Hi all!

Can you all feel it? 2026 is just around the corner. In about three weeks, we will be welcoming a new year. But before turning on a new leaf (or leaves for that matter), let me complete the End of Year Book Tag 2025 edition. The basic premise of the book tag is to talk about books that readers have to complete before the year draws to a close. And for me, there’s a lot that I want and need to finish! Without any more ado, here’s my version of the End of Year Book Tag.

Are there any books that you started this year that you need to finish?

Honestly, I haven’t started reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s latest novel, Dream Count, yet, but I am about to. I just completed Adichie’s countrywoman Flora Nwapa’s Idu, one of the books I listed on my 2025 Top 25 Reading List. While I had reservations about Adichie because of her views on feminism, I am allowing her to redeem herself through her works. This will be my third novel by Adichie, who first impressed me with her sophomore novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. I hope the book lives up to the hype.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

None. Lately, my focus has been on completing my active reading challenges. Because of this, I really am not putting much thought into the transition between autumn and winter. Besides, I live in the tropics, which have neither autumn nor winter. HAHA. However, it has been getting colder lately.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Hmmm. I have already mentioned several times that I am the backlist type of reader. Because of this, I haven’t been abreast with the latest releases, except perhaps if I casually encounter these releases while browsing the vast world of the internet.

Among the 2025 releases I am looking forward to is Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. I have yet to read a work of the highly heralded Indian writer, although I have a copy of her Booker Prize-winning novel, The Inheritance of Loss. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, her first work since her Booker Prize win, was also shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize. Meanwhile, Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets is his first novel since Origin (2018). I have read every novel by the Robert Langdon creator and while I have reservations about his works, I am ready to catch my breath once again following Langdon as he races against time to solve yet another mystery.

Megha Majumdar’s sophomore novel, I learned, was just released this year. I am a little hesitant about reading A Guardian and a Thief because I was not exactly a fan of the Indian writer’s debut novel; A Burning was part of my 2022 Top 10 Books I Look Forward To. However, there is a promise in her sophomore novel as she aims to provide a prognosis of the future. Lastly, R.F. Kuang’s latest novel, Katabasis, also sounds promising. Her Yellowface was part of my 2023 Top 10 Books I Look Forward To list. It held my attention and made me look forward to exploring her oeuvre further, although the rest of her works belong to a territory I rarely explore. Katabasis just might be the catalyst I need.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

George Saunder’s Booker Prize-winning book Lincoln in the Bardo, Becky Albertalli’s Simon Vs. The Homo sapiens Agenda, and Elizabeth George Speare’s The Bronze Bow all share something similar. I acquired my copies of these books before the pandemic. The Bronze Bow, in particular, has been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly a decade. It is this reason why these books are part of my 2025 Beat the Backlist Challenge. On the side, I also have two books I must read before the year ends: Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace and Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot-49. These books are part of my 2025 Top 25 Reading List, just like Lincoln in the Bardo. As they are part of my reading challenges, it is imperative for me to read them before we turn the page to a new year.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2026?

In the previous years, I would have said yes. Reading resolutions are part of my annual traditions, especially in the past seven years. However, this time I haven’t started planning how my 2026 reading year is going to look. However, I don’t think I have to think much about it because I have established a sort of pattern in the past eight years.

A definite part of my 2026 reading year would be a 2026 Top 26 Reading List. This has become a staple in previous years. However, I haven’t started making my list. There are several good books I really want to read. Like this year, I have no idea yet what my 2026 reading journey is going to look like. Interestingly, I spent the first half of 2025 was spent reading works of Asian writers. An African or a Latin American month or quarter just might be in line for me next year. I have to explore both of these literary territories further.

Another staple of my reading year is the Beat the Backlist Challenge. I think I started participating in this challenge even before the pandemic. It is an essential challenge because it allows me to tick off books from my backlist. And yes, most of them have been gathering dust on my bookshelves. I am also looking at other reading challenges I can participate in 2026. However, these challenges will be aligned with my other reading challenges and goals so that hitting the goal will be easier.

I have several targets I am carrying over to 2026. For one, I am again hoping to read at least 100 books. Ironically, before 2022, I tried several times to read at least 100 books in a year. Despite my best efforts, I was never able to cross the three-digit mark. I have all but given up. Just when I least expected it, I was able to read at least 100 books in 2022. I thought it was a fluke of nature, but then I pulled off the same in 2023, then in 2024, and this year as well. That is four years in a row. Despite these recent successes, I kept doubting myself. But there is no longer any reason to. I am marching into 2026 confident of being able to complete at least 100 books.

More than my reading goals, one of my goals in the coming year is to catch up on my book reviews. I have several books pending for review, with some even coming from 2023. With my reading momentum, it was inevitable that I would lag behind in terms of writing reviews. I guess we cannot have it all. Or maybe I just have to learn how to strike a balance between my writing and reading endeavors. Regardless, I have nearly 200 books pending for review, and reducing the gap is one of my top goals in 2026.

There are so many things to do before the year ends, and so many things to look forward to in 2026. I am hoping for success on both ends.

As always, I am not going to tag anyone to do the tag. However, if you want to do your own version, feel free to do so. Just don’t forget to tag me so that I can check out your answers!

Happy reading, everyone!