My 2026 Reading Year: Every Black authored Book I’ve Read (Updated Weekly)
There’s something deeply satisfying about looking back at a reading year and realizing your brain has essentially become a tiny archive of fictional heartbreak, magic, literary trauma, romance tropes, historical deep dives, and at least three books that made you actually say what the f*ck.
So this year, instead of waiting until December to scramble together a “best books of the year” post while trying to remember what I read in February, I decided to do something different.
I made a living reading tracker.
An always-updating, deeply bookish Google Sheet that documents every book I read throughout 2026 — including titles, authors, genres, and the month I finished them. And because I love enabling other readers, I’m embedding it directly into this blog post so we can all spiral together in real time.
Whether you’re here looking for recommendations, trying to discover more books by Black authors, stalking my reading habits (same), or simply curious about what’s been consuming my life lately, welcome.
Why I Created a Public Reading Tracker
I love end-of-year wrap ups, but I’ve realized the actual reading journey is often more interesting than the final stats. As a mood reader, I always want to see what months are heavy with literary fiction and emotional devastation? Which are more bloody and possible lead to more paranoid months? Am I actually reading more romance or is this a story I’m telling myself?
A live reading tracker lets me capture all of that while it’s happening.
It also makes it easier to:
Share book recommendations in real time
Highlight Black authors by genre
See what books actually stick with me
Encourage conversations with other readers
Hold myself accountable for reading intentionally
What You’ll Find in the Tracker
The sheet includes:
Book titles
Authors
Genres
Month completed
Star rating
Any notes that come to mind
I’ll be updating it weekly, so this page will continue evolving all year long. Think of it as a digital bookshelf meets reading diary meets public evidence that my life is actually just one endless TBR.
Current Reading Trends So Far
Already, I’m noticing a few patterns:
Horror continues to dominate my reading life
I am apparently incapable of reading “just one more chapter”
Genre hopping has kept me out of reading slumps
Audiobooks are saving my life during walks and errands
I love seeing the randomness of my real reading life. One day I’m reading dense literary fiction and the next I’m consuming chaotic thrillers like popcorn.
Balance.
Let’s Compare Reading Years
One of my favorite things about being online is seeing how differently people read.
Some people read 10 books a year and savor every single one. Some reread books. I’m not that level of reader but you know…
Some people read a book a day because it’s easier to do than choosing a new show to watch.
Some people annotate.
Some people exclusively read ebooks.
The point is, there’s no right way to be a reader. So if you also track your reading somewhere — StoryGraph, Fable, Goodreads, a Notes app, a color-coded spreadsheet worthy of a government investigation — I’d love to hear about it.
If you’re looking for new recommendations throughout the year, bookmark this page and check back weekly because the spreadsheet will keep growing!
My 2026 Reading Tracker
I wanted this space to feel less like a polished “look how much I read” moment and more like an honest archive of my reading life in real time.
The books I enjoyed, ones I almost DNFd, and especially the ones with low readership.
So here’s to a year of stories and using TBRs as a vibe aesthetic.
Happy reading.
