I know that I’m still working back through my mini book reviews (see the most recent batch of mini reviews here), but with the 2026 reading goals I made at the beginning of this year, I’ve been thinking about how to make myself more accountable.
Since picking up this blog again (and turning it into a book blog #sorrynotsorry), I’ve been laser focused on making sure every post is “worthy”. It’s a trap I’ve fallen in and out of before. Back when this blog started up, it was a literal diary or journal where I threw a few pictures of my outfit on with a handful of unedited words about what I’d done. As it gained readers, that brain dump of words had to become more polished.
And now that I’ve picked it up again, I’ve been trying to make sure my posts are always search engine friendly. But I’ve been thinking, and while a lot of the posts will still be more search engine focused (it is a big part of my job, after all!), I want to try to write more casual posts, where the titles don’t have to have keywords, and the post doesn’t have to necessarily be structured “correctly”.
So here we go! I’m going to (try!) to write a post at the end of each month, or some days into the beginning of the next month, that rounds up what I read, maybe links to the reviews if I’ve published them or includes a mini review in this post, and holds me accountable to my own goals.
January 2026 Reading Stats
- I read 11 books total in January.
- 7 books were from Netgalley – all of these were upcoming releases (there are a lot publishing in February apparently!)
- 3 books were from my “own but not yet read” shelf.
- 2 books were non-fiction, 1 from my list of non-fictions to read.
- 1 was an audiobook.
That means I was on target for total number of books read (8-9 needed), Netgalley books (2-3 needed), “own, not yet read” (2-3 needed) and non-fiction (1 needed).
I didn’t hit the goal for past Netgalley books as I didn’t read a single one, but as you can see, my Netgalley time was prioritised towards books with publication dates coming up, so I don’t feel bad about this one!
I did read 2 books from series that I was continuing (/completing up to current publication), but neither of these series were ones on my goal list for 2026 – they were both Netgalley ones. So I technically didn’t work towards this goal, but I kiiiind of did!
Books I Read in January 2026
Here are the books I read in January 2026 along with their star ratings, then I’ll add reviews or links to reviews underneath (the ones that are Netgalley reviews aren’t all live on the blog yet, as I add the full review the day/week of publication, so in the meantime, I’ll link to my Goodreads reviews of them). I’m going to stick with my Goodreads rating scale of “out of 5 stars”, but every so often, there’ll be a 6 star thrown in!
My favourite book this month was Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy.
My least favourite book this month was My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.
Book Reviews from January 2026
Snowflakes and Sparks by Sophie-Leigh Robbins
I read two festive Hallmark movie style books around the Christmas period, this being one of them. It was cute, a fun read, but also kind of forgettable. I marked it 3 stars to start with, then while writing this review, changed my mind and upped it to 4 – so it probably sits around 3.5 stars for me. I enjoyed it and would definitely read another book by the author or in this series, but I wouldn’t rush to do so.
Suzie works at a bookstore in LA and is on track to get a promotion to manage it, however before that can happen, she is asked to transfer to cover another bookstore in the chain in Old Pine Grove, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for her, this is a place where she was basically driven out of town when she ruined Christmas by crashing someone’s truck full of snowglobes for the big Christmas event. When she arrives in town, she discovers that the very person she has to collect the keys from and who lives next door is none other than Alex Denverton, owner of aforementioned truck.
This is a clean romance – or as the book itself would call it, a “kissing book”. It’s a second chance romance and does it pretty well I’d say. It’s a very cliche storyline, you can see it coming a mile off, but you know, sometimes you just want that kind of story! Who doesn’t love a bookshop in the snow with a potential enemy neighbour who you just know she’s going to fall in love with by the end of the book.
For a guaranteed happily ever after at Christmas time, this is a fun read.
The Clause in Christmas by Rachael Bloome
This was the second of two cliche holiday romances I read at this time of year, and honestly, I kind of loved it.
Cassie answers a call to return to her hometown after her estranged grandmother’s death, only to be surprised with an inheritance: her cottage. But this is subject to one thing: completing the clause on the will, which turns out to be a Christmas calendar full of fun, festive activities, one per day. As she completes the activities, she’s helped by lawyer, Luke, along with a motley cast of characters including a new best friend who runs the local bakery with her mother and an older man who provides the coffee she needs.
