Hello lovelies! Here we are at the last day of Five Fall Favorites - it's gone by so fast! I apologize for not getting this post out this morning; family kept me busy. 😉

Our very last theme is Best 5 Books of 2026! Now, I haven't been reading as much as I'd like (or as much as I should) but I've finished at least one book every month, and so far I've read 42 books out of my goal of 60. (Many of those are thanks to my dad reading out loud to us. 😃)

So, here we are with my best 5 books of 2026:

1. The Code of Pirates by Jaiden Phillips

I got to be an ARC reader for this (I've read of lot of ARCs this year, hehe) and it was so nice to be back with Dice and his crew again! It keeps all the feels of the first book, The Guild of Thieves, but still has its own distinct vibes. I loved seeing Dice as a Christian, trying to work and grow in his new faith. 🥹 And the end came CRASHING in and was totally EPIC and HIGHLY satisfying.

2. The Healer's Secret by Given Hoffman

Yet another sequel! The Healer's Secret is the third book in the MARKED series by my friend Given Hoffman, and AaAaAAAAAhhHHHHHHHHHHH 🤯🤯🤯 This installment was AWESOME! Gage FINALLY becomes a likable character, tHINGS ARE BEING ANSWERED, and we are on the brink of WARRRRRRRRR 😈

3. The Faithful Exile by Sydney Witbeck

Annnnd, yet another ARC! The Faithful Exile was my first Sydney book, and I enjoyed it! I love the Viking and Irish vibes, and the characters living out their faith normally without it being preachy. Also the theme of one character knowing ABOUT God but not really knowing HIM was really well done. And Torryn is a hoot and a half and Sydney bETTER NOT KILL HIM OFF 🥺

4. COGNITO: Zapata's Memoirs by Gabrielle Marie Kozak

Annnnnnnnd, a third ARC! I met Gabrielle on Substack and we hit it off right away. 😁 COGNITO takes place in the very near future; the premise is that the MC, Gabrielle, wrote a book that the villain used to invade America. Because she wrote the war, she's the only one who knows how to defeat him - with her trusty team of FBI rescuers-turned-accomplices. 😎 You know it's a good book if it manages to make me both laugh and cry!

5. A Noble Companion by Rachel Kovaciny

I read A Noble Companion during a very hard time this year, so it was a nice break to keep my mind off things. This was a really fun adventure story, set in the Spanish Old West - absolutely normal 1800s vibes, except for Cenizo the dragon who was really adorable. 🤭 The references to the poem "Eldorado" were a very nice touch, El Lobo was an awesome classic villain, and I liked the themes of embracing the uniqueness that God gave you instead of trying to measure up to someone else.

Honorable Mention: The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

This was one of the books my dad read aloud to us this year, because he'd loved it when he read it back in the 80s. It started off feeling like an LOTR ripoff, but quickly took on a life of its own. It doesn't seem logistics were Terry Brooks' strong suit (the guys travel miles really fast, get hurt near to death and pick themselves up within 20 minutes, and a whole island-based city of 40,000 people evacuates by boat in one night) but regardless it was still a fun story! We enjoyed it a LOT, and we now have lots of little inside jokes about it (and Lego people too, I might add). The ending was very, VERY well done, and one of these days I'm planning to write a semi-philosophical article about the climax.

Disclaimer: There are some sorcery bits - not very many or very long, but we still skipped over them. Read at your own discretion. 😊

Since this is the end, you have one last chance to visit my fellow Team Hedgehog bloggers . . .

• Abigail @Read Review Rejoice
• Madisyn @Madi's Musings
• Ryana Lynn @Life of Heritage Corner
• Savannah @Blue Flower Story Company

. . . and to stop by Katja and Kate, our hosts, and enter the giveaway!