May is upon us and that means Summer Reading season is just about here!

The 2026 Summer Reading Guide went through a lot of changes this year, so I'm coming to you a bit early to walk through all the details.

CLICK HERE for the full Show Notes on the blog.

The 2026 Summer Reading Guide is launching this coming Tuesday, May 12! And, our Summer Reading Special podcast episode will air the following day (Weds, May 13).

WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR

• The SRG is now a team project.

• • You'll be getting recommendations from Catherine and Chrissie in addition to me. 
  • And, there are a couple books on the SRG that are recommended by multiple team members.
  • But, don't worry, you will easily be able to tell who recommended each book in the Guide.

• The primary SRG with full write-ups on every book we included will be in a printable PDF format.

• • Changing the primary Guide to a PDF format gives us the flexibility to include some different and helpful ways to categorize the books in the guide beyond our mood-based categories.
    • In addition to the regular part of the Guide, we'll have lists for:
      • Books that are now out in paperback 
      • Five star books
      • Books that are great on audio
      • Longer books (450+ pages)
      • Nonfiction
      • And, our Secret picks – which you'll hear more about in our Summer Reading Special coming on May 13

• We selected our Top Picks differently.
  • In the past, I chose my #1 pick for each of my mood-based categories in the Guide. 
  • This year, we're selecting a group of our OVERALL Top Picks regardless of which mood based category they fall in. We've chosen 6 top picks that represent a range of genres, vibes, and reading tastes. And, those will be in their very own section at the front of the Guide.

HOW TO GET THE 2026 SUMMER READING GUIDE
Different from last year

• The primary Summer Reading Guide PDF with full write-ups on every book will ONLY be available to paying members (via Patreon or Substack).
• BUT, we'll be running a Free Trial for our Patreon and paid Substack communities, so you can still technically get the full PDF guide for free. Free Trial sign-ups will be open through Friday, May 22 (the Friday of Memorial Day weekend).
• • The Substack Free Trial will be for 30 days.
  • The Patreon Free Trial will only be 7 days long. Patreon only allows 7 day free trials and I wish they'd change that policy. 
  • Obviously, we hope you sample our bonus content and decide to stick around on Patreon or Substack, but you can also drop your membership after 1 month if all you're interested in is the full Summer Reading Guide PDF.
• AND, a Cheatsheet-style list WITHOUT write-ups for the books included will be available to everyone on my website.

HOW TO MAKE SURE THE 2026 SUMMER READING GUIDE LANDS IN YOUR INBOX ON MAY 12

• If you are NOT already a paying member, you can sign up for a Free Trial either on Patreon (here) OR on Substack (here). 
• If you are NOT already a paying member and you are not eligible for the Free Trial (i.e. you signed up in a previous year and dropped your membership since then), you can sign up to be a paid member on Patreon (here) OR Substack (here) for $7/month (and can drop your membership after 1 month if you don't want to stick around).
• If you are ALREADY a Superstars member on Patreon or a paid member on Substack, you don't have to do anything else to get the Guide. It will arrive in your inboxes on Tuesday (May 12) morning.

And, don't forget that the Cheatsheet (i.e. a slimmed down version of the Guide WITHOUT WRITE-UPS on all the books included) there will be available on my website.