Video summary
The speaker begins the new year by outlining their reading priorities for 2026, a project involving twelve selected books that they intend to read and document through vlogs throughout the year. The core motivation behind this specific list is not necessarily finding hidden gems, but rather addressing personal backlog items and fulfilling long-held desires to read certain titles. Many of these selections are books that have repeatedly failed to win in patron polls because everyone else has already finished them or assumed they were uninteresting; consequently, the speaker decides to take matters into their own hands to ensure these stories get a fair chance at being enjoyed. This approach allows the creator to clear out specific items from their collection while providing an honest review of whether high expectations are met or if anticipated disappointments occur.
A significant portion of the list consists of works by authors with whom the speaker has complex relationships, ranging from deep admiration for some titles to a desire to redeem others after perceived letdowns. For instance, despite owning seven books in the Olivia Blake series and having only read one previously, they have decided to tackle *Gifted and Talented*, hoping its promise of happiness will be fulfilled. Similarly, while H.J. Perry is generally beloved for works like *The Radical Act of Free Magic* with just one exception noted, their latest novel remains on the list because it keeps failing to win polls despite being a favorite author's work. The speaker also includes books by Brandon Sanderson from the second era of the *Mistborn* series; although they loved earlier entries and appreciate world-building that evolves over time, they are openly skeptical about enjoying this specific arc based on feedback regarding its execution and character dynamics.
The final selections include a mix of anticipated joys, urgent reads driven by upcoming film releases, and titles chosen purely out of curiosity or guilt. The speaker aims to inject some guaranteed joy into their year with Emily Henry's *Book Lovers*, acknowledging that while they have mixed feelings about her bibliography, this title sounds promising enough to try again. Other inclusions are strategic: reading Frank Herbert's *Dune Messiah* before the new movie adaptation releases, and tackling highly praised fantasy novels like Antonia Hodgson's *The Raven Scholar* or James Logan's *Silver Blood Promise*, which everyone else seems to love but have not yet read themselves. The list concludes with a few personal favorites that keep slipping through the cracks due to their length or perceived obscurity, such as Ken Liu's *All That We See Or Seen* and Mr. Kerry's medieval horror fantasy *Once Was Will*, ensuring these stories are finally given the attention they deserve before the year ends.
Read the full video transcript
A new year is upon us. Uh the first
month is almost over, [laughter]
but I am once again setting myself up
for uh a great reading year by picking
12 books to read and vlog. And uh here
are the If you don't know what I'm
talking about, every year for the last
few years, I uh pick a bunch of books
that I'm like, these are my priorities.
And then throughout the year, I vlog as
I read them. And at the end of the year,
when I finish reading them all, I post a
vlog. So these these are the ones that
I'm going to vlog this year. A lot of my
rationale for picking these books is
that they are books that I have put
multiple times on polls for my patrons
and they just never win and I'm tired of
waiting or books that I know no one else
wants to read with me or at all. So, I'm
like, I'm just going to put them on this
project so I actually get to them. First
book is kind of one of the ones that
don't win polls cuz I think oftentimes
it's that they they come close to
winning the poll right when it comes
out, but then when it doesn't win,
everyone just kind of reads it on their
own and then I put it on the poll again,
it's like, "No, we already ran it."
Well, I didn't. So that's Grave Empire
by Richard Swan. I read the first book
in his other series a while ago and I'm
actually planning to read that series
with Mara this year, but this is his new
series. I've heard really good things
about it, but Grave Empire keeps not
winning the poll, which is cuz I'm
assuming everyone already read it and
liked it, I think. So anyway, I would
like to read it. Um cuz the the the
first book in his other series, I did
quite like it. So yeah, I decided to
read more from Richard Swan. Uh, next I
keep buying Oliv Blake books, even
though the only Olive Blake book that
I've actually ever read is The Atlas
Stakes, but I own probably like seven
books from from Olivia Blake, so I
should probably read some of them. Crazy
idea. So, I put one on this project, and
that is Gifted and Talented, which I do
believe is possibly dark academia,
possibly a crime family, possibly both.
