Okay, hold onto your hats! This one’s a big ‘un, again already — I’ve had a very bookish week!
Books acquired this week
Last weekend I had my annual vision test and OCT scan, after which I always go to the bookshop. To, you know, prove my eyes still work. Look, I swear it makes sense. So I got myself a whole bunch of books, after saying I was only going to look at the non-fiction, because there were a couple of discounts and I had collected 10+ stamps to get money off as well.
Without further ado, let’s start with the manga, manhwa and manhua I’ve got this week (that’s Japanese, Korean and Chinese comics, respectively!).
I read the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation light novels recently, so it’ll be fun to explore the world more visually in the manhua. There’s a lot more in the series, so I don’t know if I’ll get the rest soon or not — I guess it depends on how much I like it as an adaptation, and maybe whether I can spend my Bookshop.org credit on it. Then there’s the first volume of the Heaven Official’s Blessing manhua, which I’ve read online but wanted to own. I hope they’ll bring more of the series out soon.
Finally, the next volume of the Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint manhwa that I didn’t have yet, since I’ve been going through those apace lately, and the new volume of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, since volume six of the manga just released. These should keep me busy a bit! I do get a lot of manga/comics via Comics Plus/Library Pass, but they don’t seem to partner with these publishers, and anyway I’d probably want copies for my collection, so I couldn’t resist the urge to stock up.
Buuut that’s not all. I also got a few other books, a mix of fiction and non-fiction:
I’d been thinking about requesting Daedalus is Dead, Katabasis and Fate’s Bane as ARCs, so picking those up was an easy choice (especially with Katabasis heavily marked down!). Monsterland and A History of England in 25 Poems were more random choices, but I also love “the history of X in Y objects”-type non-fiction, so I’m very much looking forward to that one.
Since we’re on the topic of poetry, I did get a couple of books from the National Poetry Library this week, as I wrote about yesterday. They’re both debut collections, as I understand it, with one of them being native British and the other Ukrainian. I’m very curious about both, and might spend some time digging in this weekend.
This one’s also from the library, but my local one this time. I’ve seen mixed reviews for this but wanted to give it a shot anyway because the idea amused me:
Finally — yes, just a little more — I got a couple more review copies as well, this time via Netgalley. I’d requested them thanks to seeing people enthuse about them in Top Ten Tuesday posts last week, and was a little surprised to actually get them!
Stay for a Spell sounds like a fun cosy concept, while Princeweaver has me a little wary, since one of the blurbs says it is “a lush reimagining of the English conquest of Wales”. That could be interesting and nuanced, or it could be an absolute mess. I guess we’ll find out!
Irritatingly, I’d forgotten to check before I requested it, and it looks like Stay for a Spell is a PDF, and DRM-locked with Readium, so I can’t get it onto either of my ereaders, or even my e-ink tablet, and will have to read it on my PC. I wish publishers wouldn’t do this; I have no idea how readers are supposed to comfortably read these. Maybe on a tablet or something, I guess? But I don’t have one, so suffering it is.
Just a little note…
Related to my earlier references to my annual vision test/scan, let me just pause a moment to emphasise the importance of eye health, using UV protection, and considering getting eye tests every few years even if you haven’t needed glasses in the past. Conditions like macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma aren’t related to whether you have 20/20 vision or not, and while some of the conditions are often associated with aging, they aren’t always. Early diagnosis can really improve your outlook.
Having volunteered for the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) for some years, and having a potential genetic risk factor (a parent with early-onset macular degeneration), this one’s incredibly important to me. If you’re not getting your eye health checked, please consider it, and tack on the extra couple of quid for an OCT scan if it isn’t already standard at your optician, assuming you can afford to. And make sure to protect your eyes from UV light, even in winter, with sunglasses, hats, etc: UV light is a major contributor to several eye conditions, including common issues of aging like cataracts.
Okay, off the soapbox now, back to the books.
Posts from this week
There have been posts a-plenty this week, as I went back to working through some of the massive backlog of written reviews that are ready to post, while trying to keep some variety going. First up, the reviews:
- Fantasy romance: Swordcrossed, by Freya Marske (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Classic mystery: Invisible Weapons, by John Rhode (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Non-fiction: Like: A History of the World’s Most Hated (And Misunderstood) Word, by Megan C. Reynolds (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
- Non-fiction: The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned, by John Strausbaugh (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
- Fantasy manhwa: Solo Leveling, vol 12, by Dubu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Fantasy romance light novel: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, vol 2, by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Classic mystery: Death at Breakfast, by John Rhode (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
There were other posts as well, of course, so here they are:
- Top Ten Tuesday: 2026 Goals
- What Are You Reading Wednesday
- PSA for UK-Dwellers: National Poetry Library
If you’re interested in poetry and live in the UK, I definitely recommend checking out that last post for more info about how to access the National Poetry Library’s collections! I didn’t know about them and it is a most excellent discovery.
