dress every day to school, but when teased about it by the other girls at school, she would respond that she had one hundred dresses in her closet at home. When the winner of the art contest is revealed, the students are shocked to see the beautiful drawings, all done by one talented student. This book offers lessons on bullying, discrimination, and forgiveness. I listened to the audio, and I think it would make a great classroom read-aloud, offering lots of discussion about what happened to Wanda. 

SCATTERGOOD
By: H.M. Bouwman
Published: January 21, 2025
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Middle-Grade Historical Fiction
Format: eBook through Libby

Set over the course of 7 months in the small community of West Branch, Iowa, in 1941, Peggy, a 13-year-old farm girl, learns many important lessons about love and forgiveness. Peggy’s best friend and cousin, Delia, has been sick. When she finally returns home from the hospital in Iowa City, she is mostly confined to bed. Her family keeps saying she has anemia, but Peggy isn’t so sure after overhearing things like “6 months” and “please pray for our family”. When she hears the word “leukemia,” she decides to do her own research to help Delia. 

Scattergood is based on a real place just outside of West Branch, Iowa. Currently, it is a Quaker boarding school, but in 1941, it was used as a hostel to house European refugees, mostly Jews, fleeing Hitler. This Scattergood hostel was just a quick walk across the field from Peggy’s farm, and she went there frequently to get a glimpse of the cute German boy living there as well as to play chess with The Professor. She went there to avoid watching Delia continue to get sicker while also trying to find a cure for her. 

“Sometimes things that happen to us, choices we make-they might not be our first choices, but they end up being the best thing that could have happened.”

This middle-grade story offers a glimpse into how WWII affected this small area in Iowa, as well as how medical situations were handled during this time. Delia was never told about her disease or that she was dying, something we wouldn’t think of doing today. Peggy felt very isolated because no one would talk to her about what was happening to Delia. Plus, she was hearing about horrible things that had happened to families during the war and on the radio. That is a lot for a young teen to handle. This glimpse into history will make for a great classroom read-aloud and discussion about how things are different today related to communication between families and medical situations, as well as lessons on forgiveness, handling disappointment, and how to handle themselves in a crazy world. 

“‘No one gets a perfect life. But this,’ he said, ‘this is the best life I can imagine.’” 

What good things have you been reading? I’ve also read books that I reviewed for publishers. Check them out HERE.

You can see all my other Quick Lit posts by clicking HERE.

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