Mid-Year Goals Check-In

We are officially halfway through 2026 (what?!?), so it's time to look back at the goals we set at the beginning of the year!

1. Read 75 books.  At the time I'm writing this, I've read 56 books, so making great progress!
2. Complete the sit-to-standing test.  I actually did it!  I was able to do it for the first time in January and a few times since, although it's been awhile since I tried!
3. Do 100 jumps a day.  I was really good about doing this at the beginning of the year, but around May, I fell off it!  I'm going to try to get back into it, though!
4. Complete 52 puzzles.  Ok, this was an unrealistic goal.  If you follow me on Instagram, you can see all the puzzles I've done this year.  I'm currently at 50 - eek!  I need to slow down.
5. Complete at least 4 new-to-us baking projects with Henry.  So far we have done 3 new baking projects, from scratch!  Pumpkin spice muffins (huge hit!), chai-spiced apple muffins (I liked them, Henry was not a big fan), and cookies 'n cream cookies (I thought they were a little dry, but the teachers at Henry school loved them!).  We are definitely having lots of fun in the kitchen!

And here's a check-in of Michele's goals:

 

Bookish Goals 

1. Read 200 Books – I just hit the midway point of this goal, so things are looking good!

2. Read books from a wide variety of genres – Romance and thrillers are up for me so far this year, but I know I have some great historical fiction and Middle Grades on my shelf just waiting for me!

3. Utilize my library more – my library use percentage is up over last year so far, so doing good there!

4. Buddy read with my daughter and husband – Luna and I have been continuing our Stuart Gibbs journey, so I’m really excited about that. My husband and I have a few books out later this year that we are both looking forward to.

Nonbookish Goals 

1. Learn needlepoint – haven’t gotten to this yet but my stepmom is hosting a girls’ crafting day next month so maybe I will bring my starter kit to that!

2. More monthly baking challenges – I have baked a few new items, but not really from the challenges, as I haven’t been a huge fan of a lot of the prompts! We’ll see what the second half of the year brings.

3. Plant a garden – totally dropped the ball on this. Kinda late to start now, but maybe I can start planning for next year….

4. Complete 24 puzzles – I’ve only done 6 so far this year, yikes. I do enjoy my puzzles, but they admittedly fall after my books and crocheting.

5. Continue my fitness journey – doing really well! I was able to keep up my exercise routine during my 60+ hour weeks in tax season and have been consistent all year so far. 

    

   How are you doing on your 2026 goals?
   

Recent Reads

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage (2025) 

Lexi is a medical resident in Australia, but very few people also know that she's an estranged member of the British royal family.  When her brother and father are killed in a skiing accident, Lexi suddenly finds herself as first in line to the throne.  Her grandmother, the queen, gives her a year to decide if she wants to return to the family or continue her life of anonymity.  I love a royal story, and this one was a really good one!  The story unfolds over Lexi's year back in England as she re-enters royal life for a time, with flashbacks to important moments in her life.  The story is rich with family drama and secrets, and I thoroughly enjoyed the peek behind the curtain of what being a princess could be like.  While I felt the ending was a bit weak, overall I enjoyed this book!  4 stars

Overruled by Lana Ferguson (2025)

Danica and Ezra are rival divorce lawyers who occasionally sleep together.  When they end up on opposite sides of the table for the biggest case of Danica's career, her vow to keep things casual is in serious jeopardy, as she gets to know Ezra better.  Lana Ferguson is an author I want to love, and while I always go into her books with an open mind, I find myself somewhat disappointed.  That was not the case here - I absolutely fell in love with Ezra and Dani and couldn't get enough of their story!  They were each such complicated characters, especially with their family dynamics, and I particularly loved how Ezra was the one pushing for something more.  Dani was sometimes a little too prickly - I just wanted to shake her and tell her to finally admit her feelings!  But, I could also see how their careers could make it difficult.  4.5 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. 

Month in Review: June 2026

 

June was a pretty quiet month for us!  Henry finished up tball with a couple more games, and he even got his first trophy at the end-of-season celebration!  We went to a pool party for his cousins' birthdays and then I went to a big puzzle swap, where I snagged several new puzzles!  We had my in-laws over for a BBQ and celebrated Tom for Father's Day.  Other than that, we've been enjoying walks around the neighborhood and trips to the playground.

