I did it. I finished Dracula, and let me just say it was amazing. I started it several times before and I don‘t know why it didn‘t stick, but I‘m obsessed with it now. I‘m so glad that I didn‘t give up on it. 🧛‍♂️🧛‍♂️🧛‍♂️

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/10/06/dracula-review/

This spooky season I‘m throwing it all the way back to the vampire origin stories. I‘m wanting to read classic vampire stories that shaped the way we imagine vampires. And I‘m thoroughly enjoying my journey.

If you want to start this project with me then head over to Wildwood Reads for classic vampire stories print out to go in your reading journal. https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/10/05/classic-vampire-stories-printable/

It‘s spooky season! What are you reading? 👻👻👻

Full tbr: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/30/october-2022-tbr/

Happy October eve! It‘s time to wrap up September. I didn‘t read a lot this month but I did enjoy everything that I picked up. Did you find any new favorites in September?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/30/september-2022-wrap-up/

I‘m getting all of my treats ready for Hocus Pocus Two. So I figured it was a perfect time to break out The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook. I decided to make Scorpion Pie (pecan pie). It was delicious.

Full post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/29/recipe-taste-test-the-unoffical-hocus-pocus...

I‘ve been on the hunt for the best vampire story. And since Carmilla inspired Dracula I figured that would be the place to start.

This is supposedly where it all began and I can totally see why. Carmilla was eerie and creepy. Definitely one to read in the daylight. If you‘re a vampire lover you need to check this one out.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/21/carmilla-review/

I never thought anything would beat The Name of the Wind as my favorite book of the year, but here we are. Babel is stunning. And while I loved every bit of it it did take me a minute to get into it. But once I fell into the rhythm of the story I was hooked. The ending crushed my soul, and I haven‘t stopped thinking about it since.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/16/babel-review/

The mug says it all. 🤷‍♀️

I found this adorable mug at The Yellow Daisy Art Festival this weekend. There was a bookish booth set up and I couldn‘t pass this up.

I‘ve included more information about the artist in my blog post if you‘re interested. https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/14/visiting-the-yellow-daisy-art-festival/

Stocking my shelves with plenty of spooky things for Halloween. I‘m super excited with the books I ended up with in this spur of the moment spooky haul. Have you read any of these?

Full haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/12/a-spooky-book-haul-2/

It‘s Friday. What are you reading this weekend? Also, I just noticed that my cup matches my book. I don‘t actually have my life together enough to do that on purpose. 😅

New reading check in is up on the blog: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/09/a-reading-check-ina-pumkin-chai-latte-recip...

Fall is the perfect time to break out a good fantasy book and curl up on the couch. The days are getting shorter and there‘s a chill in the air. So here are a few fall fantasy reads that should satisfy my fellow mood readers.

Full post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/07/fall-fantasy-reads/

Happy Labor Day! What are you reading today?

I like to find some short reads that I can finish during a long weekend, so I shared a few of my favorites over on the blog. But today I‘ve been hooked on watching Riverdale, so I probably won‘t get a lot of reading done. I swear that show is addictive.

Blog post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/02/short-books-for-a-long-weekend/

It's time. Spooky season has officially begun.🎃🎃🎃Break out the pumpkin spice lattes (And turn on the air. Let's be reasonable. I still live in Alabama🥵). The days are getting shorter, and the leaves are starting to turn. This is the time that I live for. And I‘ve picked out a few great reads for my TBR this month. I can‘t wait to dive into them.

What are you reading this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/09/01/september-2022-tbr/

August was a hit or miss month. I really enjoyed some of the stuff I read, but I also read some stuff that I didn‘t like. I also dnfed more than I read. Some I put down to pick up at another time, but I just couldn‘t push through Old Country. So I‘m still on the hunt for some spooky season reads. Help me out and drop a few in the comments. I need some material for my September tbr.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/08/31/august-2022-wrap-up/

Fall is in the air. 🍁🍁🍁

Summers coming to a close and falls just around the corner. So I had to do a little shopping for some spooky books to add to my shelf. Plus, I had to get Babel. Dark academia is perfect for fall.

Check out my haul here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/08/26/end-of-summer-book-haul/

So today on the blog I participated in The Nope Book Tag. One of the questions it asked was “name and antagonist that you would hate to run into.” And since I‘m reading The Blade Itself, Glokta was the first person that came to mind. Seriously, I wouldn‘t want to be in his bad side.

I‘ve heard his character evolves a little though so I‘m interested to see that. But what antagonist would you hate to run into?

We‘re finally finished with remodeling so it‘s time to get caught back up on reading. I‘m so excited to spend a cozy weekend at home with books and tea.

I‘m ready to read a chunk in The Blade Itself. I‘ve been enjoying it. I just haven‘t had the time to focus on it. But now that my house is put back together it‘s time to get to it.

