Sorry that this is going up a day late! I thought I had scheduled it before I was off but apparently, that was just in my head. 🤭 Happy holidays everyone!
✨ 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:
How do you decide your yearly reading goals?
Suggested by: Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly Prompts: Do you set annual reading and/or blogging goals? Have you decided on any bookish/blogging resolutions for 2026? How do you decide what goals you want to pursue for the year ahead?
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.
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:
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…
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
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!
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’ve spent the majority of my Sunday sitting in a salon chair continuing Royal Assassin, and I think I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday night with it too! I’ve reached the halfway mark now and this has been a tougher read than the first book, but still good. It’s definitely a book I’m enjoying reading slowly, and what’s even better is how surprisingly easy I’ve been finding it to keep all the characters and events in order, when normally I would’ve forgotten half the details after not picking it up for so long. It’s a win in my book! 😂
What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?
Happy Saturday, book lovers! I can’t believe it’s already that time of the year and we’re already preparing for topics in the year ahead. Here’s what’s in store for the ✨January 2026 LTB Topics!✨
I hope everyone has a peaceful and restful holiday season and a great start to the new year! 🥳
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:
Most Anticipated Releases
Prompts: What 2026 releases are you most excited for? Are there any sequels you’re looking forward to reading? Are there any debut authors you’re excited to see release their first books? Any favorite authors coming out with something new?
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.
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
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.
One by One by Ruth Ware, I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix & Andrea Hannah, The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
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!
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, Waltzing with Witches by Hazel Mack, The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt, The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni
Is there a new release that you’re still waiting for?
I honestly can’t think of any new releases I’m still waiting for at this point! I don’t think there are…
What are three books you want to read before the year ends?
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!
Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell, A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, In A Second by Kate Canterbary
Is there a book that you think could still shock you and become your favourite of the year?
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 Everlastingby 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. 😂
Have you already started to make reading plans for 2026?
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:
dinipandareads 