Reading Roundup: January 2026

I was able to get more focused on reading in January. Having such a great time close reading Rouge has helped me build some better habits, I think. I did some reading at different times of the day, not just exclusively at bedtime! It was novel for me to read books in print again, too, after being an eBook reader for many years.

I also got very excited about planning how to do Nic’s Law of Fives reading challenge! Since that post, I have made my spreadsheet even fancier. When I’ve made more progress with reading books for it, I’ll probably share some updates again.

Only 5 books – 3 audio and 2 print books.

This was aprox. 751 pages read and 27.25 hours listened (of finished books).

Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks ⭐⭐

One of my end-of-year self-help whims that I semi-regretted. There was some interesting advice in this, but the author’s ego looms large, and I personally found this unbearable.

Educated by Tara Westover ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a very interesting window into a life experience completely alien to my own. It’s really well written and fascinating. I do recommend it, but it did leave me feeling unsatisfied and a little bothered. I wrote about why I think that is in my review.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey ⭐⭐

Oh god this book. I had it on audiobook, and it felt like it would never end. I have never cringed so much while listening to this. I was definitely out on the bus and on my runs, pulling faces at what I was hearing. It only got two stars because the bar for romance books is so low.

The Unfinished Harauld Hughes by Richard Ayoade ⭐⭐⭐

Also, an audiobook, and a weird one! I would not say this should be your first Ayoade work, but if you are familiar with and enjoy his stuff, you might like this. The cast was great.

Rouge by Mona Awad 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I FINALLY FUCKING DID IT. I read Rouge a third time, because it had been a year since the previous time, and I finally wrote about it. The interesting thing is every time I reread it my star rating increased, by the third time I am completely on board with this book and think it is just as fantastic as her others. I had such a great time annotating my paperback copy and writing out my notes. I just love how Mona Awad thinks and writes.

Marvel Unlimited: 52 issues of X-Men

I ploughed on through X-Men (issues 25-45) and Uncanny X-Men (issues 314-350, 359), Gambit (issues 1-5), Rogue (issues 1-4), Cable (issue 20), X-Factor (issue 109), X-Men Omega, X-Treme X-Men (issue 1) and X-Treme X-Men X-Pose (issues 1-2).

I got through a lot of different titles because I was getting really bored with the mid 1990s and started to follow, instead, the Rogue and Gambit storyline, which led to some time hopping. And then hopping back when I was really confused about some big change!

Around 1995, they started to focus more on Gambit and Rouge so they each got their own limit run to deal with their separate issues, which were mainly Gambit’s secrets from his past, after they were forced to the surface following a kiss (they thought the world was going to end at the end of the Legion Quest arc). This put him in a temporary coma, and Rouge was left with a jumble of his memories. Sabretooth was also sort of a prisoner in the basement of the mansion at this time and took delight in winding them both up because he knew of Gambit’s past. I don’t know why/how Sabretooth ended up in the basement. I missed that bit.

I think that between Gambit and Rogue kissing because the world was ending, and it obviously was the end, was the Age of Apocalypse storyline, which, from what I understand, is an alternate reality thing because Legion had killed Charles in the past when he’d been trying to take out Erik. So it was Magneto running the show without Charles having been around to form the X-Men etc. All the characters are a bit different and “edgy” (like Jean has short hair and wears a leather/spandex top that defies the laws of physics).

I did not want to read this because I don’t like alternate reality storylines; they’re pointless and almost always annoying. I also hate the pairing of Rogue and Magneto, and in that they were married with a child. Creepy. I glimpsed a bit of it when I read Omega, X-Treme X-Men, which I did to try to understand how the hell everyone was not-dead and how Bishop had got back through time and fixed everything! In the X-Men/Uncanny X-Men issues, this is not mentioned; it all happens in a different series!

Another thing of note is that Emma Frost came out of her coma, and I think ended up in Generation X. There was a brief little adventure in the Phalanx Covenant arc where she, Banshee and Sabretooth were the only adults around, plus some new mutants, that I assume set up that because Jubilee left soon after too (yay!). I have to say I really enjoyed the combo of Banshee and Emma!

Oh, and finally Scott knows for sure that Cabel is in son and they had a conversation about it! That was a nice thing that came out of the Legion Quest storyarc.

Then in 1997, they revealed a shocking Sinister truth from Gambit’s past that split up and Rogue up (issue 348). A little later (issue 359), there was a nice Rogue character development issue where she almost got her powers removed by a mad scientist, but Mystique got some sense back into her. Then I jumped to a Gambit issue (number 5) from 1999, where he has to save her after the X-Cutioner kidnapped her to fuck with him. It was a bit shit because I had no idea what was going on, and they didn’t really even speak.

So then I jumped onto X-Treme X-Men X-Pose from 2003 (that title is ridiculous) and got really lost as to what the hell was happening. It’s the 2000s, so now everyone has terrible leather outfits and wears ugly goggles. Rouge is wearing red for some reason, which feels very wrong. In issue 2, we glimpse Angel and he as a fucking soul patch! This felt like it should be a crime.

I was so confused by these two issues (for some reason Rouge and Gambit do not have powers!) that I have now gone back to read the X-Treme X-Men series from its first issue in 2001. It turns out Chris Claremont was back to write on these, which might be why they feel more comfortable and engaging to me.

Currently Reading

Currently, I am back to reading White Noise by Don DeLillo. I am enjoying it, but it has also been requiring more brain power than I’ve had lately (see my last digest update), so reading has been slow going.

On audio, I just started The Wee Free Men, which is the first Tiffany Aching book in Discworld. I’m making a start on my reading bingo with that one!

Adding to TBR

I didn’t buy any books, which is great because that is one non-buy month down for my Law of Fives bingo!

Book Tag/TTT!

I’m slowing down a bit with Top Ten Tuesday this year, but it is still fun to keep an eye on! I’m just going to write posts on the prompts that inspire me this year (or when I have the time).

1. 10 New Releases for 2026 That Intrigue Me
2. Reading ‘Goals’ for 2026
3. 10 Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2025