Gav Reads

Sunday Summary: 7 Dec 25

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Sunday Summary mainly functions as my personal record of book-related topics that have captured my interest over the past week. It also acts as a public memory prompt and bookmarking system.

Quick Note

I missed last week’s update because I picked up a bug that I’m still recovering from, so this is a two-week update, and it wasn’t because it was cold in Paris, but that may not have helped.

Visiting Shakespeare and Company, Paris

Towards the end of November, I spent the weekend in Paris and I got the chance to visit the English-language bookshop, Shakespeare and Company

They keep the numbers inside manageable so there is enough space to peruse. This means there was a queue, and I waited around 20 minutes for people to filter in and out. Once inside, I was delighted by the selection, as it had something from all genres.

I picked up Vampires at Sea by Linsay Merbaum, At the Louvre, and Bricks and Mortar by Clemens Meyer [trans. Katy Derbyshire], and got them stamped (I didn’t know this was a thing they did until they offered it at the counter).

If you’re in Paris, I recommend making a pilgrimage.

Books Read & Reading This Week.

Finished:

  • the long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers [2015]

Currently Reading: 

  • Physical: When the Museum Is Closed by Emi Yagi [Trans. Yuki Tejima] [2023/2025]
  • Audiobook/e-book: The Devils by Joe Abercrombie [2025]

I’ve been listening to The Devils intermittently since May this year. I’m now 72% through it. I am determined to finish it before the year ends. It’s not a DNF, but something isn’t quite compelling me to keep reading to find out what happens next. I am interested in the characters, and I want to discover what happens to them by the end of the book, so I’m keeping on going.

Book-ish Thoughts

…standout fiction and nonfiction of the year, selected by the staff of The New York Times Book Review

I haven’t read but own copies of:

  1. ANGEL DOWN, by Daniel Kraus
  2. BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG, by Kylie Lee
  3. THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, by Stephen Graham Jones.
  4. BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, by V.E. Schwab.
  5. KING SORROW, by Joe Hill.
  6. ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME: Book III, (I need to also read books I & II)
  7. PERFECTION, by Vincenzo Latronico.

I also quite fancy reading:

  • THE COLONY, by Annika Norlin
  • DEATH TAKES ME, by Cristina Rivera Garza
  • THE DIRECTOR, by Daniel Kehlmann.
  • THE HOUNDING, by Xenobe Purvis
  • VICTORIAN PSYCHO, by Virginia Feit
  • A WITCH’S GUIDE TO MAGICAL INNKEEPING, by Sangu Mandanna.

Have you read any of these? What would you prioritise?

Books That Others have Tempted Me With:

A.C. Wise has listed their Favourite Novellas of 2025 and I want to check out all of them but especially:

Cover(s) of the Week

Womble’s Temptation Post:

This week’s Wombling Along! Includes:

  • A list of podcasts I wish I could find time to listen to (audio-anything-not-music and me have not had a good year)
  • Review of books that must get read in 2026 (2026 I am aiming to ‘Shop the Shelves’):
    • Snake-Eater
    • The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre
  • A reminder that I didn’t pick up Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill, but I should?
  • At least 10 articles I need to find clear headspace to read.

Outro

As we approach the end of the year, I feel a bit of pressure not to carry things over into 2026.

This means writing reviews (or not of books I found worth reading:

  • Volatile Memory [The Volatile Memory Duology #1] by Seth Haddon [2025]
  • The Trees by Percival Everett [2021]
  • The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater [2025]
  • The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis [2025]
  • The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives #1) by Melissa Caruso [2024]

I need to finish The Devils and decide whether to read the other 60% of The Incandescent by Emily Tesh.

I am unlikely to finish The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2023) & Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology so I am likely to carry those over to the new year.

What about you? Have you made any 2026 reading plans yet?

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