10 Year Challenge Book Tag

 Hey guys, this is Abi here! 

Today I will be posting something a little different- something I haven't done in over a year (well done on forgetting the mid year freak-out tag, Abi! Sorry guys, it's too late now). 

And yes, as you can see from the title, it is a book tag- but it's one I haven't done before, so should be interesting. 

This one stood out to me because, well, I realised a couple of months ago that I've been posting on this blog for over ten years now- and I recently hit 1 million views- so it seemed fitting to see how my tastes have changed since I was 18. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading the only new book tag I've done in well, several years. 

Oops. 

~What was your favourite book in 2016?~

I'm going to twist this a little bit. I'm going to pick my favourite book that I read in 2016. (Although that's still extremely hard, because I read so many good books that year- Six of Crows, Unbecoming, The Book Thief, I'll Give You the Sun, Ready Player One. 

Okay, I'm picking Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. 

Not only is the world building phenomenal, unlike any world I've had the pleasure of visiting, but it's the book that I think the most about today, based on what my current reading tastes are. 

Unbecoming, by Jenny Downham is a close second, due to the generational storyline, the characters, and the subject matter (and the writing), but Ready Player One takes the cake for that year. 

~What is your favourite book in 2026?~

My current favourite for the year (so far of course, cos the year isn't over yet) is definitely... 

Although there weren't a lot of books from this year's list, due to the massive re-read I'm currently working through, it wasn't hard to decide on this one. It may be a bit of a commitment, what with it being 500+ pages, and the first in a 10 book series. 

But getting to follow Claire as she was dropped on her head, with a new baby to care for, no devoted husband, and no home, begin to pick herself up and start to look forward to what life had to offer, was worth the large page count. I think I'll struggle to find a book that matches this in character, storyline, character arc, and addictability. Literally, I could not put this book down when I was reading it, always wanting to find out what happened next. 

~What was your least favourite book in 2016?~

I have a feeling some people aren't going to like my choice for this one... 

Yeah... 

So, I heard a lot of people raving about this book on booktube, Jessethereader at the forefront of it. Then the trailer dropped for the movie, and so I decided to give it a try. 

My God, was it slow. 

So, it was common knowledge that the photos included in the story are real, and Ransom Riggs created a story around these strange photographs. 

And that is true. You can see the story make sense, around these photographs. 

It just felt like he was stretching too far to make the photos make sense within the story. 

The story just dragged for me, because these photos was the base of the story. I remember wishing he hadn't of bothered. 

Maybe I just didn't gel with his writing, or like the characters, or even the story, but I just didn't enjoy it all that much. 

And I haven't reached for another book of his since. 

~What has been your least favourite book in 2026?~

I'm just going to go with Resurrection. Book 10 in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The first book in a new series, where I was waiting for the plot to start unfolding. 

I've said in my Skulduggery Pleasant updates that it wasn't my favourite, and at the moment, I haven't read any books I didn't especially dislike- which is why I'm picking Resurrection. 

~What is a book published in 2016 that you still want to read?~

THIS. 

I've been wanting to read this since I heard about it. Fredrik Backman is a recent auto-buy author for me, and I will not rest until I've read every single book of his. His hauntingly beautiful writing makes for an emotional breakdown whenever I pick up a book, even if it's as small as 70 something pages. He reminds me of Patrick Ness, in the way that he can break your heart into a million pieces with just one, well placed sentence. 

I've heard that Beartown is one of Backman's best works, and I cannot wait to finally get my hands on it. I intend to purchase it with a voucher I've recently accuired. 

~What is a book published in 2026 you want to get to before 2027?~

I do post my anticipated releases every three months, so you can find those posts on my page pandemonium page if you want to know all of them. 

However, the standout book from those is 100% A Soul Full of Shadows, by Derek Landy. Actually can't believe I had to search my anticipated releases before I decided on that one. 

(Hello? Anybody upstairs? It's the whole reason why I've been re-reading Skulduggery Pleasant since bloody March. Dumbass. 

