Video summary
Laura provides an update on her chaotic transition from 2025 into 2026, explaining that a planned move to a new apartment fell through just days before the scheduled date due to the unit being unready. Consequently, she and her partner are currently living in a camper while hoping to secure a more stable housing situation within the next month. Despite the lack of a traditional filming setup and the presence of cats in close quarters, Laura has resumed creating content from this temporary location, acknowledging that while sound and background conditions may be imperfect, she is doing her best to continue sharing her journey with her audience.
Reflecting on her reading achievements for 2025, Laura expresses satisfaction with having read 92 books, a number slightly below her usual goal of 100 but still considered a success given the distractions of starting graduate school and managing housing logistics. She notes that the quality of her reading was high, as many of her top ten picks included beloved fantasy and romance titles like *The Compendium of Lost Tales* by Emily Wild and *A Study in Drowning* by Ava Reed, which she re-read with renewed appreciation. Additionally, she successfully reduced her physical To-Be-Read pile to a manageable size and made significant progress on reading ebooks after upgrading from an old Kindle Fire to a dedicated Kindle Paperwhite, finding the portable device ideal for travel.
Looking ahead to 2026, Laura outlines simple goals centered around maintaining a stable living environment while continuing to read approximately 100 books and keeping her unread physical collection low. She plans to revisit series she previously started but abandoned and aims to improve the quality of her video and photo content despite the challenges of filming in a camper. Laura also shares her list of disappointing reads from the past year, which mostly consisted of books that failed to meet her expectations or did not click with her personally, before inviting her viewers to share their own reading goals and experiences for the upcoming year.
Read the full video transcript
Hello, hello everyone. My name is Laura.
This is my channel, Laura's Little
Library, and welcome to today's chaotic
video, which is a conglomeration of the
end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.
[music]
I took an unintentional hiatus these
past couple of months because as I did
say in an update video that I was moving
to a different region within the United
States and that went well and fine and I
started grad school and I was really
enjoying grad school but then chaos
ensued a little bit because what
happened is that we moved to an
apartment. It was a really nice
apartment and then we decided we were
going to move somewhere else that was
actually outside of the city that we
were going to and it was going to be a
better living situation for us. It was
going to be right by my partner's work.
It was all around the best choice we
could have made except for the fact that
the day before we were supposed to move
in, they said, "Just kidding. You can't
move in. This unit is not ready and we
don't know you." And I was like, "Oh,
okay. Um, that was bad." So, basically,
long story short, we had to move from
our nice one-bedroom apartment into a
camper last minute because the apartment
that we were supposed to move into fully
fell through the day before. And it's
not like an apartment situ. It was not a
traditional apartment situation. I mean,
it is an apartment that was owned by a
nonprofit.
So, like it has it's just been this
whole different journey, things like
that. So, we are currently living in a
camper. It's where we currently are. Uh,
but we are not going to be here.
Hopefully, long term, we don't really
know. There is still a possibility that
we can move to an apartment in about a
month or so, but for now, we're in the
apartment. The apartment or I mean,
we're in the camper. The camper is going
great. And I've really missed making
videos and doing all this kinds of
stuff. And so, I'm like, now that I have
time on my hands, I'm going to start
making videos again. and we're just
going to kind of roll with the punches
with the camper. So, like for my
background, I don't really have like the
nice like bookshelf background or
anywhere to film and uh sound might be a
little difficult to control cuz we are
now in close quarters with the kitties.
But, um we're making it work. It's
[clears throat] It's going great. So,
yeah, I just got to have my books out. I
only have um a TBR's cart worth of books
out because I could not take everything.
