Hope everyone had a great Christmas that was boom-filled and joyous! 📚

I finished my last planned book of 2025 (The Great Alone), which means I can start my planned TBR of January early! Finish the series I‘ve started (Touch of Chaos and TOG) and the manga I‘ve begun to accumulate but not read.

I decided to pull them all out to visualize the task and … oof 🤣😳

It has been a while since I‘ve picked up a Stuart McLean. This collection has some of the classics and some previously never released stories, since his passing.

And while I may not be able to find them all, I always recommend listening to McLean tell his own stories. His pacing, cadence and storytelling skill are unparalleled IMO.

He always makes me laugh, and he always makes me smile.

I know these books are toxic AF, but like God of Fury, I ATE THIS UP. Recently these have been the books that I don‘t want to put down, that I need to finish. I don‘t know what it is about them, but I LIVE FOR IT.

Kiss the Villain loses a star for some slight unfinished plot points, but I finished it in 24 hours, so I won‘t complain.

And with this book, the Goodreads Reading Challenge has been reached!

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I think I can honestly say to read this after Crown of Midnight. It‘s a good break from the main story, but it‘s important background to have before the main story moves forward too much. I also loved how, although it was short stories, all connected to one another and it read like a full novel.

I cried, I yelled, I cursed.

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The last two books of my Halloween TBR did not fare well. This is a DNF. Last night while listening… I got the ick.

Don‘t know where to go from there except to stop. 🤷‍♀️

Argh. 😡

I had to take a picture of my notes that I took while reading at work, because if I couldn‘t do those, I would‘ve thrown it across the room.

Suffice to say…. No.

The equivalent of bad pacing. ⭐️

The last two books of my Halloween TBR are happening this week. The aim was to finish by Nov 15th, at which point I‘ll start my Winter TBR.

Both are … weird. That‘s all I can really say for now.

I‘ll give this a pick, even though the ending made me drop my rating to 3.5. I liked the creativity of Alice going back. It was the feminine rage book I needed. But for being so short, the ending (which is built up from the beginning) did not need to be glossed over. That was frustrating.

That being said, if you ever find yourself yelling RIP EM APART BUNNY, while reading a book, you can‘t say it wasn‘t enjoyable. 😳

My friend, a huge Alice in Wonderland fan, gave me this book, saying it was horrid and gross… but maybe I would like it.

When I messaged her that my 🎃TBR spun it and I‘m picking it up to read, she responded with: ‘🤣 I hope it works for you.‘

Let‘s see how this goes! 🤣😳

This was a little palette cleanser before diving back into my Halloween TBR, but it was fitting. I was drawn in by the deluxe edition being so beautiful (I‘m a sucker for a deluxe edition), but Nagabe‘s art is stunning and dark. The storyline, while building up, is intriguing. Combining those two together, there were parts where I actually jumped after turning the page.

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I really enjoyed this one even though I wasn‘t the biggest fan of Reggie in the first novel. It was fun, light and super sweet. It had some really funny parts which really worked with Reggie‘s character and played on the vampire lore.

Can‘t wait for the next one in the series!

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I love AJW.

His novels are creative while representing a population not often seen in books. His books are angry and political, but are beautifully articulated.

It‘s hard to portray what I feel when I read these books, but they are beautiful and horrific. I applaud AJW for his bravery.

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The Halloween TBR has been chosen! Nine books may be a tad ambitious, but I‘m going to see how many I can manage (and I‘ll read these till about mid-November, and then I‘ll start my winter TBR).

Currently reading Compound Fracture (pick up anything by Andrew Joseph White, he‘s amazing) and listening to My Vampire, Plus-One.

Happy Spooky Season 💀🎃👻

While I did really enjoy this, I kept comparing it to B&B and L&L, and kept finding it to fall short. It was funny at times, it was 🌶️🌶️, but I wanted more. I will pick up the next one, and I‘m holding out hope.

Although I can‘t give it more than ⭐️⭐️⭐️, I will give it a pick, because it did entertain.

