Reading Goals 2026

Hello! Yes, it has been 9 years since I last posted. Blogging was already long dead in 2017 and now in 2026 it is something of the ancient past, but one of my bookish goals this year is to share my reading without using the usual social media methods. Last year, I posted my reading wrap ups on Instagram. This year, I am reviving this blog I started in my early 20s. Let's start small with a reading goal.

Now, some things have changed since 2017. I am no longer a student. I am a bookseller (who could have seen that coming). This mostly means that I no longer have a numbers goal of how many books I want to read. I have consistently read 200-400 books a year since I started my job, many of them picture books and graphic novels, because I am an education bookseller. I am fine with that number. 

My main reading goal has now been the same for the past three years. I want to read my physical tbr. Get that baby down to zero! It's over 100 books (and none of them are picture books or graphic novels, boo!). The first year, I had this goal I read nothing. Last year, I read 11 books! This year, I would like to read at least that many again. So far I have read three! A good start, but I am flagging, so I decided to do a small challenge.

In May of 2024 I went to Scotland. I visited the Isle of Skye and visited the bookshop in Portree, and I went to Wigtown, Scotland's National Booktown. I bought so many books. Many I have read, but there is a stack of them I have not read that has been just collecting dust for almost two years. My plan for 2026 is to read or donate that stack.

 The books are: 

Hedgewitch by Skye Mckenna

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Blackberry Blue and other fairy stories by Jamila Gavin

The Eagle and the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Crow House by Jean Atkin

Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo

Little, Big by John Crowley

Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova 

 It's a good list. A mixture of adult and children's books as well as fiction and nonfiction. I have so far started Hedgewitch and The Diary of a Bookseller. It is January and goals feel so easy, but I do want to say it is going well. There is book not listed here Robe of Skulls by Vivian French that is from this trip but I finished reading yesterday. I am getting through these books! 

 Anyway, that is it for my first post in 9 years. Will I come back? Who knows. There is a snowstorm right now, and I have been stuck inside all day. Maybe when there is another one.  

Hamilton Independent Bookcrawl 2017

I went on my first book crawl today. It was a success! I hit all the bookshops I originally set out to visit travelling all across the city, making for very achy feet. In order, I visited The Printed Word, Barely Bent Books, Byran Prince Bookseller, Westside Books, Epic Books, The James Street Bookseller, and JH Gordon Books. I enjoyed each bookshop. Some promoted Hamilton writers, particularly JH Gordon. The Printed Word's poetry collection is amazing. Barely Bent Books, Westside Stories, JH Gordon, and The James Street Bookseller are for the most part, used books. The Printed Word is a mixture of both new and old. Epic Books and Bryan Prince sell new books. For the first two bookstores I was by myself, but I was joined by various friends throughout the afternoon, which made the crawl a lot more fun (kudos to everyone!). In the end, I picked up quite a few books (see below), and I plan on doing it again although not for a while. My wallet is very upset with me...oops.

From Westside Books:

Box set of the Emily of New Moon trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Miraculous Adventure of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

From JH Gordon Books

Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin

A Novel Journal-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

From Epic Books:

The House of Months and Years by Emma Trevayne

From The Printed Word:

The Great Camouflage: Writings of Dissent (1941-1945) by Suzanne Césaire (edited by Daniel Maximin, translated by Keith L. Walker)

Where it Hurts by Sarah De Leeuw

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

From Bryan Prince Bookseller:

The Tale of a No-Name Squirrel by Radhika R. Dhariwal

Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce

grit LIT 2017

It's been a couple of weeks, but I went to grit LIT, Hamilton's Writers and Readers Festival. I have never been before and made the most of it by attending 8 events: Justice for All?, Identity and Self-Determination, World's Away, Reading in the Digital Age, Literary Salon with Ivan Coyote, Our Canadian Families, Hamilton Writes, and Telling our Own Stories. I bought five books (read two so far). It would have been more if my sister and dad didn't attend the final day with me and by four books between them as well. I had a great time listening to authors reading their work, and I was introduced to many writers I have never read or even heard of. It was a great weekend, and I will definitely be attending next year's!

Here's my haul:

Heyday by Marnie Woodrow

Gutenberg's Fingerprint by Merilyn Simonds

Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay 

Even This Page is White by Vivek Shraya

2016: A Book Year in Review and 2017: Reading Goals

My only reading goal I wrote about on this blog was my rereadathon book series goal. I wanted to reread The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente, A Series of Unfortunate by Lemony Snicket, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and The Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. I did not read any of these, so there, that's out of the way.

So what did I read?

