Reading Recommendations - January 2026 wrap up

Patricia Leslie
3 hours ago
3 min read

Two book covers. Cover on left shows Book cover shows a bookshelf holding books and various other items plus a plant on the shelves plus title and author text. Cover on right shows green background with gold embossed stylised tree and illustrated hare at base of tree plus title and author text — *The Story Collector* by Evie Woods and *By Her Hand* by Marion Taffe were my favourite reads in January 2026.

It’s time for my first round of "Reading Recommendations" - January 2026

Another month of great reading! I post my weekly reading recs on Facebook and Instagram first so follow me there to see them as they go live. To receive my monthly recap before anyone else, subscribe to my monthly newsletter where you'll find a link to the recap plus an exclusive, subscribers only, article.

༄˖°.☕️.ೃ࿔📚*:･

background features photograph with book cover hovering over the top. Book cover shows a bookshelf holding books and various other items plus a plant on the shelves. — *The Story Collector* by Evie Woods (background photo: Evgeni Tcherkasski via PixaBay)

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

Genre: historical fiction with touches of magic realism

The Story Collector is a lovely story that will keep you happily entertained start to finish.

Evie Woods has given us a dual timeline set in Ireland. American woman, Sarah, decides on an impulse to fly to Ireland after the breakup of her marriage. Her inspiration? An article about a fairy tree and a highway.

The story collector of the title is another American, Harald Krauss, who is working on a project to record fairy folklore before it disappears into history. In 1911, he finds himself in the small Irish village of Thornwood to collect as many stories as he can. Anna Butler, a young village woman, introduces him to the villagers and translates their stories into English.

One hundred years later, Sarah, arrives in the remote village of Thornwood. Staying in an old farm cottage, she finds Anna’s diary. Intrigued, Sarah is drawn into Anna’s life and the local folklore, finding connections to her present situation. With her new knowledge of the area’s history, Sarah starts exploring the village and surrounds and finds more than stories of fairy trees and fairy circles. She finds something she thought lost, connection to people, history, and her love for art.

The Story Collector has a good premise; controversy involving the destruction of a fairy tree and its consequences, romance, drama, and of course, fairy stories. I particularly enjoyed the historical side: Anna Butler and Harold Krauss’ adventures.

Evie Woods’ ability to weave in elements of history, and Irish fairy lore, with relatable characters and a strong narrative makes for yet another intricate novel skirting the borders between the real and the magical.

background image of stained glass window in a medieval church. Book cover hovering over top centre, green background with gold embossed stylised tree, illustrated hare at base of tree. — *By Her Hand* by Marion Taffe. (Background image: Peter H from Pixabay)

By Her hand by Marion Taffe

Genre: historical fiction (medieval)

Official description: Peak District, Mercia, AD 910: a young girl, Freda works hard to avoid her father's temper, while longing for his approval. She loves foraging in the woods and hearthside stories of heroes. Secretly she thinks in poetry and dreams of one day being able to write; her quills are grass stalks and sticks, her parchment the sky, the earth, her skin. But Freda's world is at war, and when her village is decimated in a savage raid and her father goes missing, Freda must find the strength to survive.

My thoughts: This is a wonderful story, well-crafted, excellent pace and flow, gripping narrative, and an intriguing use of language keeping a balance between old English and contemporary with such skill I found it quite enjoyable to read.

Marion Taffe states on her website that her focus in her writing is “themes of belonging, striving, choice, women’s rage and the interaction between people and places”. Each of her characters seemed shaped with these themes in mind. Each adds value, and added depth, to the story. They are all chess pieces in a complex game and Taffe is the grandmaster moving them around her storyboard with finesse. The planning (and research) that must have gone into “By Her Hand”! I’m completely in awe and perhaps just a little green with envy.

Gaffe’s debut novel has been compared to Pip Williams, Robyn Cadwallader, and Geraldine Brookes. If you enjoyed their novels, you are sure to equally enjoy reading, “By Her Hand”. I highly recommend it.

༄˖°.☕️.ೃ࿔📚*:･