January Wrap Up - 2026

     The turn of the year brought about some big (long-overdue) life changes that will be detailed in a future post. The short of the tale is that I will soon be moving, and my mental capacity has been largely inundated with tasks related to the move. My reading pace has taken a bit of a hit, but I’m honestly not troubled about it. I’ve been very accomplished this past month in other facets of my life, so I’m still calling January a win.

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Reading Stats

Total Books Read: 4

Total Pages Read: 1,408

Average Book Length: 352

Total DNFs: 0

Star Ratings

1 Star: 0

2 Stars: 0

3 Stars: 1

4 Stars: 0

5 Stars: 3

Average Star Rating: 4.5

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Books Finished 

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

Mockingbird Court by Juneau Black

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

     With all of the Life Things going on, I decided January was the perfect time to actually give cozy fantasy a go. I’ve been nervous that the subgenre will be a flop for me, as I generally love expansive epic fantasy. Violet Thistlewaite ended up being exactly what I expected my experience with the subgenre to be. The plotline was loose at best and the characters did come alive from the page for me. I had a fine time reading the book. It didn’t do anything to actively make me dislike it… but I wasn’t ever excited to pick it back up either. 

     I made a pivot to a cozy book I knew I’d adore and finally read Mockingbird Court by Juneau Black. I am so very sad this series has come to an end, but oh my god what a way to end it! Mockingbird Court was such an emotional ride for me. The plot felt higher stakes, I felt more emotionally connected with Vera than ever before, and I got to put a beautiful bow on a series that has begun to be a symbol of mine and Carolyn’s friendship in my mind. She is my very own Lenore. You cannot tell me otherwise. I already want to go back and do some rereading. I adore these books so very much. 

     We very quickly found a new series to obsess over together with Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst. These two books also gave me hope that joy can be found in cosy fantasy, because dear gods did I love these! My highlighter put in some work in my copy of Spellshop. Durst penned a lot of passages that really spoke to me in this transitional period. I will be forever grateful for the solace these books provided. Spellshop in particular sent me into a baking and jam-making frenzy that could not be stopped. Thankfully my colleagues at work were all happy to take some jam and scones off my hands, so I didn’t end up letting anything go to waste. One of them turned the raspberry jam into a rosemary and thyme thumbprint cookie, and I’ve never felt more compelled to make another batch of jam faster in my life. In short: I really love these books and book 3 is now one of my most anticipated releases for this year. 

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Moving stresses aside, January had a really solid start. I’ve been to B&N about once a week (rest in peace to my wallet). One of those bookstore trips featured a very happy Sadie puppy who made new friends in every section. I have quite the haul considering how far below my average I’ve read this year. Oops.

January Haul

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Godzilla vs the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol 2 by Cullen Bunn

We Are Villains by M.L. Rio (gifted)

Lamb by Christopher Moore

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (gifted)

The Will of the Many by James Islington

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (gifted)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (gifted)

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

     I had every intention of reading and annotating Crime and Punishment as my first book of the year. Alas, I never made it past the first chapter. I am still very excited about this project, but the book is not the right one for this moment. It’s been reshelved for another time. 

     It’s been an extremely cold and snowy January. Poor Drax and Sadie have been stuck inside and going stir crazy. Thankfully we did manage a few snowy doggy playdates next door and some quick hikes when the puppy paws wouldn’t be at risk from the cold. Drax has been loving his hoodie a little extra this month. Sadie has tolerated hers when I’ve told her it's too cold to go outside naked. Every family has one weirdo. The cats have been thriving on the sunbeams reflecting off the snow and into the window. Overall, we are surviving our bitter winter. 

     I would typically put some glowing update on my Stephen King project here. The update is that there is no update. Oops. There’s going to be a panicked catch-up month in the future, surely. 

Short and sweet wrap up this month–lots more to come in February and March! I’m on one extremely exciting adventure.