WWW Wednesday

#WWWWednesday: 28 January 2026

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

I’ve finished 3 books since last Wednesday. While I wouldn’t say its been my most successful reading week in terms of ratings/enjoyment, I’m still happy that I found a bit of a reading groove. I’ve also kick started my buddy reads this year with Charlotte and I can’t wait for the other books we have in store to read this year. 💜

A Man for Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon ★★★¾
I judged this book by its cover and expected a whole lot of smut but I was wrong! Yes, there are a few (tasteful) steamy scenes in the latter half, what I loved most about this was the world-building. Weatherspoon did an incredible job bringing the North Pole to life—I never wanted to leave! 🥹 Dominick and Tiffany have some great chemistry but I also enjoyed meeting the other potential Santas too. It did get a bit too cheesy at times towards the end, but in the spirit of Christmas and all that, I went along for the ride and really enjoyed it!

Strange Houses by Uketsu ★★★☆☆
This was my first buddy read of the year and with Charlotte, and while this wasn’t a hit for both of us (more so for her than me), I’m still glad we read it. For starters, you have to suspend a great deal of disbelief, especially in the first half, to really get into it. Uketsu employs a very heavy hand in leading readers exactly where he wants them to go, regardless of whether any theories posited were ridiculously outlandish and highly improbable. 😬 I’m probably not selling this and tbh, it was a bit of a jumbled mess… But I didn’t hate it and found myself intrigued by the idea. If only it was presented better!

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch ★★★¼
Oh, I really wanted to love this one more than I did. While I could empathise with Coal as an individual, I had a hard time getting on board with the romance. Like, I didn’t feel it at all and was almost shocked by how quickly it begins. 😬 I had to constantly remind myself that the characters were in their mid-20s because they were written so immaturely—the writing leaned heavily towards YA, which would be fine if it were YA. On top of that, the ending kind of disappointed me because I expected more, especially with the world-building we got (which I loved).Overall, I’m really bummed I didn’t love this but maybe I’ll give Raasch’s romances one more try.

For a hot minute there I thought my weekly update was going to be that “despite finding a bit of a groove last week, I’m back to floundering over what to read next.” Thankfully, something finally clicked for me in one of the books I was attempting to read, so I’m going with it and I’m actually really enjoying myself!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ⇢ 37%

This got off to a bit of a rough start but I decided to get the audiobook and it helped massively! Now making steady progress through the chapters. The narrator is turning this into a bit of a production at times (and I mean that in a good way), and I’m enjoying it a lot—except for when whispering is involved because then I really can’t hear what she’s saying! 😮‍💨 That said, Amina is a fantastic character. I’m enjoying this “build up” to the start of the real big adventure, but it feels like one already!

I have no idea what I want to read next but I’m hoping to pick up a backlist… I’ve got my eye on Before I Let Go but I feel like I want to maybe binge a good chunk of it and read it on a weekend? I have a feeling it’ll make me emo! 🤭

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

What are you currently reading? I hope you’re enjoying whatever book you’ve picked up, friends!

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

21 thoughts on “#WWWWednesday: 28 January 2026”

    • Yeah… I was kind of shocked by how quickly it happened, ngl. I can be down with ‘instalove’ when it calls for it (and its done well) but this was even different than that. Idk. I was pretty bummed about it though! Thankfully, Amina is bringing me right out of the foggy daze my brain has been in! I’m loving it and it might even be my first 5-star of the year!? 🤞🏽

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  3. I’m currently reading Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong

    In the last week I read 🥁
    1 Cold Heat by Toni Anderson.
    2 Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong.
    3 Schemes and Scandals by Kelley Armstrong.
    4 Dark Joy by Christine Feehan

    Next up will probably be the new Anna Hackett and Allison Brennan

    Gill

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  6. I didnt realise ours was your first buddy read of the year. Im sorry it didnt end up going as we’d hope but at least we have lots more opportunities for stronger ones throughout the year. And I’m glad you enjoyed Strange Houses more than me.

    Like you I’d have assumed that Mrs Claus title was going to be mostly smut so its a surprise to hear that it had some good worldbuiling. Its a shame the other title was a letdown. Have you read anything else by the author before?

    Im so glad you’re enjoying Amina 🥰🥰 I’m definitely reading it sometime next month so it should hopefully still be fresh enough in your mind for us to trade thoughts. I hope you get to binge Before I Let You Go like you hope too 🥰 I hope you’re having a lovely week ❤️

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    • It was! I’m sad that you didn’t love it but I’m glad that we kicked off our first of the year, lol. Hopefully our next one will be a hit! 😉 I was pleasantly surprised by the world-building in Mrs. Claus and it’s definitely more cheesy romantic than smutty, lol.

      I only realised after reading Raasch’s book that I have read something by her before but in a completely different genre — YA fantasy! I loved the first book but the second was so disappointing and then I didn’t finish the trilogy in the end because it just didn’t work for me. It was so long ago though so I don’t remember her writing at all. I’m kinda bummed I didn’t love this one though cos so many people have loved it and it sounded so up my alley! Ah well, you can’t win them all, eh?

      I’m so glad that I’m loving Amina. It was a bit rough in the first chapter and I was worried it wouldn’t break through my brain fog, but after that chapter, I was like a hooked fish—I was reeled in so quickly 😂 I hope that you love it too, Charlotte! Hope you’ve had a lovely week so far too and happy reading!

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      • Ah well I’m glad we’ve both kicked off our yearly buddy reads then. And I’m hopeful that the next will be stronger too (if it isn’t I may cry given how much we both loved the first in the series). And cheesy over smutty is not what that cover asvertises 😂

        Thats probably the series I have on my Kindle then 😂 I’m sorry to hear that it didnt work for you in the end. Its so frustrating when a sequel seems to go off the rails like that. Im sorry this one didnt work for you either. Maybe another in the series will work better since they’re different people’s stories 🤔 (I think)

        Aww yay thats wonderful. Im so glad it pushed passed the brain fog for you. Maybe a few engaging reads will push it away for good 🤞 thank you. Yes thanks, and happy reading to you too 🥰

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    • Reading this brings me so much joy! I love learning about so much historical context and the author does an incredible job mixing the real-world context and the fantastical. The magic, the ADVENTURES, the crew… So much to love! I can’t wait for the second book already 😍 I saw the author do an unboxing of her final proofs and OMG, they are STUNNING!

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