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]
I’m going to be honest and say that I’m struggling with A Dectator Calls. I am going to keep going, but I feel I’m not well-versed enough in Starlin’s Russia to get the gravitas that is part of this novel.
I am having a great time with The Masquerades of Spring, where a younger Nightingale heads to New York to solve a mystery surrounding a saxophone with the help of an old friend. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is going an excellnt job as usual.
DNF’d
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling [2025]
I knew I was taking a chance on this, but the early buzz was positive, and the idea of nuns trapped in a castle going mad sounds horrific, but also an idea with a lot of potential.
I am not a fan of grimdark works in general, and this proves again that I don’t think they are for me. I asked for thoughts on Bluesky, and no one came back saying that I needed to push through. So, as predicted last week, DNF it is.
Book-ish Thoughts
Continuing with the topic of DNFs, it’s one of the reasons that I wanted a page count this year; the main reason is that I’m aiming to read 50 pages a day. I don’t count DNFs as read, so before, when I was only tracking books I’d completed, DNF’ing felt like a waste. Now, they are helping with my page count.
Books That Others Have Tempted Me With:
Cover(s) of the Week
Outro
I have no idea what I fancy picking up next – I’ll get both A Dictator Calls and The Masquerades of Spring read and then decide, I think.
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’tquitecompelling 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.
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?
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:
The Trees by Percival Everett [2021]
Currently Reading:
the long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers [2015]
Book-ish Thoughts
I deleted my NetGalley account this week. That’s the end of an era.
I also treated myself to a remote page turner for my Boox Palma and Kindle. I hope it will make for easier reading.
Books Out This Week (and Last)
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) [Bobiverse: Book 1] by Dennis E. Taylor
The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid
On the Calculation of Volume III by Solvej Balle [Trans. Sophia Hersi Smith & Jennifer Russell]
Slow Gods by Claire North
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
Outlaw Planet by M. R. Carey
The Haunting of Paynes Hollow: A Novel by Kelley Armstrong
The Haunted Library: Tales of Cursed Books and Forbidden Shelves [Compiler Tanya Kirk]
Woman in the Pillory – Penguin Modern Classics by Brigitte Reimann [Trans. Lucy Jones]
Books That Others have Tempted Me With:
Collective: The Collaborative Art of Anthologies, edited by Dan Coxon and Pete W Sutton [Out Oct 2026] via Ann VanderMeer
The Delusions by Jenni Fagan [Out March 2026] via Jenni Fagan
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:
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo – I have this 3.75 – there was a lot to like, but ultimately it didn’t fulfil its potential.
Currently Reading:
Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good [Loki: A Bad God’s Guide #1] by Louie Stowell – I’ve borrowed this (and the next two) from the library, and I’m really enjoying the mix of silliness and seriousness.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh – off to a cracking start in terms of pages read – not sure where this magic/modern world school mix is going, but I keen to find out.
Paused:
I am going to read The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed so I can complete half of my challenge but I’m not going to complete the anthologies in time
I may have to admit to myself that I’m not going to finish reading all the stories contained in the BFA 25 Best Anthology Category before next week’s announcement. I can’t seem to blast through them: Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology, ed by Dan Coxon – is deeply impactful and needs room
I am struggling to switch between immersive worlds when I start a new story. I think this is a strength of the collections, but it also means that I don’t want to rush just to meet a deadline. I’m taking a break. I’ll carry on after the award announcement. But I do recommend you read all the finalists.
Newsy Things
FUNDED!!!
They Are Still Here (Maen Nhw Yma O Hyd) has Funded!! There is still time to back the Kickstarter and help it reach some unannounced stretch goals.
Warwick Prize for Women in Translation longlist 2025
Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, And the Walls Became the World All Around, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by Sigrid Rausing (Granta)
Evelyne Trouillot, Désirée Congo, translated from French (Haiti) by M.A. Salvodon (University of Virginia Press)
Fatma Aydemir, Djinns, translated from German (Germany) by Jon Cho-Polizzi (Peirene Press)
Olga Tokarczuk, The Empusium, translated from Polish (Poland) by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
Maylis Besserie, Francis Bacon’s Nanny, translated from French (France) by Clíona Ní Ríordáin (The Lilliput Press)
María Bastarós, Hungry for What, translated from Spanish (Spain), by Kevin Gerry Dunn (Daunt Books Publishing)
Elsa Morante, Lies and Sorcery, translated from Italian (Italy) by Jenny McPhee (Penguin Press)
Krisztina Tóth, My Secret Life, translated from Hungarian (Hungary) by George Szirtes (Bloodaxe Books)
Kim Hyesoon, Phantom Pain Wings, translated from Korean (South Korea) by Don Mee Choi (And Other Stories)
Liliana Corobca, Too Great A Sky, translated from Romanian (Romania) by Monica Cure (Seven Stories Press UK)
Laura Wittner, Translation of the Route, translated from Spanish (Argentina) by Juana Adcock (Bloodaxe Books and Poetry Translation Centre)
Sara Mesa, Un Amor, translated from Spanish (Spain) by Katie Whittemore (Peirene Press)
Lucija Stupica, Vanishing Points, translated from Slovenian (Slovenia) by Andrej Peric (Arc Publications)
Han Kang, We Do Not Part, translated from Korean (South Korea) by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK)
I only planned to read The Empusium. Are there any others you’d recommend?
Out This Week in the UK – ish
Too many books are being released, and I can’t keep up or list them all, but these are the ones that stood out.
Unquiet Guests ed. Dan Coxon
Queen Demon – The Rising World by Martha Wells
What Stalks the Deep (The Sworn Soldier Series) by T. Kingfisher
Absolute Zero
Absolution: by Jeff VanderMeer (Paperback)
The Albino’s Secret by Michael Moorcock & Mark Hodder
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri comes
What have you seen coming out that I’ve missed?
Books That Others have Tempted Me With:
I do love the thrill of finding interesting books or seeing others discover them. These are some books that have rang a bell along with the person who rang it.
The Albino’s Secret by Michael Moorcock & Mark Hodder via Reactor’s
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.
Keeping Everything Tracked
I sought Bluesky’s advice on tracking books, as I am feeling a mix of lost, confused, or overwhelmed due to all the options.
Do you keep a list of books you want to read/buy? How long is that list? Could you make it ten or less and keep it that long on a constant basis?
The following discussion prompted me to compile a spreadsheet of all my pre-orders, clearly showing that I have enough pre-orders to keep me occupied until June.
Tufty McTavish reminded me of the power of tags in the Story Graph and why it’s good to invest time in adding them.
I’m also going to try more immediate (the next week or two) reading lists to see if that cuts through the ever-growing physical TBR.
Newsy Things
Introducing a new bona new quarterly literary magazine:
FANTABULOSA!
Pushing the boundaries of bold, authentic, QUEER storytelling. Bringing you stories of the uncanny, the dangerous and the fantastical.
& thanks to our brilliant #WrathMonth backers, we’re fully funded for 2026 🤘
The UK’s largest book chain, Waterstones, had a pre-order sale on releases for 2026 this week. Did I fall into the trap and order some books? Yes. Did I also get a bit too invested in what is coming out in 2026? Also, yes.
I placed orders for various new releases and paperback reprints.
Thanks to the spreadsheet mentioned above I now know when to look out for post.
And the offer wasn’t all the books coming out in 2026, but I now expect to stay busy with new releases from January to June.
But the reason for mentioning it was that I had to sift through many books to decide on those I chose.
Which is probably why I felt the urge to look at all the books coming out this week… there are a few.
