2026 Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag

It’s time for the Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag! See which books earned a spot among my best, worst, and most surprising reads of the year so far.

Welcome, my book friends!

To listen to my full answers to this book tag, you can check out the entire episode on The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or listen below. 

If you want to share your best and worst books of the year, you can head over to either X (Twitter)Facebook, or Instagram, and comment on my post.

To listen to past mid-year check-in episodes, go to episodes 30, 73, and 111.

Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag

If you spend any time in the online book community, you know the Mid-Year Freak-Out Book Tag has become a reading tradition. Every year, readers and bookish creators look back at everything they’ve read so far and share the books that impressed them, disappointed them, surprised them, and earned a place among their favorites.

After having so much fun with this tag the past three years, I knew I wanted to bring it back again. At this point, it has officially become one of my annual reading traditions and a fun way to see how my reading year is shaping up.

For this episode, I’m answering the same 20 questions as last year and looking exclusively at the books I read from January through June. I’ll be sharing some favorites, a few disappointments, unexpected surprises, memorable reads, and plenty of thoughts about my reading year so far.

Here’s how the first half of my reading year turned out!
(To read any of my reviews, click on the book to be taken to its profile.)

Best Books of 2026 So Far:

I don’t want to spoil anything for my end-of-year stats, so I’m going to name a few favorites from this year in my favorite genres. These are books I’ve read from January through June. All of these books I’ve rated five stars.

To Love a Lady by Gabrielle Meyer
Historical Romance
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
Historical Drama
The Irish Boarding House by Sandy Taylor
Historical Drama
A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham
Contemporary Romance
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Contemporary Romance
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Contemporary Romance
The Cinderella Plot by Pepper Basham
YA Contemporary Romance
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Contemporary Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
Fantasy

Best Sequels of 2026 So Far:

The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold by Ally Carter
Romantic Suspense
Gothic Fantasy

Biggest Disappointments of 2026 So Far:

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle
Magical Realism
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
Mystery & Thriller
Regency Romance
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
Fantasy

New Releases I Haven’t Read But Want To:

To Dance with a Duke by Gabrielle Meyer
Historical Romance
The Duke's Bargain by Megan Walker
Regency Romance
The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
YA Mystery
YA Fantasy
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
Cozy Fantasy

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year:

The Unknown by Riley Sager
Horror/Mystery & Thriller
Disenchanted by Lucy Jane Wood
Cozy Fantasy
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
Historical Fiction
To Educate an Earl by Gabrielle Meyer
Historical Romance
Lemon Tea and Library Dragons by Emma St. Clair
Cozy Fantasy
The Magic of Chamomile Cottage by Heather Webber
Magical Realism

Biggest Surprises:

This category includes both positive and negative books that surprised me, either by how bad or how good they were.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Positive - Magical Realism
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
Positive - Fantasy
Positive - Contemporary Fiction
Positive - Middle Grade Classic
Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo
Positive - Graphic Novel
Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers
Negative - Christian Contemporary Fiction
Negative - Historical Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Favorite New Author (Debut or New-to-Me):

  • Stephanie Garber
  • Allen Levi
  • Kristin Harmel
  • Sandy Taylor
  • Lynn Austin

Books I Learned the Most From:

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Contemporary Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly
Historical Drama/Romance
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
Historical Drama

Books That Made Me Cry:

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Contemporary Fiction
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Contemporary Fiction
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Contemporary Romance

Books That Made Me Happy:

The Shippers by Katherine Center
Contemporary Romance
A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham
Contemporary Romance
Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
Contemporary Romance

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud:

The Shippers by Katherine Center
Contemporary Romance
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
Regency/Historical Fiction

Most Beautiful Book Covers I’ve Read So Far This Year:

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith
The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
To Love a Lady by Gabrielle Meyer
The Cinderella Plot by Pepper Basham

Books I Need to Read Before the End of 2026:

  • I’ve only read 3 of my 12 in 2026 books.
  • The Hunger Game Series by Suzanne Collins
  • Two multi-author collections: Sweater Weather Series and the Falling in Autumn Series

My Favorite Genres of the Year So Far:

Contemporary Romance is my most read and my favorite genre to read. Historical Romance is my second favorite genre. Magical Realism and Cozy Fantasy are becoming new favorite subgenres. 

Books You Want to Reread This Year:

I only want to reread books where I need a refresher to read the next one in the series.

I would like to finish the A Cider Shop cozy mystery trilogy, and I can remember the first book. So I’d like to reread Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Ann Lindsey.

Books You’ve Been Putting Off:

All my NetGalley ARCs.

A Book You Enjoyed with Mixed Reviews:

And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
Magical Realism

A Series You Want to Finish Before the End of the Year:

  • You Series by Caroline Kepnes (Mystery & Thriller)
  • Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer (YA Fantasy)
  • Hearts of Harewood Series by Kasey Stockton (Regency Romance)
  • Beacon Bakshop Series by Darci Hannah (Cozy Mystery)

Five-Star Predictions for the Rest of the Year:

  • Books in the Falling in Autumn series (multi-author collection)
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt

Do You Think You’ll Reach Your Reading Goal or Will You Change It?

  • Not worried at all. In fact, I had to increase it from 125 to 150.

Any New Goals for the Rest of the Year?

  • Take better notes as I’m reading a book.
  • Write the review as close to finishing it as possible instead of waiting so long.
  • Focus more on reading my 12 in 2026 books.
  • Work on reading more NetGalley ARCs (and not requesting so many).
  • Don’t burn myself out by getting so many books via my library app.
Kelly Matsudaira
About Kelly

Books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and today, I read more than 150 each year. Through Bookmarks ‘n Blankets, I love sharing my reading journey, favorite book lists, and reading tips to help you make the most of your own reading life.

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