My 2026 Reading Reset

Restarting My Physical Book Reading Habit in 2026

Somewhere between work, deadlines, milestones, and life's many tabs open in my head, I stopped reading physical books.

Well, it wasn't done intentionally. Nor did it happen dramatically. The habit just kind of fizzled slowly... as I moved on in life, especially after giving birth.

As I said, the habit slipped away. And it was replaced by scrolling, skimming, saving things I never returned to, and telling myself I'd "get back to books when things calm down."

But things never really calm down, do they? Haha.

Returning to Physical Books

So in 2026, I'm choosing something small, old-fashioned, and deeply personal: I'm returning to physical books.

The rule of thumb: No e-books and audiobooks, articles, summaries, or even content for work. They should be real books with covers, pages, bookmarks.

I'm looking forward to real moments of being unreachable because there's something grounding about holding a story in your hands. There should be neither notifications nor multitasking. Just me myself and a world that unfolds one page at a time.

This shouldn't be about productivity. It isn't about finishing X number of books. It's about reading for presence, not speed.

It's about reclaiming attention, rebuilding patience, and remembering how good it feels to sit with a story and let it stay with me.

The Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

I've already gathered the books I want to begin with a full Ransom Riggs collection of Peculiardom waiting on my shelf. I've collected them throughout the years.

Now, I plan to re-read the first three books slowly, intentionally, and with joy:

1) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2) Hollow City

3) Library of Souls

Then, followed by the next three books.

4) A Map of Days

5) The Conference of the Birds

6) The Desolations of Devil’s Acre

Finally, I'll complete the universe with these two companion books:

7) Tales of the Peculiar

8) Miss Peregrine's Museum of Wonders

Then I'll blog about them, not as a critic, not as a reviewer. Just thoughts, feelings, moments.

Maybe this is a midlife thing. Or a healing thing. Or maybe this is just me choosing to spend my time more gently.

But I know this: 2026 is the year I return to books. And I'm excited to begin again.

Wish me luck.

And if you've been thinking about doing the same, maybe this is your sign too.

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My loot from Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2014

Books for my tot and myself.

He likes the "Noisy" series books his dad gotten for him.

Love in Spoonfuls

Baby & Toddler Cookbook Meal Planner

How to feed your baby with healthy homemade meals

Mini Delights series - Mini Pies, Mini Cakes

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My loot from BBW book sale 2013

 

Hubby and I brought baby to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2013. We did a dash-in-dash-out and baby behaved very well. :)

 

We bought some nice books for baby:

• My Itsy Bitsy Spider Tab Book
• Baby's First Bible Stories
• Little Yellow Chick plush storybook
• Snowman plush storybook
• Lil Goat (with two slots for fingers to move the goat's ears)
• Jolly Christmas mini plush storybook
 

 I also bought two books for myself:

• Superfoods for Healthy Kids
• Quick and Healthy Recipes (free plastic kitchen spoons)

 

How things have changed after baby's arrival. Now, baby is everything!

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Mitch Albom's The Time Keeper

Synopsis

In this stunning new novel, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure time. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more years for themselves. At last, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world - now dominated by the obsession with time he so innocently began - and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Gripping, simply told and filled with deep human truth, this unforgettable story will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.

Quotes

Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. an alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.

Consider the word “time.” We use so many phrases with it. Pass time. Waste time. Kill time. Lose time. In good time. About time. Take your time. Save time. A long time. Right on time. Out of time. Mind the time. Be on time. Spare time. Keep time. Stall for time. There are as many expressions with “time” as there are minutes in a day. But once, there was no word for it at all. Because no one was counting. Then Dor began. And everything changed.

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The New Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

The New Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko - volume five of the Night Watch series: Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, The Last Watch.

Synopsis:

At Moscow airport, Higher Light Magician Anton Gorodetsky overhears a child screaming that a plane is about to crash. He discovers that the child is a Prophet: an Other with the gift of foretelling the future. When the catastrophe is averted, Gorodetsky senses a disruption in the natural order, one that is confirmed by the arrival of a dark and terrifying predator.

