My 2026 Mid-Year Reading Check-In
Shout out to fable for encouraging me to keep my reading streak. I’ve read every single day so far this year. Sometimes that means one page, but 99% of the time that means multiple chapters, staying up too late, and reading until I literally can’t keep my eyes open anymore. My reading goal this year has been to actually read less, but read intentionally every day. I’ve found some real bangers, had a few let downs, but all around have truly enjoyed being part of instagram’s book community this year.
❔How’s your reading going this year??
Also, I’m posting this a little bit late, but Instagram actually saw it first. Be sure to follow me there for everything bookish!
If you had asked me at the beginning of 2026 how my reading year was going to look, I probably would have expected one thing: a lot of books. And, well… I definitely delivered on that front. By the end of June, I had finished 56 books toward my goal of 75, maintained a best reading streak of 181 days, and somehow managed to read across five different genres. But what’s interesting about my reading year so far isn’t really the number of books. It’s how differently I’ve been reading.
The beginning of the year was busy. I was flying through books, finding new favorites, continuing series I was already invested in, and generally living in that very happy little world where I always seemed to have a book in my hand.
Then summer arrived.
Life got busier, my reading slowed down, and suddenly I wasn’t finishing books quite as quickly. But I’ve still been trying to read every single day—and I think that’s actually more important to me than the number on my reading goal.
So, here’s my 2026 reading year so far.
56 books down, 19 (and some more) to go
My goal for 2026 is 75 books, and at the end of June I was sitting at 56 books finished.
That puts me comfortably ahead of my goal, even though my reading pace has slowed considerably compared to the beginning of the year. And honestly? I'm okay with that. I’m actually trying to read slower this year. I want reading to continue being something I do every day rather than something I feel like I have to race through so I can hit a number.
My best reading streak so far is 181 days, which might actually be one of the statistics I'm most proud of. Because 56 books is fun, but 181 consecutive days of making time to read? That's a habit. And that's what I really want reading to be in my life.
My reading tastes are pretty predictable 😂
There were 30 romance books and 28 fantasy books in my first half of the year. Which… yes. That sounds exactly like me. Young adult, sci-fi, and mystery rounded things out with 7, 6, and 4 books respectively.
Romance and fantasy continue to dominate my reading life, but I actually love that my reading isn't confined to one little box. I'll happily go from romantasy to contemporary romance to gothic fantasy and then randomly decide I need to read something like Project Hail Mary.
And speaking of Project Hail Mary… that was my March favorite and one of the biggest surprises of my reading year. I went into it knowing it wasn't necessarily the type of book I normally gravitate toward, and ended up giving it five stars. It was such a fun reminder that sometimes the best reading experiences happen when you step slightly outside your usual genres.
My Five-Star Reads
I had nine five-star reads during the first half of 2026, which is actually pretty impressive considering I've been much more critical with my ratings this year. My average rating is only 3.6 stars, and I've definitely noticed a difference in the way I'm rating books. I'm being way more critical. A book being enjoyable doesn't automatically make it four or five stars anymore. I'm paying much more attention to the writing, characters, pacing, emotional impact, world-building, and whether a book actually sticks with me after I finish it. So, when something does earn five stars? It feels deserved.
Some of my five-star reads so far include:
A Dark Forgetting by Kristen Ciccarelli
Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair
To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Axe Marks the Spot by Kayla Gross
The Reckoning by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Fearless by Lauren Roberts
That's a pretty eclectic list, but I think it perfectly represents my reading personality. Give me romance. Give me fantasy. Give me something dark and weird. Give me a series I'm already obsessed with. And every once in a while, throw a space adventure at me. Apparently that's all I need.
My favorite book from each month
One of my favorite things about looking back at my reading year is seeing which books ended up becoming the books I associate with each month.
January — A Dark Forgetting
I kicked off the year with A Dark Forgetting, and it immediately set a pretty strong tone for my 2026 reading. It's atmospheric, romantic, fantastical, and exactly the kind of story that makes me want to curl up somewhere cozy and disappear into another world.
