Polka Spots and Freckle Dots

What I Read in January 2026

What I Read in February 2026

One of these days, I'm going to start catching-up and blogging these 'What I Read' posts on time, but today is not that day.

I'm still a month behind, and am just bringing you February's reads, despite starting this post weeks ago, so there really is no hope for me. I blame the migraine that arrived uninvited three weeks ago, and hasn't quite taken the hint to leave yet. I mean... so rude!

Anyway, I'm here to catch-up now, so... this is what I read in February:

February Reading Stats:

📖 9 books completed, 2 started.

📖 4 hardbacks.

🎧 5 audiobooks

📖 2018 pages (4462 pages including audiobooks).

🎧 83.43 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.

📖 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 Average rating: 4.22 stars.

📖 Average book length: 527 pages.

📖 Average time to finish: 7 days.

I Read:

📖Brimstone by Callie Hart. 4⭐

📖The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman. 3⭐

📖Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco. 4⭐

📖Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen. 3⭐

🎧 A Court of Thorns and Roses (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐

🎧 A Court of Mist and Fury (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐

🎧 A Court of Wings and Ruin (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐

🎧 A Court of Frost and Starlight (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 4⭐

🎧 A Court of Silver Flames (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐

And I Started:

🎧Dead in the Water by John Marrs.

📖A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.

I was apparently in a romantasy mood in February, and my choices were strong on the enemies-to-lovers vibes. I read a couple of books I've been looking forward to for ages- Brimstone and Throne of Nightmares, went in for an ACOTAR reread, and rated most of the books highly, with seven out of nine awarded four stars and above. Only two out of nine were a little on the mediocre, just-okay side, and I consider that a win. I also began a John Marrs thriller and a T. Kingfisher horror that I didn't finish before the month was through, but thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

Favourite Reads: My favourite new reads of the month were two of my most highly-anticipated books from recent months- Brimstone by Callie Hart, and Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco.

Quicksilver was one of my favourite reads last year, so I was so excited to finally start Brimstone after the big cliff-hanger it had ended on. It was a fun read with so much to unpack, and while it wasn't as good as the last book, for the most part, I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between Fisher and Carrion as they were forced to team up in The Third; seeing Fisher's softer, loved-up side (he has a mate, you know); and Saeris navigating life as the new vampire queen. I just could have done without the 929272810 times the words 'mate', 'maker', and 'solar plexus' flooded the books, as if the author had to hit a word-limit with all three. I guess she was taking inspiration from Sarah J. 'my mate, my mate, my mate' Maas, but dear God, we get it, Ms. Hart. They're mates. He's her maker. They have solar plexuses. There are other words, and they have names! Use them, before you give everyone a concussion from banging their heads against a wall. Also- what happened to the fox? Unforgiveable! I cried.

Throne of Nightmares is a book I'd been looking forward to for an entire year, after loving the previous books in the Kingdom of the Wicked spin-off series, Prince of Sin, and it didn't disappoint. It wasn't quite as good as Throne of Secrets, but I think that was more about the way there were stories within the story with questionable writing quality than the book itself. I enjoyed how Lor and Sloth found themselves living in Lor's favourite novels, and laughed my way through it. I especially loved how the storyline poked fun at the romantasy genre and booklovers who get excited over common tropes and other writing cliches. Being one such book lover, it amused me no end, and I found Lor and her inner thoughts about books and leading male book characters particularly relatable and hilarious. She's easily one of the most comprehensible book characters I've ever read about. I loved the relationship which developed between her and Prince Sloth in their forced proximity, and he was far more interesting, funny, and loveable than I was expecting him to be as the quiet, intellectual prince of the seven brothers. They're definitely a new favourite book couple. Even if Gluttony and Adriana still top the scoreboard of couples from the two series.

Favourite Listens: I had the best time working my way through a reread of the entire ACOTAR series- this time trying the 10th Anniversary rerecordings for the first time. It's such a comfort series for me, and I loved reacquainting myself with all five books- A Court of Wings and Ruin, and A Court of Silver Flames were particularly good in this format- although, I still think the Graphic Audio versions are better. I finished my reread just before the release dates for ACOTAR 6 and 7 dropped, and it's as if I knew I needed a refresher. I'm so excited for the next instalments, and can't wait to find out what happens next. I swear, if Lucien doesn't get a happy ending, Gwyn and Azriel don't end up together, and Cassian isn't alive at the end of it all, I will riot!

