Books Worth Losing Sleep Over: My Top 5 Reads of 2026

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With six kids, five cats and a dog, our house is almost never quiet. Somebody always needs something. Somebody is always hungry. And by the end of the day, I'm running on empty.

So every night, once the house finally settles down, I read. Every single night, until I fall asleep. It's how I relax, how I unwind, and honestly, it's the one part of the day that's just mine.

This year I've read some books I can't stop thinking about. Here are my top 5 reads of 2026 so far (not all new releases, just the best ones I've read this year), plus how I fit reading into life as a mom of six, and the Kindles that make it easy.

My nightly reading routine

Our evenings follow the same rhythm. From 7:30 to 8:30, a few of the kids pile into my room and we watch TV together. Then I tuck everyone in, brush my teeth, take my vitamins, and crack open my Kindle.

I read until I fall asleep. Some nights that's an hour. Some nights it's ten pages. Either way, it's the moment the day stops being about everyone else.

I sneak in reading at other times too. I read a lot on the weekends, and I read on the Kindle app on my computer while I eat lunch. A few chapters in the middle of the day is a little reset before the afternoon rush.

Why reading is how I unwind

Reading is an escape. For a little while, I'm not thinking about laundry, lunches or who needs a permission slip signed. I'm in a courtroom in Mississippi, or a mansion on the English coast, or a family's story that spans decades.

It's different from scrolling my phone. A book doesn't ping me or ask me to check something. It just pulls me in, and I come out the other side calmer than I went in.

If you're looking for more small ways to make the end of the day feel calmer, I shared what works in our loud house in my post on how to make your home feel calm, even when it's a mess.

My top 5 reads of the year so far

I read mostly thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction and literary fiction. A heads-up before you dive in: the first three deal with violence, including against children. They're heavy reads, and they're worth it.

1. Defending Jacob by William Landay

In Defending Jacob, Andy Barber is a respected assistant district attorney in a quiet Massachusetts town, until his 14-year-old son, Jacob, is charged with murdering a classmate. Andy refuses to believe it, and the whole family is pulled apart as the trial goes on. It kept me guessing the whole time, and it's heartbreaking to read as a parent. I couldn't put it down.

2. A Time to Kill by John Grisham

A Time to Kill takes place in a small Mississippi town. After a young Black girl is brutally attacked by two men, her father takes justice into his own hands, and a young lawyer, Jake Brigance, takes on his defense in a trial that splits the town apart. It's raw and unrelenting, and it asks the same question that stuck with me after Defending Jacob: how far would you go to defend your child?

3. All the Glimmering Stars by Mark T. Sullivan

All the Glimmering Stars is based on a true story. In 1990s Uganda, two teenagers, Anthony and Florence, are kidnapped from their homes and forced to become child soldiers for a warlord. They meet, fall in love, and hold on to hope through things no child should ever see. It's a powerful story about the perseverance of the human spirit, and about the important lessons we teach our children. It's the kind of book that makes you look at your own kids a little differently.

4. Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made follows two best friends, Gayle and Pat, who grow up together in Queens as close as sisters. As adults, their lives go in completely different directions: one bets everything on a marriage, the other on her career, and a secret from their childhood follows them both. I loved the drama and the in-depth story that plays out over many years. It's a story of cause and effect, choices and outcomes. Very thought-provoking and so well written.

5. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

In Rebecca, a shy young woman marries a wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, and moves to his grand estate, Manderley, on the English coast. She soon finds she's living in the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose memory is everywhere, especially in the cold, watchful housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. It's beautifully written, and it had me traveling back in time. It's no wonder it's a classic. If you've never read it, this is your sign.

Where my books come from

With how much I read, I'd go broke buying every book. So I mix it up:

Kindle Unlimited. A monthly subscription with a huge library to borrow from. If you read a lot, it pays for itself fast, and new members get a 30-day free trial.

The library, through the Libby app. Free, and you can send library books straight to your Kindle.

Buying on Kindle. For the ones I can't wait for, or the ones I know I'll want to keep.

My Kindles (yes, plural)

My first Kindle was a basic one I won back in 2016, still one of my favorite sweepstakes wins. I used it until the battery started going, and then I went back to physical books for a while.

For my birthday in 2024, I asked for a Kindle Paperwhite, and my husband bought it for me. It was great. Light, easy on the eyes, and perfect for reading in bed.

Then Amazon came out with the first Kindle Colorsoft, and I had to have it. I have the 2024 Colorsoft Signature Edition, and I love it. I can see book covers in color, which sounds small until you have it, and it's great for comics and magazines too.

If you're shopping for one now, Amazon just released the new Kindle Colorsoft this fall, thinner and lighter with a redesigned color screen. I haven't used the new model myself, but if it's anything like mine, it's worth it.

I'll be honest: Kindles aren't cheap. I'm a budget mom in almost every part of our life, but books are where I splurge, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it. A mom who has a healthy way to relax and recharge is a better mom. Reading is how I do that, every single day.

Where my Paperwhite went

When I got the Colorsoft, I passed my Paperwhite down to my 14-year-old. She's a huge book lover too, mostly YA, series and historical fiction of every kind. Now she reads in her room at night just like I do in mine, and I love that.

Four of my six kids are big readers. My 10-year-old has his own Kindle Kids, which comes with a kid-proof case and parental controls. I shared more of what my kids love in my Christmas gifts for kids by age post.

The little extras I use every night

A Kindle page turner. A little clicker that turns the page, so my hands can stay under the blanket. It sounds silly until you have one.

A Kindle case. With six kids in the house, my Kindle needs protecting.

A bookshelf. Mine is packed with tons of physical books: the ones I've loved, and plenty I still haven't gotten around to reading yet.

A Kindle also makes a great gift for the mom in your life who never takes time for herself. I have more ideas in gifts for the mom who wants nothing.

How to find time to read as a busy mom

I don't have hours of free time. Nobody with six kids does. Here's what helps me read every day anyway:

• Read at the same time every night, so it becomes part of your bedtime routine

• Keep your Kindle on the nightstand, charged and ready

• Grab small windows, like a few chapters with lunch

• Save the long reading sessions for the weekend

• Use the library and Kindle Unlimited so you never run out of books

Reading every night won't make the laundry disappear. But it gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long day, and it's how I come back to myself before I start all over again tomorrow.