Poll

the way i used to be, the song of achilles, and don’t let the forest in

one golden summer, the housemaid series, the tenant, and SOTR were my tops<3

YAGA !! YAGA YAGA YAGA
Yaga

hmmm...maybe try a man called ove, beartown, the invisible life of addie larue, and the foxhole court

Ouabh, the perks of bieng a walflower and the naturals

you should try hazelthorne, beartown, and east of eden <3

ooh and don't let the forest in!

Paradise - 1. And sure if you like sci-fi and horror

The only book I gave five stars this year was How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. It was so funny and entertaining, and it's only a duology!

the year isn't over yet!! but don't let the forest in, hazelthorn and the raven cycle :)

My favs were Boys of Tommen, ACOTAR, Crescent City, and The American Roommate Experiment!!

the book thief
the song of achilles
fishbone cinderella
a little life and
the fellowship of the ring, two towers [basically the lord of the rings]

Sweetbitter song! my fav !!!

iron gold, dark age, and the cruel prince series!

don’t let the forest in, the invisible life of addie larue, the lost life of sylvia song (arc read), the raven scholar, foul lady fortune, immortal consequences. these violent delights, renegades, and behind 5 willows. i’ve had a lottt of really good reads lol

The only books that I gave the highest rating so far are the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown (sci fi), Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (crime/thriller) and the entirety of Demon Slayer and Kagurabachi (manga). I am not sure if you would like any of these titles, but I definitely recommend them all! ☺️

You will definitely like (aka need to read) "Invisible Boys" (this is now a tv series in Australia/New Zealand, coming to more services soon - incredibly good).

Run Away With Me is by Brian Selznick, (known for Hugo Cabret). The story is so sweet, taking place in Rome. Selznick's art is award-winning.

And the short Brokeback Mountain book that contains three parts:
1) The original short story, "Brokeback Mountain", by Annie Proulx that appeared Oct 13, 1997 in The New Yorker magazine.
2) The screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.
3) Three short essays:
. . . Annie Proulx - author
. . . Larry McMurtry - screenwriter
. . . Diana Ossana - screenwriter

Here is my comprehensive 'best of 2026 for David' so far...
(I think you'd like any/all of these too, but the three above I think match you best maybe?)

Fiction:
1. Invisible Boys, by Holden Sheppard
2. John of John, by Douglas Stuart
3. Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar
4. Run Away with Me, by Brian Selznick
5. Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay, by Annie Proulx
6. Coexistence: Stories, by Billy-Ray Belcourt
7. Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart

(I have some art, poetry, non-fiction too if you like - see my "_2026" shelf for this year's with my ratings/reviews for all)

THE WAY I USED TO BE

Canon by Paige Lewis is a fantastic novel about a non-binary character

My friends by Fredrik Backman!!