Commissario Montalbano reading order

A plan for the whole series

35 volumes, 10,767 pages, about 195 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 9 months.

Stages

12 stages, with 11 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around September 5, 2027, about 7 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 20, 2026

   • 1. The Shape of Water1994 · 224 pages · 4 h
   • 2. The Terracotta Dog1996 · 343 pages · 6 h
   • 3. The Snack Thief1996 · 340 pages · 6 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 24, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 217 habout 3 weeksby December 17, 2026

   • 4. The Voice of the Violin1997 · 265 pages · 5 h
   • 5. Das Paradies der kleinen Sünder1998 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
   • 6. Die Nacht des einsamen Träumers1999 · 379 pages · 7 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 21, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 317 habout 3 weeksby January 13, 2027

   • 7. Excursion to Tindari2000 · 274 pages · 5 h
   • 8. The Scent of the Night2001 · 350 pages · 6 h
   • 9. Die Rache des schönen Geschlechts2002 · 315 pages · 6 h
6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by January 17, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 416 habout 3 weeksby February 7, 2027

   • 10. Rounding the Mark2003 · 274 pages · 5 h
   • 11. The Patience of the Spider2004 · 296 pages · 5 h
   • 12. Der falsche Liebreiz der Vergeltung2004 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
8. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by February 11, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 517 habout 3 weeksby March 5, 2027

   • 13. The Paper Moon2005 · 264 pages · 5 h
   • 14. August Heat2006 · 284 pages · 5 h
   • 15. The Wings of the Sphinx2006 · 352 pages · 6 h
10. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by March 10, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 616 h21 daysby March 31, 2027

    • 16. The Track of Sand2007 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
    • 17. The Potter's Field2008 · 277 pages · 5 h
    • 18. The Age of Doubt2008 · 274 pages · 5 h
12. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by April 4, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 717 habout 3 weeksby April 26, 2027

    • 19. The Dance of the Seagull2009 · 277 pages · 5 h
    • 20. Treasure Hunt2010 · 319 pages · 6 h
    • 21. Acqua in bocca2010 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
14. Short breakA Room of One's Own · Virginia Woolf · 144 pp. · score 8.23 h, by April 30, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 817 habout 3 weeksby May 22, 2027

    • 22. Angelica's Smile2010 · 358 pages · 7 h
    • 23. Game of Mirrors2011 · 277 pages · 5 h
    • 24. A Beam of Light2012 · 274 pages · 5 h
16. Short breakThe Prophet · Kahlil Gibran · 116 pp. · score 8.22 h, by May 26, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 915 h20 daysby June 15, 2027

    • 25. A Voice in the Night2012 · 274 pages · 5 h
    • 26. A Nest of Vipers2013 · 272 pages · 5 h
    • 27. The Pyramid of Mud2014 · 264 pages · 5 h
18. Short breakThe Screwtape letters · C. S. Lewis · 106 pp. · score 8.22 h, by June 19, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1020 habout 4 weeksby July 15, 2027

    • 28. Der ehrliche Dieb2014 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
    • 29. The Overnight Kidnapper2015 · 280 pages · 5 h
    • 30. The Other End of the Line2016 · 289 pages · 5 h
    • 31. The Cook of the Halcyon · 201 pages · 4 h
20. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by July 24, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
21. 11
    Stage 1117 habout 3 weeksby August 16, 2027

    • 32. The Safety Net2017 · 261 pages · 5 h
    • 33. The Sicilian Method2018 · ≈ 308 pages · 6 h
    • 34. Riccardino · 380 pages · 7 h
22. Short breakA Short Stay in Hell · Steven L. Peck · 80 pp. · score 8.21 h, by August 19, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
23. 12
    Stage 1213 h17 daysby September 5, 2027

    • 35. Racconti di Montalbano2008 · 682 pages · 13 h
24. The end of the series

    September 5, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

≈ next to a page count: a volume with no page count in our data is counted at this series’s average.