From the Night Watch headquarters Gorodetsky travels to London, to Taiwan and across Russia in search of clues, unearthing as he goes a series of increasingly cataclysmic prophecies. He soon realizes that what is at stake is the existence of the Twilight itself - and that only he will be able to save it.

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Melanie La'Brooy's "Babymoon"

Melanie La'Brooy's "Babymoon". 

Synopsis: 

Isabelle Beckett and Jack Boyd are expecting their first child. And Isabelle is the very model of a calm Earth Mother-to-be.

Or she would be if she wasn't consumed by anxiety about finding her pelvic floor, watching birthing videos or deciding upon an uber-trendy or dreadfully practical pram. Of course, she's thrilled and excited - she just feels slightly out... of... control!

But with the support of a host of new mothers and friends - all full of the worst possible advice - just maybe Isabelle can make it through pregnancy and childbirth with her dignity, her relationship and some more private bits intact.

Then again, maybe not.

 Prologue: 

I was never one of those girls who always knew that they wanted to be a mother someday. I never leaned over prams and cooed at babies on the street or caught the gaze of their proud parents and offered them a warm smile. Through a mixture of disinterest, fear and, I have to admit, distaste, I rarely offered to hold a newborn offspring of friends and family. Dropping them on the crowns of their partially formed skulls was only one of my many concerns. Infinitely worse was the thought that at any moment I might be hit by a projectile form of liquid waste from either end.

In short, I wasn't really interested in babies. Babies can't tell jokes, they don't have opinions, they smell and they're more demanding than, well, I am.

Which was why I was now staring in abject terror at the newborn babe in my arms, wondering what the hell I was going to do with it.

Because, for once, I couldn't hand it back to its parents after the obligatory five minutes and a pathetic stab at which parent it most resembled.

This time it was different.

This time it was mine.

The countdown to mummydom has started...

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Kim Harrison's 9th & 10th book of The Hollows series

Kim Harrison's "Pale Demon".

Synopsis:

Condemned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches' conference in San Francisco to clear her name. If not, she'll be trapped in the demonic ever-after... forever.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy traveling 2,000 miles in one car is a recipe for disaster - not even counting the assassination teams waiting in ambush... or the demon they unleash in St. Louis.

Now, after centuries of torment, a fearsome creature walks free, craving innocent blood and souls - especially Rachel Morgan's, who'll need to fully embrace her own demonic nature to survive. And even that may not be enough.

Here's the list of Kim Harrison's books that I owned.

Kim Harrison's "A Perfect Blood".

Synopsis:

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other.

Pulled in by the FIB to help investigate, former witch-turned-day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: others want to create their own demons, and to do so they need her blood.

She's faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more - but this time Rachel's toughest challenge might be humanity itself.

Here's the list of Kim Harrison's books that I owned.

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Happy new year 2013!

Some resolutions that I think are doable.

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Do not fear change. Change fear. 

Powerful reminder. Time to do dissolve fears, especially the fear of the known (yup, you read that right). The fear of the unknown is not as bad as the known. Think about it.

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I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can.

Lovely reminder. Do something I like, not what I'm compelled or obliged to do.

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My New Year's resolution: READ MORE BOOKS.

Absolutely true! Reading is therapeutic, calming me, keeping me sane in my own world. I have been extra quiet lately, I speak only when there's a need, not wanting to make unnecessary enemies.

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Ma'am, step away from the computer.

Haha! This may not be very easy but I manage to do this on most weekends nowadays. I just refuse to turn on my laptop whenever I'm off working hours.

