I am currently home sick, which is why this post is a little late. January was a good month for me personally, although I could have done without the cold that caught me right at the end. I turned 40 (it still feels weird to say this), I'm keeping up with all my resolutions (so far), times can be stressful but overall, life is good.

Okay, okay, so it took me a little longer than expected to finish the Green Bone Saga trilogy. I read the first and second books when they came out, then took a break and reached the point where I was so fuzzy on the details of those first two books that I didn't quite dare start the third anymore without some kind of recap.

Striking the fine balance between humor and serious themes, as well as straddling the line between YA and books that are equally appealing to adults, is no small feat. But Margaret Owen already proved she could do it once, so why not do it again? This second book in the Little Thieves trilogy did feel more serious in tone to me than the first, but I appreciated it for many other reasons.

I love lists of people's favorite books from the past year, but I may love lists about highly anticipated releases from the new year even more. These are books that are so fresh they aren't even out yet, where a striking cover or a cleverly worded synopsis can create all that bubbly excitement we feel before picking up a new story.

The time has arrived when we all look back and reflect on the year that has gone and then start making resolutions and plans for the one ahead. I like to do this with my reading as much as with other aspects of my life (especially since I feel way more in control of my reading than other things). It has been a damn good reading year for me, which I believe is partly due to me finally figuring out my own taste and moods.

I love an unreliable narrator. I love even more when stories appear to go a certain way, or follow a certain trope, only to turn things upside down and surprise you. Nghi Vo is fantastic when it comes to playing with tropes and genre conventions, so I should have seen things coming. I didn't. Because she's just that good. I would be quite happy for this series to just go on forever.

Welcome to the new year, everybody. I started 2026 with a cozy fantasy, the third in the Legends & Lattes series, and it was everything I had hoped for. Less cozy than the previous books, but still enough to deserve the description, heartwarming moments, surprisingly complex, endearing characters, and just tons of fun. It's been a while since I read the other two books, but I think this might be my favorite yet.

Happy New Year! We've made it through another dumpster fire of a year, but despite the world turning slowly turning into a dystopian nightmakre, let's focus on the wonderful books, the spectacular audiobooks and special editions, the movie adaptations, and the good news. We had all of those too, after all. And yeah, okay, some trash news as well (unsurprisingly to do with AI)

I look forward to these best of the year posts every year, and it's one of the high points of the season. Not being a huge fan of cold and wet weather, I try to focus on the nice parts of winter - Christmas, cozy vibes, best of the year lists, and Hugo Award nominations. As every year, here is my contribution to the slew of Best Of lists, separeted neatly into categories.

Look, you'll never find me writing a truly bad review of a T. Kingfisher book, because T. Kingfisher is like comfort food for the soul. I've been a fan of hers for so long that I subconciously seek out her novels whenever I hit a reading slump or a phase where I get easily distracted and can't concentrate on anything. She's always there to help me out.

The year is coming to a close and with that time come All The Lists! As someone who greatly enjoys looking through other people's favorite books of the year, you can expect several such posts from myself as well. For now, I decided to do a tag because I like the questions and it gives me a little end-of-the-year push to finish my goals.

It's become a rare thing for me to read a trilogy within a few months. This used to be because the second and/or third book wasn't out yet, but somehow my brain got used to long breaks between books, while at the same time being fed up with having to wait. But these days, when I do read books in a series in fairly quick succession, that is a sign of quality, of a world and characters that grabbed me and keep popping up in my mind.

If Clockwork Boys felt like an "early T. Kingfisher" in that the seeds of all her brilliance were there, but not quite all the way, this book is a gigantic step forward. It's hard to believe only a year passed between the publication of the volumes of this duology, because while I liked but didn't love Clockwork Boys, I enjoyed…

Happy December, everyone! It's time to deck the halls and all that jazz, if you're into that sort of thing. In my household, we used to be very much not into decking anything, but with a toddler, the magic of Christmas is coming back full swing and I'm kind of enjoying it. It's true what they say about the sparkle in their little eyes.

My history with V. E. Schwab's work is a rocky one, but this older duology of hers has been recommended to me as one I might like. After loving A Darker Shade of Magic, but being disappointed by the trilogy's ending, I followed up with Addie LaRue and was... underwhelmed. Schwab's writing style is beautiful, but to me, there just wasn't really any plot that hooked me the way…

My attention is easy to grab when you say the words magical and bookshop in the same sentence, so it was a no-brainer that I would read Georgia Summers's book. Thanks to Hachette Audio/Orbit and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. THE BOOKSHOP BELOWby Georgia Summers Published: Orbit/Hachette Audio, 18 November 2025Ebook: 427 pagesAudiobook: 13 hours, 24 minutes…

I fully expected to love Alix Harrow's newest book, but I was not prepared for how much I would end up loving it. This is not only my favorite book of the year so far, and my favorite book by this author, but probably one of my favorite books of all damn time! Seriously, folks, it's that good. THE EVERLASTING…

The last time I read one of these Amazon anthologies, it was all about fairy tales. This time, it's time travel we're looking at, and just like previously, I was surprised at the routes some of the authors took, as well as by which stories I ended up loving and which ones I found only okay. Looking at the list of authors, I thought I could predict my favorite stories, but it's always nice to be surprised...

What is going on? How is it November already? That's only two months away from the new year and less than two months away from Christmas. I did buy the advent calendars (one for each family member) super early, but I wasn't as Type A when it comes to presents. So wish me luck during this trying time... Quickie News…

Out of the three lady knight novels that came out in relatively short succession this year, this was the first one I picked up. If you're interested, the other two are The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (my most anticipated one) and The Second Death of Locke by V. L. Bovalino. I will read both of these very soon, to complete the lady knight trifecta of 2025.

When the Sword & Laser podcast chose this book as their October book club pick, I was shocked to learn that I had never actually read any Anne Rice before. Yes, as a life-long reader, you sometimes forget which authors you have and haven't read. I was sure I had tried Anne Rice before, but it turns out I was wrong.

In this year of the Dramione fanfiction writers getting books traditionally published, this is the one that's not super dark or trying to be something it's not. I have read one of the original fanfictions (the one that turned into Alchemised) as well as two of the traditionally published, changed-beyond-most-recognition, novels, and this one is easily my favorite. My goodness, reading it was just so much fun.

I am only two books into the epic saga that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen, but it's been a pretty awesome journey so far. As a Malazan newbie, it was tough for me to let go of the characters I had come to love in the first book and join an (almost) entirely new crew for this adventure. But so far, it's really paying off and I am determined to continue reading.

It was bound to happen eventually. No series can just keep being this awesome or get better all the time, at least not for every reader. Sadly, this biggest instalment of Dungeon Crawler Carl may also have been my least favorite so far. With a rating of 7/10 that isn't saying too much, but I am still a little disappointed and hoping the next one will be more up my alley again.