What I’m reading
Given I’ve had the week off, you’d think I’d have managed a lot of reading, but part of the time I really wasn’t in the mood, and part of the time I spent rereading manga — namely, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, since volume six is out and I’d forgotten where the series got up to. Still, I’ve read a few books in the last week, and here’s the usual sneak peek at the ones I finished and intend to review on the blog!
I’m not sure what I’ll be reading this weekend and into the new week (which is also a week off for me), but it’ll probably include reading more of T. Kingfisher’s Snake-eater, which I started this week. I have a lot to do if I want to get a blackout in the BookSpinBingo challenge this month, so maybe more of those books?
But, as always… it’ll be down to my whim in the moment. Nothing’s as important as making sure I do actually enjoy what I’m reading, or at least the process. (I’ll sometimes finish books that I don’t like per se because there’s some interest in doing so, even if it’s just to write a good review to diss ’em.)
Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.
I hear mixed things about Katabasis, so I’ll look forward to your thoughts! And have you ever tried converting a PDF to an epub? Assuming epub is the right format for your reader. You can find free online converters and I’ve done it several times. I refuse to read a book on my computer, lol.
I haven’t actually seen people talking about Katabasis much yet. I still need to read Babel, which people were very mixed on… (In the way where some people were hugely enthusiastic and others really not.)
PDFs encrypted with Readium can’t be converted into anything else, nor even transferred to another device. (And while there’s stuff out there that can break some DRM for personal use, Readium is as far as I know unbroken.)
I’m glad you stocked up on books. I loved Babel, and even though I just liked Katabasis, I definitely think it is worth a read.
I do not like reading books on my computer. There are too many other distractions. I hope you are able to get the formatting resolved.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: What Mad Universe
I really need to get round to giving Babel a try, too! I’m curious about it, and actually got a copy as soon as it was out, but somehow just… couldn’t get round to it.
I’m not a fan of reading on my PC either, it can cause so much eye strain and it’s just not as comfy as curling up with a physical book or an ereader. I’ll figure something out, I’m sure.
Wise words on eye health – hope everything came back clear.
I’m another one still to pick up Katabasis, or Babel, but both on my list.
calypte recently posted…One Way Witch – Nnedi Okorafor
All good for now! We can but keep checking every year, because we don’t know if it’s genetic (it doesn’t match any known markers, but that only means we can’t definitively rule it in or out for me and my sister) and I’m getting to the danger zone age-wise.
I really need to get to both, but… also always as my whimsy takes me.
Yay for new books, it’s always a win. I hope you enjoy your week off!
Cindy’s Book Corner recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #199 Sunday Post #196 Sunday Salon #190
The first week off has been good so far! Lots of chill time. Less reading than I’d hope, but I’ve started to find my way back into it. Mostly I’m just trying to de-stress, and I think that’s working.
On the UV protection in winter: this goes double in places with snow! It’s something folks neglect (one does feel like an asshole wearing sunglasses in winter…), but snow blindness is a real problem, and snow is *great* at giving you UV radiation (per Health Canada: “Fresh white snow can reflect over 80% of the UV from the sun”). The UV index is lower in winter, but what’s getting in your eyes is about the same.
I really need to get my eyes checked, but it’s going to have to wait until after my foot heals.
HarpGriffin recently posted…A body/fat positive book
I am (by order of my optometrist now, but since before that) a permanent user of reactions lenses, which helps avoid having to think about it or worry about what people think of it. I got over the self-consciousness about it because it just happens automatically and I don’t even really notice anymore.
Not cheap, of course, but nor are prescription sunglasses anyway (which I would need), and the convenience paid for itself even when money was a lot tighter for me.
I didn’t need glasses until I got a job as an office manager and was on a computer most of the time.
Changing stuff like that can definitely reveal unexpected new issues! My sister found out she needed glasses when she started doing driving lessons, after getting along fine without any correction up to then.
Forgot to say that I’ve had We’ll Prescribe You A Cat for a few years and haven’t read it yet. I need to start on the books I’ve had for a while and let the newer ones sit for a while.
I hope you have a great week!
I try to do a mix of both, but being such a mood reader, sometimes it doesn’t happen, haha.
I’m happy to see you also have Stay for a Spell! I hope we both LOVE it.
It sounds like a lot of fun!
Good job on getting your eyes checked! I will be doing the same soon. No known eye problems, but I take a medication that rarely can damage vision. Looks like a great book haul!