Least Favourites: My least favourite was Bonded by Thorns. It was another spicy fae Beauty and the Beast retelling, but with four cursed princes instead of one. They get tangled in a reverse-harem with a twenty-something human woman after she takes her father's place as prisoner in their castle, and vows to help them break the curse that turns them into wolves each night- which can only be broken when they find their mates. It sounded like it had potential, but I found it mediocre at best, and it read like a twelve-year-old's clumsy first attempt at fan fiction. The plot lines made little sense, the dialogue was cringe-worthy, and the relationships were weak and came out of nowhere. The m/m relationship was one of the few intriguing plot-twists to the story, but even that was unsatisfying because they were still dancing around each other by the end. I also wish that the authors had developed the FMC's abusive former relationship further, and had the princes find out what her ex had done to her. It was an interesting storyline, but it wasn't believable how she went from being a nervous and submissive person from years of abuse to a confident and free-spirited woman in a castle full of strange males the moment she stepped in to Faerie. It would have been great to gradually see her healing from her past and finding her confidence again, and it was a shame that it was expedited, and then glossed over. Is it too much to hope that it might get focused on later in the series? Because I'm going to have to continue it, even if it did frustrate me- I need to know how it ends!

So, that's the good, the bad, and the ugly about what I read in February.

Have you read anything good lately?

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What I Read in December 2025

What I Read in December 2025

What I Read in January 2026

January was a great start to the reading year. I finished ten books, began two others, and reached ten percent of my reading goal of 100 books for 2026! I read some fantastic books, too, and rated five of them five stars! Can I keep this momentum going all year? I guess we shall see. For now, here's how I got on in January:

January Reading Stats:

📖 10 books completed, 2 started.

📖 2 hardbacks.

📖 3 paperbacks.

🎧 5 audiobooks

📖 2036 pages (3253 pages including audiobooks).

🎧 41.33 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.

📖 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 Average rating: 4.28 stars.

📖 Average book length: 406 pages.

📖 Average time to finish: 6 days.

I Read:

📖A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney. 3⭐

📖A War of Wyverns by S. F. Williamson. 3.75⭐

📖The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. 5⭐

📖Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig. 5

📖The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher. 4⭐

🎧Holly by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Graphic Audio Part One). 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Dawn with the Wolf Knight by Elise Kova. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧The Long Walk by Stephen King. 3⭐

🎧Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 5⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

🎧A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. (Reread).

📖Brimstone by Callie Hart.

Favourite Reads: There were two books I particularly lost myself in in January- The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher, and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.

The Hollow Places was a creepy little horror about two adult friends who discover an alternate world through the wall in a curiosity museum. An eerie archipelago full of abandoned bunkers and monsters that can hear their thoughts, who they have to avoid thinking about if they want to make it back home alive. It was disturbing as hell at times, but balanced with the author's signature brand of humour, it was also hilarious, so it had me on edge one minute, and laughing out loud the next. A combination I never knew I needed, but would highly recommend.

My other favourite, Two Twisted Crowns, was the delightfully dark gothic romantasy conclusion to The Shepherd King duet, telling a tale of power-hungry men, the abuse and neglect they inflict on others, and their victims fighting their way back to the light with some enemies-to-lovers romance, and forced proximity. I enjoyed it so much more than the first book, One Dark Window- probably because it gave us Elm's POV for the first time, who I found such an interesting character to unravel as he'd appeared so closed off and moody in book one. And now I know why. I loved his romance with a side-character from the first book, and how their part of the storyline focused on the physical abuse they both endured from one of the villains in the story, and how they began to help each other heal. Learning more of The Nightmare's backstory was also really interesting, and it was fun to see him take control of Elspeth's body, and try to right some of his wrongs with plenty of melodrama and sarcasm. If you enjoy gothic fantasy with humour, romance, a little spice, and beautiful, poetic writing, I'd recommend you give this duology a try.