But yeah. Final Skulduggery Pleasant book. Ever. No more after this one. No idea how I'm going to feel after this one. 

~What is a genre you used to read a lot of that you don't read as much of anymore?~

Honestly, no idea. I still read anything and everything. I read middle grade, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, fiction, everything I was reading in 2016, I still read now. 

I haven't read a YA murder mystery in a long while, thinking about it. 

I liked Sara Shephard, with The Lying Game and PLL, I liked Karen M. McManus' books, with all of her murder mystery standalones, and I like Diana Urban books too. 

So if there's a Genre that I've dropped a lot in the past decade, it'll be that one. 

~What is a new Genre you've discovered since 2016?~

Graphic novels, definitely. 

In the last decade, I've started Saga, Heartstopper (recently finished), Paper Girls, Life is Strange, Clementine, Fence,  Skyward and recently started Monster. 

All fantastic series', mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy genre, but I genuinely can't wait to read more in upcoming years. 

~What is a reading or book habit you are hoping to leave behind in this decade?~

Using audiobooks as a crutch when I'm struggling with huge hardbacks/ paperbacks. I've more or less dropped the physical Skulduggery Pleasant books in the past week, because I'm impatient. I'd like to have a whole year of picking audiobooks because I want the audiobook- and don't own the physical. Not becuase I'm bored of reading a book I'm struggling to progress with. 

~What is a new reading goal or habit you want to create in the next decade?~

Start a reading streak. Even if I only read 10 pages some days, I want to say that I managed to read something- every single day. And not because I want to carry the streak on, but because I genuinely want to read. 

Let's see if I can make it happen. 

Okay! That is the 10 year Challenge Book Tag! 

I won't be tagging anybody, because I have no idea who is still blogging at this point, but it's open to anybody that wants to try this tag! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and don't be afraid to post a comment down below! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

Skulduggery Pleasant: Month 4

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back after three weeks, with my next Skulduggery Pleasant update! 

It's been a while since I posted, and even longer since I've updated you all on how I'm doing with this final epic re-read (which is why it was my first priority since my return!)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading these updates, I am aware that they're mostly factual, but I hope everyone likes the change of pacing regardless! 

I hope you enjoy. 

8.5. Armageddon Outta Here

Reading days: 28th May- 3rd June

Pages: 479

Despite this being a collection of short stories, scattered throughout the first nine books, I found them so refreshing to read. They're great because they're short and snappy, and other than a couple of them, you don't need a whole lot of time to knock out one, or two at any given time. 

I honestly don't remember why I was so loath to pick them up when I was re-reading the rest of the series in the past, because I really enjoyed them, a lot. 

10. Resurrection

Reading days: 9th June- 16th June

Pages: 420

Although I love a good re-introduction to a series, Resurrection is a book that I've always struggled with, and this time is no exception. I found myself waiting for the novel to take shape, which I never had a problem with in the first nine books. 

I managed to finish this in a week, somehow, through making time for it, but if there was going to be a book that I fell behind my Goodreads goal on, it would have been this one. 

It was mostly knowing that the books got a lot better after this one that kept me reading it (and forgetting what happened at the ending, and wanting to find out.)

11. Midnight 

Reading days: 16th June- 23rd June

Pages: 418

This is the book where the second series gets interesting. Because of events that happened in Book 9, Valkyrie has kept well away from her family, for their own safety, and also because she feels guilty. In Midnight, Valkyrie has finally begun to forgive herself (still has a long way to go though), and spend time with her parents and little sister, Alice. 

So it's just her bad luck that some people that have a grudge against Valkyrie are watching. Of course they snatch Alice and leave Valkyrie a series a clues to get to her before, you guessed it, midnight. 

Of course she does. 

And at the very end, she figures out why Alice is back to normal, even after being kidnapped for most of the day. 

Which is essentually the plot of the next book.