I‘m so excited to add these beautiful books to my shelf. 😍😍😍

Full unboxing: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/08/15/the-nevernight-chronicle-litjoy-edition-unb...

I really enjoyed parts of The Lighthouse Witches. It‘s set on a remote Scottish Island that is full of folklore. It‘s so atmospheric and creepy. But there were a few glaring plot issues that were hard to ignore. And then a sci-fi plot line came out of left field and completely dissolved the folklore plot line that I loved.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/08/09/the-lighthouse-witches-review/

I‘m going to be honest; I don‘t imagine that I will read very much this month. We‘re right in the middle of remodeling our house and it‘s probably going to take a month to get everything back in place when they‘re finished. The chances of having enough time to read is slim. Plus, all of my things from my living room are blocking my tbr shelf right now. So I‘m reading the two books that I have access to. 😂😂😂

What are you reading in August?

It‘s not summer if I don‘t pick up a @riley.sager book. I had a ton of fun reading The Last House on the Lake. It made me want to sit by a lake, but maybe not Lake Greene. There‘s some spooky things happening there. 👻

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/07/27/the-house-across-the-lake-review/

It took me about a month to finish The Wise Man‘s Fear, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Honestly, I wasn‘t ready for it to end, so that‘s probably why it took me so long. This series is so, so good. I can‘t believe I waited so long to give it a try.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/07/20/the-wise-mans-fear-review/

I wish I had loved Hide as much as I loved the cover. I picked this up in my last book haul, and I was so excited to read it that I took a break from The Wise Man‘s Fear, which might have been a mistake.

My main issue was the character development. It tried to fit too many povs in. I‘m a character driven reader so that took a lot from me. But if you‘re a plot driven reader you might love this because it is action packed.

I hope you guys had an awesome Fourth of July weekend! Ours was super busy, but a lot of fun. And of course, I squeezed in some time to go to Books-a-Million. I love to buy a few summer thrillers to celebrate the long weekend. So here‘s my little summer thrillers haul.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/07/05/a-summer-thrillers-book-haul/

It kinda feels like I‘m doing tbr posts twice a week now. This summer is flying by. But anyhow the calendar said it‘s time for my July tbr, so here are a few books I‘m reading. I‘m probably going to take a step back from fantasy so I don‘t burn myself out. Plus, I‘m craving something spooky. What are you reading this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/07/01/july-2022-tbr/

It‘s midyear wrap up time. My Capricorn heart loves to review over my goals. I also love to make note of my favorite book so far, and my least favorite. I like to compare them to my end of the year stats. A lot can change in six months.

Favorite: The Name of the Wind
Least Fave: A History of Wild Places

What was your favorite/least favorite so far?

Full wrap up: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/30/2022-midyear-wrap-up/

Book mail makes a rainy day better. I‘ve done a little shopping on Pangobooks and I wanted to show off my haul. I can‘t begin to tell you how much I love this app. It‘s basically a marketplace for book lovers. If you‘re on PangoBooks already give me a follow I‘m wildwoodreads there also.

Full haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/28/another-pangobooks-haul/

Happy Friday! What are you reading this weekend?

I planned to read Words of Radiance but I had to jump straight into The Wise Man‘s Fear. This series has me captivated. Plus, I just found out there‘s a novella from Auri‘s perspective. I went straight to Pangobooks and ordered it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/17/reading-chat-continuing-the-kingkiller-chro...

I didn‘t want to love The Name of the Wind. But this book is stunning. The writing was lyrical, but concise. I probably would have gotten through it faster if I hadn‘t stopped every few paragraphs to admire the writing. But I think that‘s the fun of it. So I didn‘t want to fall in love, but I did anyhow. Now I‘m just praying for book three. 😂😂😂😂

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/13/the-name-of-the-wind-review/

I‘ve been in a reading slump this year. Unfortunately they happen to the best of us so here are a few things that helped me break out of mine.

🌲Listen to Audiobooks
🌲DNF Until Something Sticks
🌲Re-read a Favorite
🌲Try a New Genre
🌲Visit a Bookstore or Library
🌲Give Yourself Time

Do you have any helpful tips?

Info on how these tips helped me beat a reading slump: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/10/how-to-beat-a-reading-slump/

I think it‘s time to catch up on some sequels. 😅

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/06/03/sequels-i-need-to-finish/

In May, I told myself that I needed a break from epic fantasy. I had planned to dive back into some genres I‘ve been missing and break out of my comfort zone. But yet here I am with my June 2022 tbr that‘s full of fantasy novels. And I have no regrets. Other than the fact that I love The Name of the Wind and we don‘t know when book three will be out. 😅 But other than that I‘m so excited to dive into these chunky books.

So, I‘m a day late with my wrap up post because……well…..I didn‘t realize May had ended. A lot of stuff happened in May, but it still felt like it flew by. But it was a good reading month. I finally feel like I‘m out of my slump. Plus, I read a lot of books that I enjoyed. I don‘t think I gave anything less that four stars. But The Way of Kings stole the show. It‘s a new favorite for sure.

