Reader Mailbag: Books Living Rent-Free In Your Head

In the August 2026 newsletter we asked readers what books have they read within the last year that they are still thinking about.

Here are the responses:

Caryn: The Change by Kirsten Miller stuck with me for a long time. I don’t usually read fantasy books, let alone edgy, thrillers type books but somehow I was drawn to this one. The characters were well crafted and fascinating, I became immersed and raced through the gripping story.

Christine: A book (still on my mind) that really has me wondering and rethinking is Colleen Hoover’s Verity. It was chilling and left one questioning. I am looking forward to the movie and I just learned from my librarian that another Verity book is out there with an additional chapter so I will definitely look for that.

Chris: This month’s question hits home for me because a book I read recently, “Remnant Population” by Elizabeth Moon, has definitely been on my mind. I actually struggled through the first two thirds of the book and almost gave up altogether. I pushed through, though, and found the rest of it interesting. The premise of the book is what I found so compelling: a woman chose to stay on a planet all by herself after the sponsoring company relocated everyone (or what they thought was everyone) to another planet far away. I’ve been asking my friends: would you rather live around unpleasant people who will always have power over you or would you want to live completely on your own…forever? No one can give me an easy answer to that one.

Donna: A few books I still think about are the Dan Jones Essex Dogs trilogy and the 5th book in the Malazan series, Midnight Tides. Also, I really loved The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi because it is so prescient of what is coming with the commodity called water. It is essentially the water wars that could happen here in the West, with Phoenix, Arizona being the setting of the story.

Sam: I’m still thinking about Warlock by Wilbur Smith. It’s the sequel of The River God and I actually liked it more. An absolutely incredible adventure!

AJ: For me, when I’m thinking about books it’s the characters or situations that I miss most – the early Gabriel Allon books from Daniel Silva. I think of the real problems that Israel and its intelligence faced in those years. The newer books are interesting but really pale in comparison to the early books of very real issues and consequences.
I think about Lucy Kincaid from Allison Brennan and wish her series had continued – but maybe that would have made it weaker and I would have missed the stories even while the series continued.

Gladys Sue: The best books I read this year were The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell for nonfiction, and The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai for fiction. They were both really good. But neither of those books are like Replay, like the kind of book that I would go around recommending to every person I talk to (and buying a copy for all my family members). The last book I read like that was a couple of years back; it was Never, by Ken Follett, and I am still talking about it and recommending it to everyone. It’s an easy read, and really, everyone should read it, even if they don’t read fiction, or even if they hardly ever read a book. For me it’s like, that one book.

Hollins: In 2026 I have two books that have been thought-provoking or helpful. First, the Bible has helped encourage me as I have been recovering from a stroke. Second, “From Gaza to To Tel-Aviv: The Unbelievable Story of a Muslim Palestinian Who Escaped to Israel and Became a Jew” by Dor Shachar. It is horrible to read about growing up in a Hamas household where hatred of Jews was taught and expected, and the torture he went through before he could escape.
Significant books from past years include “The Last Coyote” by Michael Connelly and “11-22-63” by Stephen King – both because of the story and the writing.

Jessica: I haven’t read alot of books so far this year. But The Future by Naomi Alderman has been on my mind lately. Especially since people keep talking about the big tech guys have bunkers (which is part of the book). I also can’t get over the book You Killed Me First. I wish he would write a sequel to it.

Kathryn: I read “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth in 1994, and it is still living in my head. Why can’t he finish the sequel?

Kris: Living rent free in my head is Project Hail Mary. That book was such a phenomenal experience! I recently ran into the friend that specifically recommended that I listen to the audiobook and I hugged her fiercely and thanked her profusely. I had heard of the book and had read The Martian, but somehow didn’t think I was interested in reading Project Hail Mary. It was amazing. And of course, helped by Ray’s perfect narration. I was very excited to see the movie. When I saw it, I was somewhat disappointed as I wished some things were included, done differently, etc. so I listened to it again.

I have never forgotten the audiobook of Unbroken, the story of Louis Zamperini, brilliantly read by the late, great Edward Hermann.