Favourite Listens: My favourite listens of the month were all rereads of five-star favourites I'd previously loved in different formats- Holly by Adalyn Grace, A Soul of Ash and Blood (Part One) by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

I read the hardback of Holly over Christmas, and loved it so much, I just had to try the audiobook. It's such a fun, cosy, and emotional story, and I really enjoyed hearing it brought to life, but I preferred it in print because I felt that the illustrations made the reading experience extra special. I wrote a full review of it here, if you'd like to know more.

A Soul of Ash and Blood is From Blood and Ash from Casteel's point of view, where he tells his side of things while Poppy sleeps in stasis. I've read it a couple of times before, but this was my first time listening to the Graphic Audio version, which are audiobooks performed by a full cast with theme music and sound effects- the best audiobooks, in my opinion. The book was brilliant in this format, and parts of it made me an emotional wreck. I can't wait for part two to drop in April.

I also reread Project Hail Mary because I didn't have the pennies for something new, and I fancied a refresher before the movie comes out in March. It's one of my all time favourite books, and it was just as good as I remembered. If you haven't read it yet, but love sci-fi, and the book/ film The Martian, get on it immediately. You won't regret it! It's amazing, it's hilarious, and has the best alien side-kick ever.

Least Favourites: The Long Walk by Stephen King was my least favourite last month, but only because I found the narration irritating at times.- especially how he whisper-shouted instead of raising his voice when a character yelled. I wish I'd read it in print, because the story otherwise kept my attention throughout, with its shocking, raw, and original storyline. It felt relevant, too, as it seems like something that could happen in America any day now, with the way things are going. And isn't that terrifying?

And that's what I read in January.

I'll be back to talk about which books I enjoyed in February really soon.

Have you read any good books lately?

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What I Read in December 2025

December is rarely a productive reading month for me because of how busy Christmas is, so I'm genuinely shocked by how many books I got through last month. Somehow, I finished thirteen, and was deep into two others come midnight on New Year's Eve!

Sure, some of them were novellas, and I listened to a lot of audiobooks while working through my Christmas to-do-list, but I'm still amazed, considering I dozed off reading so many times from being so damn tired. It was a great end to my reading year, and bumped up my reading goal nicely.

Here's how I faired in December:

December Reading Stats:

📖 13 books completed, 2 started.

📖 2 hardbacks.

📖 2 paperbacks.

📱 2 ebooks.

🎧 7 audiobooks

📖 1823 pages (3518 pages including audiobooks).

🎧 49.95 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.

📖 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 Average rating: 3.54 stars.

📖 Average book length: 293 pages.

📖 Average time to finish: 7 days.

I read in a variety of formats, and even discovered a couple of new five star reads!

I Read:

📖Holly by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐

📖A Heart for Christmas by Sophie Jomain. 2⭐

📖Good Spirits by B. K. Borison. 4⭐

📖The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore. 4⭐

📱I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street by Ben Farthing. 2⭐

📱A Crown of Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 5⭐

🎧 Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. 3.5 ⭐

🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. (10th Anniversary Edition). 4⭐

🎧Spectacular by Stephanie Garber. 3⭐ (Reread).

🎧Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. (Graphic Audio). 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧Let it Snow by John Green. 2.5 ⭐

🎧Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar. 3⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

🎧Holly by Adalyn Grace.

📖A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney.

I went seasonal for December, and read mostly cosy Christmas-themed books to fully immerse myself in the festive spirit, and stay on-theme for my reading challenge. There was a lot less fantasy than I'd usually choose, and more contemporary romance than I ever go for, as well as a little bit of sci-fi, and horror, but it was good to get out of my fantasy rabbit hole and mix things up a little.

Favourite Reads: My favourite book of the month was definitely Holly- the new festive novella from the Belladonna series. I loved it so much that I dare say it's one of my all-time favourite Christmas stories- and I knew that just from one read! I loved finding out what happened years on from the end of Wisteria, and seeing all the main characters all together again. The story was really fun, festive and cosy, but it didn't lack substance, and was well balanced with the kind of gothic fantasy plot that did the series justice. I wrote a full review of it here, if you want to hear about it in more detail.

