And just like that, the first month of 2026 is done. Meanwhile, I’m still slipping up and writing 2025 on paperwork. January was a whirlwind of a month. After a low-key New Years with my mother, I was feeling pretty good about what this year has in store for me. January is a popular birthday month in my family, with my father, my oldest brother, his wife, and my own all happening throughout the month. 

Normally, I celebrate my birthday with my brother and sister-in-law, but they were sick this year, so I kept things laid back and spontaneous. My college roommate has a birthday in February, so we used to always go out to a restaurant to celebrate. This year we went to an Asian-fusion Mexican restaurant, and it was outstanding! I didn’t want to schedule anything on my actual birthday, so I wound up heading to a few places for birthday freebies (Starbucks, Panera Bread, and McDonalds), then went back home and had a nice, relaxing day.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working my way through my list of books that need to be reviewed. I have also changed my entire schedule around. Normally, I would work on blog and other laptop tasks at night, after my mother is in bed and I have some undisturbed time, but that has made my insomnia worse. So instead, I now work on my laptop during the day in the living room so I can get some natural sunlight and then use the time after dinner to watch a show with my mom and then relax and journal and do anything I feel like doing before bed. Some nights are better than others, and I’m waking up earlier on a regular basis. We just finished the second season of Red Lines and I have gotten Mom into watching The Rookie. I really like The Rookie, and I am just working through a rewatch before starting the new season.

I’ve continued to mindfully choose reads from around the world in 2026, and have made a nice dent in my world map, but still have a long way to go. I didn’t read as many books as I would have liked to, but I did get stay on top of all of my NetGalley ARCs. When it comes to my publisher ARCs, I’m embarrassed to say how many are overdue. But I am just continuing to work at a comfortable pace and try not to request more books than I can handle. 

Here’s some of my January highlights:

• My reading took me to Singapore; Florida; Dorset, England; Chicago, Illinois; northern California; Siberia; County Cork, Ireland; and northern Iraq.
• Although I didn’t post as many reviews as I hoped, I did read a couple of really great books.
• The January birthdays were up and down. For my Dad’s, we all went to the cemetery and had a lunch together.
• I kept my Goodreads goal for 100 books, which is manageable.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly totals for January: 

January Totals:

• Books read: 13
• Books DNF’d: 0

Genres Read:

• Cozy Mystery: 1
• Fantasy: 6
• Historical Fiction: 1
• Memoir: 1
• Mystery: 3
• Romance: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 5
• 2026 releases: 8

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 12
• Nonfiction: 1

Format Read:

• Print: 2
• Digital: 3
• Audio: 8

Age Range:

• Adult: 13
• YA: 0
• MG: 0

My favorite book of the month was How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva.

Here’s what I read in January:

1. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Impostor by LJ Ross (Dr. Alex Gregory #1) (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. The War Beyond by Andrea Stewart (The Hollow Covenant #2) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar | Goodreads | Amazon
5. How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander (Novel Detectives Mysteries #1) (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. A Satchel of Richards by Lee Taylor (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. City of Others by Jared Poon (The Deus Files #1) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. The Ex by Shalini Boland (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (The Hollow Covenant #1) — reread
2. A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene (Fair Folk #1) — reread
3. A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene (Fair Folk #2) — reread

How did your January go?