My 2026 Mid-Year Reading Wrap-Up 📚✨

I honestly can’t believe we’re already halfway through 2026. It feels like only yesterday I was setting my reading goals for the year and somehow here we are at the halfway mark. Looking back over the last six months, I’m really happy with how my reading has been going. I’ve discovered some new favourite authors, finally picked up books that had been sitting on my TBR for years and even managed to read in one of the most incredible places on Earth – Antarctica.

So far this year I’ve read 44 books, which means I’ve already smashed my Goodreads goal of 30 books with half the year still to go! I definitely underestimated how much reading I’d get through this year, especially with audiobooks becoming such a big part of my routine.

When I looked back at my stats, I realised that romance has absolutely dominated my reading this year, making up 29 of my 44 books. I clearly know what I enjoy! I’ve also mixed in some young adult, fantasy, romantasy, non-fiction and even a mystery thriller, which has been a nice way to keep things feeling fresh.

Audiobooks have easily been my biggest reading format this year, with 20 audiobooks compared to 17 Kindle booksand 7 physical books. I’ve really come to appreciate how much audiobooks fit into my daily life. Whether I’m driving, out for a walk, cleaning the house or travelling, they’ve helped me read so much more than I otherwise would have.

Speaking of travelling… one of my favourite reading memories this year has to be reading Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody while I was on my Antarctica expedition. There’s something so surreal about sitting on an expedition ship surrounded by glaciers, penguins, seals and whales while reading a romance. It’s one of those memories I’ll always associate with that book.

As for my favourites so far, The Poet Empress by Shen Tao has been my standout book of the year. For romance, Consider Me by Becka Mack completely won me over, while The Baby Dragon Bookshop was my favourite cosy fantasy read. I also really enjoyed finally picking up Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli (my favourite non-fiction author) for some non-fiction, and Arcana Academy by Elise Kova was easily my favourite audiobook of the year so far. One of my biggest surprises was The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke, which has become my favourite 2026 release that I’ve read.

Looking at my ratings, it’s been a pretty consistent year. Most of my books landed in the 3 and 4 star range, with 26 three star reads and 17 four star reads. While I haven’t had a five-star read yet this year, I’ve still had so many enjoyable books that I’d happily recommend. Sometimes a solid four star book that keeps you entertained is exactly what you need.

The only statistic I’m choosing to ignore? The fact that I’ve added 71 books to my physical TBR this year… let’s just say my bookshelf is growing much faster than I’m reading through it! That’s definitely a problem for future me.

Overall, I’m really happy with how my reading year is shaping up. I’m excited to continue discovering new authors, work through a few more books that have been sitting on my shelves for far too long and hopefully find that elusive five star read before the end of the year.

Here’s to another six months filled with great books, late-night reading sessions and probably adding far too many more books to my TBR. Happy reading! 📖💛

-Rachelle

Leave a comment below and let me know how many books you have read so far in 2026!

I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf