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    Read in March 2026

    March turned out to be an exceptionally strong reading month, and above all one filled with books that will stay with me in different ways. I started the month by finishing a buddy read of a book I had already read ten years ago. Once again, it proved to be a massive hit, which was also a lovely confirmation that…

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    Review: The Last Town by Blake Crouch

    After that ending of Wayward, it was immediately clear that the final book in this trilogy was going to be intense. My colleague and I didn’t hesitate for a second before diving into The Last Town. And yes, “intense” is definitely the right word! Blake Crouch – The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) ★★★★ Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller /…

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    Review: Wayward by Blake Crouch

    Sometimes it is not so much a question of whether you read a sequel, but simply when. After the complete WTF-ending of Pines, it was immediately clear to both my colleague and me that we wanted to keep going. We did have to wait a few days to get our hands on the sequel, but once we could start Wayward,…

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    Review: Pines by Blake Crouch

    Sometimes the best reading experiences happen entirely by accident. Pines was not on my immediate TBR at all, but when a colleague mentioned she had started reading it and became so engrossed that she nearly missed her train stop on the way home, my curiosity was piqued. I have had the entire trilogy sitting on my e-reader for ages, waiting…

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    Review: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

    Ever since I first read the Dutch translation of Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier years ago, I’ve been meaning to continue the Sevenwaters series. However, given how much time has passed since that first read, I wanted to revisit the story before continuing, this time in its original English. An impromptu buddy read with a few people online…

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    Reviewing with BALSPEL: 2026 update

    A few years ago, I wrote in detail about how I rate books with stars. In that post I explained how my system evolved from purely gut feeling to something a bit more structured. Since 2022, I’ve been using my own version of BookRoast’s CAWPILE system, which I renamed BALSPEL. And yes, I still use this system today. But as…

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    Read in February 2026

    February turned out to be a somewhat more difficult reading month. Not so much because I didn’t read much, but mainly because several books I had chosen with fairly positive expectations ended up being more disappointing than enjoyable. As a result, I found myself deciding not to finish books quite often this month, sometimes even after I had already read…

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    Read in January 2026

    My reading year is off to a good start for the first month of 2026. I started January with a fairly clear reading plan, with a few books I really wanted to read, but that plan was quickly turned upside down. Not due to a lack of time or a reading slump, but because one book completely consumed my mind…

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    My 2026 reading goals

    We’re already pretty much at the end of January, and yet I still haven’t properly defined my reading goals for 2026. Not because I lack ideas, but because I’ve been searching for the right approach. When I look back at my two recent reflection posts – one about my 2025 reading goals and one about the accompanying numbers and statistics…

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    Read in 2025: the numbers

    After my extensive reflection on the reading goals of 2025, it’s now time to delve even deeper into the hard data. Not to force conclusions, but rather to see whether my feelings about the reading year 2025 are supported or contradicted by the data. Unlike in previous years, this time I’m not throwing everything into one big pile. This post…