Five Foot Something and A Half—Fiction

A look at what I read in 2025 and a few books you'll be glad to read in 2026 in three flash essays.

Well, 2025 is all but in the bag and I’ve had another successful year reading. Around this time last year, I came across an essay about reading challenges and how they can be counterproductive. I tend to agree and wrote about that here, if you’re interested. The gist of my essay was that despite not having a specific reading goal, the mere awareness of a read-your-height-challenge effected my reading habits, and I’m not sure it was entirely positive. Though I ended up closer to my height, I decided to avoid reading “challenges” going into 2025 and stuck to it throughout the year.

My intent instead was to maintain a balance between titles I expected to enjoy (because life is too short not to include some of them), those I expected would challenge me (because, again, life is too short to be lazy), and those I expected could help push my writing goals forward (because life is way too short to remain stationary). Mission accomplished, times three…

There were the unavoidable narrative disappointments, but when you read 64 books in a year that is to be expected. I believe the thing a reading-writer should do when they come across a disappointing text, for whatever reason, is to set aside personal taste and focus on craft because just like with one’s interactions with good or bad—great or terrible—leaders, there’s something to be learned from each of them.

But this recap isn’t about the troughs. It’s about the crests! The high notes of a successful year in reading. The wonderful books I appreciated the most throughout the year.

So, I thought I’d share some of them, again this year, for consideration as you plan out your 2026 reading goals and reprioritize that most insurmountable, ever-expanding list of lists—your TBR list.

I’ll be sharing these titles with you in three flash essays over the next several weeks. Substack says it was too large to send in one bang, so January will be an uncharacteristically post-heavy month for my subscribers. If it’s more than you’re used to or like, stick with me until February and I believe things will return to normal.

I’ll include a complete list of the books I read at the end of each essay so you can see if any of my reads were also one of yours or are already on next year’s calendar. I’d love to chat about them or answer any questions you may have. While this essay is about the high notes, I’ll be honest and forthright with you about any title, even those I found settling with the lowlies.

A final note before we jump in. I’ve organized my list by genre-ish. Some of these titles could be placed comfortably in other genres and sub-genres without anyone batting an eye. The real reason I’ve broken them down in the way I have is to help you fill genre gaps in your reading. If, for example, you want to throw a horror novel in the mix but don’t know what you should include, I have one you might consider.

My list isn’t meant to advise bookshop owners on the best way to reorganize their shelves. And certainly not to tell you that the HisFic you enjoyed so much is, in fact, LitFic. Who cares? I’m just happy you’re reading, and like the idea that my thoughts on these particular titles helped in some way.

If they don’t, well, that’s fine too. I sure got a lot out them.

So, here we go. My 2025 reads, a few recommendations (by genre-ish), and the ones I think you should move to the top of your 2026 TBR pile before you get too far into it.

First up: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Horror.

Enjoy.

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1. Literary Fiction

Zone Rouge: A Novel by Michael Jerome Plunket

Zone Rouge: A Novel (Unnamed Press, 2025) is Michael Jerome Plunkett’s debut novel, and boy am I a fan. Michael’s novel is a reimagining of Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus, and I enjoy Camus’ work, so I reached out to him and his publicist and asked for an Advanced Reader Copy. I was also impressed with both author—he’s a Marine, runs a non-profit, and has a killer podcast and Substack—and his debut novel, so I pushed my luck and requested an interview too. The conversation was great and became the foundation of my MFA critical thesis.

Stand by for the most earth-shatteringly creative interview title in the history of interviews and/or titles: Zone Rouge: A Conversation with Michael Jerome Plunkett.

It was published by Hunger Mountain Review in October 2025. If you’re curious what two Marines, obsessed with literature, and curious about finding joy in the mundane and purpose through hardship, I think you’ll enjoy it.

As for Zone Rouge, I know you’ll enjoy that!

Here’s what I said about it then, and I feel the same way now.

Plunkett’s debut, Zone Rouge: A Novel (The Unnamed Press, 2025) is everything I want in a story. It is tragic yet hopeful and humorous yet serious as a heart attack. It is historical fiction, war adjacent, and is a reimagining of Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus. Let me tell you, Sisyphus is smiling.

It follows a French Démineur (think EOD tech or bomb squad) as his team works to clean up the WW I unexploded ordnance still present in Verdun. The place is STILL ridiculously contaminated—might never be cleaned—and STILL there are those tasked with doing just that. The novel explores themes of war’s true cost, lingering effects on both man and the environment, and ultimately, the struggle against endless, futile tasks. I found myself asking a question over and over again. But are they really?

