In these monthly roundup posts, I list everything I accomplished in the month. This is more for me to look at and appreciate myself because otherwise I’m too hard on myself.

January 2026 Reading Roundup

I planned a lot of books, what with starting strong and all. It started off well, like really well, with a short story from one of my favourite authors Lee Child.

Carryovers from 2025:

1. 1. Srilaaji— Shobhaa Dé
   2. Becoming Mrs Kumar — Heather Saville Gupta
   3. Delusions of Grandma — Carrie Fisher
   4. Little Women — Louisa May Alcott

Since the Carry-Forward and DNF pile has gotten longer, I’m not going to include it. I’ll just say this: I’m going to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, soon.

January 2026 Writing Roundup

I managed to finish writing one novella and published the same. It will be available for KU readers on February 1, 2026. Please do check out: Once upon a Coincidence.

January 2026 Watching Roundup

I’m back with Pakistani Drama reviews. These are the ones I’m watching recently.

• Meri Zindagi Hai Tu
• Muamma
• Aik Aur Pakeezah

It has instilled more writing discipline and it has brought my little back to life, in a way. More people are visiting which is always a great feeling.

Planned for February 2026

I have a dedicated February Reading Pile to discuss books planned for the month, so more on that here: Reading Pile | February 2026.

On dramas front, I’ll continute to watch the three dramas: Muamma, Meri Zindagi Hai Tu, Aik Aur Pakeezah. The teasers for Hamrahi seemed nice, even though I’m not a fan of Hiba Bukhari. Let’s see.

As for writing, currently focussing on writing a series first and will start publishing once I have the stories in place.

That’s all for now. Wait till next month’s recap. How was your January?

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Shabana Mukhtar