2026 Mid-Year Book Status Report
A quick look at my standout books from the year and a quick audit on my yearlong reading goals.
Every year on Instagram, I participate in the #midyearbookfreakouttag! I have no clue who started this tag, but I have been doing it every year since 2018! I love it. This year, I’m bringing it to the newsletter as well so I can talk a bit more about each of these books.
Some people do the tag for their entire reading year, but I like to do it for just the publication year, so this list only includes 2026 releases.
Before I go through the books, I wanna do a super speedy progress report for my 2026 reading goals. As a refresher here are the goals:
And now for the update…
Read 10 pages a day. Meh. Not so much this year. I have read every day but some days I have only read a page or two or listened to audiobooks.
Read 100 books. I am at 57 books finished this year, which puts me ahead of schedule for 100.
Stay ahead of the 2026 publishing calendar. I wanted 50% of my 2026 reads to be pre-publication, but now that I’m looking back, I don’t know if I meant that 50% of all the books I read this year should be pre-publication, or 50% of the 2026 books I read this year should be pre-publication. Of the 57 books I've read this year, 34 were published in 2026, and 21 of those were read pre-publication. If I base this goal on the total number of books I've read this year, I'm at 37%, but if I base it solely on the 2026 books I've read this year, I'm at 62%.
Track my DNFs. Ummmmm. I haven’t been great here. I forget to write them down. They’re in my Storygraph, but I’ve gone back and read a few of them. The truth is, I don’t actually care about my DNFs that much. I thought I did but I don’t.
See The Stacks community IRL. I haven’t done that as much as I’d like, but we did have a whole ass meet-up day! You all got to see each other! Amazing!
Cake Party. I have done this every month since February and it is the best. A monthly open house-style party with cake!
Call People. Randomly calling people is the best part of my year so far. Calling just because is so delightful.
Start something new. I didn’t know what this goal would mean for me in 2026, but something new has come my way, and hopefully it works out and I’ll be telling you all about it in the near future.
Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag
Best book you’ve read so far
Kin by Tayari Jones
This is the platonic ideal of a friendship novel. Nothing flashy, nothing catchy, just a solid, well-written book with a ton of heart. I loved it very much.
Favorite Sequel
For like the 8th year in a row, I have read exactly no new-release sequels. I am not a series girlie. Sue me.
A Book That Made You Smile
If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation by Daniel Hahn
Imagine my delight when I realized this super nerdy book about Shakespeare in translation was actually fucking fantastic. It is so thought-provoking and made me really think deeply about the nuances of language and art.
A Book That Made You Cry
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe
Ok, let me be honest, nothing has made me cry this year. I really am not a crier. That being said, there ware some bits on grief and family in this book that really tugged on my heartstrings. I am as surprised as you to see this book in this category, but it is true.
New Favorite Character
On Morrison by Namwali Serpell
I know this is a cheat, but also getting to do a full deep dive into Toni Morrison’s mind/body of work is like the greatest character study ever. Not to mention this prompt is inherently anti-nonfiction and I can’t have that.
New Favorite New-to-You Author
Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival by Justine van der Leun
This book is fantastic, and van der Leun earned my utmost respect for the amount of work she did to make this book possible. When she wanted to know more about women who had been imprisoned for committing crimes due to the abuse they suffered, she couldn’t find the data. So, she sent out 10,000 surveys to incarcerated women and then built an argument off the responses. Wow.
Favorite Reread
Vigil by George Saunders
I had the absolute time of my life rereading George Saunders’ newest book aloud for the PAGE BREAK retreat in January. It’s a quirky little book that was served well by the interpretations and conversations we had around the characters, plot, and philosophy inside.
Favorite Book by a Debut Author
Strangers by Belle Burden
I loved this book. I didn’t think I would, and I really did. It’s pretty unputdownable. While some folks have called Burden’s details into question1, the heart of the book is solid. I didn’t want to stop reading about this rich white mess.
Biggest Disappointment
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
I so desperately wanted to like this book, but I think it is bad. The premise is great, but the writing and plot are no match for the big idea behind the book. Sure, I wanted to know what would happen, but that, not the writing, is what kept me reading.2 The main character is not unlikable enough. The critique is so flat and obvious. Much of the book makes no sense and there are inaccuracies that are inexplicable3. Lots of people liked the twist, I think the twist invalidated much of book. Up and down mess.
Biggest Surprise
In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure by Rowan Jacobsen
I did not think I would care at all about a book about sunlight, but I picked it up because my favorite editor, Kathy Belden, edited it. It is so well-argued and makes a great case for less sun paranoia. I appreciated how clean and clear the book was, and I’ve taken much of Jacobsen’s advice to heart in my relationship to the sun and being outside.
Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year
The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict by Priya Parker
Priya Parker’s first book, The Art of Gathering, changed my life. It reframed how I think about getting people together, both IRL and through the podcast. Her new book, which I have been patiently awaiting, is about fighting and conflict and how we should do it and what it can unlock for us. I cannot wait.
New Release You Haven’t Read, But Want to
Transcription by Ben Lerner
I just think this book is going to be on all the lists. It has big book-awards energy. I don’t know much about it, except that lots of people love it, including people who go into it thinking they will hate it.
Book You Want to Read by the End of the Year
American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump by Kai Bird with Susan Goldmark
I love a big biography of a recent historical figure, and I love a villain. So, this biography of Roy Cohn (Trump’s mentor, Macarthyite, closeted gay man who persecuted gay men) from one of our great modern biographers (American Prometheus) has me so geeked.
Most Beautiful Book You Acquired This Year
Fairfield County by DéLana R. A. Dameron
Earlier this year DéLana R. A. Dameron passed away. She was only 40 years old. I had the pleasure of meeting DéLana at the LA Times Festival of Books in 2025, and spent a few hours over the weekend with her. She was really fucking cool. Fairfield County is the book she was telling me about at the festival. And now it is here, but sadly it is a posthumous release. The book is beautiful and knowing that it exists and that I get to spend a little more time with DéLana means so much to me.
What’s the one 2026 title you want to make sure you read before the year is up?
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Memoir is about memory so the facts are often muddy. I talk about that more in my Nonfiction Taxonomy.
And that I knew the book would be buzzy and I wanted to be able to do my job and talk with you all about it.
Without spoiling, I am not talking about the inaccuracies in the past timeline.
As you know, I love a random phone call (made or received) and I love that we get to share this!! (Also, both Transcription and John of John are books I thought I'd hate that I really liked/loved this year so far! Sometimes, a man can surprise you in a non-derogatory way! Who knew!)
I want to read JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart before the end of the year because Melissa says it is good and she is the boss.