So,
We're just we're doing what we can. We
might move again. It might be chaotic
again. I'm not going to promise to
posting regularly, but I am going to do
my best. Let's talk about the results of
2025. For me, I read 92 books, which is
really good. I'm really happy with that
number. Normally, every year I try and
aim for about 100 books. Uh this year, I
fell a little short, but again, with
just all the chaos and starting grad
school, I'm surprised that I was able to
get to 92 books. So that there's that to
look upon. And honestly, I think I read
a lot of really good books as opposed to
like not very good books. Um like
choosing my top 10 books for 2025 was
difficult because I had to like cut out
so many five star books that I
absolutely loved. And when it came to
like my lowest ranking books on here,
they were they were pretty much all like
twostar books and more so books that
were disappointment as opposed to just
fullon bad. So I I take that as a win.
Overall, it was a very good quality
reading year. So I'm very happy with
that. Hopefully I can do that again in
2026. Some of the goals that I had for
2025, I actually kind of was able to
meet. Like one of them was to um kind of
finish or reduce my physical TBR. I
don't think I'm ever going to get to a
point where I've read every single book
that I own just because I'm going to be
buying new books. So like I wanted to
reduce it to kind of be between five and
10 books on my shelf that I haven't
read. And I think I've pretty much
accomplished that. I did just recently
do a haul, so it is kind of in that
little flux area, but I no longer have
like half a shelf's worth or like, you
know, 20 plus books that I own that I
hadn't read yet. So, I take that as a
win. I also really wanted to catch up on
series that I had started. I do this
thing where I read the first book uh
either when it comes out or I just read
it and then I never really continue on
with the series, especially if the other
books aren't out yet or it's not like a
dramatic cliffhanger. Like I literally
need the cliffhanger to be somebody is
hanging off a cliff as opposed to oh
yeah, you know, the main bad for this
book was done, but technically the
kingdom still needs to be fixed. I
mostly just infer that like we we we
beat the big bad and so you can just fix
the kingdom. Like that's fine. I don't
there's no plot there. You you you just
fix it. Um so I have not made any
progress on any of the series that I
have started previously. Um, of course
I've started new series and I've made
progress on those, but any of the like
ones that I have been wanting to finish
for a few years now, I have not made any
progress on those. No. I also wanted to
start reading more ebooks. And I will
say I did actually uh just like a week
or two before Christmas, I did purchase
a new Kindle uh because the previous
Kindle that I had I got in high school.
So I got that over 10 years ago. It was
a Kindle Fire and so I would just
constantly get distracted by other apps
and games and other things I could do on
it. And so I decided I just wanted a
Kindle that cannot access really uh
anything other than books and good
readads. And so I did get the Kindle
Paperwe and I am enjoying it a lot so
far. I'm still going through my first
book. It is a little bit slower because
it is like physical reading which I just
have not done a lot of. But I am
enjoying having a Kindle again and I've
been enjoying ebooks. It's been very
nice to be able to travel and only have
this little Kindle as opposed to like
bringing a big old book with me. So
that's been nice. Then the other thing
that I wanted to do was get back on
Bookstagram a little bit. Um, and I've
I've started doing that again just kind
of with the whole camper situation. Like
I can't necessarily put as much work and
effort into the photos that I would like
to. Like same with videos. I did get a
new ring light, a very fancy ring light
uh for Christmas. So hopefully, you
know, lighting shouldn't ever be an
issue. I still have a microphone, so
sound is like okay. It's more so just
the creeks of a camper sound and the
cats. But I am slowly trying to increase
my quality for both videos and photos.
And so hopefully that is that is a goal
I do want to carry into 2026. And so
some of the goals that I have for 2026
are very simple. Again, I always like to
read 100 books. So I'm going to try and
read 100 books. I've already read three
books this year and it is January 7th.
So I' I'd say I'm I'm doing pretty good
on that front. We just want to have a
more stable living situation and then I
can like actually start working towards
some of these goals cuz really the
living situation is just the top
priority at the moment. But, you know,
read books on my ebook, make sure to
keep my physical TBR low. I would love
to focus on those series again, but
we'll see. So, let's talk about some the
best books and the worst books that I
read in 2025. So, the best books, let's
start with those. Um, my top 10, not
necessarily in order, uh, just because
again, there were just so many good
books that I read this past year. So,
I'm just gonna like quickly honorable
mention all of these. Um, Emily Wild's
third book, The Compendium of Lost Tales
by Heather Faucet.