Graphic novels and Neil Gaiman and these go together.

I was reintroduced Neil Gaiman by his wife, Amanda Palmer. I read her book, The Art of Asking, at the very beginning of the year. After reading it, I made a note to:

a) check out her music (which I did, went to a concert of hers, loved it)

b) get back into Neil Gaiman.

I first listened to A Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer and was reintroduced to how wonderful Gaiman's voice is. My library has a lot of his audio books read by him, so I got those.  I listened to Coraline, Fortunately the Milk, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, and The View from the Cheap Seats.

I had never read any of Neil Gaiman's comic work, but I made it a priority to pick up The Sandman. So glad I did! I read the original 10 volumes over the course of my summer holidays and went on to read a Death bind up and the prequel Sandman Overture.

What can I say about The Sandman? It is brilliant. The blend of original and old mythology, the dark fantasy, the great storytelling, the beautiful art, everything was just so new and exciting. I loved the Endless. All of them had moments that made me stop and put the book down to think. The characters that just showed up for a story arc to the characters that were in the story throughout the entire series all were people I wanted to learn more about, complex and grey. I am just so happy to have found this series and I can't recommend it more highly. Read it if you haven't!

After that amazing introduction, graphics novels became a priority. Saga, I Hate Fairyland, Alex and Ada, Maus, Fun Home I picked up this year because I was enjoying Sandman so much. I don't regret a single one. I also read many of Neil Gaiman's short work that had been turned into graphic novels.

So yeah this year has mostly been Neil Gaiman and graphic novels.

Anything else?

Yep. A few novels. My favourites were The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and everything by Frances Hardinge.

Frances Hardinge is my favourite author of 2016. I read three of her books this year: Twilight Robbery, Cuckoo Song, and Gullstruck Island. All got at least four stars and recommended to everyone. Friends, family, teachers, strangers, didn't matter, I rec'd this book to anyone who expressed interest. I travelled to England in May and was sorely tempted to buy all of her books. I ended up taking home the two books of hers I have still not read yet, The Lie Tree and Verdigris Deep. I plan to read both in 2017.

Speaking of 2017, do I have any goals, considering how poorly I kept the last ones?

I never learn it turns out, so here are my 2017 reading goals:

1. Read more non-fiction. Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon, The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, and This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein are on my TBR, but I want to read at least 5 non-fiction books this year that aren't school related.

2. Read Gone With the Wind. It's not mine, but I have had it for years and really should get around to returning it. Also, it has been long enough that scars the movie left no longer haunt me. (I liked the film, It's gorgeous. However, it is an ordeal to watch.)

3. Actually blog this year. Self explanatory. I didn't blog at all this year. I am pretty bad at this whole thing, so my hope post once a month at least, hopefully more.

So there it is, my 2016 reading year and my 2017 goals. Hope you enjoyed.

2016 Reading Goal: A Great RE-Read-a-thon

Disclaimer: I have no idea really what read-a-thons are, but I decided to use it anyway. 

I have decided to reread a bunch of series this year, most of them are from my childhood. I am rereading for a variety of different reasons, listed below are the series and the reason why I want to reread them.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: Like a lot of people, I was introduced to my love of reading through another person, namely my mom. Narnia was the first series we ever got really invested in together and it remains one of my favourite series of all time. We then proceeded to read other series including; The Land of Elyon, The Children of the Lamp, and His Dark Materials. I don't think I will be rereading these other series this year, except His Dark Materials.

Fairyland by Catherine M. Valente: The last book is coming out this year and is probably my most anticipated book of 2016! I want to refresh my memory of the previous four books. It is that simple.

The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: I don't have Netflix, but I am still super excited for the new adaptation, so I thought I would hop on the new SUE resurgence. I have tried to reread this series before but the constant definitions annoyed me. Hopefully with renewed determination I will plough through them. I did love them the first time I read them.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor: I was in love with Taylor's writing not so long ago, but I fell out of love with YA (and into middle grade oddly enough) and so have been putting the last book of this trilogy on hold. It has been long enough that I need to reread the first two books in the series.

The Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner: I have recently rediscovered this series while browsing Goodreads. My interest has been peaked. I also felt like I was not old enough to appreciate these books when I originally read them, and I never got to the end of this series.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I could not leave it off the list. Also, I have never read the entire series. My mom read it to the family and then I started to read myself in highschool or middle school and got as far as The Order of the Phoenix before turning to somthing else.

So those are my series rereads that I would like to do in 2016. I don't know if I will be able to read all of them, but this is a fun challenge and I have already started rereading books this year with Plain Kate by Erin Bow. I am also thinking of rereading a couple of Kate DiCamillo's books. She is one of my favourite children's author, and The Miraculous Adventure of Edward Tulane is one of my favourite books of all time.

Book Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

......I stayed up until 2 am to finish this book.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is like a beautiful, melancholy piece of music, a cello concerto showing off the most emotional and human of the string instuments.

This is my second delve into magical realism (I think, I don't really know the definition). My first was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
 and so the strangness of Ava's story didn't throw me as much as it would have if I had not been inroduced to magical realism in an even stranger book. Both are also multigenerational so there is that similarity.

I reallyed loved this book. The writing is just fantastic. Walton never faltered in her exposition of this wild, crazy tale. I connected with all the characters especially the three main women of the novel. For me, the three women are the best thing about this book. They are all so strong and fascinating. Sometimes incredibly stupid, but always pushing through the hard times usually made by their own mistakes. It is very inspiring to see each of them living through all the storms that come their way.

The supporting cast is also diverse and engaging. Gabe...ack my baby! Henry, Cardigan, everyone just so wonderful. There is not a single stereotype in this cast of characters. Everyone surprised me in their development. And this all goes to show that this stroy is extremely well crafted.

The skill that this story shows of a first time author is extraordinary. Walton's storytelling is tight. Everything plays out well paced, and the fact that she keeps this story in line is just impressive. 300 pages is quite short for a four generational story, but I felt I saw everything I needed to see. I did not need more or less. I also aprreciated how she handled the darkness of the story. Many horrible, sad, violent things happen in this story, but they are handled with the right amount of brutal reality without losing the tone of the rest of the book.

Yes. I loved this book. I can't wait to read more by Leslye Walton, and I highly recommend you read this book if you have not picked it up already.

Comfort reads

In the evening of an all round horrible day, I have a couple of books I always pick up that put me in a better mood. These are all children's/middle grade reads because they are books I have had for a very long time and have read multiple times. I recommend all these books to people who are having a bad day. So without futher ado, these are my comfort reads:

1. The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

As you can see from the cover and the title this is a Christmas book. It is one of my favourites of all time! I have probably read it cover to cover at least 7 times and numerous other times to read my favourite passages. The story is about Holly Claus, the daughter of Santa Claus, and her quest to break the curse put on her and her land by an evil sorceror at the time of her birth. Holly's journey leads her to our world where she brings her own special ability of allowing people to believe in their dreams.

2. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

I read this after the movie came out because the library got a movie cover version of the book and before that it was rather scarce. I loved it. It tells the story of Maria Merryweather who after being orphaned comes to live with her cousin at Moonacre. Moonacre would be heaven on earth but for the Men of the Dark Woods. Maria teams up with a childhood playmate as well as a group of animal companions to save the day. This book is the 1946 Carnegie Medal winner and is best known for inspiring J. K. Rowling to write the detailed food scenes in Harry Potter. Now if that doesn't make you want to pick it up what will?

3. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

I have read this at least three times. It is about princess is very bored, so she runs away to work for a dragon. How cool is that?! Cimorene is a great character. She is strong and very smart. Her friendship with Kabul (the dragon) are one of my favourites in literature.

4. Ballet Shoes by Noel Stratfield

As a kid, my family would go and see The Nutcracker every year at Christmas. Ever since I have loved ballet and the theatre. This story is about three orphans who are adopted by a fossil collector. They grow up in a big house in London and when money gets tight they enroll in Madame Fidolia's Children's Academy for Dancing and Stage Training. Each finds their own talents and grow up on the stage. My favourite sister has always been Posy.

5. The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne is LMM's most famous heroine, but Sara Stanley is the girl that captured my PEI heart. This book is about two boys who are sent to live with their cousins in Prince Edward Island. One of their cousins is the Story Girl whose captivating voice gives a gift for storytelling. This is reportedly LMM's favourite of her books, and I can see why. It is has a wonderful chrarcters and full of beautiful  descriptions of PEI that LMM is famous for.

6. Fergus Crane by Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart

The only book with a male main character to have made this list is Fergus Crane. It is a wonderful middle grade collaboration between the two men who wrote The Edge Chronicles. The story is of a boy named Fergus who has to save his classmates.  The illustrations are just fantastic.

7. The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

This is probably the shortest book of this list.  It is just charming. Very simple and sweet, it tells the story of Princess Amy who is blessed/cursed at her christening to be ordinary. Being ordinary allows her to go on her own adventure and on it she makes her life anything but ordinary.

If you have any more recommendations, please put them in the comments below!