Tag: Orbital

My Hefty January TBR!

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Today, I share a hefty January TBR!

I’m hitting the New Year with full force. In this January TBR, I have nine books in total I’m hoping to get through. It’ll require a reading pace of 75 pages a day and 36 hours of listening time to complete! 

 

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My January TBR 

First, A Fresh Start… 

Orbital 

Purchase Link – Amazon

To start the new year with a fresh start, I’m picking up the relatively short, though not especially light, Orbital. 

I can see why the book won the Booker Prize. In such a short read, the book discusses complex concepts and feelings on an intimate level. It’s an inspiring and interesting read— one I’ve finished since recording! I’m glad I made Orbital my first read of the year. 

 

Then, my December Carryovers… 

Beyond Redemption 

Purchase Link – Amazon

My current read as of this January TBR going live is Beyond Redemption. This is a read I started mid-December when I was at the hairdressers. 

By the end of December, I’d read 15% of the book. In the last few days since picking it up again, I’ve doubled that to 30%. I’ve got this book on Kindle Unlimited, but I’m ceasing my subscription in a couple of days, so time to shake a leg, right?! 

 

Empire of the Dawn 

Purchase Link – Amazon

A book I struggled with in December, and put down briefly, is Empire of the Dawn. 

The nature of this book, the size, my hardback copy, the joy and dread of a final book in the trilogy, are all reasons I think I had trouble with it. However, with a short interval, I’m now ready to venture back into this last book of an amazing series!

 

The Doors of Midnight 

Purchase Link – Amazon

My audiobook carryover on this January TBR is The Doors of Midnight. I started this audio in mid-to-late December, but its length meant there was no way I was able to finish it before the end of December. 

I’ll no doubt spend most of January reading this book, but it’s a good one so far. This Asian Silk Road fantasy is a refreshing change on my January TBR, and protagonist Ari is an excellent storyteller. 

 

A Review Obligation 

Dark Chronicles 

Purchase Link – Amazon

I’m reviewing the short story collection Dark Chronicles on the 27th January. It’s full of dark and twisted stories which would maybe be suited to autumn for mood readers. I, however, don’t care!

Given it’s a short book, I’m going to be flexible and throw it in as and when I want a break from heavier reads… and before 27th January, of course! 

 

Book Club Reads… 

I Know I’m in There Somewhere 

Purchase Link – Amazon

I’m trying a new tack with my work book club, and I’m setting a theme as opposed to a set book. 

For my own book towards this month’s “New Year/New You” theme, I’m reading I Know I’m in There Somewhere. It’s a book about how women can find their own authentic voice through acceptance of themselves. 

 

After the Forest

Purchase Link – Amazon

Very different to the other books on my January TBR is my read of After the Forest with the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club. This club is also open in terms of book selection, and there is a challenge on StoryGraph with all manner of books on it. 

I want to read After the Forest as it’s based on a well-known fairytale, Hansel and Gretel. Other than that, I’m going in blind! 

 

2026 Fixed List Reads 

Yellowface 

Purchase Link – Amazon

Picking up Yellowface works towards two of my 2026 resolutions – reading from my physical TBR and also one of my 16 books on my fixed read list. 

I’ve enjoyed both Babel and The Poppy War from author R.F. Kuang so far. I’m looking forward to trying this contemporary book to see how it compares! 

 

The Great Passage

Purchase Link – Amazon

Finally, The Great Passage is the audiobook I’m jumping to after The Doors of Midnight. It’s the second book I’m planning to read from my fixed list. It’ll also be a refreshing change in the length comparison with The Doors of Midnight – it’s about a quarter of the length! 

That’s not to diminish it though. It’s a book of language and worlds and passion and all set in a less familiar cultural context. I’m excited to read it!

 

Summary 

I have plenty of books to be getting on with in this January TBR. It’s a new year and I’m keen for a fresh start. 

What are you reading this January? 

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Sunday Summary – 4th January 2026

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The first weekend of 2026 is upon us! Welcome to my first Sunday Summary of the year, and I’m glad for the fresh start. I’ve gotten back into the habit of reading over the last few days, and I’ve enjoyed a fresh, shorter read to get me back into the swing of things. Before that though, what else have I been posting about? 

Well, it’s been a busy week! I started easily doors with posting my ideas for both non-traditional and traditional reading goals. Whilst I’ve written the posts to be timeless and something that can be gone back to year on year, maybe you can take inspiration from these posts for your 2026 reading goals, if you’ve yet to set one. Some of the ideas on these lists are part of MY resolutions, which will be released in the coming days. 

On Thursday I published my monthly wrap-up for December. I confess, I don’t have many ‘finishes’ to my name in the final month of the year, but I did read a good few books at least in part. As I’d completed my reading goal by the beginning of December, I found myself reading less as the month went on. Still, I enjoyed the break, achieved most of what I wanted to do and I’m back raring to go now. 

Finally, yesterday I shared my wrap-up of 2025 as a whole. In that post, I looked at progress against my 2025 resolutions and where I got to at the end of of the year. If you’ve yet to read that post, here’s a link so you can take a look for yourself. 

 

Books Read

 

The Doors of Midnight 

Progress with The Doors of Midnight is ongoing. You may recall in last week’s Sunday Summary update that I’ll be reading this over the next few weeks. It’s a long book and audiobook! I did make some progress this week, but admittedly not a whole lot. Still, an hour is better than nothing at all. Next week, things will be back to more normal routine. I’ll be going back the gym more, driving to work every day of the week etc. 

