This month was a mixed bag for stories. I tried to read too much. I tried to read a ton from my TBR, regardless of whether or not the stories were working out for me. I read some out of obligation, and I read too fast. It took me almost until the end of January to realize I was only hurting myself. It was similar to my early years of blogging, when I had to break out of the cycle of reading for obligation and because something had once been put on my list. After that, I spent a lot of time culling my TBR, and that was immediately followed by beginning stories I enjoy again. I’m still working to get the balance right, but I think I’m further along than I was a month ago.

First: Petrichor & Parchment by Mrs Noggin. This story is an Aziracrow classic, with an insane stat count. Thus, while I’ve been told over and over that this is a great story, I’ve been intimidated to try it. I decided to take the plunge as my first fanfic in 2026, and yeeeeah all those recs were right. This was amazing. It’s S1-era, so the personalities are different from what comes in AUs these days, and that was refreshing in a lot of ways. There’s one moment that stood out to me for its simplicity: a semi-nonverbal version of Crowley, curled under a blanket and leaning against Az on a couch, and Az is trying to entice him to eat by naming out a dozen possibilities. At one point, Crowley’s arm shoots out of the blanket, hand up. Az stops, asked if he wants the item that was just named, and the response is grabby-hand motions. It was such a cute moment, and so grounded in something real that might happen. Domestic fluff at its finest.

Second: nothing gold can stay (but you) by jovipop. By contrast, my second fic of the year is sadly lacking in popularity. This is a spooky mystery that goes down the route of time-travel/altering, split pocket universes, supernatural entities, and the haunting of an abandoned estate. The author says this is their first multi-chapter work, but you’d never know it. They wrap up all the mysteries with a dexterity that I don’t find very often even in seasoned mystery authors. One of my pet peeves is when solutions/revelations are info-dumped in long explanations from one character to others. I’d rather the explanations be part of the actual plot, so that something more than just exposition is going on. And jovipop did an incredible job with that. Every single tiny question was answered, many in short bursts that happened in the middle of a big action. It hurts my heart that this one had so few readers to love on it!

Third: Holiday Hazards by Sakascal and DeMented_DeMeown. What happens when witches, crossed ley lines, an unlucky lucky charm, a blizzard, a solstice, and a couple ethereal beings engaged in sexytimes all come together (no pun intended)? The potential end of the world, apparently. Universes collide, and an angel and a demon must figure out how to get the ensuing chaos back to normal. A+++ for the creativity. I was pleasantly reminded of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, which the author has not read. (Bonus: Because of this story, I’ve now made another friend who is basically my twin in another part of the world. We share a few braincells. It’s wonderful!)

Fourth: You Can Have It by voluptatiscausa. Years of pining and noncommunication, fear and grief and trauma, and eventually, things work out. Honestly, I’m not sure what to feel about this one. I really liked the beginning, but about the midway point, the tone changed completely, and I didn’t like the way it wrapped up despite the happy ending. I’m not the hugest fan of the “they never talk but it’s all okay anyway” trope. I probably ought to have abandoned it midway through. Oh well. They can’t all work.

Fifth & Sixth: 90 Days to Change Your Life and Wanting You… Is New by SpectrallyDistracted. I’m reviewing these two together because 1) I read them back to back, and 2) they are companion pieces that are the same story told from two points of view. Think of books like Replica by Lauren Oliver, where the printing is dual-sided or flipped. It’s a series about demiromantic orientation and asexuality, and approaching love from opposite directions.

Seventh: Rattle Those Pots & Pans by Mackaley. As you can probably tell by the title, this is an Aziracrow crossover with the movie Clue. It comes complete with multiple endings and more twists than you can shake a stick at. While I adore Clue, I’m not sure this one entirely landed for me. Might’ve been my mood at the time, though.

Eighth: One Night by Mizmak. After what might have been a one night stand (neither party can remember, they were both so drunk), Az and Crow are glad to never have any reason to see each other and confront their behavior that night. Only then, they are both hired to work for the same obnoxious property owner, and on top of that, Crow’s rental cottage in Az’s village happens to be next door to Az… This one is sweet and silly and full of laughter, and made me want to wrap it up in a hug!