Despite the 40 degree+ days I have had a great reading week!
I started the first week of my Summer 2026 TBR Challenge by reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.
First of all, this book is just so beautiful- perhaps one of the most pretty books I own. I have been putting off reading it for quite some time, which I have recently realised is a problem of mine: I delay reading books I think I will love out of fear of being disappointed. There are so many books that I have done this with (most recently:The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, Papyrus by Irene Vallejo, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. All 5-stars!).
I originally picked it up thanks to a recommendation from Pauliina, AKA The Bookaholic Dreamer, who I can always trust to have excellent taste. She picked it as one of her top books of 2022, which is probably when I bought it, meaning it has been on my shelves for almost 4 shameful years. Part of the reason I’m doing my own TBR challenge is to get out of this habit and to read the books I buy in a timely manner.
There was so much to like about this Chinese mythology inspired fantasy book. The characters were so well described and interesting. I loved the setting, the magic was broad and not too bogged down in details. I was fascinated by the world and could happily have spent far longer exploring it.
However, I do feel like the pacing of this book was absolutely wild. I cannot fathom how so much action was packed into the 500 pages. I’m simultaneously impressed and a bit shellshocked that we got what some authors would have dragged into a multi-book series (looking at you, Fourth Wing), all within the pages of one book. But yes, it was a bit too much all all once. We never got any time to sit in the discomfort of the situations our MC found herself in before she was off gallivanting again. There were lots of emotionally impactful moments that were hurried over and as such, although the stakes couldn’t be much higher, some moments didn’t always feel as impactful as they should have.
Overall, though, I had a great time with this. It’s imaginative, lots of fun, with rich world-building. I just wish it had been willing to slow down every now and then and let some of the bigger moments have some breathing room.
This week I also started Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan which I’m reading for Henry Eliot’s book club for July. Although I didn’t plan on using it for my Summer TBR Challenge, I realised that I may have gotten a bit too ambitious with my picks, and opted to count it for the prompt to read a book under 250 pages. We’re reading it over two weeks and the first half has been an enjoyable but slightly uncomfortable read, perfect for the 41 degree heat we’ve been experiencing this week.
Bonjour Tristesse is intensely melancholic but set over lazy afternoons, and the freedom of summer. I’m at the halfway point in it right now and am enjoying it but also a bit concerned for the main character in all her naivety.
It follows seventeen-year-old Cécile as she spends the summer with her widowed father, and his much younger girlfriend living a carefree life that begins to shift with the arrival of a close family friend to join them on holiday.
There were so many points at which I had to stop and remember that Françoise Sagan wrote this at just eighteen years old. It is very readable, but there’s a subtle undercurrent that is very sad amidst the teenage angst. It’s clever but quite frustrating to read with its cast of emotionally troubled characters. I look forward to seeing how things pan out in the second half.
Finally this week I started Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I picked up this lovely vintage copy in a second-hand bookshop in St Andrews back in 2021, and it’s been patiently waiting on my shelves ever since. It felt about time I finally gave it the attention it deserved.
This is one of the extremely rare occasions where I’ve actually watched a film adaptation before reading the book. I’m talking, of course, about the 1995 adaptation with its incredible cast. It’ll be interesting to see how the novel compares now that those performances are so firmly lodged in my mind.
Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2026
I’ve seen this tag floating around BookTube a few times, so I thought I’d hunt down the questions and do my own speedy version over here. Somehow we’re already halfway through the year…
Best book you’ve read so far in 2026?
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
No contest. Weird, hilarious, scathing in its satire, and unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Every chapter surprised me.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2026?
Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 15 by ONE.
My husband bought me the whole series during my pregnancy when I was finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on novels, and it ended up being the perfect series to continue reading postpartum too. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever read: I genuinely laughed out loud so many times.
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to?
Whistler by Ann Patchett.
Ann Patchett hasn’t let me down yet. The Dutch House is one of my all-time favourite novels, and I also really loved Tom Lake when I read it last year, so this is an automatic read for me.
Most anticipated release of the second half of 2026?
I’m feeling very out of the loop with new releases this year, so nothing has really come to mind.
Biggest disappointment of 2026?
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent.
It completely lost the momentum of the first book. Everything felt stretched out, and I found myself getting bored, which was such a shame after loving The Serpent and the Wings of Night.
A close second would be Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’ve enjoyed all of her books that I’ve read, but this one just never grabbed me.
Biggest surprise?
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.
I expected that I would enjoy it but I didn’t expect to absolutely adore it. It’s so sharp, perceptive and devastating, especially the ending.
Favourite new author (debut or new to you)?
Again, I’m going with Edith Wharton.
I can already tell this won’t be the last Wharton novel I read. Her observations about society and human relationships feel just as relevant today as they must have over a century ago, and she somehow manages to be both incredibly witty and heartbreaking.
Newest favourite character?
Behemoth from The Master and Margarita.
A giant talking cat who drinks vodka, causes absolute chaos and is a total hoot, despite being a companion for Satan himself.
Book that made you cry?
The Age of Innocence. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers, but I found it devastating.
Book that made you happy?
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent.
I had such a brilliant time with this one. I love vampire books but somehow keep ending up being disappointed by them. This one absolutely delivered. It was exciting, atmospheric and just ridiculously fun to read.
Favourite book-to-movie adaptation of 2026 you’ve seen?
I’m struggling to think if I’ve even watched a film all year! I’m much more of a book person than a film person, so adaptations tend to pass me by.
Favourite post/review you’ve written this year?
I finally finished a post that has been in my drafts for two years!
Most beautiful book you bought or received this year?
I’m on a fairly successful quiet book-buying ban while I work through my physical TBR, so there haven’t actually been many new additions to my shelves. I did receive a few books for my birthday from my sisters, though, and I think Chlorine by Jade Song is probably the most beautiful of the bunch. I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Books you need to read by the end of this year?
I’m continuing my mission to read through my entire physical TBR this year, and I still have 34 books to go. The three I’m most determined to get to before the end of the year are:
- Mina’s Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa
- The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
- The Way of Kings: Part Two by Brandon Sanderson
We’ll see how many I actually manage…
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next Wednesday with my post on Week 2 of the Summer TBR Challenge.
Read While It Rains 