This was such a stereotypical Hallmark movie kind of book, but absolutely perfect around the festive season. The calendar aspect adds something of a mission to what would otherwise be a pretty standard storyline. And of course, you can see the happily ever after coming a mile off!
I enjoyed the relationship between Cassie and Luke, but the other characters added even more depth to it. She has some darkness in her past too which helps to balance out the sickly sweet story nicely.
This was one of my “Stuff Your Kindle” reads from a couple of years ago, some of which I have regretted grabbing, even though they were free. But this one was a win for me, and I’ll look forward to returning to Poppy Creek again in future.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend has glowing recommendations from so many people, and I even had personal recommendations from friends for it too. But sadly I just didn’t connect with it.
I do get it. It reads like a classic as it winds through the tale of the narrator’s life and how it intersects with a friend/rival, Lila. The broader story of the neighbourhood is well told, and you feel immersed in the world of 1950s Naples.
Maybe it was the format for me, as I read it as an audiobook. Maybe if I took it slower, like the pace of the novel, and relished more in the details. I just felt very meh about the way it hops between life events with no real direction. It’s the journey of a real life, some might say a “small” life, but it shows you the everyday world through the eyes of someone else very realistically and builds up a relationship which, as we know from the beginning, is lifelong. In this book (as the first of four), it feels toxic, as the narrator and Lila compete at school, through their different walks of life.
As I said, I can see the appeal, but it just didn’t hit right for me. Maybe in a couple of years, I’ll pick up the next book and connect with it. But right now, it was just fine for me.
Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor
I loved this book, it was verging on a 6 star read for me!
Read the full review of Heir Illusion by Madeline Taylor here.
The Cherry Crush Flower Shop by Harper Graham
This was a very sweet continuation of a series that’s become a fond favourite small town romance for me.
Read the full review of The Cherry Crush Flower Shop by Harper Graham here.
Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy
This was my first 6 star read of the year – absolutely loved this one!
Read my full review of Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy here.
The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
This was a gorgeous YA friendly, gentle fantasy love story that was simply magical.
My full review will be available on the blog next week, but you can read it now on Goodreads.
Death at Daffodil Inn by R. L. Killmore
This was a cute small town mystery and romance. It was the second in a series that I’m enjoying, but wouldn’t shout it out as a favourite.
Read my full review of Death at Daffodil Inn by R. L. Killmore here.
Trip to the Moon by John Yorke
This was my first non-fiction of the year. It’s all about the art and understanding of storytelling.
Read my full review of Trip to the Moon by John Yorke here.
And Now, Back To You by B. K. Borison
I genuinely loved this cosy love story set in the mountains. It’s the second in a series from an author who’s quickly becoming a favourite, and I think I enjoyed it more than the first!
My full review will be available on the blog in a couple of weeks, but you can read it now on Goodreads.
Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome by Dr James Kinross
This is very on topic for our lifestyle right now, and I really appreciated the deeper dive than most consumer novels take.
This was a brilliant in depth look at how the microbiome shapes not only our bodies but the wider world around us.
I’ve been slowly delving further and further into living a healthier lifestyle, starting a couple of years ago with Eat More, Live Well by Megan Rossi, 30 plants a week, then Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra Processed People. As a family, we’re prioritising plants and fibre, and that led us into the world of Zoe, Tim Spector and gut health.
I’d seen this book recommended for a deeper dive into this world, and it certainly is that. It’s very much a science based book, but despite the huge amounts of information, it manages to stay engaging. The author keeps it easy to understand and includes anecdotes from his own life and from others which break it up well.
I think I read this book at a good time. I’m pretty well informed on a surface level about gut health and have reached the point where other books I’ve read on the topic don’t give me any real new information – they usually just consolidate what I already know. This one goes further and expands the concept mentally for me beyond what’s good for gut health in general into microbiota in general – right back to the beginning of the world, how bacteria interacted then and now, and also explaining just how much there is that we still don’t know, but that we can see the potential.
There are some parts that are designed to be scary – antibiotics, for example, and how they interact with the microbiome, and climate change. While some might think these parts preachy, I think it’s important to make the point of just what a critical stage of life we’re in – life for the planet. The concepts here seem a little far reaching from the microbiome, but I could see the connections and I really enjoyed that.
It’s not a book for beginners to the microbiome or gut health, and it’s not an instruction manual telling you what you should and shouldn’t eat or do for gut health (although there are some suggestions). But it’s a brilliant “next step” in depth look at the topic that informs while remaining engaging.