Fantastic book though. I particularly love reading about sibling relationships, and Auger and Omen's relationship was one of the best parts too. (Actually I love everything to do with Omen, and all the other characters from Corrival Academy, come to think of it.)

12. Bedlam 

Reading days: 23rd June- 2nd July

Pages: 584

Yeah, this one takes a leap in the page count a bit, which is why it took me a little longer to read it. Not to mention I was packing for a holiday a couple of days before. Still a really solid book in the series though. 

You know that thing that I mentioned is the plot for this in Midnight? So basically, Valkyrie found out that because of something she did to Alice in Book 9 (The Dying of the Light), she no longer has a soul. She no longer has any major emotions, nothing traumatic affects her. Which of course makes Valkyrie feel immensely guilty. 

So what does she do? Journey down into the Necropolis, in search of her little sister's lost soul fragments. 

So that part is really good, especially when she finds out that one of her soul fragments is already attached to someone. 

Not to mention, Skulduggery's evil ex and her son are around for a final stand off. 

So there's a lot going on. 

14. Seasons of War 

Reading days: 7th July- 18th July

Pages: 552

I love this one. There's an actual, concrete premise. A select team, including Skulduggery Pleasant, Valkyrie Cain, Tanith Low, Saracen Rue, and Dexter Vex, head out to another dimension to kill one of the most nefarious killers around, Mevolent. 

He's dead in Valkyrie's dimension, but very much alive in another one, and he plans to use a portal to invade their dimension. The team, of course, is sent over to stop, and kill him. 

Like I said before, I love this one. It's seperated into seasons, and each season is more thrilling than the next. Of course, characters die, one of which I still think about every so often, and you have your usual action sequences, and comedic scenes, which never, ever fall flat, even after all this time. 

Seasons of War is definitely one of my favourite books from this six book section. 

14. Dead or Alive

Reading days: 19th July- now

Pages read currently: 146

It's been a slow going with this one so far. After Seasons of War, with it's clear cut premise, it takes a bit of time to establish the plotline, so I've been whittling away at it every so often. I realised today that I already have the audiobook for this, so I'll try to jump between the physical book and the audiobook over the next couple of days, and hopefully I can progress through it quicker. 

This is the penultimate book in this six book series, and I know that it builds to something huge at the end. 

Who knows, maybe I'll finish the entire series next month! This may be the penultimate update guys! 

(Really I hope so.) 

Final calculations: 2120 pages over two months (not great, but getting there). 

Really don't know the average. 

Okay! That is everything I have for you all today! As always, feel free to comment down below, and we can chat about this phenomenal series! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! (Will be posting before the month is out, I promise.)

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

Anticipated Releases (July-September 2026)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I realised this morning that I have 5 days to think on this, and then post it! 

So I figured, I best get a move on! 

Officially starting on 25/6/26. Let's see what date I post this! 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading about all the new releases that I can't wait to read! 

Really hope this is out before July... 

~July~

1. Heartstopper: Volume 6 (Heartstopper Volume #6), by Alice Oseman 

Release date: 2/7/26

The last volume is out in a matter of days! Genuinely thinking about taking all six volumes with me to Blackpool at the end of the week (to get ahead of my reading goal to say the least). 

Let me know if you're a fan of the TV show, or the graphic novel in the comments! 

2. Corpse de Ballet, by Megan Kearney 

Release date: 7/7/26

The phrases that drew me in were graphic novel debut, perfect for fans of Black Swan and dark academia and brutal competition. 

I have always loved ballet (though if I tried it, I'd probably be the clumsiest), add the fact that this is a graphic novel, debut, with a psychological thriller thrown in, I just had to add this book to the list! 

Corpse de Ballet follows Rosamund Hammond, a new student who has enrolled at Saint Anselmus in the middle of term, determined to work hard, and prove to everyone that she deserves to be there. 

 

It's not until she finds out that another student disappeared, right before her arrival. Was it really a leave of absense- or something more sinister? With her new roomate, Rosamund spirals into a deeper obsession about actually happened in the lead up to her disappearance. As her class prepare for their final performance Coppélia, can she commit to her hard-earned ballet dreams, or will she lose herself in a midst to figure out the truth?

