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.

🐝🐝🐝

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… ⭐️⭐️⭐️?

This was the volume I‘ve been looking for!

1) we got DRAMA
2) we got anguish
3) we got Kronos
4) we got STUNNING ART 🥰🤤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ we got it all in this volume.

The reading marathon continues this holiday Monday, and the vibe is on point.

The long weekend reads! This might be too much but I‘m really just trying to finish 20th Century Boys!

There shouldn‘t be any surprise if you happen to wander into this book nook area 🤣. The newest reading area of my house is finally complete!

Starting this book, I had no idea what it was about. With about 7 pages left, I had no idea what it was about. Here are the feels:

1) an unending sense of unease was the theme
2) it‘s labelled as a coming of age/romance, but I‘ve never been more disgusted with the opposite sex while reading
3) it was uncomfortable and confusing and maybe meta?

I‘ll be confused for a while. If others have read it, please explain it to me. 🤣

⭐️⭐️.5

I don‘t think it‘s a good weekend unless I end up in my oasis with a new book. Sunday morning reads.

A chill Good Friday morning from my favourite spot (with a few more new plants).

This book had me SHOOK!! We know the crime, but we don‘t really know the who… or the why. And the one person that does? She hasn‘t spoken since it happened.

Told through the woman‘s diary entries, and the therapist‘s POV, who is trying to help her, this is a well-planned, paced and emotional thriller.

This was the one I needed.

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I‘m out of town and an ice storm hit and knocked out the power where I‘m staying since Saturday night. So I‘m currently ‘living‘ at the local Indigo, which has power. I may be spending too much and cleaning up my Wishlist 🤣

Just when I think I‘ve figured out where this story is going, I pick up the next volume. We‘re nearing the end and things are starting to come to a head. It‘s really quite a well-built story and of course, I hang onto Hua Cheng‘s and Xie Lian‘s romance. My heart can‘t take what I think is going to happen.

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I‘ll do multiple books so long as my brain can label them as ‘different forms‘. Here‘s the current set!

20th Century Boys is manga so quick for me, although this series is a little too on point right now.

Bone Gap, I am doing on Spotify in audiobook form.

Garrison Girl is my last official novel in the AOT world, which will probably make me want to read the OG all over again or watch the anime again!

Hoping to get done by end of February!

I love the wildness that is Brynne Weaver. While this is not my favourite of the trilogy (it‘s hard to top what happened in B&B), this one had moments of epic comedy gold, so inappropriate that you‘re amazed you‘re laughing. I think what confused me about this book was that it‘s really a tandem read with the other two. Because of that, it shifts and jumps timelines, and it didn‘t quite feel like JUST Rose and Fionn‘s story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I basically read this in one sitting so I can‘t say I didn‘t love it. But Shiloh… oof. I‘m going to call her the Queen of Self Sabotage because wow. The back and forth was a tad frustrating. Unlike the ‘no communication‘ trope, these two almost talked too much, without saying anything.

That being said, it was light, heart-felt and the fluff I needed after reading some heavy books. I love Rowell.

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Early Saturday morning recharge.

If this was an anime episode, the VA would be sick and off so the company made a filler, recap episode… and in manga… that‘s unnecessary and annoying. This has two chapters pertaining to the story, a 3 chapter what-if scenario and then random recapping. At this point I feel like I‘m petering out on this. I‘d rather read the previous volumes again than possibly continue.😢

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This was the thriller I needed. Told from the POV of a serial killer‘s victims, the potential next victim, and the woman he‘s kept for five years, this is a true tale of trauma and survival.

I really can‘t say more except that it‘s tense, and truly a heavy read.

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Here‘s my hot take of 2025: this was … okay.

Two major complaints:

1) I figured out every little surprise, including the last. The foreshadowing was almost too obvious. And when you know what‘s going to happen for 400 pages… it tends to drag.

2) Yarros has a habit of doing cliffhanger chapter endings and then treating them as cut scenes never dealt with. Annoying.

The dragons kept me going. Andarna was Toothless level adorable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I wish I could‘ve stuck with this one because I read that it was a genius book for Simmons. I can certainly appreciate the concept and story behind this book, but the one chapter just killed me (actually stopped midway through it). After 3 years left on the shelf it was time to let it go.