Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful end to 2025 and a lovely new year! I’ve read a lot in 2025, reaching 101 books! Which, according to Goodreads, is actually one of my highest reading years ever! The last time I actually read this many books in a year was back in 2018 – which I was my first year of university!
I don’t usually set goals for myself in the new year (aside from reading ones) but after dabbling in different hobbies in 2025, it made me realise I want to set myself some creative goals for 2026.
Continue working with watercolour paints!
I picked up watercolour paints as an activity to do during the Summer Hours at work. (which is working extra hours in the week to have Friday afternoon off). I began painting the covers of the books I read and I ended the year having only painted 8 covers. I used a rather small sketchbook which made the painting process less daunting. I too was sucked in by those TikTok ads to buy acrylic marker pens and they’ve surprisingly come in handy for this! It was such a fun and relaxing way to unwind from all the screens I’m looking at constantly during the day for work and also for streaming.
Return to blogging (FOR REAL THIS TIME I SWEAR)
On the blog, I’ve only been posting my month rewinds for the last year or so. And it’s made me feel pretty guilty. 2025 was a bit lacking in the creative department. And this blog is where a lot of my creative endeavours first began. I do talk about the books I read on stream (twitch.tv/zaheerah) but I haven’t written a full review in sooo long. I swear my Netgalley TBR will be dealt with this year!
I’m not a goal setter as I find that I don’t end up following them so these two goals seem open enough that I will commit to them rather than abandoning them in the future.
My reading pattern for this year has been pretty consistent! I’ve found that I am much more picky with the books I read since I have less time to do so which means I didn’t dislike many of the books I read this year! (Don’t get me wrong, there was a few books I really, really hated but I don’t want to highlight them ahah) I’ve read a ton of fun books this year, especially webtoons!
Harriet York finds herself visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a grumpy Nolan Callahan, who has no idea why he’s haunting the seemingly kind Harriet.
My 2026 reading goal should be to block HarperCollins on TikTok so I can stop lurking on their livestreams and be tempted by their discounts because this is now the 5th book I’ve bought on there and found myself sorely disappointed. I never read seasonally but I thought I would give a Christmas book a chance this time around. The only scene I liked was the mistletoe scene but everything else was such a bore. It started off strong and I liked the head butting between Harriet and Nolan but it went downhill so fast once they immediately became attracted to each other without any sort of development. Their relationship moves too fast to feel remotely satisfying as a reader.
Spoilers!
Soulmates being the answer to everything immediately ruined it for me. All that development and mystery with Nolan and it was as simple as the two of them being soulmates felt SO lacklustre.
I too have joined the Heated Rivalry hype. I thought the book was fun! Nothing too standout but an enjoyable quick read. I do appreciate how well the TV show adapted the book! I know it’s easier with a modern contemporary novel but I’ve been burnt out too many times by adaptations.
Firewatch meets The Magnus Archives! I liked this a lot! The creepy and gory details really made this book. I would’ve loved a bit more characterisation from the main leads. I rarely read horror because I prefer visual horror (like movies, tv and games) but this one had been stuck to my kindle for HOURS.
I loved Shane and Kip’s story so much! I understand why Shane and Ilya are the standout couple of the series but I really appreciated the slower development of Shane and Kip’s story.
A tale of community that follows the residents and workers of a day care centre for Los Angeles’s disabled residents. I really enjoyed the different perspectives in this book. I thought it would just stick to just the workers and residents but seeing even chapters from people who are passing by really made this unique! Hearing the different perspectives made this such a immersive story!
Did I panic and realise that it was already December and I hadn’t finished my Morganville re-read so I read the last 5 books in a month? Why, yes. Yes, I did. Reading the last book 5 in quick succession made me realise how unhinged the last few books in the series was. Especially because it goes from the Draug and Daylighter Foundation as villains in the space of like two books. I loved re-reading the series and I can’t wait to do my re-read of the Great Library series in the new year!
Such an improvement in Book Two! I felt like the story really grew into its own here! I’m so excited to see what Book Three will have in store! Although I do wish the series was separated by having their own names.
Also, if anything happens to Daniel, I am single-handedly that fuck ass monster in the woods myself.
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
Maddison Clarke’s plan to sort her life out before she turns 30 hits a stalemate when she’s reunited her old school rival, Aiden Edwards, where the two must work together to lead her workplace’s biggest event to date.
It’s always a bit disappointing when you don’t end up enjoying an author’s work after having followed their progress and writing journey online. I’ve been a fan of Jasmine’s writing chronicles on TikTok that it felt almost felt heart-breaking to not enjoy this book. Maddison is such a great main character that I feel bad that that Aiden has to be the love interest here. I don’t get how you can fall for a man who straight up makes you have a panic attack at work? Yeah, sure, he helps her calm down but WTF? I am also a #1 hater of the third act miscommunication trope and it’s so bad in this book because it genuinely undoes all the development Maddison had in the book. Maybe old school rivals should stay old school rivals. There’s a whole world out there for you, Maddison Clarke!