My most surprising favourite of December- and probably of the last decade- was Good Spirits. I wasn't expecting to like it because I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary romance- in fact, I usually hate it- but I ended up loving it. It's a grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers Christmas Carol retelling that sees a cheerful, twenty-something antiques dealer visited by a grumpy but hot Irish ghost one December eve, who has to help her save her soul by showing her the error of her ways. The problem is, they keep getting under each others' skin, and they can't quite figure out what she's done wrong. In fact, Harriet's only guilty of being a people-pleaser, loving sweets and pyjamas a little too much, and believing she deserves the emotional abuse from her family. Then she and Nolan, Mr. Hot Irish Ghost, start getting sent to visions of his past as well as hers, and it becomes clear that his mission isn't as straight-forward as they thought. And as he and Harriet work together to find the answers, of course, they realise that perhaps they don't hate each other that much, after all. If only Nolan didn't have to wrap things up, and leave by Christmas Eve...

I was surprised to discover that the book was more than just festive fluff. The abuse Harriet had endured from her emotionally manipulative mother was devastating, and really well executed- especially in the way that Harriet believed it was her fault, and continued to make herself small and obedient in her family's company to try to earn their approval. My heart broke for her when she never got it, and there were small aspects of her story that I found myself relating to. I loved the relationship which developed between her and Nolan, and how he helped raise her up by showing her how terribly they'd treated her, and how she was lovely just the way she was. His story as a ghost and a human also tugged at my heart strings, and I may have cried just a little bit over the twist at the end. My only main irritation with the book was that Nolan sounded more like a modern American than an Irish fisherman from 100+ years ago. I suspect the author and her editor haven't spent much, if any, time around the Irish in their lives. Other than that, it was a solid four-star read.

I also loved the new novella from the Blood and Ash series, A Crown of Ruin, which the author surprised us with by dropping as an ebook for free over Christmas! (I believe it's still free from all the usual ebook places, so grab it while you can). It bridges the gap between the latest book, The Primal of Blood and Bone, and the upcoming finale, which is to be released this summer. It was really fun to experience more of Casteel in his 'chaos era', and after the messy ending of Primal, it also made me feel better about certain character dynamics, which would've otherwise left me fretting until I got the final book in my hands. (Whatever. I'm heavily invested in these characters after six books)! It gives me hope that perhaps rifts can be mended, and all is not lost after all. Although, I think things are going to get much more devastating before they get better...

Favourite Listens: Most of my audio reads ended up being rereads because I didn't have the budget for many new books last month. (I really must sign up to my library this year so I can use Libby). Some were a little mediocre, and some, like A Court of Frost and Starlight, were a good time- even if it was mostly just fluff, was the worst book in its series, and had the most questionable s3x scene ever... (If you know, you know). The Graphic Audio version was my favourite- it has a full cast of narrators, music, and sound effects, but I also tried the new 10th anniversary edition, which was narrated by Elizabeth Evans who voiced the original unabridged audiobooks, and loved that version, too. I've become so familiar with her voice from working my way through the Sarah J. Maas audiobooks that listening to her talk has become kinda comforting.

Least Favourites: My least favourite was probably A Heart for Christmas. I think I'm just a little too old to find most contemporary teen romances enjoyable these days. Plus the writing and plot were both terrible, and it annoyed me how everyone thought they had a right to tell the chronically ill FMC- who was recovering from a heart transplant- how she should be living her life. Just... no! Why do so many people like to offer their unsolicited advice to chronically ill people when they've never gone through it themselves?! Two years is not a long time after major surgery, and if someone wants to be cautious and follow medical advice so they don't die, they have every right to! I sure wouldn't feel reassured to have a teenage ski-instructor without any medical training monitor my tachycardic heart rate on his phone and let him decide if I was well, while he guilted me into going skiing, even if he was my crush. Her family and friends were the worst. The only reason I tried it in the first place was because I loved the Advent concept of tearing open a chapter a day. And it was such an enjoyable way to count down to Christmas... I just wish the story had been better.

I also found the narration to Let it Snow irritating, and while the first and third stories weren't bad, I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or their angst. And I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street was just plain weird- and not in a good way! But you win some, you lose some, I guess. I didn't expect all thirteen to be winners, and at least other books I read last month were better.

But here's hoping my choices are stronger this month.

Did you read anything good over Christmas?

