Sunday Summary: 25th Jan 26

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: 

• A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare (trans John Hodgson) [2023]
• The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch (narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) [2024]
• The Two Doctors Górski by Isaac Fellman [2022]

I’ve not read a whole lot this week because I’ve been distracted by other hobbies, but also, I’ve reached a point in The Masquerades of Spring that I’m a bit nervous about. Aaronovitch has put the stakes up with threats against the gay couple, and I’ve read a few reviews to see if there is any hint at an HEA (Happy Ever After) for them. It seems there is but also I don’t think I could handle a ‘bury your gays’ trope popping up.

The Two Doctors Górski is giving me The Incandescent by Emily Tesh vibes, I wonder how dark it’s going to go? It’s been highly recommended, so no pressure on their taste.

DNF’d

• ???

Nothing this week.

Book-ish Things

The preorders are flowing in. This week I’ve recieved:

• The Apple and the Pearl by Rym Kechacha
• The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusapin [Translated from French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins]
• Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
• Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

A good mix of potential reading joy I think you’d agree.

Non-Book-ish Things

One of my other major hobbies is video games, and last year I made a more concerted effort to put time into them, which partly helped me cope with the reading slump that dominated the first few months of 2025. At the moment, I’m playing Persona 5 Royal, a JRPG with over 100 hours of gameplay. The problem is, at 50 hours in, I’ve discovered I’ve been playing it wrong. This means I’ve started again, and this time I am paying attention to what the game is telling me and using tips that other players have shared to us.

So if you’re wondering why I’m not reading. That does have a lot to do with it.

I’ve also watched the first episode of Star Trek Academy, and I’m sold. Really keen to see what this young crew can do. If you liked Discovery or Voyager, I think you’ll like this.

Cover(s) of the Week

Outro

Hopefully, I’ll be able to report that I’ve finished reading something next weekend. Have a good reading week, all.