An alien invasion forces Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat into a multi-level dungeon crawler game to entertain an audience of billions of extra-terrestrial beings.
I love reading books that make me think: wtf am I actually reading? but in a good way. If you’re new to the idea of a dungeon crawl: in video games and board games, it often refers to the genre in fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) in which the player must navigate a labyrinth space and battle monsters while also collecting any treasure they might find. I enjoy a lot of these in video games such as the early days of Zelda or The Binding of Isaac.
Carl learns that Earth has been taken over and whoever is still alive is forced to join the live-streamed game show to fight for their lives for the entertainment of alien viewers. My favourite part of the book was seeing all the funny little achievements that Carl earns throughout the entire book. I am especially a huge fan of Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s cat, who gains the ability to talk and joins as a contestant in the game. The book is seriously over the top with a ton of dark humour (some I admit I wasn’t a fan of but it’s never too much) I am super excited to read more of this!
Fuuta has passed into the afterlife having lived a long and happy life with his human family. Eager to see his owner once again, he interviews for a position as a messenger cat, at Café Pont, which exists in the liminal space between the two worlds. But in order to see his owner once more, he must correctly deliver messages to the land of the living without messing up.
I know some people must be tired of the healing translated fiction genre. Me on the other hand? I love it! Some are meh and most of the time, the more disappointing ones I tend to notice it’s more on the translation rather than the original text. But Messenger Cat Café was genuinely one of my favourite reads of the year! In the similar vein of What You Are Looking for is in the Library (which I LOVED last year), I couldn’t put this down until I’d finished it. Each individual that Fuuta visits have such a relatable story and seeing how Fuuta is able to alleviate the pain they’re feeling even just a little was so so heart-warming.
I had the opportunity to visit the Everyman’s Library office this month due to work and was able to take away some books from their office. I did feel like a thief in the night but selection is too good! I started off with Indian Love Poems because I had my eye on this one for a while. A unique collection of poems from different centuries of poets from India and the Indian diaspora.
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop was one of my favourite books last year so of course I had to pick up Hwang Boreum’s next book to be published in English. A book for introspection and reflection as she provides 50+ short chapters on why we should read, and what we should read! A great gift book I think for any booklover in your life!
Of course, some love must be given to Shanna Tan, the translator for both of Hwang’s work. She does such a good job that really helps elevate and express the sense of her words into English without feeling like you’re missing something.
I am subscribed to the Slow Game Club which is best described as a book club for video games. One of the games we were given this year was Arsene Lupin – Once a Thief. A game that is loosely adapted by the original work of Maurice Leblanc. I haven’t finished the game yet as I’m playing the game on stream but I was having so much fun that I decided to check out the original work. I only read the Penguin Archive version which is a snippet of the full work but it was great seeing how the game developers adapted the work for a video game format. It’s a very easy and fun game to play, would definitely recommend!
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
I attended MCM Comic Con this October, and it was particularly special because it was the first time I cosplayed in an outfit I had made myself! I cosplayed Farya from the video game Date Everything! She is the dateable item that is the personification of a First Aid Kit. When I first played the game, I jokingly said that I should cosplay her, not thinking it was a serious suggestion, until a couple of months ago. I just got this random spark of energy and decided to buy everything I needed to make the outfit. It’s not the best, as it was mainly just me painting everything directly onto the coat. However, in the future, I would like to attempt to recreate the outfit a bit better.
Thank you to the lovely person who cosplayed Skylar and joined me, so I didn’t have to take the picture by myself. (We took group pictures where everyone gathered, depending on where their character was located, and I just happened to be the only person cosplaying someone from the bathroom 😅) I also had a few professional photos taken of me, but I’m waiting to hear back from the photographers!
I can’t believe I’m almost done with my Morganville re-read! Bite Club isn’t one of my favourites of the series. Even when I first read it when I was 13, I don’t remember enjoying it that much because the POV swapped to Shane a lot, because he enters a vampire fight club, and he becomes really obnoxious. I completely forgot what an arsehole Shane used to be. I guess I liked Claire too much as a teen that I just brushed over Shane most of the time, but now I’m 27 and all I can think is Claire. I beg you, leave this damn town and go to your fancy university outside of vamp city.
Written as a series of diary extracts, Plestia recounts the experience of Palestinians, all the while bombs rain around her as she depicts daily life in Gaza. Soon her words are seen by millions all over the world, dubbing her the “Eyes of Gaza”. While Plestia’s story revolves around the first 45 days after October 5th, The Eyes of Gaza is a potent reminder of the horror that Palestinians have faced for generations.
After abruptly quitting her job, Jungmin is ready to return to life. She stumbles upon the Soyo pottery workshop and finds a community like no other – where everyone has a story and as her hands get busy maybe Jungmin would one day be ready to share her own.
I really am a sucker for the healing fiction genre. I get some people might find them boring or repetitive but sometimes you find one that really tugs your heartstrings and this is one of them.
David Carew knows there are at least 100 things wrong with Meredith Schwarzwelder, and he keeps track of them every day. Meredith is an irredeemable oddity who flirts with anyone in his path. It’s bad enough his roommate scares away any potential of a third inhabitant to their cottage home, but when the Midnight Woods at the edge of their home begin to feel a lot more sinister, David learns that there is more to his roommate than he initially thought.
Ever since finishing A Hex for Hunger, I’ve been craving to find another book that would make me fight for characters like Ambrose and Emery. And Into the Midnight Wood gets that itch like no other. Low stakes romantic fantasy with a plot that seems to go everywhere and anywhere that I usually wouldn’t like in most cases but MY GOD I loved Meredith so much. I would be a better man than David. If anyone breathed wrong in Meredith’s direction, I would’ve started swinging which, in his defence, he definitely does start doing that towards the end. Miscommunication trope working the best here because it made sense!
A Twitch update but I reached 300 followers! This has been a goal of mine for a while now on Twitch and we recently reach the goal last week! Thank you to anyone who decided that hearing me ramble about books while I play games badly was entertaining enough for a follow!
B O O K S
In August, I read 6 books!
For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.
We Are Not Numbers is a project established in 2015 to provide English language writing workshops for young Palestinians in Gaza. This is a collection of their works over the last ten years. An unparalleled look into the lives of the youths of Gaza. Some pieces are heartful and hopeful while others are sombre on their future. A brilliant collection of the current lives of Palestinian youths, some who are still in Gaza, some displaced and others who are no longer here to tell their stories. As Motaz Aziza said: this is Gaza as it truly is, written by those who live it every day.
When young witch Lydia Polk discovers that Hitler is raising his own army of witches who infiltrate the Royal Academy of Witches, she is forced to search for an ancient book without the help of her peers. On her own in Occupied France, Lydia finds her companions in Rebecca, a French resistance fighter, and Henry, a Haitian-American art historian. With the Nazi and their witches hot on her tail, Lydia is running out of time.
You ever find a book and read its synopsis and think, “now did someone even think of a plot like this?….. I have to read it.” This is it for me. I had a lot of fun reading this! I do think Morgan Ryan really missed out on not expanding on the different forms of witchcraft and magic. We discover that Henry is also magically inclined as well and small lore drop we learn about him is SO interesting and it’s disappointing that we just move on from that information. There is a part of the story where we don’t follow Lydia for a few chapters and I genuinely think that removing her POV from those few chapters really ruined the good pacing that the story starts out with.
A love letter to childhood books! Lucy Mangan revisits her childhood readings and relives the the tales and lives of the characters from our childhood from authors such as Dahl, C. S. Lewis, Judy Blume and J.R.R. Tolkien. A lovely ode to the books that we love and cherish in our childhood. I actually used this book’s concept to write my own version Bookworm which I’ll post on the blog soon!
I actually read this when I was mostly delirious from sickness. I picked this up from the shelves at work and I realised I watched the animated film but never actually read the original tale. A short story about a man who meets a shepherd as she begins to plant acorns across the wilderness. Ten years later, he returns to see the forest that has grown. An allegorical tale of a modern fable to highlight thought into action.
I actually DNF’d this at 80%. I usually don’t include DNF books but since I was so close to finishing, I felt like I had to mention it here. Demeter is a shuttle ship designed to take humans from Earth to Alpha Centauri. But her passengers keep dying and she doesn’t know why. She joins forces with her past visitors to take down Dracula before he can harm anymore people.
A fun weird and quirky plot but it felt like the author was trying to shove so much into one book that even the synopsis felt confusing. It’s actually incredible how much happens in this book but it felt SO boring. Almost gave me the same vibes as the Murderbot diaries but none of the cast are remotely interesting enough to care about. (Except for one.) Severely lacking in anything that is memorable. I decided to DNF because I realised as I was reading, it felt like I was skipping most of the scenes until I got to the one character I actually liked. I don’t think I could actually tell you what was happening outside of their chapters.
When Dani accepts a job that takes her from L.A to Amsterdam, she’s desperate to make this move a fresh start. Newly dumped and fired, her first week in the Netherlands goes from bad to worse when she crashes into her old ex-boyfriend, Wouter, the exchange student who lived with her family ten years ago. When Dani’s job falls apart and her visa is at risk, she accepts Wouter’s plan to become his partner so he could inherit his family home.
I only read this book because it was set in Amsterdam and I showed the book to my Dutch friend who was not impressed by the plot. I’ll be honest, the only thing that impressed me was that the author made marriage of convenience boring. How did you even do that?
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
as told by zaheerah 