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2026 Mid-year Reading Check-in
A companion post to my recent Month in Books entry, this post summarizes my highlights from the first half of the year — reading-wise.
LATEST POSTS
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2026 Mid-year Reading Check-in
A companion post to my recent Month in Books entry, this post summarizes my highlights from the first half of the year — reading-wise.
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My Months in Books: All the Books I’ve Read in the First Half of 2026
Here’s a recap of my life in books in the first half of 2026: what I’ve read, what I’m currently enjoying, and what I’m looking forward to.
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My 2025 in Books + Top 10 Reads of the Year & 2026 Reading Resolutions
2025 marks the 15th year I’ve been tracking my reading — which is so crazy to me! Here’s a recap in books of the year that has passed.
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My Month in Books: December 2025
Here’s a recap of my life in books for the last month of the year, December 2025: what I’ve read, what I’m currently enjoying, and what I’m looking forward to.
WHAT ARE YOU IN THE MOOD FOR?
About Me
Hi, I’m Riza
I’m an auditor by profession and a round-the-clock geek from the Philippines, currently based in Belfast. I post about books, stationery, travel, and the occasional personal musings. Thanks for visiting my site!
BOOK REVIEWS
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Review: Comfort Eating by Grace Dent
4.5/5☕ | If I could summarize my opinion of this book in one sentence, it’s this: Comfort Eating just feels like a warm hug.
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(Series) Review: St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series (#1 to #6) by ACF Bookens
4/5☕ | Better late than never, here’s my review of the first 6 books of ACF Booken’s St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series – a book series that scratched the itch in my cozy mystery-loving heart.
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Review: How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart by Florentyna Leow
4.5/5☕ | A random find that ended up being one of the most beautiful things I’ve read lately, Florentyna Leow’s How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart is my favorite read of 2025 so far.
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Review: I Feel Bad About My Neck, And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
4.5/5☕ | I feel like this is a book that you could read at various stages in your life and, at each time, it will mean different to you.
TRAVEL LOG
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Rijksmuseum, In Fragments (Amsterdam, 2024)
I will most remember Amsterdam for its canals and museums. Here, I had the pleasure of visiting the Netherlands’ largest art museum – and one of the best museums in the world: the Rijksmuseum.
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Photo Diary: Chasing Fall (Tollymore, 2024)
This year, everything aligned, and my dream autumn forest walk finally came true. This is me trying to commit it to memory.
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Photo Diary: Autumn on the Estate, Revisited
It seems I am always falling in love with something in Octobers. I always never want it to end. Here’s to my new favorite month of the year!
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To Stranger Worlds: Spirited Away on Stage (2024)
The Spirited Away stage adaptation was everything I hoped it would be – and more.
Pages and Coffee Cups 