This Month’s Must-Reads for Me: Stories, Connections, and Life Lessons
—February 2026 Book Recommendations
I have lived a thousand lives and I’ve loved a thousand loves. I’ve walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.
—George R. R. Martin
Each of these eight books felt meaningful to me in its own way about connecting with other people and with ourselves, whether through a well-told story or through the wisdom of life lessons.
[See previously recommended books here]
NONFICTION
1. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed
by Jon Ronson
What’s your secret? Jon Ronson asks:
Maybe our secret is actually nothing horrendous. Maybe nobody would even consider it a big deal if it was exposed. But we can’t take that risk. So we keep it buried.
I found this to be a totally fascinating topic about how ordinary mistakes can explode into viral outrage and public humiliation (examples included in the book). It makes you wonder about how and why our modern culture uses public shaming as a powerful—and dangerous—tool.
2. Secrets of the Killing State
The Untold Story of Lethal Injection
by Corinna Barrett Lain
I highly recommend this one, especially for readers in the U.S., where executions still occur regularly.
My state of Alabama has one of the most active—and most botched—execution systems, so this book felt especially important to read. I learned even more through a virtual book club with the author, whose research takes apart the myth of lethal injection as humane. She finds instead a system full of secrets, incompetence, and deep human suffering among people all along the process, not just those sentenced to death.
3. Rule Makers, Rule Breakers ***
Tight and Loose Cultures and the Secret Signals that Direct Our Lives
by Michele Gelfand
Do you live in a country with a tight or a loose culture? This book shows how different regions perceive rule-following, and how those differences shape everything from daily behavior to politics and relationships.
4. All in This Together
Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
by Jack Kornfield
This is a collection of stories and teachings that remind us of our shared humanity and the importance of tapping into our goodness, especially in uncertain times. Although Kornfield draws from Buddhist wisdom, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate his guidance about connection and compassion. I read the review copy (thanks, NetGalley!).
5. Beyond Belief
The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough Results
by Nir Eyal
Beyond Belief shows how many of our limits are psychological, not physical, and how reshaping those often unconscious assumptions can create real shifts in our lives. I was able to participate in a Zoom call with the author and found it fascinating to hear how other readers are putting his science-backed strategies into practice—for me, that gives the book more weight.
6. Real Love
The Art of Mindful Connection
by Sharon Salzberg
Real Love shows how ancient Buddhist wisdom can help us experience love more fully—with ourselves, others, and life itself (again, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate these writings). It also offers practical mindfulness exercises for cultivating more authentic connections.
FICTION
7. The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
Very good story and storytelling. The Frozen River follows Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife in Maine (based on a real person!). When there’s a suspicious death on the frozen river in her town, Martha has to overcome obstacles to uncover the truth.
8. The Names
by Florence Knapp
Such a fascinating concept for a novel—I loved it. The Names follows Cora and her family based on a single decision—the name she gives her newborn son. The book reads like three separate stories, based on three alternate life paths over thirty-five years determined on which of the three names she chose. It was a little hard to follow at times, but completely worth the effort to think it through.
WHAT I’M READING NOW
- The Look
by Michelle Obama - The Unfolding: Poems
by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer - All the Way to the River
by Elizabeth Gilbert - The Extinction of Experience
Being Human in a Disembodied World
by Christine Rosen - Truly
An Inspirational Journey Through the Life of a Musical Legend
by Lionel Richie - Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks
*** Books from Daniel Pink’s 21 Favorite Books list; you can find it here. I’m working through the list. I’ve read 15 so far, and have 6 more to go. Getting closer!
Have you read a good book lately? I’d love to hear in the comments.
Your reading habits are as diverse as mine.
Well, friend, you are helping me add to my “wish list”. 🙂 Beyond Belief and The Frozen River are both going on the list. Thanks so much!
Yet another great list of books to choose from, Lisa. Thanks!
I really enjoyed The Frozen River; it took me a bit to get into it but once it got going I had a hard time putting it down.
The Gelfand book sounds interesting to me.
Great variety of books!
You read a lot of non fiction! I have read The Frozen River, and I might like to read The Names at some point.
I am so far behind in my TBR list but did request Real Love The Art of Mindful Connection book from my library. Your list is soooooo tempting.. LOL
You have some fascinating sounding books. And I keep hearing everywhere on “Frozen River.” Hmmm. Might have to add a couple to my list!