I’m still enjoying where this narrative is taking us and I think it’s about to take a turn I wasn’t expecting. That makes it more interesting though, and has me wanting to pick this up more over the next seven days. 

 

Orbital

At the start of the New Year, I took the decision to pick up a short, fresh read to get back into the reading groove with. Rather than starting the year with 2025’s reads that I was a little slow to get going with, starting with something new felt right. 

Although Orbital is short, I wouldn’t say it’s a light read. On the contrary, it asks a lot of existential and heavy questions, and covers everything from life and relationships to politics. Still, it was a great choice to start the year with. Picking up Orbital is also a bonus in that it starts the year ticking off some goals on my upcoming 2026 resolutions. 

As of this Sunday Summary update, I have just finished this book! It’s been a fun and thought-provoking read to start 2026 with, and definitely set me off to a great start. I love that although the page count is small, it’s a slow, thought-provoking and inspiring narrative. It proves we don’t need high-stakes action to drive a plot. Rather, slow, introspective musings make for entertaining reading as well. Orbital is quite different from the usual reads I pick up, but its a prize winner for a reason. It deserves the accolade. If you haven’t read this one and crave a change of pace, Orbital would be a great option. 

 

Books Discovered

 Somehow I’ve refrained from spending my book vouchers, and I’ve also been good and not added anything to my reading list in the meantime either. It’s got plenty enough on it without me adding more to it at this time anyway. 

I’ll take this as good news 🥳

 

Coming Up… 

I’ve got some exciting and slightly scary content coming out next week. Great, because I’m sharing my 2026 resolutions and my January 2026 monthly TBR. Why is that scary Well, I got myself in front of a camera earlier today to record videos for this content to share here and on YouTube for the very first time. Ahhh!

I’ll be posting here as well and if I can manage it, linking those videos into my blog so you can watch if you prefer to reading. Otherwise, I’ll be summarising those videos in written format. Of course, if you consume a lot of content on YouTube already, you can follow me there to keep up with my videos when they are released before I share them here. 

That’s all from me this week! I’m excited to get back into the swing of things and also enjoy putting myself out of my comfort zone and making new forms of content in 2026. 

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary update. Have you started any new reads for 2026? 

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The TBR Book Tag

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In today’s TBR book tag post, I’m sharing some fun content. Now and then, I like to break up my reviews and reading progress updates. Today, I’m sharing some books on my TBR and tips on how I keep on top of it (ha!).

I found this TBR book tag over on Pastmidnights.com and I thought it was a fun break from my usual content.


How do you keep track of your TBR?

I have used Goodreads to track my reading list since I really started getting back into reading in 2017.

I have tried other trackers like StoryGraph before. However, because I’m so used to Goodreads, I didn’t really get on with it. It would also be such a project to make the transition that I don’t really have the energy for it. Plus, there’s nothing I dislike about Goodreads either. I know some people like to stay away from it because of its affiliation with Amazon. It works for me though…


Is your TBR mostly print or e-books?

I have a number of books across all formats – physical, e-book, and audiobook. However, I’d say the e-book collection is by far the largest.

Arguably, it’s the more convenient format to have books in. It doesn’t take up physical space in the house, which is the most premium resource I have. Not that you’d know it from the stack of books that can’t fit on my existing bookshelves…


How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

It honestly depends.

Sometimes, very occasionally, I’ll have a reading theme. Take this month for example – Black History Month. If I want to pick up books on or around this topic, it’s a much smaller pool to choose from than the 200+ on my list.

Most of the time though, it’s what I feel like reading. I have some broader reading goals of finishing series. That usually bumps books up the list a bit. Occasionally, I’ll mood read and pick up whatever I want. I can judge that either by synopsis or genre. There isn’t really any rhyme or reason here.

Finally, I might just curveball and pick up something not on the list. Be that for book club or any other reason, I just keep myself on my toes.


A book that’s been on your TBR the longest


The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss – there is another question about unpublished books below in which I feature another I cannot wait to get to. This unpublished book features here though as it is literally the oldest book on my TBR by ‘date added’ and there is nothing I can do about it!

 

A book you recently added to your TBR


I added A Man Called Ove as I love the idea of the character. Although I’m not anywhere near the main character’s demographic (neither male – I hope not shocking news…, or of the elderly generation), I can sympathise with this character.


A book on your TBR you strictly bought because of the beautiful cover


Orbital is a fairly recent purchase. However, the cover caught my eye and then I rationalised that some shorter fiction on my TBR isn’t a bad thing!


A book on your TBR you never actually plan on reading

Um… none really? I don’t add books to the list if I don’t have any intention of reading them. That may change over time and I take something off the list as I no longer want to read it. But, there’s no point adding something I don’t want to read!


An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for


The Winds of Winter is the most anticipated new release on my TBR. The only problem is, I’m getting increasingly worried that this sequel is still a long way off!


A book on your TBR basically everybody has read but you


I’ve put Throne of Glass on my TBR as a way of trying Sarah J. Maas. I’m not sure I’ll like all her books, but this is the series I’ve been recommended as having the most storyline sans romance to it.


A book on your TBR that everyone recommends


I’d have to go for The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – ironic as I have just been gifted a fancy edition of the book!


A book on your TBR that you’re just dying to read


I’m not one for anticipating new releases much. However, I grew up reading The Hunger Games. I’m looking forward to the prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, coming out. It’s the story of Haymitch’s games. He’s a rich character in the later books; I’m interested to see what happened to him to get himself in such a sorry state!


The number of books on your Goodreads Shelf

As of publishing this post, the Goodreads list is 214 books long.

Please send help!

 

 

Thanks for checking out today’s TBR book tag post!

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