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26 books in 2012

These are the books I have read in 2012.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins:

1. The Hunger Games (Book 1)
2. Catching Fire (Book 2)
3. Mockingjay (Book 3)

The Hollows series (the Rachel Morgan series) by Kim Harrison:

4. A Fistful of Charms
5. For A Few Demons More
6. Where Demons Dare
7. White Witch, Black Curse
8. Black Magic Sanction

The Damask Circle series by Keri Arthur:

9. Circle of Fire
10. Circle of Death
11. Circle of Desire

The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella:

12. Shopaholic Ties the Knot
13. Shopaholic & Sister
14. Shopaholic & Baby
15. Mini Shopaholic

Others:

16. Audition (Ryu Murakami)
17. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)
18. Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite (edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelmer)
19. For One More Day (Mitch Albom)
20. The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
21. The Woman in Black (Susan Hill)
22. The Legacy (Gemma Malley)
23. The Killables (Gemma Malley)
24. Stardust (Neil Gaiman)
25. The Girl Who Chased the Moon (Sarah Addison Allen)
26. Holidays are Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, Vicki Petterson)

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Kim Harrison's "Black Magic Sanction"

Kim Harrison's "Black Magic Sanction".

Synopsis:

Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter - and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind... until now.

Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment - her worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom. But trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and a lowlife ex-boyfriend-turned-thief.

Here's the list of Kim Harrison's books that I owned.

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Holidays are Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, Vicki Petterson)

Holidays are Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, Vicki Petterson).

This holiday, spend quality time with family and loved ones - living and dead...

Synopsis: 

There's no place like home for the horrordays - unless you'd prefer a romantic midnight walk through a ghost-infested graveyard... or a haunted house candlelight dinner with the sexy vampire of your dreams. The (black) magical season is here - and whether it's a solstice seance gone demonically wrong with the incomparable Kim Harrison, a grossly misshapen Christmas with the remarkable Lynsay Sands, a blood-chilling-and-spilling New Year's with the wonderful Marjorie M. Liu, or a super-powered Thanksgiving with the phenomenal Vicki Petterson, one thing is for certain: in the able hands of these exceptional dark side explorers, the holidays are going to be deliciously hellish!

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel (Kim Harrison) introduces us to a younger Rachel Morgan - an undergraduate witch-in-training - who naively resurrects a spirit and sparks a terrifying showdown with a deadly undead adversary.

Run, Run, Rudolph (Lynsay Sands) serves up a scrumptious stew of Yuletide suspense when, in order to escape from a determined stalker, a beautiful, reluctant shape-shifter must assume different forms.

Six (Marjorie M. Liu) keeps a petite-but-powerful government agent's hands full when she must join forces with a hunky necromancer to prevent an unholy brotherhood of terrorists and vampires from ringing in the New Year with blood.

The Harvest (Vicki Petterson) brings a former superhero - an elite Zodiac warrior - back to the mortal world for a Thanskgiving reunion with her equally hated and beloved enemy to do battle for the lives of her imperiled children.

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Sarah Addison Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon"

Sarah Addison Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon".

Synopsis:

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve some of the riddles surrounding her mother's life. Why did she leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return?

But in a place where unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight, where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood, and where a neighbor bakes hummingbird cakes in the hope of bringing back a lost love, Emily will find that the answers are not what she expects...

Two of my favorite quotes from the book:

"How we see the world changes all the time. It all depends on our mood."

"Blank-slate friendships were thin and temperamental. There was no history there to cement people together, for better or worse."

This really thoughtful statement by Sarah Addison Allen - "my favorite books are the ones that make me smile for hours after reading them. I want that for my readers, for the sweetness to linger. Sort of like chocolate, but without the calories" - makes me wanna read all her other books.

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Project: Reflect 52 #49 - Emotional freedom

Dr. Judith Orloff is the author of Emotional Freedom. She talks about liberating ourselves from negative emotions and transforming our life. I would love to read this book.

Synopsis:

Picture yourself trapped in a traffic jam feeling utterly calm. Imagine being unflappable and relaxed when your supervisor loses her temper. What if you were peaceful instead of anxious? What if your life were filled with nurturing relationships and a warm sense of belonging? This is what it feels like when you've achieved emotional freedom.

