February reading has started, but everyone’s fun monthly wrap-up posts have convinced me to take a moment to reflect on my January reading and blogging!
January in general:
January started out busy, which is what usually happens when you do customer support for a company that helps people stick to their goals. So many people have resolutions! Mid-January I had a big push work-wise to get stuff done before having two weeks off, to ensure I didn’t come back to a pile of catch-up work, which was — in retrospect — a little bit overkill, and definitely quite stressful.
My time off was a staycation, and it was pretty good, though I definitely just spent some of it recovering from having been really busy, and still kinda winding down from 2025 (which featured big life events both good and bad, like moving, losing my grandmother, completing my fourth degree, etc). I didn’t do a lot of reading compared to past holidays, especially since I also used the time for various health and dental appointments (blech). After I saw a physiotherapist about my wrist (injured back in August 2025), doing the physio started sapping all my energy, too…
It wasn’t a bad start to the reading year, all the same, as the stats will show!
Reading stats:
Total books read:Â 31
Total pages read:Â 7,306
Rereads: 7
ARCs:Â 2
Series finished:Â 1
Books owned pre-2026: 13
Books owned from 2026: 6
Borrowed books: 6
Fiction: 24
Non-fiction: 5
Poetry: 2
Comics, manga, manhwa, etc: 14
 
I read an average of one book every day, and read at least 100 pages every day, though the amount I read was very up and down, even during my time off! I mostly read fiction, heavy on the comics this month (largely manga and manhwa), but non-fiction continues to be a staple, as ever.
I admit I’m not quite sure if the print/digital stats are right, because I’m not always great at checking the editions…
The borrowed books include books from the library, Kobo Plus, the library’s Comics Plus offering, etc, now also including books from the National Poetry Library. Between that and my local library’s Comics Plus subscription, I feel really spoiled!
Progress on reading goals:
Overall total books read:Â 31/400
Overall total pages read:Â 7,306/100,000
Books read from backlog:Â 13/100
Books owned since 2026 and not yet started: 18/20
Not bad progress so far!
I had a bit of a book-buying spree in January, received a few gift books, and a few ARCs, with only borrowed books being exempt from the total. As a result, I’m on somewhat thin ice with my limit, for being so early in the year. Still, I don’t have plans to go to any bookshops in February, so I’ve definitely got time to catch up.
Blogging stats:
Partly thanks to my little holiday, even with trying to rest an injured wrist I made a lot of blog visits in 2026 so far, which helped make my own blog busy and fun. I’ve been slowly adding favourite blogs to an RSS reader, a couple at a time, trying to get better at keeping up with them — and better at commenting on blogs I like!
Views:Â 12.2k
Visitors:Â 11.3k
Likes: 277
Comments:Â 389
Reviews:Â 29
Other posts: 15
Most viewed posts:
- 133 views: Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, manga vol 1
- 67 views:Â Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, light novel vol 3
- 65 views:Â Top Ten Tuesday: 2026 Goals
- 64 views:Â Top Ten Tuesday: 2026 Releases (First Half)
- 63 views: Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Discoveries of 2025
You can see the influence of the anime adaptation of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter here, I’d say! I was a bit sad not to see more interest in A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, which also released an anime version in January… but maybe the new volume of The Other World’s Books’ manga adaptation helped it. It’s still great to see people discovering a series I found super fun. I actually reread the manga myself this month, to orient myself for volume 6!
My own favourite posts:
- 2025 End of Year Reading Survey
- PSA for UK-Dwellers: National Poetry Library
- Review – Like: A History of the World’s Most Hated (And Misunderstood) Word
- Review – Greenteeth
- Review –Â Spinosaur Tales: The Biology and Ecology of the Spinosaurs
- Review – The Green Ages
Next month I hope to highlight some reviews and posts from other blogs that I liked, but I didn’t save links with that in mind this month!
I’ll confess I’m curious whether anyone had a favourite post of mine this month, whether it was a gushing review or a critical one, or one of my posts for Top Ten Tuesday, or… something else? And if there’s something you’d like to see in my monthly wrap-up posts, I’m definitely curious to hear. This month was a random grab-bag of stats and ideas that jumped out at me, but I’m open to adding more, or removing bits people don’t find interesting.
It looks like you had a great month, despite being so busy. I try to read at least 50 pages a day, but I’d prefer 100 if I’m not too tired at night. I hope February is a good month too
I guess the busy time and the only somewhat busy holiday time counteracted each other, ahaha.
I saw “four degrees” and thought sorry, what? And then I saw 31 books, and thought “oh my gosh”! If that’s what you can achieve in a busy month, I hate to think what kind of crazy numbers you pull on a quiet month. Super impressive start to the year, and I look forward to seeing future wrap ups as well!
Keira @Keira’s Bookmark recently posted…January 2026 Wrap Up
Ah, yeah. ^^; Two in English Literature (BA and MA), one in Natural Sciences (Biology track, BSc), and one in Infectious Diseases (MSc). The MSc is the one I’m graduating from — all done with the course, marks and grades all in, but waiting on my graduation ceremonies. It’s super fancy, I even get two ceremonies, since I studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (meaning I graduate separately from the School, and then from the parent university, University of London). I’m gonna go to both and feel proud as a peacock that I made it, ahaha.
I think the holiday kinda counterbalanced the busiest times a bit, since there was still quite a bit of reading time even with appointments etc etc. I think my record in recent years was 50 books in October 2025, but I’ve always been a fast reader!
Oh wow, that’s super impressive?!?! Where do you even get the time or the money xD
I did my BA at SOAS, Uni of London but only the one graduation ceremony hehe
I’m also a pretty fast reader and I did read a lot of books per year when I was younger (we’re still talking 180 or so though, not 400!) but I just have too many other things to do, hobbies and stuff to scroll on my phone xD I could probably read more if I put my mind to it, although 50 in a month is insanely high, extremely impressive stuff!!! Definitely a genius.
Keira @Keira’s Bookmark recently posted…February 2026 TBR
Ahaha, first degree I had a loan, the second was the remains of my loan with some family help, and the last two were partly financed by working at the same time, partly by putting any money I got gifted into them, and partly by my mum sponsoring a few modules in my last year of each. I’ve been very lucky! Time-wise, I manage because I’m self-employed, though to be honest the MSc was a struggle because it had a strict time limit (five years), unlike the Open University (which is where I did my BSc).
When I read 50 in a month it was due mostly to a month-long challenge/game on Litsy, really. I got all swept up in the excitement of completing reading bingo cards and stuff like that. I’d definitely struggle to do it again on purpose.
Wow! You read a lot! If I had fewer hobbies, I’d read more. I love the stats StoryGraph generates. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Meezan recently posted…Friday Features 29
I too have other hobbies, like writing, Postcrossing, cycling, gaming (including high-end raiding in FFXIV, which is a significant time commitment!), sometimes cross-stitch and crochet, studying, card games and board games… I’m just also a fast reader, and I make the time for it.
Wow, you had a busy yet great month. I am so very sorry about the loss of your granny. I hope your family and you are all doing well. Also, fingers crossed your wrist gets better ASAP.
You are doing great with the reads and the blog. I am impressed and happy for you. Just don’t stress yourself too much at work and take it easy 🙂 Happy reading and have a wonderful week ahead <3
Lin recently posted…MINI REVIEW GRAPHIC NOVEL: SÉANCE TEA PARTY BY REIMENA YEE