It’s a wonderful read. Well-paced. You’ll laugh and be forced to your literary knees.

Get it and enjoy and just try and tell me I’m wrong. I dare you!

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2. Historical Fiction

North and South by John Jakes

North and South (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982) is one of the most influential stories from my childhood. Or, I should say, the film adaptation is (Heffron, 1985 & Connor, 1986). While most kids played cops and robbers, we played North and South. As the oldest, I was always the Southern Gentleman, Orry Main, brought to life by the late, great Patrick Swayze, and my little brother was the damned yankee, George Hazzard, played by James Reed (Sorry Mr. Reed, but I had to look you up. But I want you to know, you’ve certainly grown on me since I was a boy and grown on me more still after reading the novel.) We also played Lonesome Dove and Miami Vice. Again, I’m the oldest, so I’ll let you guess which characters I got to be and which ones my little brother was. Here’s a hint though. It wasn’t Captain Call. It wasn’t Ricardo Tubbs either.

North and South. David L. Wolper & Warner Bros. Television, 1985.

I’m a little ashamed to say that it took me all of 10 minutes to get hooked on the film adaptation and the better part of four decades to get around to reading the novels. I have some of the same criticisms for the latter most installment (novel) as I do for the latter most in the Lonesome Dove saga (again, novel). Maybe we can discuss those criticisms in the comments. But this introduction to the Mains and Hazards is really something special and worth the wait I’ve given it.

It’s the tale of two families—two men—brought together through military service and torn apart by war. It has all the elements I wanted it to have given my infatuation with the mini-series: camaraderie, action, history, violence, romance, duty, honor, loyalty, familial bonds and familial trauma, and much, much more. It is epic in scope and a perfect gateway into further exploration our tumultuous history. I found it timely as well given the current state of affairs here in the United States. I don’t mean to sound hyperbolic, but there is no denying the societal and cultural schism that we face today, and I think the dual protagonist’s relationship is more than symbolic of our own with dear friends and family who might fall on opposite sides of serious issues.

Jakes also includes an amazing letter to the reader, which I took as inspiration for the letter to my readers in my debut novel coming out next year.

Here’s a brief Q&A to determine if you should read North and South.

Do you love reading about the American Civil War?

You have to read this.

Do you think you’re tired of reading about the American Civil War?

A) What’s wrong with you? AND B) You really have to read this.

Have you never read anything about the American Civil War?

A) Where the hell have you been? AND B) Definitely read this.

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3. Horror

Drood: A Novel by Dan Simmons

Drood: A Novel (Little Brown and Company, 2009) is a perfect example of how genre is fluid. I’m calling this a horror novel because it fictionalizes the tail end of Charles Dickens’ life in the Victorian underworld of opium, occult, and the other-worldly—in this case a blood drinking ghoul of sorts.

This is a doorstopper of a novel and a bit maximalist, but worth every page, in my humble opinion. I particularly enjoyed the narrator’s interior dialogue and harangues as he descends into obsessive madness. It is dark narratively, but one also get a sense of the dimly lit world that was an oil-lit London. It’s dry and dripping all at the same time. It’s witty and sharp, and, despite its length (my copy has 784 pages), I found it surprisingly fast-paced.

If you like history, dark stories, or Victorian lit, you’ll want to get a copy of this and read it. If you’re still not sold, just google it. You’ll find other threads Skynet is pulling from that might interest you more. Whatever the case, it’s good.

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Okay, well, that’s the first of three flash essays that get into some of my favorite reads from 2025 by genre-ish and titles I think you might enjoy in 2026.

Next up, my selections for Non-Fiction, Literary Translation (hint… big time, highly celebrated contemporary author discussing bigger time Russian authors), and Literary Craft. That last one includes a bonus book, and spoiler; I think these two books are worth as much as any degree in creative writing, and I’m closing in on my second one of those. Until then, happy reading, happy writing, and Happy New Year!

Semper Fidelis.

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Editorial Note:

Here’s a complete list of the books I read in 2025 (including those not pictured) for your review and questioning pleasure:

Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2004.

Bell, Matt. Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts. Soho Press, 2022.

Brand, Julee. OMG! I Wrote a Book… Now What?: Publishing Options & Questions to Ask, On Brand Books, 2023.

