**The bell tolls midnight, and just like that the year is over. I take a sip of champagne and flip the page of my book to bring in the new year. I hum quietly to myself and think of all the possibilities a new year can bring and how many great books can come with it. I make a mental list of everything I want to read in this new year, and all the things I want to do. So much time to do them now that we have a new year.**

I actually hadn’t realized I did this tag last year until I just went back and looked. I was originally going to post my December wrap-up, but decided to leave that for Monday. So instead of doing a wrap-up or TBR, I thought this one would be much more fun!

I think I’m actually going to skip the TBR this month in favor of mood reading to start the year off with some books I really want to read, without having to worry about sticking to a TBR. I actually just finished a book today and it was a great start to a new reading year, which I hope to continue with.

For a little preview, I plan on my December wrap-up for Monday, then my normal Friday postings with a reading goal reflection for next week, top books of the year after, and maybe a worst books followed by my February TBR. The beginning of the year posts are some of my favorites since I like thinking about my best books of the year (which I just ranked yesterday!), so I’m excited to share those. Before all that though, let’s get into the beginning of the year tag.

1. How many books are you planning to read in 2026?
   • As many as I want! This year, I decided to not set a quantitative goal for myself. It seems like a handful of people are doing this in 2026, but I really want to take my time. I don’t want to focus on how many books I should be reading each month or stress about not reading more than the year before. I have a full TBR and a whole year to read through it. Being on a book for 3 weeks shouldn’t be a deterrent and I want to learn that’s it’s okay to be on a book for longer than five days. I’m a bit slower this past year, so I don’t want to pressure myself with a number.
2. A book you’re likely to reread this year
   • Recently, I have wanted to reread some of my old favorite Ally Carter books, specifically the Gallagher Girls series. I loved those books back in 2016/2017 and would love to see if they hold up. I’m really bad about rereading though for the fear I won’t like the book as much. Last year, I did say I wanted to reread Every Last Word, so that could be a great option too.
3. A priority read on your 2026 TBR
   • The Fountains of Silence is glaring at me, but we’re going to just look away and push that one to the back of our heads. A priority read for me is any of my unread books by my auto buy authors and Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. And Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent. I’ve had that one for a little while now and want to see why it’s so hyped.
4. An author you won’t be reading more books from this year
   • I mean, anything is possible, so I hate to fully write off an author. I’m not sure if there are any that I’m fully convinced I’m never reading again. The only one I may say is Ali Hazelwood. Such an unpopular opinion, but I personally can’t get into her books. I’ve tried two different books by her and they’re not for me.
5. Something new you want to read
   • I read so much that I don’t even know what’s new for me at this point. There are things I want to read more of, but not necessarily new. We’ll get to that in #8.
6. A popular book you want to read
   • I feel like 2026 should be the year I finally try an Abby Jimenez book. I never had interest, but I was testing audiobooks one day and listened to about two minutes of Part of Your World and it seemed pretty good, so I may give that a try.
7. Most anticipated 2026 book release
   • I made a whole post with all my anticipated releases that can be found here. But most anticipated would have to be Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer. I love her writing and the world she has created, so that would be my most anticipated. I’m really looking forward to Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo as well to close out the Alex Stern series.
8. A bookish goal for 2026
   • Last year, I did a whole book goal bingo. And I did finally get bingo! This year, I didn’t want to set any goals at all. I want to just read what I want to read without worrying about hitting goals. The only one that I am going to loosely set is to read 5 books in genres I don’t normally read from, like historical fiction, adult fantasy, classics, nonfiction, and poetry. Any five books in any of these, or other, of my most unread genres would be a great goal to expand my reading a bit and try something different.
9. A book that’s been on your TBR that you probably won’t ever read
   • Right now, it’s looking like The Fountains of Silence. But honestly, I expect to try every book on my physical TBR. Even my very extensive list of books I want to read is pretty realistic. I went through it a few months ago and took off any books I thought I’d never get to, so I have a feeling that I’ll get to a lot of them.
10. A series you want to read this year
    • Two that I really want to get to are the War of Lost Hearts series by Carissa Broadbent, which I’ve been wanting to read for a while, and the Squad series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I try to always read from Barnes’s backlist through my Inheritance Games reading. The Squad is the next one I want to get to, especially since they’re re-releasing with really cool covers.
11. Your auto buy authors going into 2026
    • My auto-buy authors are actually the same as last year: Morgan Matson, Brigid Kemmerer, Natasha Preston, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Lynn Painter. I would also add on Sarah Adams and Emily Henry though. I pick up every adult romance Emily Henry releases, and I got really into Sarah Adams this year, so I can see myself reading everything she’s written.
12. A book to show adaptation you’re excited about this year
    • Okay, I’m really bad about adaptations. I don’t really keep up on those and have a tendency to either not watch them or not really enjoy them. So I’m going to just go with my personal anticipated ones, meaning the ones that I want to watch for the first time that have been out for a while. With those, I’m most excited for the Narnia movies and The Darkest Minds. I got the dvds last year but haven’t watched them yet. I may need to watch them soon though.
13. A sequel you’re anticipating
    • I mean . . . Sparking Fire Out of Fate. Highly anticipating that one. The last of the Inheritance Games books and Onyx Storm as well. I really need to continue these series.
14. Bookish things you’re leaving in 2025
    • Goals! I’m taking a break from goals of any kind. 2026 is the year of low-stress reading and reading books that I want to read.
15. What to expect from this account
    • I will still be posting every Friday, with my wrap-ups being the first Monday after the month ends. I would like to get more consistent with my posting. I get in spurts where I do really well then others where I fall completely off. Other than that, lots of fun posts. I have everything planned until the end of February if all goes according to plan.
16. How has your reading taste evolved from last year?
    • I think my reading taste has evolved from last year by enjoying more adult books and graphic novels. Last year, I said that I had read more of these genres and enjoyed them a bit more, but I think 2025 was where I found ones that I actually enjoyed as books, and not as books for that genre. It will be interesting to see how this continues on in 2026.

I hope that everyone had a great 2025, both in general and in reading, and wish that you all have an even better 2026 🎉.

xoxo,

Just another reader