I will always be interested in stories that show the grit, the determination and the work ethic of ballerinas, or athletes. The fact that it's a psychological thriller is just a cherry on top. Really hope I can actually prioritise this one. 

3. To Dance the Moon and Stars, by Tasia M S & Barbara Perez Marquez

Release date: 7/7/26

I don't think I'll be able to describe this one justice, so I'll just quote the Goodreads blurb instead:

"Eighteen-year-old Myra has spent her entire life training to replace her Grandmother as High 

Priestess. But with the day of her ascension rapidly approaching, she's not sure if she's meant for 

this path. How can she become the Herald of the God Alrun when he forbids the thing she loves

most: dancing?

Her kingdom can't afford her hesitation though. Not only is the Emporer looking for Alrun's wisdom 

ahead of a peace treaty, but forces of darkness are seeping through the barrier between worlds. 

The only source of light Myra has is her childhood best friend, the crown prince. Without his support

and...love, she may not be able to stop what's coming. 

To save her people, Myra must delve into her kingdom's forgotten history, even if it means defying 

the laws of her land. But the key to salvation may just require her to make the biggest sacrifice of all."

I don't typically tend to add books like this to this list, but this one intrigued me. Sometimes it's nice to pick up a book from one of the less well-known authors, and God forbid, try something new. 

 

4. Alex, by Proxy, by Karen Myna Cantor 

Release date: 21/7/26

I think this one will be best done in bullet points. It makes the most sense that way anyway:

• Alex, victim of Munchausen by proxy, but also witty, sarcastic, with a talent for astronomy and unusually good crossword skills- or that's who he used to be. 
• Or he used to be at least. Now, he's a struggling teenager whose having to find his own identify again, after years of his mother inducing an illness- that he never had in the first place. 
• Not to mention, he has to decide if he can testify against the person who gave birth to him. 
• As Alex awaits his trial, his friend convince him to start a podcast- to record his truth- in an effort to find himself again. Should he? Who would even believe him?
• Day by day, Alex struggles with his mental health, until he can no longer tell the difference between truth and fiction. Should he trust himself to testify? And if so, which truth will he share?

This sounds so intense, so interesting, I am almost certain I will be buying a copy, as soon as I can. Don't you think it sounds interesting? I certainly do. 

~August~

1. Kitten, by Stacey Yu

Release date: 4/8/26

A book about a cat, and how it can lead to any number of possibilities. 

Basically, newly graduated student (Katie) down on her luck, not speaking to her mother, and roommate has left without a word to her. 

Meets a guy, and has a very surreal, giddy, yet strange reaction to her boyfriend's cat. 

As her affection deepens, she begins to fall away from all of her other relationnships. 

And soon it becomes clear, what Katie must confront in order to achieve what she wants, and what she must risk in order to get it. 

This sounds like such an incredible debut. That's all I'm going to say about it. 

2. Etna, by Paul Yoon 

Release date: 4/8/26

Book about a dog. I knew this had to go on the list. 

"Set in a fictional country in the present day, this is a story told through the eyes of an ex-military dog, Etna. After surviving years of a devastating war, Etna decides one night to leave the men he has 

fought alongside for years and return home- to the place where he was taken from when he was

young, in the thin but persistent hope that if a home exists for him, it might be there. 

Thus begins an exhilarating odyssey told through the eyes of a dog as he traverses across ruined

landscapes and fights to survive in a world that, even in peacetime, proves to be just as precarious. 

Along the way, he encounters other animals and humans who are attempting to figure out how to 

start again. What makes a life when there is no home to go back to? How do we begin to trust each 

other again after such profound loss?

This is a novel about the power of an idea, about never giving up, and ultimately a novel about 

finding hope in the most dire of times."

I love books about war, about hope, especially books with animals. 

This was always going to be on the list, purely for the unique POV we're reading from. I bet this novel will win a bunch of awards. 

