We are officially halfway through the year, which means it's time to look back at the best books that I have read so far this year.
Counting rereads, I have read a total of 64 books in their entirety so far in 2026. It's hard to say if I've read more or less that at this point last year since I'm including books that I reread in my total count. My gut tells me that it's less, but looking back at what all I have read, I can say with certainty that the quality of my reads so far this year far outweighs last year's at this same point (Receipt: only three books from
my mid-year list ended up on the overall
best books of 2025 list).
Before we dive into this year's list of best books and series of the year so far, I want to do a quick check in on my seasonal reading guides and most recent TBR lists.
- Summer Reading Guide - Would you believe I've already read three books off my summer reading guide? And all three of them are on this list! I have started Dungeon Crawler Carl, but I put it aside for the time being to read my library books. I've also picked back up Love and Ruin, which is one that I've been reading off and on for awhile. I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll finish it by the end of summer.
- Spring Reading List - This one is still sitting at five out of ten, but I've got The Lies They Told sitting on my shelf right now.
- Winter Reading List - This one is still unchanged at six out of twenty. I haven't give up on The Midnight Feast just yet, but I am struggling with this one. Also, The Housewarming is my August book club pick, so it'll get crossed off in a couple of months.
- Fall 2025 Reading List - This is another one that hasn't changed from the last update. I've read seven of the twenty titles featured.
I've published three TBR lists so far this year featuring a total of 46 titles. Of those, I've read one full series, nine books in another ongoing series that isn't finished, and two books in another, and I've finished two standalones. FYI, I should have an updated TBR list for y'all sometime soon, so be on the lookout for that.
Now onto the reason you're all here: the top 10 books and series I've read so far in 2026. Unlike last year when I struggled with the mid-year best books list due to not having read much of substance, this year I struggled because I've read so many really good books. Honestly, I don't even know if I can confidently say that one is definitively claiming the top spot over the others. I've loosely ranked them from 1 to 10 as always, but it wasn't easy, and I'm still not satisfied.
This year's list is a pretty mixed bag when it comes to genre and includes some titles that are a bit surprising to me. There are two memoir-style books, which is not a style I gravitate toward at all (
maybe I've been unfair to these in the past?). There are also two family dramas, which isn't my typical genre either. There are three stories about finding yourself after loss, two suspense/murder mysteries, and two sci-fi/fantasy books. Four of the ten titles that made the list are from my
One Woman Book Club. I think my reading tastes might be getting more eclectic in my old age...
Boy Swallows Universe
Author: Trent Dalton
My March book club pick is currently holding the top spot for me. This memoir-style book is a coming of age story that had me using words like incredible and fantastic and phenomenal, which is saying something considering I don't usually go for memoirs. The book itself is about 50 percent based on the real life of the author. It takes place over about six years in Brisbane, Australia, and follows a kid named Eli Bell as he grows up and truly struggles with good and bad. His stepfather, who he idolizes, is a drug dealer who gets taken out by his boss after his best friend betrays him. His mother is wrongfully imprisoned on a made-up charge. His mentor and really the only reliable adult in his life is an infamous prison escape artist. This book was funny and heartfelt and sad and just so darn good. You can read my full review here.
Summer of '69
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
My June book club pick was one of those books that I wish I could read again for the first time. It is a historical fiction book that follows the women of the Levin family as they navigate a tumultuous summer on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The mother, Kate, has to face her demons after her only son is drafted into the Vietnam War, an act she believes to be a punishment for her role in her late husband's death. The oldest daughter, Blair, must find herself amid an unhappy and unfulfilling marriage. The middle daughter, Kirby, is getting over a traumatic romance and spending her first summer on her own working at a hotel on a neighboring island. And the youngest daughter, Jessie, experiences many firsts as she enters into her teen years, including her first love and heartbreak. Once I started this one, I didn't want to stop reading. In fact, I had to make myself put it down so I could get some sleep! Read my full review here.
The Wedding People
Author: Alison Espach
I find it kind of ironic that this book that I almost didn't finish after reading the first chapter is so high up on my best books list. All I can say is that the blurb didn't fully prepare me for what the book was actually about, but I can admit that if the particular detail that caused me to pause my reading had been included in the blurb, I would have bypassed this one and missed out on a really great story. Here's the gist: Phoebe is divorced, deeply depressed, and tired of her life. So she books a room at an expensive hotel. When she gets there, she learns the entire hotel except her room is booked for a wedding. When she ends up in the elevator with the bride, Phoebe admits to her the real reason she's come to the Cornwall: she wants to kill herself. The bride, determined not to let anything, including Phoebe, ruin her perfect wedding, convinces Phoebe to postpone her suicide and gets her involved in the wedding itself, eventually taking on the role of maid of honor. This book made me laugh out loud several times despite the seriousness of Phoebe's plight. It does have a happy ending, and it absolutely deserves its spot on the bestseller list.
