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My 2026 To Be Read List by Season!

Mackenzie Haines Student Contributor, University of Toronto
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Book table at indigo book store square one.
Original photo by Ananya Nair

In 2025, I read 42 books. I set my Goodreads reading goal to 30 books this year. So, what are my most anticipated reads of the year?

I am definitely a mood reader, my goodreads displays this with the 10 books I am currently reading, and the seasons 100% influence what book I am grabbing and gravitating towards.

Winter

  • Finding Flora by Elinor Florence

This first book is one that I bought last semester from a local bookstore. My friend got around to reading it before I did as she was traveling through the Albertan rockies, where this story takes place. This story is one of womanhood, solidarity, immigration, and nativity. I am looking forward to this cozy winter read.

  • Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

This is the show that has taken Hollywood by storm, and I am honored that Ontario tax dollars went to funding this cinematic masterpiece. I have not read the books, but I need to because I am hooked. I also want to start reading more queer romances and this is a perfect place to start! Fun Fact: Hudson and Connor did promo and a meet and greet at the romance bookstore in my Toronto Neighborhood! I did not go, and now have major FOMO, but it is still cool that they were in my neighborhood.

  • One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I have been off my TJR game for the last year. I love her books, and have plenty on my TBR, but I just have not gotten around to them. One True Loves is actually my Nana’s book that she gave to me, because I introduced her to TJR and now she is hooked. This one is the perfect March book when the weather is starting to shift, but it is still cozy enough of the heartbreak that comes with TJR.

Spring

The Summer I Turned Pretty actress Lola Tung and actor Chris Briney at a school dance.
Amazon Studios
  • Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Continuing with the TJR kick, is Carrie Soto is Back. This has been on my TBR since before it came out, and I am so behind the game with it. I feel like this is going to get me in the summer mood, and just be a feel good book to read while the end of the semester is underway

  • Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez snuck up on me last year when I read Just for the Summer. It ended up being one of my favorite books I read all year. I have waited to read this book until the paperback version got released, and I am so excited to read it as the weather is getting warmer. I imagine a 70 degree day with the birds chirping and a nice glass of sweet tea. As you can tell, this is one of my most anticipated reads, even though it came out last year!

Summer

Now, for summer I always hope to pack in my reading, and I try to keep up my learning and throw some non-fiction in with my fiction reads!

  • The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
  • The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
  • Babel by R.F. Kuang
  • Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand
  • Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
  • Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

Fall

Gilmore Girls walking through Fall Festival
Warner Bros. Television
  • The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

Hilderbrand and her daughter debut a novel about life at a New England boarding school. What is better to read at the beginning of September, when the weather is still warm, but school is in session? This will bring the fall vibes to the beginning of my last semester at U of T!

  • Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

This book has BEEN on my TBR. My mom actually owns it, and when I saw it in her collection I knew I wanted to read it. As I am going through my last semester of undergrad, this is a book that I want to complete before I apply to grad school to be a social worker!

Mackenzie Haines

U Toronto '26

Mackenzie (Kenzie) Haines is a History and Sociology major here at U of T! She is from Rochester, New York, a city in Western NY. Fun fact, she has Canadian and United States citizenship because her dad is from New Brunswick! She has lived in Toronto for 3 years, and has spent her life traveling all around Eastern Canada and the Eastern seaboard of the US.
Kenzie spent the summer as a Curiosity Camp Instructor at the Rochester Museum and Science Center giving school aged children structured stem and social-emotional learning experiences. Kenzie loved this opportunity because education and being a safe space for children is one of the most important things to her.
Kenzie is passionate about human rights, equity, US politics, women and gender studies, and advocacy. She enjoys traveling and exploring new parts of the world. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing with her toddler niece, hyper fixating on US politics or history subjects, and rotting on her new comfy couch!
Kenzie looks forward to the opportunities Her Campus gives her and is excited for this opportunity.