Readers Gotta Read

We’re more than a quarter of the way through the year, and I thought it’d be fun to share my current reading states, favorite books so far and how I’m tracking everything.

If you love seeing other readers’ progress, book recommendations, or using Goodreads to track your reading, this one’s for you.

Total Books Read So Far This Year

My total so far is 15 books, and my goal for the year is 36. That puts me just about halfway to my goal already – which feels pretty good for this point in the year.

Here’s everything I’ve read so far:

• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
• Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• The Unknown Voice: The Radio Moses’s Story by Frank Cunningham
• Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd
• Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell
• The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
• Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
• The Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price
• One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
• Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Of Fire & Lions by Mesu Andrews

Favorite Genre: Historical Fiction

If I had to pick just one genre to read for the rest of my life, it would be historical fiction – no question.

I love learning about different time periods and imagining what everyday life looked like for people in the past. I even considered majoring in History in college. I didn’t go that route, but reading historical fiction feels like the next best thing.

It’s one of my favorite genres for both entertainment and learning, and it consistently shows up in my best book recommendations.

Average Ratings So Far

Most of the books I’ve read this year have landed around 4 stars, with a few 3-star reads mixed in.

So far, I don’t have a true 5-star read in my 2026 reads – but I’m hopeful that will change as I work through the rest of my TBR pile. Sometimes the best books are still waiting at the bottom of the stack.

Surprises, Favorites and Disappointments

Top Favorites So Far

My two standout favorites this year are:

• Remarkably Bright Creatures
• A Man Called Ove

I recommend both of these constantly and would absolutely re-read them if I didn’t already have a huge TBR pile waiting for me.

My husband and I recently watched the movie adaptation of A Man Called Ove starring Tom Hanks. It was sweet, but like most book-to-movie adaptations, the book was far better.

I’m also very excited for Remarkably Bright Creatures to come to Netflix soon! I may or may not sign up for a month’s subscription just to watch it.

Biggest Disappointment

1984 by George Orwell was my biggest reading surprise in a not-so-great way.

It was recommended by several people, and I knew it was a classic. I even picked it up at Goodwill for $2, so I figured it was worth trying.

The issue wasn’t the writing – it was my expectations. I didn’t fully understand what I was getting into with dystopian fiction, so I went book, so I went in completely unprepared for the tone and themes. That definitely impacted my reading experience.

How I Track My Books

I track all my books using Goodreads. Every time I finish a book, I add it to my “Read” shelf.

This simple system helps me:

• Keep track of what I’ve read
• Avoid accidentally buying duplicates
• Quickly check if I already own or have already read a book while shopping

When I’m in a bookstore or thrift store, I just pull up the Goodreads’ app and search my shelves – it saves me a lot of guesswork.

If you want to read more about how I use Goodreads to organize my reading life, check out this post: 500 Books Later: How Goodreads Helped Me Track My Reading Life.

If you’re interested in tracking books or setting reading goals, you might also like:

• Best Methods for Tracking Books: Apps, Tools and Simple Systems That Work
• To Set Reading Goals, or Not to Set Reading Goals – That is the Question
• How I Track the Books I’ve Read (and Want to Read)

Final Thoughts

So far, this has been a solid reading year – lots of good books, a couple of surprises, and a clear favorite genre showing up again and again.

I’m curious: what’s your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?

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