Call the Canaries Home
Author: Laura Barrow
My May book club pick was one of those books that surprised me. In the best way. I was expecting a book about solving a disappearance/murder, but what I got was a book about a family coming back together in the wake of way too many tragedies. Three sisters (Rayanne, Sue Ellen, and Savannah) return to their hometown to dig up a time capsule nearly thirty years after Savannah's twin sister disappeared without a trace. In the capsule they find a picture of a mysterious woman who they think might be able to help them finally find answers and closure. As the sisters begin to investigate, they uncover some family secrets that will change everything they thought they knew. I found this novel to be beautifully written, poignant, and incredibly relevant on a personal level. Read my full review.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Author: Grady Hendrix
This was one of my first reads of the year, and so far not much has topped it. I discovered this author through The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, which was one of my favorite reads for 2025. What I like about this author is that he takes a familiar genre and puts this unconventional spin on it for a story that feels fresh and so unlike anything else out there. Much like the vampire book, this was not your run-of-the-mill book about witches. Set in 1970, this book takes place at a maternity home for unwed girls. Our main character, Neva/Fern, is sent to this home to have her baby in secret. While there, she befriends three other girls: Rose, Zinnia, and Holly. When they discover the truth about how Holly ended up in the home, the girls vow to do whatever it takes to help her. When they find a book on witchcraft in the visiting library, the girls decide to give it a try, and to their surprise, the spell actually works. Soon, they find themselves in way over their heads with the leader of the witch coven, who also happens to be the librarian, demanding the unthinkable.
The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth
Author: Barbara O'Neal
I mean, is anybody really surprised that a book by who is arguably my favorite author made this list? This was my February book club pick, and I went into the reading of it with high expectations. Barbara O'Neal did not let me down. In this novel, Mariah, a former Olympic skier injured in a traumatic event, decides to finish her late mother's final book, which is a project on Parsi cafes around the world. She hires Veronica, a recently divorced mother of three who needs a fresh start in life, to act as her research assistant. Together with Henry, a former war photographer, they eat their way through three different countries as they follow clues left by Mariah's mother who was on a path of redemption for something that happened when she was studying in India as a young woman. As with all Barbara O'Neal books, the character development in this one was so good. I even fell in love with Henry just a little bit. You can read my full review here.
The Teacher
Author: Freida McFadden
This was my first book by this viral author, and I see what all the fuss is about. Once I started this one, I had a really hard time putting it down. It made me uncomfortable, which honestly is a good thing considering the subject matter. The twists and turns were great. The irony was masterfully crafted. I enjoyed this one start to finish. It's told in a dual point of view between Eve, a high school English teacher, and Addie, a high school student. Eve is highly distrustful of Addie after a scandal involving the girl and Eve's mentor teacher that resulted in the teacher losing his job. Eve's husband, Nathaniel, however, takes Addie under his wing. It becomes evident pretty early on in the book that this is going to be a problem, and it's not that big of a stretch to figure out why. I think one of the most compelling aspects of this story, for me at least, is that none of the characters are inherently good, even the victims. I mentioned the irony earlier, but I want to come back to that. The ending in this one was the perfect ironic twist, in more ways than one.
The Empyrean series (books 1 & 2)
Author: Rebecca Yarros
I'm so mad at myself for not realizing that this series isn't finished. In fact, there's still not a release date for book four! Y'all know how much I hate waiting for the next book in a series to come out, especially one that I love as much as this one. That's why I've only read the first two books. But I couldn't not include these because they are just so damn good. I get what everyone is talking about -- I was sucked in almost immediately! Seriously, stopping myself from reading book three was not easy. I cannot wait for this story to be finished...except I don't want it to end either.
Violet has spent her entire life training to be a scribe, but her mother forces her to become a dragon rider cadet because that's what their family does. No one really expects Violet to survive the trial to get in let alone make it to the bonding ceremony where she does the impossible and bonds with not one but two dragons. One of those dragons is mated to the dragon of Xaden Riorsan, the son of the leader of the rebellion. Now Violet and Xaden are tied together indefinitely, as in if one dies so will the other. Unknown to Violet, Xaden also had no choice but to attend the rider academy. He, along with all the other rebel children, is sentenced to attend the academy as a way to prove they are not following in their traitor parents' footsteps. But there's a rebellion growing, and not everything is as it's been presented.
Honestly, there's a really good chance I'm not going to hold off on reading book three. I really want to know what happens...so just be prepared for a rant at some point about the inevitable cliffhanger that we all know is coming.
This Story Might Save Your Life
Author: Tiffany Crum
I waffled back and forth on this one trying to decide between it and None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, which I think is a pretty fair comparison. Ultimately, this novel is the one that stuck with me and the one that I would recommend first if asked, so it's the one that had to be on the list. What's a bit ironic to me is that I've read and enjoyed two different books this year about podcasters when I myself do not enjoy podcasts. Like at all. I think I've listened to a total of maybe two. Ever. All I can say is that in the case of This Story Might Save Your Life, the podcast itself is not the focus. It's a mystery/suspense with a dash of romance that I thought was very well written. I enjoyed the main characters a lot, and I really appreciated how it all came together in the end in a way that I absolutely did not expect.
The Three Lives of Cate Kay
Author: Kate Fagan
This was my first official read of the summer, and it was absolutely phenomenal. This is written in the style of a memoir, but it's entirely fictionalized. Annie is fresh out of high school when she flees her hometown, leaving behind her best friend, Amanda, who was just seriously injured in a ziplining accident. Annie's been in love with Amanda for years, but Amanda doesn't feel the same, so to Annie their carefully crafted plan of going to Hollywood together no longer makes sense. So she goes to a new place, takes on a new identity, and becomes Cass the barista. There she meets Sydney and eventually moves to New York with her where she writes her first bestseller under the pseudonym Cate Kay. One book turns into a trilogy with a movie deal, which is where Cass meets Ryan, the actress playing one of the lead characters, but their romance can't overcome certain obstacles. Eventually the story will come full circle as Annie finally goes home.
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