寻觅你最明媚的四月天

Hellloooo 2026! We're still here, somehow, after the world's most exhausting month.

I read a lot of cnovels as escapism, and have a lot of fun books I'm excited to read on my TBR list. Work is in its busy period but still managing to read and watching a cdrama as a break. Glory/玉茗茶骨, which aired in December into this January, has been a delight so far (25/36 episodes). I love it so much. I haven't loved a main male lead and main female lead so much in forever. And their dynamic! They carried me the first half of the drama when every other character was getting on my nerves. Now some of the other characters are improving, but I maintain my love of Rong Shanbao and Lu Jianglai.

Anyway, Super Bowl is happening, and I am recapping my reads from January.

( Books, January 2026 )

end-of-year book ask
How many books did you read this year? 185

( Way more under here. )

General thoughts:
My biggest branching out this year was audiobooks! I can make it work for nonfiction but not fiction. Generally, nonfiction has become easier for me to read now that I'm in the habit; there are so many interesting topics! In some ways, fantasy has become harder because I'm pickier about whether people can balance convincing worldbuilding, character dynamics and relationships, interesting plot, and compelling prose. Mysteries I kinda know what my groove is. Webtoons and romance I'm also pretty picky but kinda know what works for me.

What reading goals do you have for next year?
I always want to tackle my TBR list and reread more, so setting some concrete goals:

- read at least one book I own but haven't read each month
- curate a reread list and work on that over the year
- read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, one chapter a day

Made it through the last week of events for the semester, just social gatherings and planning emails for the rest of the couple weeks of work before winter break. Slowing down now in my community engagements as well, thankfully. I just want to have down time again to read books and watch shows. Maybe do a puzzle or two.

( Books, November 2025 )

Slightly under the weather (thanks, Kevin!) but doesn't feel too bad. Hopefully can get through the week -- then off to Philly for a hockey game with Michelle!

Enjoying Heated Rivalry (Crave adaptation) lately: Jacob Tierney, I love you.

In September, everyone got sick. Then Kevin got better just in time to separate his shoulder. So that's been fun while I coordinate our schedules in order to drive him around and also pick up more of the usual chores/errands while juggling a super busy work schedule. It's okay!! He's recovering and the work is mostly fun things, and I am also enjoying the beautiful weather and have inserted fun plans amid the work stuff. But also I need to sleep more and get back into my regular pilates routine.

Interspersing my days with random m/m webtoons and WayV travel vlogs keeping me sane. Have I mentioned I love WayV? The multilingualism really gets to me. Everyone has pretty faces and decent songs and choreo (they are Extremely Heterosexual though, particularly after my stint with OnlyOneOf), but oh man the 3-4 different languages and cultures they mix into their videos? I'm obsessed. I really am a sucker for understanding Chinese variety jokes, I guess.

Also I watched the Thai BL drama Moonlight Chicken and resentfully cried my way through all eight episodes. What the fuck! It makes me depressed to be on this earth, but also was very sweet and hopeful in the end. I was deeply annoyed by the fan comments on each episode though, because they weren't taking in the show as a whole but just there rooting for their specific actor or couple faves and singing their praises. (Thai BL world has set couples, I guess. Anyway, their fans seem intense.)

( Books, September 2025 )

Cnovels, webtoons, and summer make for a lot of reading!

God, I can't believe it's August now. Racing toward the start of the semester.

( Books, July 2025 )

Currently watching Vincenzo on the strength of good ratings a passing review that the brothers had a weird vibe going on. They did, but not like in the Love and Let Lie webtoon (a little more murderous) so eh. Going with it to see how the evil Babel group is finally taken down. Way more murderous trucks than guns in Korea (but the guns do eventually show up too).