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:
I’ve been kind of waffling on what tag to post because it’s been a minute but nothing has been striking my fancy. Then I was tagged by (the wonderful) Caro @Bookcheshirecat the other day to do The Christmas Eve Book Tag, and well, there’s no better time for it (even though it goes up Christmas Day, lol)! 🤭 Let’s just jump straight into it.
This tag was originally created by BookTuber: Sam’s Cozy Corner
Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!
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:
Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2)
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 14 January 2025
Genre: Cosy Fantasy / Magical Realism
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
Nothing interferes with Shane Hollander’s game—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him – except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great.
As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…
Homomisia, internalised homomisia & homomisic slurs, suicide, parent with alzheimers, death of parents mentioned (father in the present, mother in the past)
Yes yes, I’ve joined the hype train. While I may not have seen the screen adaptation yet, I’m so glad that the hype surrounding this book convinced me to finally pick this up after having it on my TBR for three years. It’s loved for a reason and I now understand it!
TL;DR: Heated Rivalry was a great tension-filled, angsty, and swoony MM sports romance. Shane and Ilya have such great chemistry—there’s a tension created by enmity and attraction from the very moment they meet each other and I loved the opposition of their characters. Shane and Ilya are fantastic characters and I loved watching their feelings grow and their romance develop over the years. I loved how we see the evolution of their connection and how much their character arcs do change over the years. Reid does a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and by the end, my heart felt like it was being squeeze with all the feelings I felt for them. This queer sports romance is the perfect one-sit binge and if you love the enemies-to-lovers trope (or even if you have yet to be convinced), stay seated for this because it’s probably one of the best books this trope has to offer—no lie!
Read More »
As with every year, I end up putting this off for far longer than I mean to. 😂 This year has just been absolute chaos, and I’m kind of shocked that we’ve already reached the end of it. So, it’s time for the End of the Year Book Tag — 2025 Edition! After the absolute madness this year, I’m kind of scared about what’s coming in 2026, but I’m also hopeful that it will be much better! 🤞🏽
Check out the End of Year Book Tag in previous years:
2019 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Let’s get on to the book tag now and see what’s up with 2025…
This tag was originally created by booktuber Ariel Bissett.
Oh, yes. My “paused” shelf on my Notion tracker has been steadily growing throughout the year! 😅 I’m going to narrow it down to the top 5 that I hope to finish before the year ends.
Same answer as previous years, I’m not much of a seasonal reader, but I think I read a few books this year that make good transition reads!
I honestly can’t think of any new releases I’m still waiting for at this point! I don’t think there are…
At this point, I have no idea what I’m likely to read before the year ends because my reading mood has been all over the place! That said, it would be pretty nice if my mood could pick up so that I can read these three books… At least!
There are a couple of 2025 releases that I think have high potential to become my favourite this year. I think of the few I’m thinking of, two of them would be the biggest contenders and they are: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow and Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang.
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, Blood Over Brighthaven by M.L. Wang
As I’ve mentioned though, my mood and focus has been all over the place so I don’t know if I should pick them this year. I’m currently attempting to read the latter but I’m just feeling very confused with the magic speak right now and that makes me a bit sad? Haha. 😂
I actually do have some reading plans for 2026 already. Unsurprisingly, I don’t have many ARCs to read because I’ve almost completely stopped reading them this year and have been very selective with them. I currently have one 2026 ARC to read, that said, I still have tons of backlist ones to get to! 🫣
I’m currently decided on one year-long reading challenge (Buzzword (Title) Challenge) but I’m not sure what other one I’ll do (or if I’ll do another one). Other than that though, Leslie and I are hosting a massive group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl! We’re doing all seven books until the release of the eighth—starting with books 1 and 2 in January! 🎉 I can’t wait to dive back into the books and see what I missed the first time around, lol.
I’m not tagging anyone but I’d love to see your answers if you do it! How was your reading in 2025? Are there any books that you hope to get to before the year ends? Any that could possibly be a new favourite?
Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!
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:
Water Moon
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 14 January 2025
Genre: Cosy Fantasy / Magical Realism
Panda Rating:
(3.75 pandas)
On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.
Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.
Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.
But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.
Abortion (mentioned), blood, death of a parent (recounted), murder & physical assault (mentioned)
TL;DR: Water Moon was a whimsical and magical read that evoked such vivid imagery that was strongly reminiscent of Ghibli movies. For what’s considered a cosy healing fiction fantasy, I thought this was fast-paced and action-packed. There were gorgeous moments that filled you with just as much awe and wonder that our MMC felt seeing this other-world unfold before him, but also heart-pounding moments being chased by soulless and sharp-taloned entities who were ready to rip our characters to shreds. The romance relies heavily on the “fated” trope, which was conveniently used to excuse away the instant love connection that forms between Hana and Kei in a matter of days. I can’t say that I was a fan, but Water Moon is one of the rare exception where the whimsy of the world-building was captivating enough for me to still be able to enjoy the overall story despite not enjoying the romance or feeling overly invested in the characters. If you’re looking for a cosy fantasy with some grittier elements set in a magnificently whimsical and magical world, I would recommend checking this out!
Read More »
It’s that time of the year where we’re wrapping things up and that means, of course, it’s time for the Spotify Wrapped posts to take over our feeds, lol. 😂 So why not add the Spotify Wrapped Book Tag to the mix? I had lots of fun doing it this tag for the last three years so it’s time to do it again now! I wonder if it’ll be easy to find good book matches for some of my favourite tunes this past year? Let’s find out! 🎶
Check out my previous posts: 2024 | 2023 | 2022
This tag was originally created by Rosina @Lace and Dagger Books!
Read More » Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!
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:
The Midnight Shift
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub Date: 14 August 2025 (Original: 11 June 2021)
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Panda Rating:
(3 pandas)
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Death, suicide, dementia, blood, drug abuse, debt, murder
TL;DR: I loved the premise The Midnight Shift more than I did the execution. I don’t actually have that much to say about the book—it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me in the way that I thought it could’ve. It’s an interesting take on a vampire story and one that I don’t recall having read before, but overall, I felt so little emotional connection to the story, that it just fell flat-ish.
Read More »
dinipandareads 