December 2025 Wrap-Up
Happy 2026 🎉
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Did you get any new books? Are you setting any reading goals or other fun goals for the new year? I’m probably going to make a 2026 bingo sheet for my goals. In the new year, I want to actually meet my reading goal (I only read 37/50 books in 2025, which is way lower than my average), and try to read daily. I managed to finish 4 books in December, and I also had my first DNF. It was a great reading month overall!
Editing Update: I finished 4 proofreads in December, and I got a new side hustle! I’m so thrilled to announce that I’ll be a judge for Writing Battle 🥳 I’m super excited and grateful for this opportunity. On a side note, I’m currently booked until March, so if you have a manuscript that’ll be ready to enter the editing stage by then, contact me 😄
My Library
I’m currently reading some ARCs instead, so my personal TBR is on hold for now.
Netgalley eARCs
Sayuri by Rensuke Oshikiri
Review:
TW: Death of family members, death by hanging, and gore
This manga was so freaking creepy. I loved all the jump scares with big scary faces taking up the entire page. The artwork was very disturbing. I actually felt creeped out by this book, which I loved! The creator mentions that this story was originally split into 2 volumes. The first one focused on the hauntings and the second focused on the revenge, but apparently people didn’t stick around for the second volume, so they’re glad it’s now an omnibus. I’m also glad because I could just binge this in one go 😂 I love how they had the MCs fight back against the ghost and take their revenge. Grandma was an absolute badass in the second half of the book! The one thing I was a bit sad about was that Sayuri’s backstory was a bit of a letdown. I was left wondering why she turned out the way she did, because the reason the creator gives is quite mundane, but it seemed way more dramatic when we’re first introduced to her past. Other than that, this was an amazing manga, and I definitely recommend it if you like ghost horror and badass characters!
4.5/5⭐
Emotional Support Animals by Nicole Georges
Review:
I got this based off the title and cover art, so I didn’t realize this was also a workbook (even though it says it’s a workbook in the title . . . just in tiny font 😅). Each page has a cute animal speaking an affirmation, and then you’re just supposed to read it and reflect on it through doodling. It’s a great exercise in mindfulness! The book has different sections for different feelings, events, and concepts, so there really is something to help everyone. There are mindfulness activities after each section that are great to think about whether you write things down or not. Even if you don’t do the exercises, I think it’s a great book to just flip through whenever you’re feeling down or need a mental pick-me-up. I’d probably get this for every person in my family, to be honest.
5/5⭐
Other (e)ARCs
From Frenzy Books
The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
Review:
This may be my first intentional DNF of the year. I try my hardest to never DNF a book, but I was really struggling to finish this one. I fell for the pretty cover and I was intrigued by the synopsis, but the story was just not doing it for me at this time. I think you’d enjoy it if you like princesses who go through training to become a badass while falling in love. I didn’t realize this was also being marketed as a rewrite of Legally Blonde, but I’m glad I didn’t know that because I would have been comparing the book to that movie and would have been disappointed when it didn’t live up to the hype. I thought the plot dragged on quite a bit, because I was already 100 pages in and she basically just got admitted to the military school and had her first week there. I also didn’t really find myself caring for her too much. There was also a lot happening politically where I found myself skimming just to see if anything happens. I hear the book does get better near the end, but I didn’t have the patience to push through another 300 pages to get there.
2.5/5⭐
From Tor Books
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Review:
I freaking LOVED this book! It was definitely one of my favorite cozy reads of the year. It only took me over a year to finish it because I didn't want it to end. I wanted to move to that world and visit Kiela's jam shop, and eat all the food mentioned in the story. This book was such a cozy read, and I loved the fantastical world-building. It has a very solid cottagecore vibe as well. When I first received this book I forgot it was a romance, but I enjoyed it all and thought Kiela and Larran were so sweet together. Kiela’s found family was so heartwarming too. I'm super excited to read the other 2 books in the series, and I would definitely recommend checking this one out!
6/5⭐
Audiobooks
The Weirdies: The Weirdest One of All by Michael Buckley
Review:
I can’t believe this series is finally over! It’s such a fun little series of stories for children that includes great jokes for the adults. Helena Bonham-Carter was an amazing narrator, and I love how she kept making asides for her “personal life” and what happened to the previous narrator. The story is basically another wild ride that keeps you entertained until the very end. I thought everything wrapped up quite nicely and I did not expect that plot twist with the reveal of who the narrator actually is in relation to the Weirdies! I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a fun and quick story to listen to while on the go.
4/5⭐
Do you have any reading goals for 2026? What book are you starting with for the new year? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy reading 🎉
