By Ahaqir Ishaq | Books of Brilliance
My updated Goodreads reading challenge shows 94 books read in 2026 so far. With a goal of 120, I have 26 books left to reach my target before the year ends. Looking back at the list, though, what interests me most is how clearly it captures the different directions my reading has taken.
Fantasy remains my favorite genre by a landslide. I love world-building and magic systems, and this year has given me plenty of both. LitRPG and progression fantasy have occupied a large part of my reading, with series such as Dungeon Crawler Carl, He Who Fights with Monsters, and Ultimate Level 1 appearing throughout my challenge.
But there has also been room for Rebecca, The Name of the Rose, Flights, and nonfiction such as Ametora. Taken together, these books tell the story of a year spent returning to familiar interests while making room for something different.
You can follow my progress on my Goodreads profile. Here are some of the books and reading patterns behind my 2026 challenge so far.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Became a Reading Highlight
Some series make you want to spend as much time in their world as possible. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman has been one of those series for me. I fell in love with it right away, and I think its appeal extends well beyond readers who already enjoy LitRPG.
My challenge includes the first eight books: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, The Gate of the Feral Gods, The Butcher’s Masquerade, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, This Inevitable Ruin, and A Parade of Horribles.
That is a substantial part of my reading year devoted to one series. It also explains why I see these books as more than a collection of game mechanics and outrageous situations. The humor gets your attention, but the characters and the stakes give you reasons to keep reading.
A Parade of Horribles is among the books I have highlighted in my favorite reads of 2026. Looking at the series together, I can see how a single discovery can become one of the defining parts of a reading year.
LitRPG and Progression Fantasy Kept Me Coming Back
He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon has also been a major presence on my reading list. My challenge includes the opening installments and later books, with entries extending as far as Book 12.
One of the pleasures of reading a long series is seeing how much can change between the beginning and the later volumes. The world becomes more familiar, the cast develops, and the consequences of earlier choices have time to unfold. For a reader who enjoys detailed fantasy worlds, that continuing development is a large part of the attraction.
Shawn Wilson’s Ultimate Level 1 has become another favorite. My challenge includes Shattered Dreams, Shattered Limits, Shattered Boundaries, New Dreams, New Freedoms, New Potential, Ultimate Truths, Ultimate Boundaries, and Ultimate Dreams.
The wider list includes Shadeslinger by Kyle Kirrin, The Grand Game by Tom Elliot, and both Nightmare Realm Summoner and Nightmare Realm Summoner 2 by Actus. Alex Keys’s The Mirror, The Fractal Edge, and The False Panealso appear, alongside the first five Claim the Fallen books by Sam Ward.
My reading in this area has included J.R. Wales’s Monk of Black Flame and Second Life Executioner books, as well as the first four Die. Respawn. Repeat. books by Silver Linings. There is a lot of variety within a genre that can look narrowly defined from the outside.
A Thousand Li Added Another Long Fantasy Journey
Tao Wong’s A Thousand Li is another series represented across multiple entries in my challenge. The list includes The First Step, The First Stop, The First War, The Second Expedition, The Second Sect, The Second Storm, The Third Kingdom, The Third Realm, The Third Cut, and The Fourth Stage.
Seeing those books together reinforces how much of my year has involved following continuing stories. A reading challenge counts individual books, but several installments can also form one extended reading experience.
For me, that is one reason fantasy remains so appealing. Finishing a book can mean reaching the end of a story, or it can mean opening the door to the next stage of a much longer journey.
Shorter Fantasy Adventures Still Had a Place
Even with all those series, some of my favorite reads offered a more contained adventure.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is one of my highlights from 2026. Its imaginative world and fairy-tale qualities are a reminder of how much fantasy can accomplish within a single novel. Sanderson’s Tailored Realities also appears on my challenge, bringing a collection into a year filled with series installments.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty are also among the books I have highlighted in my favorite reads this year. They take fantasy in different directions, from dark fairy-tale elements to a pirate adventure.
Kingfisher’s Nine Goblins and John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In appear on the list too. These books help illustrate the range of stories available even when I stay within my favorite genre.
Rebecca and The Name of the Rose Were Memorable Reads
Mysteries have long been part of my reading interests, especially stories that give me something to puzzle over. This year’s list includes several different approaches to suspense.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is one of my favorite reads of 2026. Its atmosphere and the influence of an absent character create a kind of unease that differs from a straightforward whodunit. It is a book that fits comfortably into conversations about both literary fiction and suspense.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is another book I have singled out among my favorites. Its combination of historical fiction, a monastery setting, books, and a murder investigation makes it a natural fit for my interests.
Elsewhere on my challenge are Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10, Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train, and Sōji Shimada’s The Tokyo Zodiac Murders.
Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup brings an investigation into a fantasy setting. My list also includes King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby, The Final Score by Don Winslow, and Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery. Having this variety gives me plenty of options when I want a change from a long fantasy series.
Literary Fiction and Horror Broadened My Reading
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk and On the Calculation of Volume II by Solvej Balle are among the books I have previously highlighted in my favorite reads of 2026. Their presence on my list shows that I also enjoy stories that take a different approach to structure and storytelling.
Other entries include Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, and Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada. Pierce Brown’s Red Rising adds science fiction to the mix.
Not every book became a favorite. My response to Dave Eggers’s The Circle was more mixed, which is part of what makes a reading year interesting. A completed book can give you something to discuss even when your reaction is complicated.
Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is another of my favorite reads this year. Daniel Kraus’s Angel Downalso appears on my challenge, while Karen Russell’s The Antidote and Sarah Penner’s The Amalfi Curse add further variety to the list.
Nonfiction Brought Different Questions Into the Year
My updated challenge includes Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx, Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond, and The Roman Empire in Crisis, 248–260: When the Gods Abandoned Rome by Paul N. Pearson.
These books bring cultural history, social questions, and ancient history into a year otherwise filled with invented worlds. Ametora is also among the books I have highlighted in my favorite reads of 2026.
I have been making more room for nonfiction, and this part of my challenge reflects that interest. Moving between fiction and nonfiction lets me explore different kinds of questions while keeping my reading varied.
What Comes Next in My 2026 Reading Challenge?
At 94 books, I have 26 left to reach my goal of 120. There is still room for more fantasy, more mysteries, and books that take my reading in an unexpected direction.
Looking back at the updated list, the clearest pattern is that following my interests has led to both longer series and individual standouts. Dungeon Crawler Carl and Ultimate Level 1 have occupied a lot of space, but Rebecca, Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, and On the Calculation of Volume II have also helped make this year memorable.
A reading goal gives me a way to track my progress. Revisiting the books gives that progress meaning. I am looking forward to seeing which stories fill the remaining spaces and which ones I will still be talking about when 2026 ends.
How is your reading challenge going, and which book has been your favorite this year?
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