Tag: book

My New Reading Goal for 2026 and Some of The Books On My TBR List

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Last month, I published a post about my reading goals for 2026 and how well I am doing with them. At the end of the post, I mentioned adjusting my reading goals from a set number of books I plan on reading before the end of the year to a different type of reading goal.

After some thought, I decided to change my reading goal for 2026. Even though I still feel like this new reading goal is ambitious, it is far more obtainable for me right now. Also, it motivates me more to read!

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5 Manga Series I Would Purchase Again If I Needed to Restart My Collection

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Over the years, I’ve watched and read social media content about different things a person would repurchase if they needed to restart their collection or restore what they lost for unforeseen reasons. Usually these lists serve as a way to talk about a person’s favorite items, what they wouldn’t buy again if given the chance, and why they made this decision.

I’ve seriously considered writing these posts for some time, but I didn’t. Whenever I would try writing these lists, I felt like I came off as conceded and, to me, it sounded more like I’m bragging about owning something instead of seriously talking about the items I own and if they are worth it or not. Sometimes I was far too harsh in my review of my writing. Sometimes I wasn’t.

So, in order to test the waters of this type of post, I decided to write one dedicated to the five manga series I would repurchase if I needed to restart my manga collection over again. Although I don’t talk much about reading manga online, I do enjoy reading it… sometimes. I’m very picky about my manga because they are more expensive than an average book and series can last for many years. This is why I need to really like the plot, art, stories, ect. or else I won’t bother owning it. (I made too many mistakes buying manga I hated over the years. This is my way of avoiding the mistakes of the past and not waisting money on things I really don’t like.)

Yet, there are still series that I don’t want to live without. They make me happy to read and I enjoy owning them… even if I don’t read them as frequently as I could. So, here are five manga series I would rebuy if I needed to start my collection over again.

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Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah Book Review

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Years ago, I read Where the Forest Meets the Stars for the first time. It is the debut novel of Glendy Vanderah. Since reading it for the first time, I have read many other books and forgot most of the book sans the main plot. I did remember it was a sad book that ended on a happy note.

Earlier this year, I found my copy of Where the Forest Meets the Stars and decided to reread it. I was hoping to remember what made me think it is a sad book and the parts of the plot I forgot. Once I finished reading it, I wanted to write a book review about it. Lately I have been reading and writing a lot of book reviews about young adult novels that are either for future post or the posts have already published. This book is very different than the young adult novels, so it is a nice break from all the teenager themed novels I’ve been reading!

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Gradchanted by Morgan Matson Book Review

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Around this time last year, Gradchanted was published. It is the second book in the book collaboration between young adult author Morgan Matson and Disney.

When it was published, I debated if I should purchase it. Although I have some praiseworthy things to say about the first book in the collaboration between Morgan and Disney, I didn’t like it a lot. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to purchase it to see how I’d like it. Since that time, I have read and reread the book a few times and decided to share some of my opinions in this review. I already reviewed Promchanted, the first book in the collaboration. You can read the review here.

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Promchanted by Morgan Matson Book Review

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In 2024, a new book written by Morgan Matson was published. The difference between this book and her previous books was this book was published by Disney and is inspired by Disneyland and Disney’s movie, Sleeping Beauty.

The book, called Promchanted, was a book I was very curious about. I didn’t know if I would like it or not, but I decided to purchase a copy of the book and read it.

Since then, a second book was published, Gradchanted also by Morgan Matson. I also purchased and read that book, but, since Promchanted was published first, I decided to write a review about Promchanted before Gradchanted.

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A Rant about K. L. Walther’s Books with Taylor Swift References in Them

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There has been some topics I wanted to write posts about, but never had the nerve or courage to write and publish. One of the posts is about how many Taylor Swift references in books that I’ve been reading. I don’t know why, but there are way too many references to Taylor for me to not notice… or form very strong opinions about.

I’ve been holding back because I’ve had some problems with Swifties in the past. (I don’t want to talk about it online, but I will say it didn’t happen online. It happened in real life and boy, the ones I met were not that nice.) Still, I’m at the point in time when I am so annoyed by these books I’ve been reading that I need to vent.

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Book Review: A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

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Back in 2015, while I was taking care of a relative, I saw A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick for sale at Walmart. I read a copy of my friend’s book, but I wasn’t able to finish it before I gave it back to them. Even though I didn’t finish it, I liked it and wanted to continue reading it. Since it was available to purchase that day, I bought it, took it home, and began to read it… but still never finished reading my copy of it.

In 2025, I found A Frozen Heart in my book collection with my bookmark from 2015 left inside it. By this time, I was able to read my friend’s copy and know what happened in the rest of the book. Since my copy was left in the same state I left it ten or so years prior, I decided to reread the book and write a review about it.

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Book Review: Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstron Courage

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Last year, I purchased a novel called Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstron Courage. It is a cozy mystery inspired by the TV series Golden Girls. I am not a big fan of Golden Girls, but I know many people love the show. One of my friends is a fan of the show. They were really excited when they found out there would be a cozy mystery novel inspired by the show. I was happy for my friend, but I didn’t really think the book would be right for me. (After all, I’m not a big Golden Girls fan!)

After my friend read the book, they began to encourage me to buy the book and read it too. After listening to them describe the book, I began like the idea of the book, how it was written, and other parts of it. So, I decided to buy myself a copy of the novel and read it myself.

Before I read the whole book, I decided to try the cheesecake recipe in the book. I talked about it and if I liked it in a previous post. (You can read it here) Aside from talking about the cheesecake recipe, I didn’t talk about the actual novel. I have since read the book and decided to write a review post about it!

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I’m in a Reading Slump (and Why it Happened)

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Last month, reading became my favorite pass time. After reading so many books, I thought I would be able to keep reading through my to be read list into February. Sadly, this didn’t happen. Normally this happens because I read too much and just burn out. This time, it’s because I didn’t like what I read last month.

I read a lot of romance novels, which is normally fine. I don’t love romance novels, but there seems to be at least ten newly released romance novel to every adventure (My favorite genre of books) novel every month. So, if I want to read a lot of new releases, I will need to read romance novels. Last month, the romance novels I read were… meh.

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Book Review: Victoria: The Romantic Heart by Linda Sunshine

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Many years ago, I decided to buy books I used to want as a girl but couldn’t buy because… well… I was a girl! For the most part, these books are ones that contained many pictures or were easy to read, yet they were pretty or caught my eye. One of the books was The Romantic Heart.

The Romantic Heart is by Linda Sunshine, who is the editor of the book. It is part of Victoria Magazine’s book series. Victoria Magazine, also known as Victoria Bliss, is a magazine that focuses on romantic and vintage topics, themes, and items. In the 1990’s, Victoria Magazine began to publish books that follow the same themes the magazine covers. The Romantic Heart, which was published in 1995 by The Hearst Corporation, is one of these books.

I purchased my copy of The Romantic Heart in 2025 second hand. After owning it for a year, I decided to write a review about this book, which I wanted to own since I was a little girl.

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