Yeah, I clearly know so much about it.
And it says on it, "This book will make
you happy." So, that's a great sign. If
you needed a reason to read a book,
surely there's your sign. So, what could
go wrong? Next up is a book that's by
one of my favorite authors, although she
has let me down. And I put this on polls
relentlessly and it's never come close
to winning. There's usually like one
person that votes for it, so I'm just
going to read it myself and then you all
can see that you missed out. And that is
The Scholar and the Last Fairy Door by
HJ Perry. Declaration of the Rights of
Magicians and The Radical Act of Free
Magic are two of my all-time favorite
books. I also really liked the unlikely
escape of Uriah Heap and last year I
read her new book, The Tale of Two
Cities retelling, which is called A Far
Better Thing. Loved it. Um, the only
book by her that I've not liked is The
Magician's Daughter. I'm continuing to
believe that I can expect good things
from this author. She's only let me down
once. So, I want to read The Scholar in
the Last Fairy Door cuz I like this
author and it's not winning any polls.
So,
next up is a book that I suspect I will
not like, but I own the whole series
and it's about time I find out. That is
The Alloy of Love, which is the first
book in the second era of Misborn. Both
because it's Sanderson and because of
what people have told me specifically
about this book and why I specifically
would not like it. I don't think I'm
going to like it. Um, I did like the
original Misborn trilogy. I didn't like
the ending for a lot of reasons and
that's one of the patron only videos
because it got a lot of hate. Second,
Well of Ascension. I loved Well of
Ascension. Five stars. It was kind of
retroactively ruined by Hero of Ages,
but I'm intrigued by this because I like
the idea that a world progresses, that
like a fantasy world isn't stagnant. And
so, the fact of that alone is what's
always made me want to read the second
era because I appreciate that an author
does that. I like that as an idea, but
I've just heard that everything about
the specifics of how this goes down, how
it's executed, what the characters are
like, that I am not going to like it.
It's not as long as the other Misborn
books. Like I said, I own all of them.
So, we'll see. Uh, next up is a book
that I just I think I'm gonna like it
and um I just want to like slip in some
joy in my year that I'm it's obligatory
joy and that is Book Lovers by Emily
Henry. Um, it's very possible I won't
like this. I have not always liked Emily
Henry. There's actually a few Emily
Henry books I really dislike. But last
year I read no two years ago. When did I
read it? Two years ago I think I read
Happy Place. I like I I keep buying her
books as they come out, but I've only
read I read Beachread. Loved it.
Beachreed. Favorite Emily Henry book of
all time. Then I read People We Meet on
Vacation and didn't really like it and
kind of stopped reading her. Then I
tried again with Happy Place and I was
like, "Oh, I really like this. Not as
much as Beachread, but quite liked it."
So, I have a bunch of her books. I have
Funny Story. I have this. I have Is
there another one? I don't know. I just
I keep buying them all. And Book Lovers.
That sounds like I might like it. Um
maybe I'll hate it. Who knows? But um
but yeah, that's why it's on the list.
Next up, um because I had Carrie Sodto
is back on my project last year, I
decided this year to do atmosphere by
Taylor Jenkins Reed. I think I will like
this better than Carrie Sodto. I said
that in my clip talking about Kyoto. I
was like, I wasn't that excited about
Carrie Sodto to begin with. This has
intrigued me from the beginning much
more than Carrie Sodto. Now, that
doesn't mean anything. Maybe I'll hate
it. But in general, a Taylor Jenkins
read hasn't really ever let me down.
Even Carrie Soda, which I didn't really
like for it being her worst, was still a
pretty good book. So, yeah, I'm actually
really pretty excited about this.
Hopefully, it doesn't let me down. Next
up is a book I want to read before the
movie comes out. That is Dune Messiah.
I've read Dune a couple times and I've
never gone on to read Dune and Messiah.
I know a lot of things about it, but I
want to actually read it. And it's not
very long and I I just really want to
read it before the movie comes out.