Vacation was booked! I cleared out my Wishlist! ❤️❤️

I‘ve been on vacation and couch surfing for the last week. Luckily the puppies have been aplenty! Everyone meet Clem!

Also I‘m reading Tourist Season 🤣

An afternoon fire and reading session. Jumping back into this series! I have no idea when I‘m supposed to read this, but I get why people read it after the second book, so that‘s what I‘m doing.

The Halloween vibes are strong with this book, so I‘m going with it!

It‘s been a while since I‘ve been able to enjoy the sunroom. There are a few more plants to keep me company now!

This was an overly complex story, with shifting timelines and POVs… for a lacklustre ending. To build up for that long, only to have a meh reaction, I clearly missed something.

Too hyped in my opinion.

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My family history has always been a mystery. I‘ve even done 23andMe to confounding results, so when a book is published about my mother‘s side? I‘m down for it. And WITCHES?? A new chapter.

Fun bonus, the random bookmark I pulled out of my bookmark jar.

The vacation is nearing an end, so it‘s time to cram in the manga! I continue to love A Sign of Affection. It is sweet and wholesome while giving representation into those with disabilities (not a common thing in manga).

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Vacation book 2! Jumping back into the Throne of Glass series. I‘m wanting to finish the series by the end of the year. That might be a stretch with my Halloween and Winter TBR, but we‘ll see how I do.

Vacation read #1: I was told by a lot that this book was perfect. I did enjoy it. It was a light, sweet read, but if you hate the non-communication trope, this book will drive you nuts.

So while I did think it was good, it lost a lot of stars over the use of that trope. About half-way through, I wanted to read Charlie‘s book instead because I was liking him better.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Another Backman that left me absolutely sobbing near the end. This one I instantly connected with because of the art. Being a budding, self-taught artist that struggles with those inner demons, this book hit me hard. While it was funny and self-deprecating at times, it was also tough.

Like The Winners, one line near the end absolutely destroyed me. Wordsmith.

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I needed to start a painting commission this weekend… but it‘s been a weekend of vacation planning (next week), wining and dining, and reading (I need to finish this before next Saturday because it‘s not in my vacation TBR).

Sadly my hot tub is actually hot today 🤣😭. I usually run it cold so it‘s actually refreshing during these hot days. But we‘re gonna try another session of My Friends.

Jumping into this one on Spotify! So far so good, and I‘m at least not sobbing (thanks Backman).

Enjoying a nice, cool summer evening, with the new read. Backman is hitting me hard with My Friends. I‘m 38 pages in and already sobbing.

I could not read more and still give this 5 stars, but I‘ll wait to rate until I finish. I don‘t think I‘ve ever connected to a book so quickly.

If you want smut starting on page 3 and zero storyline? This is the book for you. That being said, realizing that these were originally 3 novellas, I get the lack of substance but can‘t really get past it when it‘s combined into a 400+ page edition. Every issue was solved with smut. So much so that it was almost every few pages. And after 400 pages?? That gets old.

It could‘ve been a deeper story, but it sadly didn‘t go very far.

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I actually really enjoyed this one, and I was not expecting it! A good mix of humour, monster smut and Scottish lore, I think this is a good book to pick up if you haven‘t quite branched out into this genre. While I‘d say it‘s tame, it also delivers on what you should expect 😉.

And a hot, grumpy Scotsman doesn‘t hurt.

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Enjoying the sunrise and birds chirping with the last of my summer TBR pile!!

Another amazing Klune read! I absolutely bawled the last few chapters of this novel, but based on the synopsis, you can assume this novel touches on tough subjects. Despite that, even while crying, Klune made me laugh. I loved the characters and, listening to this on audio, the narrator instilled so much character into his voices. A tough but fun read.

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I devoured this book! It was 🌶️🌶️🌶️, intriguing, and I absolutely loved the characters. Unlike many reviews I‘ve seen, I actually really enjoy novels set in Rome. 🤷‍♀️ And while the power dynamic is a little more strong in other novels, I actually didn‘t think this was too bad.

