How should adults think about reading goals for the coming year—and how do you read more books without letting reading become a burden?
In this episode of _Classical Et Cetera_ we talk about reading goals for 2026 and what it takes to build a reading life that lasts. Whether you’re an avid reader, returning after a long break, or feeling overwhelmed by unfinished books, this conversation explores better ways to read with intention and balance. We discuss fiction and nonfiction, reading for work versus pleasure, and why shared reading and conversation matter so much.
Comment your reading list for 2026! Book recommendations are always welcome.
*Tanya's Stack of Books*
Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating — Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Absent in the Spring — Agatha Christie
The Door — Magda Szabo
Mystery and Manners — Flannery O'Connor
The Headmaster — John McPhee
Marce Catlett — Wendell Berry
*Martin's Stack of Books*
The Giver — Lois Lowry
Booth Tarkington Biography
Wonderworks — Angus Fletcher
The Master and His Emissary — Iain McGilchrist
Primal Intelligence — Angus Fletcher
The Digital Delusion — Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
The Last of the Mohicans — James Fenimore Cooper
Quo Vadis — Henryk Sienkiewicz
Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen
The Jungle Book — Rudyard Kipling
*Paul's Stack of Books*
The Greek Way — Edith Hamilton
The Biological Farmer — Gary F. Zimmer
The Liturgy of the Land — Thomas D. Van Horn & Jason M. Craig
Against the Machine — Paul Kingsnorth
The Wild Orchid — Sigrid Undset
The Southern Tradition at Bay — Richard M. Weaver
The Ministry of Fear — Graham Greene
*Jessica's Stack of Books*
I Beheld the Mountains — Joseph Payne
The Modern Proper — Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer
Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt
Little Women — Louisa May Alcott
By Her Own Design — Piper Huguley