National bestselling author Dr. Judith Orloff invites you to take a remarkable journey, one that leads to happiness and serenity, and a place where you can gain mastery over the negativity that pervades daily life. No matter how stressed you currently feel, the time for positive change is now. You possess the ability to liberate yourself from depression, anger, and fear.

Synthesizing neuroscience, intuitive medicine, psychology, and subtle energy techniques, Dr. Orloff maps the elegant relationships between our minds, bodies, spirits, and environments. With humor and compassion, she shows you how to identify the most powerful negative emotions and how to transform them into hope, kindness, and courage. Compelling patient case studies and stories from her online community, her workshop participants, and her own private life illustrate the simple, easy-to-follow action steps that you can take to cope with emotional vampires, disappointments, and rejection.

Emotional Freedom is a road map for those who are stressed out, discouraged, or overwhelmed as well as for those who are in a good emotional place but want to feel even better. As Dr. Orloff shows, each day presents opportunities for us to be heroes in our own lives: to turn away from negativity, react constructively, and seize command of any situation. Complete emotional freedom is within your grasp.

[via]

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Here are some words of encouragement to everyone who reads this post:

• Be grateful. Don't underestimate the power of gratitude. Blog post here.
• Spill less "beans". Better still, don't share for the sake of sharing. You never know who will use what words you said against you.
• Be nice. Be pleasant, even if it's a mask or the best poker face you put on. Bottom line is: Don't be nasty. Nastiness doesn't get you anywhere. People remember, especially all the nasty stuff you did and the nasty words you said.
• Be kind. Kindness is one of mankind's virtue, the bastion of civilization.
• Never forget people who impact your life positively, including those who don't.
• Stay away from conflicts. Do your best. Conflicts are a waste of time and energy.
• Stay away from 8 toxic personalities. Blog post here.

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Neil Gaiman's "Stardust"

Neil Gaiman's "Stardust".

Synopsis:

Catch a fallen a star... 

Young Tristran Thorn is not like other boys - in more ways than one. While Tristran knows he's not quite like others, he doesn't know that he's actually half man, half faerie. Tristran lives in the small town of Wall, a village that borders on the land of Faerie. Every nine years, the two worlds come together for a fair of magical proportions. A couple of fairs go by, but Tristran is always sent off to stay with distant relatives so he never gets to experience the festivities. One night when Tristran is 17, he and his crush, Victoria Forester, witness a star that falls in the land of Faerie. Desperate to win Victoria's affections, Tristran promises to bring her back the falling star if she promises to marry him!

As Tristran heads off on his journey to bring back the fallen star, he quickly makes friends with a furry creature who calls himself Charmed. Tristran and Charmed make their way through Faerie, encountering mythical beings, mirages and much more. It doesn't take Charmed long to figure out that Tristran has a connection to Faerie - one that isn't possible for a mere man.

If Tristran thinks he's going to be able to just wander through the land of Faerie, pick up his fallen star and return home to his beloved Victoria, he has another thing coming. Not only is he searching for the star, but also three lords of the land Stormhold and an evil witch! How will Tristran compete against them? Or will even make it that far?

[via]

Rich with adventure and magic, Stardust is one of master storyteller Neil Gaiman's most beloved tales, and the inspiration for the hit movie.

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I went to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012 - Preview Day (6 December 2012)!

If you still don't know what or where is the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012, you should find out!

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012 is the most anticipated bigger, badder, super-monstrous book sale of the year! With a 75%-95% discount on ALL 3 million books, there's NO EXCUSE to miss this world-exclusive event at Mines Convention Center (MIECC) from 7 to 23 December 2012.

And...

I'm one of the lucky citizens who went to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012 - Preview Day on 6 December 2012 and gotten my first picks from those awesome 3 million books!!!

NEVER PAY FULL PRICE. EVER.

