Again, having my debut novel get pushed down the road and choosing to find a new publisher has been a lot. I missed my first quarter reading reflection even though the first quarter went really well for reading. Way above average. But, here we go. I’m a week late on this post.
Yet again, this graph lies a little bit. I’ve already finished 2 books in July, which is dipping into 3rd quarter. But, honestly? 35 books so far in 2026 is amazing! I haven’t read this much in several years, not since before my massive reading slump about 5 years ago. Overall, being ahead by 11 books? That’s fantastic! Even taking some reading breaks and getting behind on my ARC plans, I can’t believe I’ve read that much this year.
Sticking with my previous graphics (provided by Storygraph), I’m so far ahead of my usual game, I don’t even have words to say much. I am primarily reading eARCs even though audiobook is my preferred mode. (I also am counting books I tag-teamed in multiple formats as a single book.) I’m averaging 10 days a read. I have a book that I started months ago that I haven’t finished (nor paused) which is driving that average up. Because I’ve read most books in less than a week and had many finish in 2-3 days, which is so fast for me!
I normally do a pie graph for moods, but since I haven’t been mood reading like my usual MO, I’ve covered a whole lot more moods than typical. Adventure has been the main theme of this year followed by emotional and mysterious. I love dark stories. Funny, tense, reflective, lighthearted, hopeful, and inspiring round out my moods.
Pace-wise, I’ve been rating most books I’m reading as medium-paced. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I know what fast-paced and slow-paced are in books. I don’t typically read the genre that fall into those.
No non-fiction yet this year (but I’ve got Riley Black’s next book in ARC and I cannot wait to read it!) I also skipped awards reading, leaning on the reading I already did last year of 2025 releases. But the 2026 debuts are on fire! Amazing books!
I am reading more young adult than typical because my debut book was a YA science fiction. I’m supporting YA debuts and know about them from the debut group. Fantasy is such a huge genre, so I’m reading a lot of that. I’m also a fan of Romance and LGBTQIA2S* and there’s so many good books in those genre from 2026 debuts.
Mystery and Thriller are not my typical genre reads. In fact, I generally avoid those because I haven’t typically enjoyed them as much in the past. But the debuts have those genre down! I’ll be reading more from now on.
Almost all my reads this year have been 2026 debuts. These are all fabulous! If I have to pick favorites, there are 4 (and one I finished in July but its included here.)
You’re Dead to Me, Reed Walker by Gwenyth Reitz released in May. This is a YA Speculative Romance about academic rivals solving the mystery of their deaths and falling for each other in the afterlife. What I love most about this book is how Gwenyth handles the question, how do you handle it when your life doesn’t work out as planned?
A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou released in June. This is a spectacular adventure comedy with a low-key romantic subplot about a boy who finds a family when he runs off and accidentally becomes a pirate. There are so many life lessons wrapped up in the comedy and adventure. I can’t wait to read what Katie writes next.
The Encore by Juliet Izon released in March. I got to read an audio ARC. This is a literary/upmarket fiction about two musicians and the child they conceived and the lies surrounding her life. I listened to this in a single day (maybe 2) on 1x speed. I loved the presentation of the story by the narrators. The story is beautiful.
Queen of Faces by Petra Lord released in January. This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve read in a long time. It’s right up there with my top 3 audiobooks. This is a YA fantasy, dark academia. I am not typically a dark or any kind of academia fan. That’s my day job. That’s my life for decades. I’m not interested in it in fiction. But this was spectacular. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
See you in October with my 3rd quarter reading round-up.