Can‘t wait for the next one. And the sprayed edges? *chef‘s kiss*

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I‘ve lately been attempting to listen to my backlog tbr on Spotify… and it‘s been slightly unsuccessful. Six DNF‘s in a row and an ever increasing purge pile, I‘m going to a favorite audiobook author. I love Klune‘s stories but I also love listening to them. The narrators are always 👍👍 for voices. They lend so much character. I‘ve already 😢 and 🤣 with this book.

Thoroughly enjoying it.

Sandra Brown is one of my go-to authors. She is good at what she does: a quick-paced thriller with a mix of some romance. Blood Moon is no different. Discovering a cold case may be part of a larger scheme tied to the Blood Mood cycle, a jaded cop and a true crime doc producer, rush to ensure another victim doesn‘t happen.

It was fast, tense and pure Brown, in craziness.

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I‘ll give this a pick even though it fell flat at times. With such a strong start, I thought I was getting into a horror novel I wouldn‘t be able to handle. And while there were some ‘gross‘ scenes, I think this novel touched more on chosen family and finding one‘s place in the world.

Was it trying to do too much? Possibly. It was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

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It‘s a lovely read a book at the beach day.

The wheel has spoken and it‘s The Honeys up next!

I think I missed that it was a horror novel and not a thriller… but the first chapter set me straight 🫠

Dark and atmospheric, Reid does a fabulous job of setting the tone of a dreary and dank remote Scottish castle. Reid does take some creative license but I don‘t think the purpose was to simply retell the play, but to reimagine what it might have been like for a young ‘witch-touched‘ woman to be thrown into a male driven world, with a power hungry husband. Macbeth is my favourite Shakespearean play and Reid did a commendable job.

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It‘s hammock season and so the audiobook and tangible read are at the ready.

Audiobook: The Wee Free Men
Tangible: Lady Macbeth (from a Summer Reads Wheel Spin)

I thought I could be detached while reading this and wouldn‘t be surprised by anything. If you‘ve read or watched The Hunger Games, you know Haymitch. What could possibly shock a reader?

But oof was I misinformed. The last few pages, Collins pulled out the PAIN, and I was left a sobbing mess. The Hunger Games remains unsurpassed and Collins continues to add great stories to the series.

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The wheel has spoken and next up for my summer reads is Haymitch‘s story!

While I enjoyed this book and feel like it would be an amazing anime, I think it just didn‘t go deep enough. I should‘ve been terrified by the Shiikuin, but I just wasn‘t. I should‘ve been awed by the Night Market, but it was just meh. So while it was a fantastical and beautiful story, it didn‘t garner the emotional reaction it should‘ve.

This is a hard rating. It‘s in between a pick and a so-so, so I‘m rounding up.

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OF COURSE I had to get the boxset Fly. And I regret nothing. And because the art book is absolutely ginormous, I had to give my AOT collection some new shelves.

I have to say, I‘m shocked I didn‘t do this in the beginning because it needed to always to be a centrepiece display. ❤️❤️

Next up from my Summer Reads pile is Water Moon! I also made a wheel to help me choose 🤪

I found this for $8 at Indigo years ago and had zero expectations. The cover was eerie and drew me in. Maltman paints an emotional image of small town rural life, struck by tragedy. A father trying to understand his son‘s actions. A pastor‘s wife trying to find her place. A town guided by traditions and keeping secrets. Mixing in folklore and Norse Mythology, Maltman creates a tense story interwoven with mystery and beauty.

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I‘m trying something new by making a summer reads pile! So these are my picks for June and July. Will this work out? Probably not… but these are the books that I‘ve been itching to pick up and for some reason never do. So once I finish my current read, I‘ll be picking away at this!

First up is the tagged book: Little Wolves

Urasawa is HEAVY. And political. And convoluted. That being said… Monster was better executed. This one started off strong with an amazing premise (somewhat on point these days), but then… it just ended. And to just be cut short after (technically) 22 volumes? WTF. NOTHING is explained.

I found out that there is a one volume sequel: 21st Century Boys. Manga fans… do I get it?

I‘m not sure what to rate… ⭐️⭐️⭐️?