2026 New Years Book Tag

Let’s pretend it’s still the beginning of the year and not 50-years into a two month period because I’m excited to do this New Years Book Tag! 🎉 I last did it in 2023, but I remembered it earlier this year and just never got around to it until now. Better late than never, right? 🤭 I’m gonna jump straight into it.

This tag was originally created by Booktuber Heather @Bookables.

How many books are you planning to read in 2026?

Considering how my reading over the past year has not gone according to plan, I’ve decided to set my 2026 reading goal to 100 books. I’ve read 13/100 so far and that puts me 1 book “ahead” of schedule. 🍀

Name 5 books you didn’t get to in 2025 but want to make a priority in 2026.

With how my reading year went in 2025, it’s safe to say that I had more than a few books that I didn’t end up getting to, so it’s hard to pick just five. But I’d really love it if I could finally get these books off my TBR this year because (all save two) have been on my TBR for 6+ years! 🤞🏽

What genre do you want to read more of?

There are actually a few genres that I want to read more of this year. Last year, I found great success reading literary horror and one ended up being my favourite book of the year (The Buffalo Hunter Hunter). So I guess part of me wants to see if that was a fluke or if it’s something I might actually enjoy more of! Aside from that, I want to get back to reading more literary and historical fiction. I used to read those genres just as much as fantasy and romance, and when I read a few last year, I realised how much I missed it!

Name 3 non-bookish related goals for 2026

  • Regularly workout — This was one of my “semi-obscure goals” last year and for a while there, I did pretty well! I would workout every day accompanied by my audiobooks and I would actually enjoy it. Then I stopped and well, I’ve stopped ever since. 🤡 Over the past year I’ve started to feel an increasing need to do something about my health because I know I’m not healthy. I just want to be healthy.
  • Save more money — I have massive impulse control issues when it comes to money and well, let’s just say that I should have more saved up and yet, I am where I am (and it’s kind of embarrassing). I’m not wanting for money, but I feel like with the precarious state of the world right now, I should help myself feel a bit more financially secure by actually saving. I need to invest smart!
  • Step outside of my comfort zone (at least once a month) — You might be thinking once a month is nothing, but for someone like me — a notoriously lazy and introverted homebody who could happily not leave her room ever — this is already going to be a challenge, but at least I think it could be doable. Getting outside of my comfort zone means actually pushing myself to go out, see things, do things (like a short hike or visit parts of the country outside of Jakarta that I’ve been meaning to). Simple things, maybe even silly things, but I need to just do things.

What’s a book that you’ve had forever that you still need to read?

What’s not a book that I’ve had forever and still needs to be read?! The options are limitless. Let’s go with this one:

Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

📖 SYNOPSIS

When I looked up, his smile was wide and real. “Ready?” he said.

I faked a smile back. I had gotten so good at faking things.

I thought: You brought this on yourself, Sasha. You will have to pretend forever now.
He squeezed my hand again. He couldn’t begin to imagine what this actually was. He had no idea what I’d done. What any of us had.

When Sasha’s best friend Xavier gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.

But Sasha’s plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soon learns to be careful of who you pretend to be because you might be surprised by who you become…

One word that you’re hoping 2026 will be…

This was the word that I had in 2023 but I feel like more than ever, this is what I want to manifest for 2026: KIND. I want this year to be KIND. I know it hasn’t started off that way. It’s already been so rough for so many people, but I don’t want to lose hope for the rest of the year. All of us—except for the tons of sh**ty people who seem to want to make it their life’s mission to make other people’s lives a living hell—deserve for this year to be kind and good and full of hope. ✨manifesting for us

And that’s it for the New Year’s Book Tag! I won’t be tagging anyone but if you wanna hop on board, feel free to link back so I can check out your answers! What would your one word be for 2026?

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

January 2026 Community Posts!

Hello, book pandas. Even though I’ve only missed one month with these community posts, it feels like it’s been a hot minute since then (seriously, so much has happened in such a short amount of time and I’m baffled that it’s still February). But I digress.

I had a few posts that were flagged for my December wrap-up, and I didn’t do as much blog hopping as I wanted to in January, so today’s post is going to be a combo for December & January. Hopefully, February will see me getting back to things as scheduled!

On that note, let’s take a look at these community posts! I hope you’ll take the time to visit some of these creators and show them the appreciation they deserve. ✨📖 Happy Reading 📖✨

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [315]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I finished my last read earlier this evening and now I’m trying to decide what I want to read next. I want to pick up something by a Black author for Black History Month, and I’m tossing it up between the five below. I’ve read The Nickel Boys when it first came out, but I’ve been meaning to re-read it. The Write Escape and What It Means will fulfill reading challenge prompts for this month. I’m unsure what I’m in the mood for, tbh!

Have you read any of these (and if so, would you recommend it)? What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading with Friends

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Prompts: Do you enjoy buddy reading or participating in group reads? If you do, what do you like most about them? Do you prefer reading 1-1 or in a big group? For those who might not have access to in-person group reads, do you have a recommendation about where to join online reading groups?

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Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2026

She blinked and somehow January was already over. I spent the first (almost) 2 weeks of the month in Sri Lanka attending a friend’s wedding, ringing in the new year, and going on a mini-beach vacation. It was jarring to fly back to reality because my brain had basically been checked out since Christmas 2025, and I had to remind myself what days and dates were a little too quickly for my liking, lol. 😂 Coming back to work after close to 3-weeks away wasn’t fun—especially since I was thrown straight into the deep end—but we survived. Despite passing so quickly I can’t believe it’s over, January also felt like a decade long. There was so much chaos and heartbreak in the news. I’m sending so much strength and support to my friends on the other side of the world! I hope everyone is taking care and doing as okay as can be. 🫂

Here’s a small January photo dump:

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#TopTenTuesday: “N”-ticing Titles

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is a: Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique/etc. Typography (Typography is the art of arranging letters so they look visually appealing and more interesting than, for example, the body text of this blog post you’re reading now. I did a similar post to this a few years ago, so if you need inspiration on what I’m talking about click here to have a look.)

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Book Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1)
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: 17 May 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Blood, gore, death of a parent, genocide, torture, kidnapping

And with that, we have our first 5-star read of 2026! 🎉 Excuse this rambly review — I wrote it fresh off finishing the book so my main thoughts were: LOVED IT SO MUCH. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS. I WANT MORE ASAP. 😂

TL;DR: All the hype you’ve heard about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi were spot on. This was a swashbuckling good time and I’m so sad that it had to end (seriously, can’t wait until book two is out)! With an incredibly vast, historically and culturally rich medieval setting, a world full of magic and the supernatural, and a crew of fantastic characters—with Amina at its heart—this is a story that will keep you up reading all night and racing to the end. If you love banter-filled adventure and all of the above, then you need check this out immediately!

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