Books and Reviews - 2026 Q1

I’ve read a lot at the start of this year! Yippee literacy! Shout out StoryGraph, you are the coolest thing ever. I love data collection.

Anyways- in an attempt to regain creativity and my ability to better communicate my feelings/thoughts outside of “vibes”, I have been really trying to critically reflect on what I consume entertainment wise. On the reading side, this has resulted in writing book reviews! Here’s what I’ve read / reread in Jan-March of 2026 so far:

NEW READS

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – (3.5 / 5 Stars)

I got this book in a white elephant book exchange. I was a little skeptical of the romance/YA vibes, but Tara said I would like it, and I mostly did!

dreamy & fun! i think it’s a shame that the book markets itself so heavily on the Celia / Marco love story front- the emphasis on that almost lost me in the middle, but i came back around on it a little at the end. what i actually ended up finding most meaningful were the relationships between the wider cast and how the circus both tied people together and changed them. the non linear story telling, changing perspectives, and the love for dreaming (for lack of better words) that many characters in the story inspire in each other and the world give the book a nice ambience that slowly unfolds as you read.

Blindsight by Peter Watts – (4.25 / 5 Stars)

loved it- a book heavy with psychology and consciousness explored through aliens, body/biological horror, and high-functioning autism. what happens when you are forced to explain the unexplainable? what is the difference between communicating and understanding? siri’s very role as a “synthesist” is a delicious way to explore these questions, and the story as a whole is a played out discussion of our understanding of otherness and humanity. there are lots of horrors both within and beyond my comprehension. shoutout space vampires- it’s so silly but still taken seriously as a concept.

in the end, maybe the real siri keeton was the friends we made along the way

The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin – (5 / 5 Stars)

Ursula Le Guin, the woman that you are!!

I think the greatest strength in these essays is that Le Guin speaks both passionately and academically. She presents her arguments with humor and eloquence in a way that just… makes sense. Not that the ideas are shallow or there aren’t words I had to look up- but Le Guin has a way of putting words to the things that are so intuitive that I have never had the right words to explain without dipping into sentimentality and emotion.

I wish I had a more cohesive overview to give as a review or hook, but there’s a lot to chew on in these essays that can’t be easily shared without dumping my 50+ highlights. I’m sure I will be rereading these for years to come and will still find new takeaways.

As of my first read through, I have only in the past year read “A Wizard of Earthsea” despite meaning to read anything by Le Guin for years. While I’m sure that having read the works she mentions in these essays would have made them more meaningful, I think that these essays do stand on their own if you’re willing to give them the chance. If you love sci-fi and fantasy, if you love art, and if you want to better understand why these stories call to you, there is all that and more in these essays along with some essays on otherness and intersectional feminism. Some ideas do get repeated pretty exactly between essays, but that is just the nature of compiling years of writing, speeches, and introductions on a topic in one place.

RE-READS

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston – (4 / 5 Stars)

“The story will mean different things to every person who hears it. That is how she meant for it to be. I can tell you of the meaning I found, the new purpose and direction for my life, but it will be nothing to you if you do not understand why she told it in the first place.”

a feminist retelling of a thousand and one nights with mystical elements, strength in community, and the unseen labor/power of women. i first read this book in middle school and loved it. while i’ve reread it many times and found flaws since, the story is still very comforting to me.

i’ve seen so many complaints about the writing style…. do NOT read this if you’re looking for a romance or a typical YA story- you’d be doing the book AND ME a horrible injustice. the prose is passive but very pretty, and it will bore you if you aren’t the type of person to enjoy it. personally, i like that aside from the king, no one, not even our main character is ever named. i think it’s the whole point, actually. women in patriarchal societies are invisible, and so is she. she is any girl, truly, in all her strength and love. there’s a lot of symbolism and things left unsaid, but if you take your time, you’ll find that that’s all that matters.

The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson – (5 / 5 Stars)

(no image- it’s busting the html for some reason)

my all time brandy sandy rec- great world building and intrigue despite the novella length.

Currently Reading

• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, buddy reading with Wanjiku
• I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, buddy reading with Chloe

Excited to finish these and write about them!! I’m liking both so far even though they’re very different vibes.

I’m also quite liking this format :) Maybe I’ll go back and backlog reviews for books I read in 2025.