Hello fellow readers! Somehow we have already made it to the spring of 2026 and with it, my new TBR for the season. Now while I am very much a mood reader, I find that during the spring I tend to catch up on the books that don’t fit into those other seasonal moods (i.e. wintry, snowy thrillers in the winter, horror/mystery/thrillers during the fall, etc.). As you will see, I have a little bit of everything on this list.

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy – A selection for my book club, this historical fiction takes place in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. It follows Cushla, a teacher, who begins a secret affair with an older, married man. As she falls deeper into her illicit affair, the father of one of her students is savagely beaten, setting into motion a series of events that will change Cushla’s life forever. The premise sounds thrilling and I’m looking forward picking it up.

Towards the Horizon by Gabrielle McMaster – I’m a known Titanic lover and I’m always on the hunt for a new novel centered on this tragedy. I don’t know much about this book except that it falls a female designer who boards the ill-fated ship and that is enough for me!

Hot Wax by M. L. Rio – When she was a child, Suzanne joined her father, an aspiring musician, on an ill-fated music tour that changed everything. Now, decades later, Suzanne’s father is dead and leaves everything, including his prized car, to her. As Suzanne embarks on a road trip of her own, memories of the past come flickering back as well as the memory of a horrible act of violence that sealed Suzanne’s future. I’m a huge fan of Ms. Rio’s writing and If We Were Villains is my favorite dark academia novel. I can’t wait to see what she does with this story.

The Girl on the Platform by Ellie Midwood – My favorite historical fiction writer, Ellie Midwood, has been popping out books like crazy these last few years and I’m desperate to catch up. This World War Two novel shares the true story of Libby and Harro who snuck out German war secrets to the Soviet Union. In this game of cat and mouse, can the couple stay one step ahead of the German authorities or will it all come crashing down?

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – In the summer of 1980 Joan Goodwin decides she is going to be an astronaut and becomes one of NASA’s first female scientists to join its space shuttle program. As Joan works her way to what she has always wanted, she finds herself attracted to one of her female scientists, Vanessa. But as they speed towards disaster, will their relationship last? I’ve really enjoyed Ms. Reid’s books and after the rave reviews Atmosphere received last year I’m excited to see how it ranks compared to her other books.

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica – Courtney has joined her sister and her family for a peaceful vacation at their cottage. The trip starts off well but when Courtney discovers her sister and brother-in-law are dead and her young niece missing, Courtney finds her entire world flipped upside down. Besides this basic summary I don’t know much else about this book but it seems like the type of thriller I’ll get through quickly. And I think it takes place in Wisconsin so added bonus!

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore – I always try to get to a few nonfiction books throughout the year and one that I have been wanting to pick up for a while now is this one by Kate Moore. Telling the story of the radium girls – a group of women who painted clicks with radium – it follows them as they begin to suffer from radiation poisoning to their courageous fight to get justice from their former employers. This is one I just finished and will be posting a full review on very soon.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh – For whatever reason, spring seems to be the season where I tend to pick up some unusual or weird books. Last year it was Bunny by Mona Awad and this year it will be this strange tale. Centering on a woman who decides to sleep a year in her life, this offbeat tale will be one I suspect I’ll either love or hate. Hopefully it will be a new favorite.

The Listeners by Maggie Stielvater – A carryover from last season’s TBR, this story focuses on a hotel where the staff spy on Nazi diplomats to get war secrets.

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian – My final pick is a newer release that centers on a couple, both college professors, who become entangled in a student’s dark web of blackmail. This has received a lot of mixed reviews but I have heard of some positive things. We shall see what side I end up on as I am hoping to grab this one soon.