January 2026 Wrap Up: Books, Life Updates, and Travel Plans

January was a relatively good month. Calm and cozy, just the way I like it. I also managed to check off a few goals I had set for myself, so overall it felt like a really good start to the year. Check out Books I read, Life Updates, and Travel Plans in this January 2026 Wrap Up post.

January 2026 in Life

Nothing much happened, and honestly, an uneventful month is often the best kind of month. We celebrated the Kite Festival mid-January and it turned out lovely. We also marked our 13th wedding anniversary with family, simple and sweet.

My kid has entered the phase of asking very interesting and increasingly tricky questions. Just a few days ago, she spotted the word “Honeymoon” on a smart TV ad and casually asked, “What’s honeymoon?” I told her people go on honeymoon after a wedding. Naturally, the next question followed: “What do they do?” That one made me pause and mentally scramble for a suitable answer. The best I could manage was, “It’s adult things they do.” I definitely do not remember asking such bold questions as a child, and if I had, I know the answer would have been a firm, “None of your concern or you’re too small to ask such questions.”

Another highlight of January was picking up a brand-new hobby. I started crocheting and actually finished two small projects. They are far from perfect, and I restarted more times than I can count, but I am learning as I go. At least now I can hold the hook and yarn without feeling completely clueless. I am excited to get better at this skill. Who knows, maybe one day it could even turn into a tiny business. For now, I am just enjoying the process of learning new stitches, techniques, and tips.

Here are some pics of my completed projects

A limp balm cover that i can hang on my purse handle. I had not sew in the ends when I took picture and that lid/hat over the body of the cover is wonky but my kid likes it so she is keeping it.

This turned out way trickier because not all granny squares were of same size and it was pain to align them for that final stitch and also to make it the same size around the book. I definitely need to be better at this and next time I’m using only one color and will make one big granny square for the book cover than having 6 smaller ones and stitching them.

One look and mom said these are wrong. I took the second line on wrong side. 😪 But yeah I’m keeping them.

January 2026 Reading Stats

Books Read in January 2026

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf,
I started the month with Mrs Dalloway. I do not know why I do this to myself when I already know classics take me longer to read, even the shorter ones. And Mrs Dalloway turned out to be harder than I expected. It was interesting to follow one day in the lives of different characters, to hear their monologues and see how complex and flawed they all are. But I still did not enjoy the stream of consciousness style.

The sudden switches between perspectives and descriptions of London often felt confusing. The long internal monologues slowed down the reading, and more than once I had to turn to Google just to understand what was happening and why it mattered. So yes, this might be an unpopular opinion, but this is a book I respected more than I enjoyed. ⭐⭐⭐

Promise Me This by Inaara Sheikh
Promise Me This is a dramatic and emotional read with strong familial bonds and layered female characters. I enjoyed reading about a conservative Muslim family, their customs, and the growth of the characters. However, the story suffered from overexplanation and repetition, especially in both Imaan and Haider’s POVs, which made the pacing feel uneven. I also did not like Imaan’s mother at all. Still, I am curious about the other sisters and their love stories, so I will continue with the series. ⭐⭐⭐

Pickleballers by Ilana Long
Pickleballers did not turn out as good as I expected. At one point I honestly did not want to continue, but I still finished it. The only part I genuinely liked was everything related to pickleball, the game, the rules, the community, and the tournament. As for the rest, the less said the better. ⭐⭐

Timeless Tales from Marwar by Vijaydan Detha
Timeless Tales from Marwar is a beautifully layered work of translated fiction that brings together Rajasthani culture, legends, and traditions with honesty and heart. It is the kind of book that reminds you why folktales survive for centuries. They may change languages, but they never lose their soul. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Best Book of the Month: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
I am honestly kicking myself for not reading this earlier. I actually started it two or three years ago but somehow could not get past the first few chapters. Maybe I was not in the right mindset then, or maybe I was distracted by other books.

This time, I could not put it down. I also listened to the audiobook alongside reading, which helped a lot. The Forty Rules of Love is thoughtful, soul-soaked, and deeply layered fiction about Sufi wisdom, spirituality, and falling in love with God, life, and humanity. It may not be for everyone, but it certainly invites reflection, and that alone made it a powerful reading experience for me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tongue-in-Cheek by Khyrunnisa A.
Tongue-in-Cheek is a delightful collection of realistic fiction inspired by the author’s own life and observations, written in her trademark humorous style. The stories cover a wide range of subjects such as health, food, kitchen appliances, weddings, animals, home life, shopping, and technology, making the book both entertaining and highly relatable. It is a light, cheerful read that reminds us that even the most ordinary days have a funny side if we choose to see it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

I started the Scared Sexy Collection of Novellas and read the first two books:

Hot For Slayer by Ali Hazelwood
I thought I loved Bride, which was a full-length novel, but after reading this vampire story of only 100 pages, it pushed Bride down to second place in my paranormal romance ranking. I absolutely loved this short story and honestly wished it had been longer. I would have happily stayed with these characters for a few hundred more pages. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Falling by Christina Lauren
Hot for Slayer set the bar high as the first novella in the series, and I was delighted to find Christina Lauren matching that standard with Falling. It is a hot, dreamy, and romantic paranormal story. Short, fast, and thoroughly satisfying. Another novella I wish had been a full-length novel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I did not manage to write individual review posts for any of these since I needed to post reviews of books I read in December which I did throughout the month. But I am hoping to catch up and share proper reviews in February.

Discussion Posts in January 2026

Fantasy as Literature- Why I Will Always Take Fantasy Seriously

Beauty With Teeth: What I Want From Fae Fantasy

Romantasy vs Fantasy Book with Romance – A Reader Perspective

Individualism Over Group Belonging – A quiet reflection

I had set a goal of one discussion post a month. Somehow I surprised myself and wrote four. But I am not planning any for February, partly because I am not in the mood and partly because I am going on a ten-day vacation next week and my brain is already in holiday mode.

February Plan

I am heading to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand next week for a ten-day trip. So I will not be blog hopping for the rest of the month. I plan to schedule all my review posts this weekend before I leave. See you all at the end of the month, most likely with a travel post from the trip.

What was your favorite read in January 2026?
What’s your plan for Feb?

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