 

The Wolf's LAMBORGHINI. Goodness!

Awesome!

BBW

Some tips for you:

• We accept Cash or Credit Cards.
• Protect the Books!! No Food, No Drinks, No Pets, No Laser (dunno what, I missed the word).
• Be a Considerate Hero!! Return unwanted books to the tables not the floor!!
• Tired? Massage chairs located after checkout counter.
• Hungry? Have a bite at our upper mezzanine food paradise.
• Cranky kids? Cranky you? Let them play at Malaysia's largest indoor playland - upper mezzanine.

My almighty loot: RM208 worth of books - 24 RM8 books, 1 RM6 book, 1 RM10 book.

DON'T MISS! I repeat: With a 75%-95% discount on ALL 3 million books, there's NO EXCUSE to miss this world-exclusive event at Mines Convention Center (MIECC) from 7 to 23 December 2012.

More sneak peeks and updates on BBW's Twitter too!

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Gemma Malley's "The Killables"

Gemma Malley's "The Killables". 

Synopsis: 

Everyone accepted that people were different physically. But inside? Inside, they were different too. You just had to know how to tell, what to look for.

Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K... But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again...

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Project: Reflect 52 #47-48 - Bookish moments

There's a section called JOY 'N' BOOKS on my blog's left sidebar that showcases my love for books.

• Books I've Read links to my blog posts about books I've read


• I Pledge to Read the Printed Word links to readtheprintedword.org


• I Have Read... (FB Album) links to the Facebook album on joycescapade.com


• Books on my Wishlist links to my wishlist on bookdepository.co.uk


• Goodreads widget links to my virtual bookshelves on Goodreads


• Other links to my favorite bookstores

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Some other stuff related to my love for books:

 Photo source

Happiness is a cup of coffee and a good book - how true this is! I was so excited the moment I saw the quote and image on Camille's blog! It was indeed a reflection of my experience with coffee and books. :D

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That's a really handsome walk-in book wardrobe. I would love to have something like this in the future. :)

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Lastly, the most anticipated bigger, badder, super-monstrous book sale of the year - The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012! With a 75%-95% discount on ALL 3 million books, there's NO EXCUSE to miss this world-exclusive event at Mines Convention Center (MIECC) from 7 to 23 December 2012.

Non-stop book-shopping is not a dream! We all are gonna shop till we drop!

Photo source

Whoever said money can't buy happiness has obviously never been inside a bookstore.

;)

There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.
- Bertrand Russell

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Gemma Malley's "The Legacy"

Gemma Malley's "The Legacy".

Synopsis:

The truth is too terrifying to bear. Longevity - the drug long sold as the secret to eternal life - is not working. A terrible virus is stalking the land, and Longevity no longer has the power to keep death at bay.

The Underground activists are accused by corporate giant Pincent Pharma of deliberately contaminating batches of Longevity drugs. Soon no one is safe as angry mobs torch the houses of suspected sympathizers. But someone knows all the sinister secrets hidden by Pincent Pharma and has the key to exposing everything.

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The Legacy is Book 3. I have read Book 1 & Book 2:

Book 1: The Declaration
Book 2: The Resistance

  

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Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black"

Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black".

Synopsis:

Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. 

The house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but it is not until Arthur glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to speak of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

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I have watched the 2012 movie - The Woman in Black - starring Daniel Radcliffe. The movie is a separate adaptation of the novel and develops a different storyline while maintaining some main characters.

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In April 2012, Hammer Films announced that there would be a sequel to The Woman in Black, which is titled The Woman in Black: Angel of Death. 

The official plot synopsis is: "Seized by the government and converted into a military mental hospital during World War II, the sudden arrival of disturbed soldiers to Eel Marsh House has awoken its darkest inhabitant. Eve, a beautiful young nurse, is sent to the house to care for the patients but soon realizes she must save them from more than their own demons. Despite Eve's efforts to stop her, one by one they fall victim to the Woman in Black." [via]

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