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Alfred A. Knopf, 1955.

Carey, M. R. The Girl with All the Gifts. Orbit, 2014.

Constantine, Brendan. Letters to Guns, Red Hen Press, 2009.

Crichton, Michael. Jurassic Park. Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.

Crouch, Blake. Dark Matter. Ballantine Books, 2016.

Curtiss, Caleb. Age of Forgiveness, Sundress Publications, 2023.

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner, 2014.

Doerr, Anthony. Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel. Scribner, 2021.

Dubrow, Jehanne. Civilians: Poems. LSU Press 2025.

Dubrow, Jehanne. Wild Kingdom: Poems. LSU Press, 2021.

Dunn, J. P. Massacres of the Mountains. Archer House Inc., 1958.

Everett, Percival. James: A Novel. Doubleday, 2024.

Fisher, Mark. The Weird and the Eerie. Repeater, 2017.

Flagg, Fannie. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. Random House, 1987.

Follet, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth. Macmillan, 1989.

Greer, Andrew Sean. The Best American Short Stories 2022. Mariner Books, 2022.

Gwynne, S.C. Empire of the Summer Moon. Simon & Schuster, 2010.

Hannah, Kristin. The Women. St. Martin’s Press, 2024.

Hemmingway, Earnest. A Farewell to Arms. Barnes & Noble, 2007.

Hemmingway, Earnest. For Whom the Bell Tolls. Barnes & Noble, 2007.

Jackson, Richard. Where the Wind Comes From. Kelsay Books, 2021.

Jakes, John. Heaven and Hell. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987

Jakes, John. Love and War. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985.

Jakes, John. North and South. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.

Jauss, David. Alone with All That Could Happen: On Writing Fiction. Press 53, 2022.

Jauss, David. Words Made Flesh. Press 53, 2024.

King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2000.

King, Stephen. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The Viking Press, 1982.

King, Stephen. The Green Mile. Signet Books, 1996.

Malerman, Josh. Bird Box. Ecco, 2014.

McMurtry, Larry. Comanche Moon. Simon & Schuster, 1997.

McMurtry, Larry. Dead Man’s Walk. Simon & Schuster, 1995.

McMurtry, Larry. Lonesome Dove. Simon & Schuster, 1985.

McMurtry, Larry. Oh What a Slaughter: Massacres in the American West: 1846-1890. Simon & Schuster, 2005.

McMurtry, Larry. Steets of Laredo. Simon & Schuster, 1993.

McOmber, Adam. Fantasy Kit. Black Lawrence Press, 2022.

McRobert, Neil. Good Boy. Wild Hunt Books, 2025.

Melamed, Jennie. Gather the Daughters. Hatchette Book Group, 2017.

Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. Marshall Cavendish Partworks, Ltd., 1987.

Metres, Philip. Fugitive/Refuge. Copper Canyon Press, 2024.

Munro, Alice. The View from Castle Rock. Knopf, 2006.

Murakami, Haruki. The City and Its Uncertain Walls. Alfred A. Knopf, 2024.

Nevill, Adam. The Ritual. Pan Macmillan, 2011.

Niero, Nancy. Witness at Sand Creek: The Life and Letters of Silas Soule. Exact Rush, 2025.

Orange, Tommy. There There: A Novel. Knopf, 2018.

Orange, Tommy. Wandering Stars: A Novel. Knopf, 2024.

Plunkett, Michael. Zone Rogue: A Novel. The Unnamed Press, 2025.

Saramago, José. Blindness. Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1997.

Saunders, George. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life. Random House, 2021.

Saunders, George. CivilWarLand in Bad Decline: Stories and a Novella. Random House, 1996.

Saunders, George. Liberation Day: Stories. Random House, 2022.

Saunders, George. Lincoln on the Bardo: A Novel. Random House, 2017.

Saunders, George. Tenth of December: Stories. Random House, 2013.

Simmons, Dan. Drood: A Novel. Little Brown and Company, 2009.

Snyder, Blake. Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. 2005.

St. John Mandel, Emily. Station Eleven. Knopf, 2014.

Turner, Brian. Here, Bullet. Alice James Books, 2005.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Abbeville Press, 2020.

Various Authors. Sand Creek Papers: Documents of Massacre. Big Byte Books, 2016.

Wong, David. John Dies at the End. Thomas Dunne Books, 2009.

Wong, David. This Book Is Full of Spiders. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012.