Absolutely loved it. Adored it. It kind
of makes me want to reread the series
again, especially the second book. I
feel like I did not give the right
amount of energy and brain space to the
second book, but this third book just
like got me all kinds of emotional with
just the focus on storytelling and
things like that. So, I won't spoil it
if you haven't read the third one or the
series at all, but I I absolutely loved
it. I also read uh The Spell Shop by
Sarah Beth Durst. I read The Spell Shop
and I actually read The Enchanted
Greenhouse. I believe I read both of
those this year. I I feel like I thought
I had read The Spell Shop in 2024, but I
think I read it early 2025. Again, super
cozy fantasy. Absolutely loved it.
Really looking forward to the next book.
Um, and that does remind me that I do
want to do kind of books that I'm
anticipating coming out in 2026. So
hopefully that will be one of the next
coming videos to come. Oh, I reread A
Study and Drowning by Ava Reed because
the second book, Athereian Dreaming, has
come out and I liked A Study and
Drowning so much more this time. And
again, I think it was an issue of I did
not give time and attention to A Study
and Drowning when I was first reading
it. Like, I was prone to zoning out. I
had other tasks that I was doing that
actually needed more focus than I
thought I did. Um, because I'm pretty
sure I read that book as an audio book
when we were packing up our house. uh in
our home state in order to make the move
here. And so I think I was just a little
too preoccupied with like what things
are going to stay in the house and what
things need to move with us. So I reread
a study in Drowning and I loved it. I am
so excited to pick up Athetherian
Dreaming and there's even like a little
nolla that goes with them as well. It
was like something about archives of
love or something. Romance archive. I
mean it's right behind me. Yeah. An
archive of romance by Ava Reed. So, I'm
really looking forward to reading those
as well. I read Bed, Borrow, or Steal by
Sarah Adams. This is the newest and the
Beg, Borrow, or Steal is her newest
book, and I am so excited for the fourth
one, but also I don't want it to end.
So, I I have mixed feelings about that,
of course, but I did really like Beg,
Borrow, or Steel. I think I gave it five
stars. I was kind of teetering with like
4.5 and five stars, but I just I did
really like the banter between the
characters and everything happening. So,
that was like so wonderful. The Grand
Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I was
really I didn't have the highest hopes
going into this book and so it surprised
me in a good way, which is why it's on
like one of my favorites list. um just
because after reading like the original
trilogy, I was like, "Oh, this could
probably get really boring with the more
books and the additions and everything
like that." But no, this this surprised
me. I I'm not necessarily the biggest
fan of the characters, but I think they
really grew on me by the end of it and I
just I enjoyed the puzzles and I thought
it was easy to understand the logic of
the storyline and that the puzzles were
a lot of fun to figure out and read with
them. Uh Throne of Secrets by Carrie
Maniscalo. loved it. I just love
everything that Carrie Muskeelko has
been writing. She she just tickles my
brain in all the right ways for like
hardcore adult romanty. So, I've been
I've been enjoying that and I cannot
wait for Throne of Nightmares next year
or this year. Also, A Dark and Secret
Magic by Wallace Kenny. This was another
one that kind of snuck up on behind. I
thought it was just going to be like a,
you know, a nice little cozy uh like
spooky season romance fantasy kind of
thing and then I ended up just
absolutely adoring it and devouring it
and I really want to purchase this one
and put it on my shelf and so that was
kind of like a huge surprise. I don't
necessarily love purchasing kind of like
the very holiday specific like romances
or cozy fantasy romance um just because
like they're so seasonal specific that I
love them in that season, but then going
forward it's like oh yeah, that's just
kind of there. But like I do have a
little Christmas section and a little
spooky season section on my shelf and so
Dark and Secret Magic is definitely one
that I would want to have on the spooky
season section. also apprentice to the
villain. I've been following Hannah and
Nico on Tik Tok and things like that
since before the books came out and I
think that's really enriched my
experience in reading these books. I
love them to bits and pieces and the
newest one is out and I haven't read it
yet but I'm really excited to pick it
up. The rule book by Sarah Adams that
was another thing. So Sarah Adams I read
all of her backlog this year. What?