Definitely hinting to my boyfriend that I want this. 

3. Under the Falls, by Richard Russo

Release date: 11/8/26

The second book in the award-winning Falls series, by Richard Russo. 

Under the Falls has been published twenty-five years after the first book, but this feels just as interesting as the first (which, upon reading the blurb for book one, already feels like a book I should pick up). 

Under the Falls follows world famous musician Tyler Sinclair. He is returning to his hometown for a benefit, to raise money for an old friend, eighteen years after he escaped Stone Mountain, with nothing more than a few quid, stolen from his father's dresser, a few clothes, and his priced possession; his guitar. 

The town is full of his old favourites: Curt, Tyler's childhood best friend- now Stone Mountain's Chief of police, Freddi, Curt's wife and Tyler's former lover. Freddi is the woman whose questional dealings, and fraught behaviour will act as a catalyst for the upcoming tragedy that proves one thing: if you're lucky enough to escape Stone Mountain a first time, if you come back, there's no possible way out a second time. 

Something is telling me I should try and read book one, before I attempt this, but I'm still adding it to the list. 

~September~

1. Blightfall (Riftwake #1), by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson 

Release date: 1/9/26

A NEW BOOK IN THE SKYWARD SERIES! 

...I'll add it to the pile. 

Seriously, this is becoming beyond a joke now. 

I'll get to them all soon, I promise guys! 

By the end of the year- I promise. 

Maybe September. 

The whole series. 

It really doesn't matter what it's about, does it? 

It's space, and flying, and airships, probably, but Brandon Sanderson. 

So it'll be amazing, regardless. 

2. Rebel: The Graphic Novel (Legend #4), by Marie Lu

 Release date: 1/9/26

I'm adding this onto the list because I only ever read the original trilogy (which I picked up for £1.50 in Tesco- I thought I was dreaming when I saw them). 

I figured the graphic novel would be a quick, engaging read. 

If you didn't know, Rebel follows Day's brother, a decade after the events of the original Legend trilogy. He is constantly in his shadow- the shadow of what his brother used to be. 

Day is no longer legendary. All he cares about is keeping Eden safe, so he can hide away from anything and everything. He'd even give up the love of his life, June, to keep the city safe. 

As the two brothers struggle to accept who they've become since the days of glory, a new danger creeps into the distant they've created between eachother. Eden finds himself drawn so close to the dark side of Ross City, maybe, not even his legendary brother can save him. 

3. Taipei Story, by R. F. Kuang

Release date: 8/9/26

Although I was kind of hesitant to add this to my list, I knew I needed to. Any R.F. Kuang book has a welcome place on my shelf- regardless of whether this is the type of book I'm used to reading from her. 

I feel I will only do this premise justice if I quote the blurb, which you can also find on Goodreads: 

"College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program 

like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she 

inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, 

her roomate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely 

knows soon has her classmates vicioudly gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she

thought would feel like home. 

Then shocking news Lily's Grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-

unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she's drawn into a journey of self- 

discovery- piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and 

devastating attempts of connection."

Now that sounds phenomenal. To me at least. 

4. The Secret to Belonging, by Megan E. Freeman 

Release date: 15/9/26

Again, this feels best described as a bullet point. It's simple, it's straightforward and to the point. 

• A teenager, invisible within her family. A family where her brother, and his drug problem, is at the very centre of her family. 
• Her only way out is college, and the fund that has been in her name for the longest time- until her parents uses it to fund her brother's rehab. 
• Just when her future seems bound to collapse, a silver lining- a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It's the chance to escape, to begin life in a new place, with a whole new world of people. 

Seems very different to a lot of books, and I'm here for it. Perfect release date as well, mid September. 

Really hope this is in UK stores, come September. 

Okay! Those are all of my Anticipated Releases for July, through to September! I hope you enjoyed reading about them, and if there are any that I've missed, or you're excited for, let me know in the comments! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all in July! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx