Mother’s Scholé: My Reading Goals for 2026

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As a busy mother-teacher, I don’t usually like to create lofty reading goals. However, I still want to pursue the intellectual life and grow in my own personal mother’s scholé.

I know that many of you can relate to this. So, I’m sharing how I still make time for reading good books as a very busy mother with a full life. And what my reading goals are for 2026.

This year, I’m also planning on reading from our home library as much as possible. There’s so much on my current TBR, and so little time! 😅

This list is just around 50 books in total for the year. But, they are a variety of easy/moderate to harder stiff reads. Some are poetry for the entire year, and some are really quick reads.

Also … I always have several books going at the same time and read based off of what I feel like reading. This really makes it more realistic and so much more enjoyable!

Oh, and one more thing — I just really like to read good books, I’m also not on social media, and don’t have a smartphone. So, I guess, that’s how I really make time for reading.

2026 Literary Life Goals

In the past, I’ve shared ideas from this Parents’ Review Article: “Mother Culture“. In the article, it shares a few suggestions of categories to choose from. “I always keep three books going–a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!” 

I have planned my reading goals around these categories, plus I’ve added in spiritual reading, poetry, fairy tales, fables, and mythology.

Honestly, I don’t like to get overly structured with creating reading goals. I have tried that in the past, but our life on the ranch & homestead creates a lot of uncertainty. And so, having a super planned out reading year, just does not happen.

Instead, I like to make a list of books that I hope to read in the various categories shared above and read intuitively. This is much more enjoyable and fits into my busy schedule.

As mother-teachers, we can pick up on what we missed out on our own school educations by pre-reading and read-aloud time with the children. And I’ve truly taken this to heart.

My oldest, begins 7th grade this year, and I’ve been in the planning process of putting together the junior and senior high curriculum that I want my children to pursue.

That being said, I’ve been finding myself enjoying a lot of great books that I did not grow up with, just by reading from their book lists and together during lessons.

Hard Stiff Reads

In this category, I generally choose from philosophical works or from the Ancients (usually Greeks or Romans). Here’s what I want to read under this category in 2026:

• Finish reading The Intellectual Life
• The Histories Herodotus
• Norms & Nobility
• A Tour of the Summa
• Consolation of Philosophy
• Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics and Politics
• Plato: The Republic
• Iris Exiled: A Synoptic History of Wonder — I began reading this book, but set it to the side due to life. And so, it has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a couple of years and I hope I can finally peruse it over the year!

Moderately Easy Books

• The Scholé Way
• The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings
• The Great Divorce
• The Weight of Glory
• James Herriot Books — I would like to begin reading through at least a couple of these books this year as time allows.
• Tending the Heart of Virtue — I’ve read this through a couple of times, but I would like to read it again this year or possibly listen to the audiobook while working in the garden this spring.
• Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
• Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us About the Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive

Novels

I have quite a few novels that I hope to tackle this year! I’d like to do a deep dive into Tolkien this year as I’ve recently been enjoying Tom Bombadil and his poetry.

I also re-read Jane Eyre (personal favorite) and Wuthering Heights last year. And so, I was thrilled to receive this Brontë Sisters book set for Christmas from my brother-in-law. I’m excited to read through a few of these new to me books this year.

My children have been eager for me to catch up to them in reading the Anne of Green Gables books. We got this complete series book set for Christmas and so, I’ve been working on these books slowly.

I’ve also been delighting (and devouring, to be honest) this series of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. They are quick, short reads (novella style) and throughly enjoyable, but I also have not read all of them yet. As of writing this post, there are 8 volumes published with plans for somewhere between 22-25 in total!

Lastly, I’d like to read through more of Charles Dickens this coming year. I’m not sure where I would like to pick up yet, but on my Dickens TBR currently: Bleak House, Tale of Two Cities, and the Odd Curiosity Shop.

Novels for 2026:

• Brontë Sisters collection
• J.R.R. Tolkien treasury
• The Lord of the Rings series
• Anne of Green Gables series
• Jayber Crow
• and I’ll probably read some more Jane Austen. Probably Persuasion again.

Also, if you haven’t discovered the Barbara Heller editions of some of these classics, let me introduce to a real treat. My children and I each received some of these books (Persuasion, Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women) for Christmas and they are a fun immersive experience. She includes letters, manuscripts, maps, etc.

Spiritual Reading

Usually when I choose a spiritual reading book, I tend to stay with Carmelite Spirituality as that’s what I’m most drawn to. Of course, I flex out of here a bit whenever I find a good book or a recommendation from my spiritual director.

These are what I have on my list this year:

• Finish reading through I Want to See God
• then move over to I Am a Daughter of the Church
• The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross — his poetry is SO GOOD!
• finish reading The Third Spiritual Alphabet
• I’ve also recently stumbled across a lovely vintage edition of this book about St. John of the Cross, that I’d like to read this year.

I have been enjoying reading through this series on Contemplation (there are six books) each day as part of my morning devotions.

If you’re interested, I have a few other book recommendations in my Carmelite Spirituality category.

Poetry

…oh, how I have been loving poetry lately. We read and re-read a poem (at least) per day. But, I’ve also been enjoying a variety of poets over the past few years.

A few of my favorites are Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and G.K. Chesterton. I also recently came across a beautiful vintage edition of Joyce Kilmer’s Anthology of Catholic Poets and it’s been enjoyable to read through.

As I mentioned above, I want to dive more into Tolkien’s writings. And so, I have this lovely box set of his poetry that I want to read through slowly this year. And this book of poetry by George MacDonald has been on my TBR for a while, which I hope to read through slowly throughout the year.

My children and I have been having fun lately with this book of Dog Songs by Mary Oliver. It’s a sweet little book and a good find for dog lovers.

And lastly, I have this book of Poems by C.S. Lewis that has been sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me to read. So, I have just started reading it a little each day.

fairy tales, fables, and mythology

Because these are entirely enjoyable — especially for the busiest of us mothers! I have been delighted while reading fairy tales, fables, and mythology with the children, but I’d like to go a bit deeper this year. I think that this would really act as a building block for future books and to aid in my teaching.

This year, I hope to read through some of these titles:

• Tolkien Myths and Legends
• Homer, both the Iliad and Odyssey (if time allows for both!) 🤨
• This book, Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women has also been a fun read, that I hope to finish soon!
• Norse Mythology
• Til We Have Faces — this one has been on my TBR shelf for several years now! I really would like to sit and enjoy this book before the end of the year.

For more on my take on fairy tales and mythology, read my post here: Fairytales, Fables, Legends, and Myths in a Catholic Education.