The Books

Sunk in Love // Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan // Heiress Among Thieves // Every Summer After

Two Can Play // Catch Her If You Can // The Heir Apparent // Overruled

Daughter of Egypt // Dying To Meet You

The Posts and Reviews

Recent Reads

Michele's Monday Picks #96

Can't-Wait Wednesday: When You Loved Me

Recent Reads

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Love You More

Recent Reads

Michele's Monday Picks #97

Can't-Wait Wednesday: An Infinite Love Story

Michele's Monday Picks #98

How are you doing?

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Michele's Monday Picks #98

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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Habits of the Sea

Shea Ernshaw

Expected Publication: July 7, 2026

From Goodreads:

The second adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child—and the man she once met who apparently hasn’t aged—and must choose between the life she’s built and a love that defies the laws of time and nature. 

The night Clay Lockhart’s wife dies, a violent storm tears their home—and the eight hectares of land beneath it—away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.

When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, now in her thirties, the island resurfaces—and Ellie returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even Clay hasn’t aged a single day.

Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved—and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.

Spanning centuries and coastlines, Habits of the Sea is a haunting, romantic journey through time, memory, and the invisible tides that pull us home.

I thought this sounded very beautiful! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: An Infinite Love Story

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

An Infinite Love Story

Chanel Cleeton    

Expected publication date: July 7, 2026

When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.

When Joe Mitchell launches into space, the world is watching. It’s 1968, and the country waits with anticipation and excitement for another successful mission, another celebration as America sets its sights on the Moon. And then comes the knock at the door.

Joe Mitchell’s spacecraft has lost contact. He and his fellow astronauts onboard are feared to be dead. It’s his wife Vivian’s worst nightmare come to life, her grief suddenly taking center stage as the nation waits and mourns. In her quiet moments, Vivian relives their memorable story, unable to accept that this is the end to a love that felt as though it was written in the stars.

As the investigation surrounding Joe’s lost spacecraft intensifies and the mishap is written off as an operator error, Vivian is determined to clear her husband’s name and uncover the mystery of what happened in space. When someone starts sending Vivian messages—messages she believes only Joe could send—she begins to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time, and she’ll do whatever it takes to bring her husband back to her. - from Goodreads

Michele's Monday Picks #97

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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13 Little Love Stories
Anthology
Expected Publication: June 30, 2026

From Goodreads:

From bestselling YA authors comes thirteen dazzling contemporary romances inspired by the songs of Taylor Swift!

If you could live inside one Taylor Swift song for a day, which would you pick? In this shimmering anthology, thirteen best-selling and acclaimed authors do just that, reimagining some of Taylor’s most iconic songs as love stories. 

Whether you’re in an era of fairy lights and folktales or diss tracks and dance floors, here’s a playlist that features all the the soaring high note of first love. The minor key of heartbreak. And the steady rhythm of true friendship and self-discovery.

As clever and unforgettable as the songs that inspired them, these stories are sure to play on repeat in your head and your heart. 

Stories 

Elise Bryant

Jennifer Dugan

J. Elle

Jessica Goodman

Sloan Harlow

Crystal Maldonado

Krystal Marquis

Katharine McGee

Julie Murphy

Lynn Painter

Laura Sebastian

Sara Shepard

Jesse Q. Sutanto

I thought this sounded so fun! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Recent Reads

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (2022)

Percy and Sam fall in love as teenagers over the course of her summer visits to the lake, but one mistake causes Percy to stay away for a decade.  When Sam's mother passes away, Percy returns to Barry's Bay and is forced to confront her feelings for Sam.  Carley Fortune's books are so hyped that I've avoided reading them for years, but when I saw this book in a Little Free Library, I took the opportunity to finally read one of her stories!  For the most part, I enjoyed this book.  I liked the back and forth between present and past, seeing Percy and Sam grow up and realize their feelings for each other.  The ending really threw me, though - it was so abrupt and I honestly can't believe that Sam could get over the "mistake" that Percy made when they were younger.  The reveal of the mistake took so long and it seemed so monumental to me, yet it was resolved fairly quickly and painlessly.  4 stars

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Viola and Jesse are video game designers at rival firms, but they have a chance to work together on Viola's dream job.  Their firms participate in a snowy retreat, where Viola finally confronts Jesse over his apathy towards her over the years, and Jesse shocks her with his response.  This was a fun (and spicy) little novella!  I think Hazelwood did a great job succinctly creating a believable and well-rounded backstory for Viola and Jesse, and also for Viola's love for the book series-turned-video game.  The other co-workers on the retreat added some flavor, but in such a short story, it really was all about Viola and Jesse.  I appreciated that they were able to talk through their issues, but I did feel like they got serious so fast, and it always seems a little weird to me that people who have barely talked to each other hold such a torch for each other - is it just me?  3.5 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.