I must have been busy doing holiday stuff in December because I only read three books. That's the fewest in a month all year; the next fewest was five in September.
- The Poppy War by RF Kuang. The first in a trilogy of "grimdark" military fantasy, this novel follows Rin, a gifted orphan who enters an elite military academy. She discovers that she has supernatural powers and this catapults her into the war that grips her country. Didn't love it.
- A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear. Another Maisie Dobbs, this one jumps forwards a few years to find a struggling Maisie trying to lose herself, first in India and then, on her way home to England, in Gibraltar. Thinking to just solve the murder of a local photographer, she finds herself drawn back towards the machinations of the British secret service as WWII looms ever nearer.
- How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristin Perrin. The second novel in the Castle Knoll murder mystery series, Annie spends the inheritance she received in the first book by investigating a pair of murders. These are enjoyable but lightweight mysteries, not quite to the level of Maisie Dobbs or Inspector Gamache.
So I ended up reading 106 books this past year. I didn't have a goal, just wanted to track how many books I would read in 2025. I have a goal for 2026 though: more.
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