2026 book recs & mid-year reading update - Ep 109
We are nearly halfway through 2026, which doesn’t sound right to say, but since we’re here I thought today would be the perfect day for the mid-year reading updates episode that has now become a tradition for Create & Consume.
I'll be recapping the 15 books I've read so far in 2026, including some of my favorites, a few disappointments, and the books that have surprised me along the way.
My goal for 2026 was to read 26 books and I’ve read 15 so far, so Goodreads says I’m 3 books ahead of schedule for my goal!
I'll also be revisiting the reading goals and TBR I set at the beginning of the year to see what's still lingering on the list, what I've completely abandoned, and which new releases have made their way onto my radar.
Finally, I'll share the books I'm hoping to pick up during the second half of the year, including some highly anticipated summer reads and a few upcoming releases I'm already excited about!
Create & consume:
What Austen is creating: Nantucket vlog on my YouTube channel
What Austen is consuming: Jack Black’s episode of Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler
In this episode:
Mid-year reading update: what I’ve read so far
How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story follows a woman getting swept up in the world of a multi-level marketing scheme while navigating a new relationship. I completely loved the female main character and her hilarious narration, and even though the ending felt a little rushed, it was an entertaining page-turner all the way through.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osmon ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four septuagenarian friends living in a retirement village pass the time by investigating unsolved murders until a live case lands on their doorstep. This was our January book club pick, and while the large cast of characters made the plot slightly hard to track at times, the core group was wonderful and the final reveal was a great surprise.
One Star Romance by Laura Hankin ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two people with a messy past connection intersect over the years through mutual friends and changing life stages. I really liked the main characters and the premise, though it focused much more on friend group dynamics and less on the actual romance component than I initially expected.
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle ⭐️⭐️
An engaged couple who secretly despise each other engage in an escalating series of emotional warfare pranks to get the other to call off the wedding. This was a February book club pick that I didn’t choose, and it unfortunately missed the mark for me, feeling more like an immature prank contest than an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Little One by Olivia Muenter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This thriller follows a tense and stressful family dynamic between a daughter, her father, and a friend across shifting timelines. Olivia’s writing is fantastic and the final plot twist gave me absolute chills, even if a few lingering questions were left unanswered.
Reality Bites by Amy Mass ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A dedicated scientist enters a reality dating show to win a cash prize to save her endangered frog research lab. I was completely obsessed with the male main character, Andrew, and loved watching the main character's influencer family step up to help her navigate the world of reality television.
Park Avenue by René Ahdieh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A young woman named Jia finds herself drawn into the glamorous, high-stakes, and secretive world of the ultra-wealthy Park family. The writing beautifully paints a picture of extreme wealth, the layers of sibling dynamics were highly engaging, and Seven Park makes for an incredible villain.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This memoir details the life of the beloved culinary icon, from her unhappy childhood to building her Barefoot Contessa business and navigating her marriage with Jeffrey. Listening to Ina narrate her own story on the audiobook made for a delightful experience full of surprising life twists.
Grape Juice by Eliza Dumias ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A disillusioned corporate worker leaves her life behind to volunteer for a wine harvest in the French countryside alongside a sweet local man. I enjoyed the beautiful prose and the conversations between the leads, though the ending felt a bit anticlimactic and the intimate scenes didn't quite land for me.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A lone astronaut wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship and must use his scientific knowledge to solve an extinction-level threat to Earth. I went in knowing nothing and was completely blown away by the dual timeline, the writing style, and a brilliant unexpected friendship that had me crying by the end.
Heart the Lover by Lily King ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A college student struggles to balance her current family responsibilities with her heavy preoccupation with the past. The writing was solid, but the jumping timelines made it difficult to stay invested, and the main character's choices were hard to justify.
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This non-fiction book chronicles the entire history of the Astor family from the early fur trade to their extravagant gilded age heights and ultimate decline. It is an interesting look at American wealth, and Anderson Cooper’s personal insights added a nice touch to the audio version.
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Following a sudden tragedy, a food blogger brings together five women from different eras of her life for a weekend gathering in Nantucket. This is my favorite Elin novel yet; I loved all five women and completely wanted to live inside this beautifully written Nantucket world.
Exit Lane by Erika Veurink ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two college graduates share a spark during a road trip to New York City and continue to intersect over the course of a decade. The push-and-pull dynamic was engaging at first, but the female main character's selfish behavior in the final act made it hard to root for the ultimate reunion.
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two childhood best friends confront their deep history and lingering feelings while working on the coast of Tofino. The friends-to-lovers payoff was incredibly sweet, the side characters were fantastic, and the letters at the end provided a great glimpse into the male lead's perspective.
Summer TBR hopefuls
Here are the books I am hoping to dive into during the warm summer months:
An Emily Henry book: I am deciding between Happy Place, which follows an estranged couple faking a relationship for their friends on vacation, or Great Big Beautiful Life, a story about competing writers trying to profile a mysterious heiress.
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood: An age-gap romance set in a Sicilian villa involving a young woman and her brother's best friend.
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren: A dual-timeline romance centered on childhood sweethearts reconnecting years after a major falling out.
Still on my 2026 TBR
These are the titles that have been on my radar since the start of the year that I still need to cross off:
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston: A January thriller release where two women swap identities to uncover secrets, only to get caught in a murder case.
Woman Down by Colleen Hoover: A writer dealing with writer's block at a remote cabin gets pulled into a thriller when a detective arrives. This might actually be my first time reading a CoHo book, despite seeing the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us in theaters!
Missing Me by Ayana Lage: A March release detailing a writer's experience with postpartum psychosis and a reckoning with motherhood and faith.
Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza: A thriller about a magazine writer investigating the sudden disappearance of her influencer best friend. I currently have my mom's copy of this one ready to go.
The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager: A magical realism debut about a museum employee who discovers she can step inside a Henri Matisse painting and fall in love with its subject.
All the Cool Girls Get Fired by Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill: A humorous non-fiction guide offering career recovery advice and reinvention strategies for professional women facing job loss.
Recently added to my TBR
Finally, here are the new titles that have caught my eye recently and have been added to the ever-growing pile for the second half of the year:
So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder: A literary novel following six college friends over two decades as they navigate aging.
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson: A story about an ambitious young woman who disrupts the social dynamics and marriages of a small seaside town.
Sometime This Century by Samantha Silva: A Regency-romance novelist travels to England and accidentally finds herself trapped in the actual Regency era.
Yesteryear by Caro Burke: A time-travel novel that transports a modern trad-wife influencer back to the 1800s.
Tropesick by Lauren Okie: A meta-romance where two childhood neighbors ghostwrite a book and find classic romance tropes happening in their real lives.
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie: A nostalgic summer story about two former video store coworkers who reunite years later through their teenage daughters.
The Mash Up by Laura Marie Meyers (July 6th): A romantic comedy where a woman finds herself living out the results of a middle school MASH game.
Back Where We Started by Becca Freeman (October 13th): A second-chance romance about a rising Hollywood star exploring the road not taken with her first love.
Summary:
With 15 books down and 11 left to go to hit my annual goal of 26, I am feeling incredibly motivated heading into the second half of the year.
My summer stack is ready, my TBR is overflowing with exciting new releases, and I can't wait to see which stories surprise me next.
Until next time, happy reading, and let me know in the comments what you have been reading so far this year!
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