Hello and happy Sunday. I know it’s still early on in the year, but I can assure you that In Waiting by Rainbow Rowell will remain as one of my favorite years of 2026. This is a short story that takes place in an author’s imagination and it features ideas that haven’t yet been picked to be written.

Anna, our main character, has been there for years, so much so that she has pretty much lost the hope of being picked up. She has used her own imagination to create a life in this in-between space and time, and this is how James finds her. James could be a main character or a love interest. The author thinks about him and works on him by changing his profession, his accent, and even his name. James wants to be picked, and as time goes by and he gets to know Anna, he grows restless.

Isn’t this an amazing premise? And this is a short story, so it all happens within a few pages. I think that is what makes this so compelling, the fact that it is all packed within a short story. I think that’s exactly why it is one of the most impactful reads I’ve done this year, and as conflicted as I am about Rainbow Rowell as an author, this is the book from her I’d tell you to give a chance to.