Patricia: I enjoyed Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series so much. I keep thinking about the elderly ( yes, I use the word elderly in all its conotations) gang and wondering what they would be up to next. Worldly, wise, fearless, foolish, loving, thoughtful. But, never old. Will Richard continue my journey with this gang? I sincerely hope so. Always on my mind.

Maureen: You mentioned The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah that you are keen to read. I read that quite a few years ago. It still lives in my head. And also 2 books by Laura McCluskey called The Wolf Tree and The Cursed Road, both set in Scotland. Creepy in some ways but so very good. I read them both earlier this year.

Phil: The book that is living rent free in my head is When Old Midnight Comes Along (an Amos Walker mystery) by Loren D. Estleman.

Phoenix: The book that has lived rent-free in my head for almost fifty years is “The Peaceable Kingdom,” by Jan de Hartog. The first half of this historical novel is about how the Quakers got started in England, and the second half is about Quakers in America. This is the first book in a series of three. I loved the first, enjoyed the second, and am okay with the third. But this book tops my “Favorite Books of All Time” list.

Sue: It’s The Traveler by Joseph Eckert. I read it and by 50 pages in I wrote to you to say how I was hooked by page 10. It’s mind boggling. I find myself randomly thinking of it from time to time. It’s hard to explain except to say on page one Scott is driving to work and all of a sudden, his car is gone and he is bodily skidding along the street. Then he finds out that he has lost a day. Every day, at the same time he exponentially loses double the time of the day before. His adventures have just stuck in my head, especially when he is into tens, hundreds and thousands of years between appearances. Not hard to place myself in the scenarios.

Susan: Go Ask Alice has lived rent-free in my head since the first time I read it. I was 12, in 6th grade. I am now 63 and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve reread it. I see so much of my life in it. The story never ages. Drugs and struggling teens were a real thing back then and they still are today. That part of life hasn’t changed.

Ramesh: I just finished reading “Hide and seek”by Chris Carter. And the characters have decided to stay rent free in my head, for far longer than what I would have liked. This book of his is different from his usual serial killer, novels that he has written.
Just read it so that the characters haunt you for a very long time.

Toni: Hi Graeme, this month’s question really hit a chord with me. I read “This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me” by Shannon Mayer. It is about a girl who wakes up and realizes she is in the world of her favorite series that she has read multiple times. I mean, really, how many of us wish we could step into our book and live it? Of course she uses the knowledge to get around, solve problems, and survive in this fantasy world. I’ve been mesmerized by this! To top it off, she can’t die! She knows the characters and how they think and she finds out things about them that changes her perceptions of them. I can’t wait for the next book to come out! Will she stay, will she go back, does she have any control over that, will she find love? So many questions and so many ways to go! I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about different scenarios! What a ride!

Victoria: I’ve read some good books so far this year. Two new ones stand out.

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Alix is destitute and her only solice is reading. She notices a door at the library she hasn’t seen before. She steps through to find a new world that will let her to step into a favourite out of copyright book. She’s home. When the Astral Library is threatened, she’s ready to fight the forces that are looming.

What reader hasn’t wanted to visit a favorite book world? Quinn gives us that world w a conflict to help the reader deserve the gift. Her imagination pulled me into her world, taking me along for a marvelous ride.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

AI dominates the news and our lives right now. Holsinger’s family is dominates by AI. After a family is in an accident in an automated car, AI affects everything that follows. Electronic warrants are issued to access all the family’s phones, the car’s computer system, and electronics in use in the car. An AI bot becomes a best friend. The vacation home where they escape is a smart home. They meet the man who’s responsible for much of the current AI tech. As they’re under scrutiny for the car accident, they can’t escape the electronic control in their lives.

The book is off putting and impactful as the reader realizes that the tech described is possible now.

Two completely different books – both worth reading.

Bill: I often think about the Boys in the Boat. A very moving book which I have recommended. Currently I am reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Another one certainly worth this time. Unbelievably tough times for the heroes of these books yet they persevered and survived.