Because I just wanted more of her but I
had read all of her uh like the Rome
Kentucky series. So, I decided to go
back and I started with the first book
that she published and went through all
of them in order of publication just to
see how her writing would grow. And I am
really glad that I did it that way
because it was a lot easier to be like,
"Oh, yeah, this was her first book. Her
writing is going to get better even if I
don't love it in this one." [snorts] But
the rule book, like the two sports
romances,
I I was shook. I was so happy that I
enjoyed them so much. It is still really
cool to see how she's grown even since
then, but like the rule book. I'm trying
to get my partner to read. I really want
my partner to read The Rule Book. So,
the last one that made the list of the
top 10, again, there were so many good
books that I read this year, but that
was A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim.
Again, Elizabeth Lim is one of those
autoby authors. Uh, I love how she
focuses on mythology, but then just
makes the story like fresh and alive and
new. I mean, I I just love mythology and
I just think that she writes it so well.
So, I loved this one, of course. So, I'm
just going to really quickly go through
all the worst books of 2025. Again, most
of these were rated two stars. I don't
know if any of them were really rated
three stars. I think a couple of them
may have been. I've got some
controversial books on here, so I'm
sorry if like your favorite book is on
this list. These were mostly books that
just disappointed me. I had higher
expectations for them and I just was
kind of disappointed with their actual
execution. So, some of my most
disappointing, I should say, reads of
2025 were Great Big Beautiful Life by
Enri Henry, Fake It Till You Bake It by
Jamie Wesley, Air by Saba Tahir. I
actually DNFed Air by Saba Tahare I
think because I cannot remember the
ending of it. Where the Library Hides by
Isabelle Abenez. So excited for that
one. Body Check by L. Kennedy. The Song
of Achilles by Maline Miller, Hopelessly
Devoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruof, A Grim
Ricker's Guide to Cheating Death by Maxi
Dara, Guild by Raymond Kennedy, and Mr.
Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore by Robin
Sloan. So, most of these books that I
just they did not click with me. So, I'm
sorry if your favorite was on that list,
but that is what it is. So, going into
2026, I am really excited for the
reading year. I feel like I'm just so
out of the bookish circles a little bit,
though. So, um I am trying to get back
into the communities and really
participate in everything like that
again. And I'm really excited to So, I
have, like I said, I have content ideas
planned. I am so excited. I see myself
kind of probably doing more vlog type
videos just again with everything being
so up in the air and I just feel so
disconnected and there are just so many
good books that I'm reading right now
and will read continuing on through the
year. So, I'm probably going to I'm
going to try harder to vlog books that I
am anticipating and really excited for
to kind of use that as content and then
turn those into book reviews as opposed
to like doing wrapups or these more
formal sitdown videos just because it's
kind of tricky to do that here in the
camper. So, yeah, thank you all very
much for kind of your patience with me
as I figure out what's going on because
still don't really know what's going on.
Uh but yeah, so if you are a big reader
and you are here for just book talk,
like let's just let's let's be chill.
Let's let's chat. Let's be friends. Feel
free to comment down below how your 2025
was or what your goals are looking into
2026. If you like bookish content, feel
free to subscribe. I can't promise that
I will post regularly, but I can promise
that I will try. Um and if you somehow
like this video, give it a thumbs up. Uh
just kind of get that engagement going
for me. that would be awesome. But yeah,
I also have, like I said, I have a
bookish focused social media, mostly
Instagram, that is in the description of
this video. So, you can go ahead and
follow me there. And again, thank you
all very much for watching. And until I
see you in the next video, I wish you
happy reading.
[music]