We made it! It’s no longer January, the worst month of the year. Seriously, I think we should all just be allowed to hibernate through January – it’s cold and wet and we’ve just had Christmas which I expect for many of us comes with conflicted feelings, especially once it’s over. Let us remain under the covers and read, please!
How did the first month of 2026 go for you with your reading? Just me, but sometimes I feel like January can set me up for the rest of the year. If I start off well, hopefully I can keep it up.
Goal: 5/70 (+5)
The Divination Hollow Reviews Horror Challenge 2026
1/12 (+1) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
Written by a trans person of colour
For this prompt, I picked out Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon. I’m currently almost 70% through this, and it’s excellent. Vern is a great protagonist, and I’m absolutely finding myself more and more hooked. Really looking forward to seeing how this one ends.
Read
Set on a continent that isn’t America or Europe
Demon Song (Kelsea Yu) is a gothic horror set in China, specifically in the Huihuang Opera House which is a brilliantly rich setting for the novella. I’d argue it’s more YA than Adult, but one which any adult reader can very much enjoy. If you have a YA horror fan in your life though, they’ll love this.
Books to Read: Duma Key, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, All the Hearts You Eat
Musicals Reading Challenge 2026
1/24 (+1) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
1960s: West Side Story – Tonight – Star-Crossed Lovers or Forbidden Love or Feuding Families
No Rest for the Wicked jumped in my head almost instantly for this one, and I’m glad – it’s a series I’m really keen to continue, especially as I picked up books 1 to 4 at the same time. I’m really enjoying this, but I did also adore A Hunger Like No Other.
Read
1930s: The Wizard of Oz – Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Set in a second world
The Gods Must Burn was a really interesting read – fantasy involving a disgraced war hero and the Forest God he must protect. I had a lot of fun with this.
Books to Read: London: The Biography, Magic Uncorked, Ahsoka
Twenty Genres in 2026
1/20 (+1) Prompts Completed
Read
True Crime (fiction or non fiction)
Bloody Valentine (John L Williams) was on my TBR last year, and I’m really glad I’ve now read it – it’s about the murder of Lynette White and the men who were wrongfully arrested for it. A brilliant account of ‘Britain’s worst miscarriage of justice’. If you pick this up, prepare to feel enraged. I also recommend the podcast Shreds if you want more information.
Books to Read: Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality, Spider, Spider, Tell Me I’m Worthless
Grim Readers 2026 Horror Reading Challenge
0/12 (0) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
Frozen in Fear – Horror set in winter, snow, or extreme cold
There’s something really great about reading horror set in your local(ish) area. Okay, so The Hill in the Dark Grove is in North Wales, but we don’t get much horror in Wales at all, so this is really great! And it’s one I’m thoroughly enjoying. Higginson utilizes Welsh culture and folklore really well.
Books to Read: Vampires of El Norte, House of Idyll, The Science of Monsters
Netflix Movies & TV Shows
16/24 (0) Prompts Completed
I’m going to give this another couple months, and if I’m still not making progress, I think I’ll need to review the books I’ve added to the prompts and maybe change them out. This one has been hanging over my head for way too long, and I really would like to finish it before the end of this year.
Books to Read: So You Want to Talk About Race, All That Remains, A Discovery of Witches
And with that…well, this is my last post for the next month. If you missed it in my most recent Let’s Talk Bookish, this blog is going on hiatus for the rest of February. I’m giving myself a bit of breathing space and a chance to catch up with things – I was hoping to do this over Christmas, but I fell ill and didn’t do half as much as I’d hoped! I may post reviews if they start to build up, but right now I don’t think they will! We’ll see though. But other than that, well, see you in March!
Unwrapping Words 