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.
Books Read & Reading This Week.
Finished:
- ???
Nothing this week.
Currently Reading:
- Love At First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi
I didn’t expect that this cosy romantasy to have quite as high a spice rating as it did.
To save me from this predicament in future, Caitlin of Realms of My Mind has shared romance.io, which includes a Steam Rating Guide for every listing in its database. El-Fassi’s latest is rated 4/5
And I am keeping on reading it – it’s just heavy on the spice, and reading location now matters…
DNF’d:
- ???
Nothing this week.
Book-ish Thoughts
I have committed on The StoryGraph to read 15,000 pages and at least 33 books, which I’ve badly mathed as reading 50 pages a day.
I’m hoping that both are achievable, and I’m going to my best to avoid burnout and a reading slump.
Though I don’t think the amount pre-orders I’ve made is actually healthy, there is a partial list here if you’re curious:
I am, however, not planning to add more pre-orders or pick up books that aren’t on the shelves for a while as I desperately need to read what I have.
I am also not reading to deadline, nor accepting ARCs (I currently have two with no deadlines – Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume Three, which was successfully funded via Kickstarter and all entries in The Gulpepper Mythos by Alan Baxter, which sounds like something I’d enjoy as I do love a shared world)
Books That Others Have Tempted Me With:
Given what I’ve said above, I should retire this section for a bit… but I do like to see what everyone has been reading, and when I get some brain space, I want to go over everyone’s 2025 reading lists and take notes. It doesn’t mean I have to give in to the impulse to get a copy too. And if I’m lucky, I might already have a copy on standby.
Cover(s) of the Week
Return of the Womble:
They have furry of end of year/new year posts but this one has actions:
The 2026 BookTempter’s TBR Challenge
If I were to take this month’s challenge:
1 – It’s a classic task for a reason
Read the very last book to enter your TBR pile. TBRs come from the habit we have of not reading books because we put them off. You have my permission to indulge yourself.
Stretch goal – Read a book that you’ve had in your TBR pile for more than 5 years
Then I’d need to go for:
The Broke into Shining Crystals by Richard Scott with the stretch goal of The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
They have also done a lot of the hard work, collecting everyone’s ‘best of’ lists in their weekly Wombling Along post, and I’m humbled to see mine included.
Outro
What books have you started the year with?
Gav Reads 
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