Lisa, you always share great books and wonderful reviews on each. I’m going to check out “All In This Together.” Thank you for sharing.
Always love reading about your reviews and recommendations.
I’d recommend this book, a serious, dense, detailed read about the American criminal justice system by an Evangelical historian and attorney. Sobering. Important, but long and takes a lot of concentration, with tons of detailed footnotes. My pastor recommended it.
This author once supported the death penalty, but given all the wrongful executions, both due to the unjust, slanted justice system and all the DNA proof now available, he has changed his views; so have I. If one person is executed unjustly, then that is a risk we can’t take.
“Reforming Criminal Justice” by Matthew Martens
Love you, dear Lisa!
I got the Kindle sample sent to me just now, Lynn, of Reforming Criminal Justice. It sounds like a good read! Thanks for the recommendation.
Nice looking variety of books. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Your NF books look really good. It’s when you can use something for your own life its really helpful. Mmm public shaming in today’s world, not so good. I wonder about Michelle Obama’s book The Look.
I finished The Look last week and loved it. I had first gotten a library copy on my Kindle, which was fine for the text, but the hardback became available and that is definitely my preferred way to read this one because the photos are so lovely. (The book was so really heavy – they used good paper. ha)
I enjoyed The Frozen River.
Now I am tackling Dante’s Purgatory, reading it in my Well Read Mom group. Wish me luck 🙂
Yes, good luck with Dante’s Purgatory! 🙂 That’s a brave challenge to take on. Doing it in community probably helps!
I really need to read The Names!
I’m so glad you enjoyed The Frozen River! It was one of my top picks for 2025. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Yes, The Frozen River is one of those books that I continue to think about even after I finished it. This weekend I finished reading “Year of Wonders” about the plague in the 1600s, and it reminded me of The Frozen River because of how little scientific knowledge people had back then. It was often the midwives who knew the most.
I recently read: Becoming a Person of Welcome – The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality, written and narrated by Laura B. Murray. She had a different perspective on hospitality, which I greatly appreciated. Also, 1440 Minutes: Maximizing Every Moment by Jyotsna Varan. Varan took more of a holistic approach to intentional living.
Both those books sound intriguing to me, Lisa. Thanks for sharing the titles. It reminds me I have a book on my shelf that I was gifted and have yet to read: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect. I hope to get to it sometimes this year!
I read The Names recently too. It’s the best book I’ve read in a very long time. I doubt I will read a better book this year.
It sounds like you’ve read an interesting selection of nonfiction, especially the one about lethal injection. As a British person, I find it crazy that execution still exists in the world.
Popping over from Book Worms Monthly.
Glad you liked The Names too. It’s such an intriguing premise! I keep thinking about it. I’m hosting a party next weekend and I’m thinking about having everyone use their middle name (or whatever name they don’t normally use) on their nametag just to see if it creates different patterns of relating to each other. 🙂
Yes, it is crazy that the US still uses executions like we do here. Many states have stopped it on their own, but many haven’t.
Always! You keep on expanding my reading comfort zone, friend!
And yes, I enjoyed paging through The Look, too. Such a well done, behind the scenes volume.
Happy Monday.
I’m glad you enjoyed The Look, too, Linda! Such gorgeous photos. I’m not one to pay attention to fashion, so I appreciated how discerning Michelle had to be with her choices for so many reasons.
A lot of these sound so good and a few I’ve seen on a few other pages so I’ll be adding some new ones to my TBR
The publicly shaming book brings to mind the recent case of the CEO (can’t remember his name) at a sports venue with his ‘female friend’. The book is available on Libby so I’m putting it on hold
I’d be interested in Rule Makers Rule Breakers if I could find a copy
Popping in from WOYBS
I love Jon Ronson. He has a new book out this year too. I loved the bit about Max Mosely. I remember it at the time so when he mentions it I immediately thought ‘That’s right. I forgot all about that, I wonder why’….and then as you know,we discover why! Ha. #WOYBS
It’s certainly an eclectic mix this month – and two quite confronting books, albeit for different reasons: the Jon Ronson and the lethal injection one. The Frozen River is one that has been on my list for some time.
Hi Lisa, I loved Year of Wonders which i read a few years ago, it was fascinating. I really want to read The Names as I’ve heard so much about it and everyone has been a fan so far. I must say your non-fiction really sound interesting esepcially All in This Together. Thanks for joining us for #WOYBS!