That's why it's here. I'm like, it's
about time I read it. And also the movie
has made it urgent. So then another book
that everyone's polls because I think
everyone's already read it and
everyone's raved about it. I see nothing
but positive things about this. So I
fully expect to love this and will be so
mad if I don't like this and that is The
Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson.
Everyone seems to be loving it and I
love a chunky fantasy book that's well
done. And I actually saw someone
recently say that this is like The Will
of the Many if the will of the Many was
good. And I actually liked The Will of
the Many. I didn't really like um the
sequel that that just came out, The
Strength of the Few, but The Will of the
Many I like sort of despite its flaws.
So, if you're telling me there's a
version of that that there's no flaws
for me to overlook, well, sign me the
heck up. So, pretty excited for this. I
really hope it doesn't let me down.
Another book that everyone's polls cuz
again, I think everyone has already read
it who was planning to read it, and that
is The Silver Blood Promise by James
Logan. Again, I've heard pretty much
nothing but positive things. I haven't
seen anyone say anything critical about
it. and an immersive new fantasy series
that I mean it's blurbed by Sebastian
Dcastel but anyway yeah I don't actually
know too much about it I just kind of
got it because when it came out everyone
was like oh my gosh this is so good this
is so good this is so good and I was
like okay order so I actually don't
almost nothing about what it's about
like nothing I just know it's a fantasy
book but I heard good things so then uh
this is an arc that I clearly didn't
read before the book came out whoops and
that is All that we see or seen by Ken
Leo. Book one is actually mad that I got
this arc before she did. Uh, and she's
right to be mad because I didn't I
clearly didn't read it. I intended to
and I kept thinking maybe I'd do it for
a patron vlog. I did that for the devils
for them and then I just didn't and now
it's been so long and the book actually
came out in October and I still haven't
read it. Actually, I think I have the
Broken Binding edition of it and I don't
actually know yet if I like it cuz I
haven't read it. So that's why it's here
cuz I feel really guilty about that. So
I'm like, well, I'm putting it on a
list. It's getting red. it's happening.
And also, Ken Leu is a good writer. So,
I'm actually excited for this. You know,
I just have to like make it happen.
Next up is a book I want to read because
of who wrote it. Uh, and it has no
stands no chance of winning any of the
polls. So, Axioms Ends by Lindsay Ellis.
Now, I know that just because I like
Lindsay Ellis does not mean that I will
like her book, but I've owned it for a
long time, and it would be really cool
if I liked it, and I've heard things
that make me think I could like it.
Yeah. So, I'm just curious to read
Lindsay Ellis's book, and that's why
it's on this list. And last is another
book that never wins polls. Um, and I
have this stunning edition of it, and
I've been really, really, really wanting
to read it, and really hoping it would
win a poll, and it just hasn't. So, here
we are. I will be so upset if I don't
like this book, but it's not very long,
so at least there's that. Uh, Once Was
Will by Mr. Kerry, which I believe is
like medieval horror fantasy, which I
really, really enjoyed. uh Between Two
Fires by Christopher Christopher Bjman
last year. So if it's anything like that
then that bodess really well. And it's
also just like a stunning I think this
is the broken binding edition. I think
it's not normally blue. The original
cover was red possibly. I don't know.
Both like every cover I've seen of it is
beautiful. But um yeah, as you can see
it's not very long as I already said
it's blurbed by bajillion people. That
doesn't necessarily signify but oh and
um Christopher Bulman author Between Two
Fires blurbed it. So that does signify a
little. A fable full of dread and
wonder. A deeply intelligent and
emotionally gripping story. A
masterpiece of medieval dark fiction. I
love this book and give it my highest
recommendation. Christopher Bulman. I
mean that sounds pretty promising. And
those are the books that I shall be
vlogging come the end of the year. Off I
go to make it so. [gasps] Let me know
which you're most excited about, which
you're like putting your bets in now
that I will hate. Uh putting your bets
in that I will love. Um
putting your bets in that you have no
clue. whatever you want to let me know
and I'll see you on my next video. Bye.
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