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What I Read in November 2025

I'm a month behind with my reading wrap-ups, but I'm making the effort to squeeze in November's before the year is through.

Here's what I read in November:

November Reading Stats:

📖 9 books completed, 1 started.

📖 4 hardbacks.

🎧 5 audiobooks

📖 1748 pages (3324 pages including audiobooks).

🎧 66.55 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.

📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖 Average rating: 4.19 stars.

📖 Average book length: 415 pages.

📖 Average time to finish: 7 days.

I finished nine books in November and started another, so it was a pretty decent reading month for me- especially as six of them were four or five star reads!

I Read:

📖Wisteria by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐

📖Phantasma by Kaylie Smith. 5⭐

📖Enchantra by Kaylie Smith. 4⭐

📖One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. 3.5⭐

🎧Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 2.5⭐ (Reread).

🎧The War of Two Queens Graphic Audio Part Two by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. 3.5⭐

🎧Quicksilver Bonus Scenes Kingfisher's POV by Callie Hart. 4⭐

🎧Quicksilver by Callie Hart. 4⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

🎧Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline.

Favourite Reads: My favourite book for November was Wisteria. In fact, I loved it so much, it's become an all-time-favourite! The entire Belladonna series was a delight to read, but I'd say Wisteria was the best one yet. It was so magical and whimsical, and came in strong with the enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and grumpy x sunshine tropes, which were so much fun to see unfold. The back and forth between Blythe and Aris had me laughing out loud a lot, especially while they tried to make each others' lives a misery as they were forced to live together, and pretend they were in love. I loved getting Blythe and Aris' stories and POVs- especially Blythe's, who is my favourite character in the series because she's so fierce, although it was nice to see Signa, Sylas, and Elijah pop up from time to time, too. The book also still retained the ghostly, gothic fantasy, and murder mystery vibes of the first two books, with plenty of chaos, humour, and heartache thrown in for good measure, so it was so well-rounded, and the perfect end to a fantastic trilogy. I honestly think it's one of the best fantasy series I've ever read! Do yourself a favour, and go read it!

I also thoroughly enjoyed Phantasma, a spicy dark gothic fantasy where a young woman with necromancy powers and OCD enters a deadly competition in an old manor house to find her missing sister, and has to team up with a hot ghost in order to survive the trials. Trials that are based around the seven sins and get deadlier with each level of the house. Ophelia has to use her powers and Blackwell's help to give her an edge, while watching her back against the other contestants, a devil determined to stop her from winning, and countless other dangers in the house. All while the voice in her head tries to interfere and make life so much harder for her. The love interest is also a charming but rakish ghost with a sad back story, and plenty of secrets to uncover, and he made it such a fun and surprising read. There is a lot of spice, so you've been warned if you prefer to avoid it, but it thankfully didn't overshadow the main story, or become the entire plot. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, as well as the magic, and trials, but the FMC's OCD was what made the story so interesting to me- particularly as the author shares the condition with Ophelia. I never knew that sufferers of the condition could hear voices urging them to be compulsive, so I feel like I learnt something from this story, while being entertained by how creepy Ophelia's inner voice could be. I'd recommend it if you're over eighteen, but please check trigger warnings first.

Favourite Listens: I really enjoyed listening to The War of Two Queens Graphic Audio Part Two and Quicksilver. They were both rereads for me, but my first time listening to them, and they were really fun in this format. I could listen to the male narrator in Quicksilver, and the guy who voices Casteel in the Blood and Ash series Graphic Audios speak all day.

Least Favourites: My least favourite had to be Fall of Ruin and Wrath. I reread it to complete my audio read of the Blood and Ash universe, but I'd forgotten that the book has no plot, and that the characters are basically just carbon copies of Poppy and Casteel (from Blood and Ash) from an earlier time period. The story was mostly just spice, and it was even more frustrating to listen to than it was in print. I was so bored, I struggled to keep listening, and it took me longer than usual to get through it because I just wasn't motivated. I hope the series improves as I really like Thorne as a character, and enjoyed when he popped up in The Primal of Blood and Bone.

And that's what I read in November.

I'll be back with what I read in December ASAP... so I guess I'll see you in a month or two! Haha!

Have you read anything good lately?

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