February — Terror at the Gates
February belonged to Scarlett St. Clair. Terror at the Gates was my favorite read of the month and kicked off the Blood of Lilith series for me. It was one of those books that made me immediately want to keep going. And, apparently, I did—because one of the books I'm most excited about now is the sequel, Coiled at the Roots.
March — Project Hail Mary
March was the month I apparently decided to temporarily abandon my normal reading personality. And I'm so glad I did. Project Hail Mary was my favorite of the month and one of my favorite surprises of the year. It was completely different from the romance and fantasy books that make up most of my shelves, but it pulled me in.
April — Don't Let the Forest In
April's favorite was Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews. And this one feels particularly representative of the darker side of my reading taste. Beautifully strange, atmospheric, unsettling, and exactly the kind of book that makes you stare at the cover afterward and think, well, that was a lot. Naturally, I loved it.
May — The Reckoning
May brought me back into familiar territory with The Reckoning, the third book in the Zodiac Academy series. I've spent a lot of this year working my way through series, and there's something so satisfying about returning to a world you've already invested in.
June — The Story Keeper
By June, my reading pace had slowed down considerably, and The Story Keeper became my favorite read of the month. It was also a pretty fitting book to end the first half of my reading year with—a story centered around stories, memory, and the things we choose to hold onto.
The beginning of the year was a zinger 😂
Looking at my reading tracker, the difference between the first few months of the year and the beginning of summer is very obvious. January through March were busy. There were books stacked up everywhere. Series were being devoured. My reading tracker was filling in quickly.
And then April, May, and June started to slow down. Some of that was simply life getting busier. But I also think I'm in a different reading mindset this year. I'm not trying to read just to read. I'm trying to actually enjoy the books I'm reading. I'm okay putting something down if it isn't working for me. I'm okay taking longer to finish a book. I'm okay reading a little every day instead of forcing myself to carve out hours I don't have.
And honestly, I think that's a healthier relationship with reading.
Because reading has always been one of the things that makes me feel like me. It's my little pocket of quiet. It's the thing I get to do after the kids are in bed, when the house is finally quiet and I can curl up with a blanket, a book, and probably a glass of wine. I don't want that to become another obligation.
What I'm excited to read next
And, of course, I already have a little stack waiting for me. There are four books in particular that I'm ridiculously excited about.
First is Immortal Game by Allison Saft. Chess + fairies. I don't really need to know anything else. Then there's Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst, which I'm especially excited about because I actually got to meet Sarah Beth Durst in July! There is something so cool about reading an author's book and then getting the opportunity to meet the actual person behind the story. I'm very much looking forward to that.
I'm also incredibly excited to return to The Never Queen by Nikki St. Crowe. I am so excited to be back in this world. And finally, Coiled at the Roots, the next installment in Scarlett St. Clair's Blood of Lilith series. After loving Terror at the Gates, I'm more than ready to see where this story goes next.
So, how is my reading year really going?
Honestly? Pretty damn well.
Yes, I'm reading more slowly than I was at the beginning of the year. Yes, I can feel a slump trying to creep in. Yes, I've been busy enough that reading sometimes gets pushed further down the list than I'd like. But I'm still reading. Every day.
I've finished 56 books.
I've found nine five-star reads.
I've discovered that I apparently can enjoy sci-fi.
I've continued series I love.
I've found new authors.
I've become more critical with my ratings.
And I've maintained a 181-day reading streak.
Most importantly, reading is still part of my everyday life. And maybe that's the real goal. Not necessarily finishing 75 books. Not chasing a certain number of pages. Not trying to prove that I'm a "big reader." Just continuing to be the girl who reads. Even when life gets busy. Even when the reading pace slows down. Even when I only get a few pages in before bed.
Because 2026 has already reminded me that a reading life doesn't have to be fast to be full. And with 19 books left to reach my initial goal of 75, I've got a feeling the second half of the year is going to be pretty fun. 📚✨