Olivia recently posted…Weekly Reading Update 1-24-2026
I’m short-sighted anyway, so normally I’d get a check every two years now I’m an adult — but with the additional genetic risk factor, we’re super careful and do the OCT scan as well to make sure everything’s healthy. That kind of monitoring is super important in cases like that and when you’re taking medications that can cause that kind of issue! So far so good for me…
Monsterland sounds interesting, and I just added Stay for a Spell to my TBR–it looks so fun!
Karis @ This Side of Storyland recently posted…The Sunday Salon #1
I’m definitely looking forward to settling down with Stay for a Spell, the concept really amuses me!
I echo your thoughts on the importance of eye testing. My mother-in-law was rushed to hospital with intense eye pain in her mid-fifties with severe glaucoma – it was horrible for her and frightening for the rest of the family. I love the look of A History of England in 25 Poems – what a cool idea! Have a great week:)
Eye tests and especially the OCT scan can catch a lot of these things early, which helps give so many more options! (Even if sometimes it’s just to slow down onset or minimise symptoms.) I feel like a lot of people get their eyes tested as a kid here in the UK and then never think about it again, but an eye test every few years is such a simple way to take care of eye health.
Lol I mentioned We’ll Prescribe You a Cat in my post today. I would like to read it too. Stay for a Spell sounds good too!
It’s always funny when something suddenly starts popping up all over the place when you’ve just thought about it, haha.
That is a big haul! I need to get my eyes tested but it is very stressful (they never get it right and I have to argue for a retest and a remake of glasses EVERY. SINGLE. TIME) so I try to avoid it as long as possible.
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/stacking-the-shelves-137/
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog recently posted…Sunday Post/Sunday Salon
Oof, that sounds weird! At my SpecSavers it’s always been fine, I just end up with glasses that match the prescription they found for me through my answers while looking at the screen. My previous pair turned out to have been causing eye strain due to oversharpening things a bit, but… that was partly down to my own answers preferring the sharper letters. Do you always go to the same optician or have you tried shopping around?
I listened to We’ll Prescribe You A Cat and the sequel. I thought they were good. I hope you enjoy it. I definitely understand getting books after an eye exam. It sounds like something I would do. Enjoy your book haul! Have a great week!
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I’ve heard good things about it! I don’t know if it’ll be to my taste, but I’ll give it a fair shot.
Re: books after my eye test/scan… after all, the bookshop is right there across from the optician! How can I resist?
I’m not really a fan of reading books on my computer either. I do everything on my iphone, read books, listen to audios, all of it. My daughter has an eye appt this week; mine is in May. She has had glasses since she was 9. I am old enough for Medicare but still don’t need glasses, other than for reading.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
I prefer e-ink screens for reading, or physical books — it’s easier on the eyes! Especially since I have a tendency to get very dry eyes.
I’ve been short-sighted all my life, but it’s pretty stable now; we just have to make sure I don’t develop macular degeneration.
I think books are the perfect treat after any appointment!
Exactly!
I just got the reminder on my phone this week for an eye check.
Monsterland is a really fascinating read, I hope you enjoy it as I did.
Wishing you a great reading week
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out recently posted…It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon
I’m enjoying Monsterland so far, though I’m only nibbling at it. I realised I have another book by the same author, too, The Fairy Tellers.
One of our major publishers here doesn’t allow the Send to Kindle option on Netgalley. I try very hard to not even look at their books because it irritates me so much!
You got a great book haul there!
Have a great week!
Marg @ The Intrepid Reader recently posted…This week….
Yeaaah, no send to Kindle/send to Kobo option is something I normally try to remember and steer clear of, but sometimes I click overenthusiastically without remembering to check…
I hope your eye tests went well. Only a few years ago I discovered I have a specific eye condition (a prism) that makes it harder for me to see depth and I really wish it had been discovered earlier as it would’ve made my life easier knowing this earlier. So I am with you on encouraging people to get their eyes tested as it’s so important for various reasons. I am not sure what a OCT scan is and if they do those here, will have to google it. Nice haul you got. Stay for Spell looks so cozy and got me curious, will have to look that one up. And the title of We’ll Prescribe You a Cat definitely got my curious about that one.
Lola recently posted…Review: Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran
Thank you, all good for now!
An OCT scan is “optical coherence tomography”, which builds up a 3D picture of the eye including blood vessels and the optic nerve. For me they use it especially to check the integrity of the macula lutea, the part of the eye that is responsible for central and colour vision.
Stay for a Spell does sound so cosy and fun, I’m looking forward to it.
I hope your eyes are okay. I also hope you like Katabasis because it’s on my TBR spreadsheet. 🙂
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