It's almost a new year; less than one hour here in the UK and 2026 will be upon me!

With that in mind I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the support, all the commissions, kind comments, faves, patreon pledges, basically everything y'all have done collectively to encourage me in my writing this past year. Though I still struggled a bit through the summer due to the heat and had a few hiccups in scheduling due to construction work/repairs in my home (which did finally get finished in early December, a good five months after it was 'meant' to be done), this was a hugely productive year for me writing-wise, and a great one in terms of my personal time too. My big goal from the very start of 2025 was to be online less (when it came to idle browsing/checking social media) and read more. And hoo-boy did I succeed at that goal.

Speaking of which...


Jeeves' 2025 Reading Goal Update!!

At the start of 2025, my plan was to read fifty books within the year, including both novels and manga. As I made my way through January and into February though I realised... oh shit, I'm gonna beat this goal before March. O.o So I set myself a new goal, 100 books, again including both novels and manga. But, uhhh, I was reading a LOT, because I was spending MUCH less time than in previous years online, and also I'd really found books that I was super eager to read rather than ones I had to force myself to just get through a single chapter a day like at points in my past when I was telling myself to read more. So, I upped my goal to what ended up being its final form. 100 prose books, AND 100 volumes of manga. Based on the progress I'd made up to that point, reading a book cover to cover every day or two and just as much manga alongside them, I felt like it was doable. And sure enough, here's my year end total:

Books read, January 1st 2025 to December 31st 2025: 137.
Manga read, January 1st 2025 to December 31st 2025: 177.

I kinda obliterated both my goals, hahaha. And the best part? Out of all those books, all those manga? I can count on one hand the number of those books I didn't enjoy, and on one finger books that didn't add to that number because I quit them before even finishing them (that was just one single book, just a few days ago, hahaha). I found so many amazing authors and artists this year, so many series I'm still eagerly awaiting the next books or manga for, and I even managed to convince myself to get an e-reader so I could access even MORE books that aren't in print form in English yet (translations of Japanese light novels, primarily).

It'd take a long time to write out the full list of books I read (I do have a list, but it's written out by hand in a notebook) this year, but here's a few of my favourite series!

Manga:

- Barakamon by Satsuki Yashino. A temperamental calligrapher is sent to a somewhat "backwater" island after punching out a critic who insulted his work. While he tries to 'find himself' and improve his work, the pace of quiet island life begins to change him, and he gets closer with the heartwarming but wacky cast of villagers who make up the community he becomes a part of. Wholesome AF. <3

- Magus of the Library by Mitsu Izumi. A fantasy story that begins with a kid who loves books but is barred from his local library due to discrimination. He meets a librarian who wields magical abilities, and through the various twists and turns of the first volumes resolves to set out on a trip to see the world and become a magical librarian himself when he comes of age. The fantasy world in this story has a kinda Arabian Nights vibe to its magic and design, and it's gorgeously drawn. <3

- Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita. Imagine Jurassic Park except there was no catastrophic failure of park containment leading to countless dinosaur rampages and human deaths, just one keeper gets killed by a dino one time due to some safety protocol breaches, and that kinda dampens the "dino-mania" craze. Cut to years later, and a bright eyed college graduate begins her career working in a small, underfunded dinosaur park as a keeper. If you were a dinosaur kid, this should already be on your bookshelves.

- Frieren Beyond Journey's End by Kanhito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe. You may have seen the anime of this, but the manga is incredible too, and further on than the show! What happens to the immortal elf in a "fellowship-esque" adventuring party after they've defeated the big bad, when decades pass and all their companions with whom they travelled begin to die of old age?

- Laid Back Camp by Afro. Another anime that is even more chill in manga form. High school friends go camping in various scenic and relaxing spots around Japan. If you have the slightest bit of stress in your brain when you sit down to read this manga, it'll be gone after a couple of chapters, that's how fluffy and cute this is. :D

Light Novels:

- Too Many Losing Heroines by Takibi Amamori. I always thought I didn't like rom-coms. Turns out what I don't like are HOLLYWOOD rom-coms. Coz uh, I freaking love this series that follows the "losers" of various rom-com worthy plots; i.e, the girl who doesn't get the guy when he turns out to be in love with someone else, and their own quirky lives.

- The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga. My absolute favourite series right now. Set in a fictional analogue of Tang era China, it's a mystery/period drama/romance/courtly intrigue series that follows a young woman called Maomao who works with her father as an apothecary, only to be kidnapped and sold into servitude in the "rear palace" of the imperial court. The anime has been extremely popular this year and leans a little more into the comedy, but the books have so much to love about them too. <3

- Secrets of the Silent Witch by Matsuri Isura. Do you want a story set in a magical school that isn't written by a raving transphobe? This might be the series for you! Do you want a protagonist who's as hilariously introverted as Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi from Bocchi the Rock) but is also a prodigy of a witch, and a book series where the descriptions and illustrations of magic itself are gorgeous? This might be the series for you! It certainly was for me, hahaha.

- Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools by Hisaya Amagishi. Some "slice of life" stories really are that, and this is one of those. An isekai (person from our world gets reincarnated into another one after their death) that is every bit as much about learning about the world through the main character's day to day life, watching her make friends, navigate business dealings and make and eat a LOT of food with the man she totally isn't in love with but c'mon seriously why are they so HECCIN CUTE TOGETHER I COULD DIE D: as it is about any driving plot. I know some folks need more high stakes drama and momentum in their books, but if you don't, and you like the idea of a main character whose deal isn't swinging giant swords or casting fireballs, but making magic camp stoves and raincoats and building a thriving business from her efforts, check out this series (ebooks only right now, alas).



Feel free to share any favourite books (or other media) of the year, any successes in y'alls own lives/2025 resolutions, or what your plans are for the new year! I'll just be having a chill day reading and getting back into Final Fantasy 14, lmao. <3

Oh also, a reminder that I'm gonna be opening for commissions on January 2nd. All my commission types will be available, so if you're wanting to start off 2026 with a furry story, you'll have your chance soon enough. ^^