Did you find a new favorite this month?

I‘m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for The Witch‘s Tree. I absolutely loved this book. It‘s follows the story of Selena in present day and of Grace in 1682. Both storylines come together in such an interesting way. And let me tell you I experienced a wide range of emotion reading this. So just be prepared. The Witch‘s Tree is beautiful.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/05/23/the-witchs-tree-blog-tour-review/

I was hesitant to pick up Gallant, because I‘ve had mixed feelings on V.E. Schwab‘s work in the past. But
I‘m glad I took a chance on it because I had a lot of fun reading it. It was atmospheric and spooky from the very beginning. I do think it could have been just a little bit longer though. It seemed to end too soon. But overall, it was a fun read.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/05/20/gallant-review/

I didn‘t know a lot about The Last House on Needless Street when I went into it. I just knew that most people that read it loved it. And I think that‘s the best way to go into this one. I will say that it was a perfectly executed psychological thriller mixed with an unreliable narrator. And I absolutely loved it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/05/16/the-last-house-on-needless-street-review/

Do you keep a reading journal?

I‘ve kept one for a couple of years now, and I‘ve really enjoyed it. I‘ve been using a bullet journal style one, but last month I found a digital reading journal for my iPad. I‘ve really been enjoying it but it‘s hectic keeping up with two journals. And there are definitely pros and cons of both.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/05/13/physical-reading-journal-vs-digital-reading...

I finally finished this beast of a book, and I loved it! I didn‘t love Dalinar or Adolin‘s points of view at first, but Shallan and Kaladin kept me interested enough to keep going. By the end, I was hooked by the whole story. And in true Sanderson fashion the ending was epic. It took some time to get through this one, but it was totally worth the effort.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/05/06/the-way-of-kings-review/

We spent the weekend in Savannah, Georgia, which just happens to be where my favorite independent bookstore, E. Shaver Booksellers, is located. I told myself I wouldn‘t buy much, but I kind of blacked out when we got in there. The next thing I knew I was carrying two shopping bags to my car. Here‘s what I got. Have you read any of these?

Reading The Way of Kings has been a journey. It didn‘t help that I was studying to get my insurance license at the same time. But now that I‘ve passed my test I‘m ready to throw my full attention back to this beast.

Full reading update: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/04/22/the-way-of-kings-reading-update/

I did a little book shopping today. It feels like it‘s been forever since I set foot into a bookstore. I went in for Words of Radiance but I got distracted along the way.

I‘ve been wanting Deserter for awhile but I‘ve never heard of The Haunted Bookstore. Let me know in the comments if you‘ve read it. I‘d love to hear some reviews.

Last weekend I went wedding dress shopping with my cousin‘s fiancée and my mom. We ended up being a little early to her appointment and lucky for me there was a used book shop a couple of doors down. So of course I had to go in. And I found this gorgeous vintage edition of The Grapes of Wrath. I‘m super excited to add this to my vintage collection. ???

I read The Great Gatsby in high school, and I enjoyed it. But that‘s been a while ago, so I decided it was time for a reread. Surprisingly enough my thoughts are still similar to the thoughts I had in high school. I still enjoyed it I just wish there was more character development. Plus, I‘d love to hear Gatsby‘s full back story.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/03/28/the-great-gatsby-review/

I think I‘m finally coming out of my reading slump, and I want fantasy. So, I decided to pick up Elantris, and I‘m so glad I did. I wasn‘t super excited about it because I‘m ready to start the Stormlight Archives, but I ended up really enjoying it. It‘s probably the best book I‘ve read all year.

My tbr is overwhelming. We had a book drive at my church earlier in the month, and a majority of them went to that. But it‘s time to do another unhaul. I hate to unhaul these because they‘re still great books, but I‘ve just lost interest in them. I want to make room for books that I know I‘ll read.

So for now I‘m listing them in my PangoBooks shop (I‘m @wildwoodreads there too). Maybe someone else will love them.

My father passed away in November 2021. He had numerous health problems, but one of the more prominent ones was his end stage kidney failure. And even though my dad‘s fight is over and he‘s at rest I want to continue to help the people that helped us. And the people who are fighting this terrible disease. There are ways that the book community can help. Let‘s use our books for a cause.

My March reading journal spread might possibly be my favorite spread that I‘ve ever made. I love the vintage book look and that‘s what I was going for in this one. Plus, it was super easy to do, and a ton of fun.

Full spread: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/03/07/march-2022-reading-journal/

The Arch Emulator and the Seven Keys is a unique, fast-paced read. I‘ve never read anything quite like it. It took a while for the plot to come together, but it was done in an interesting way.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/03/04/the-arch-emulator-and-the-seven-keys/

My March 2022 TBR is going to be short. I‘m going to be working on the books for my chapter challenge, so that won‘t leave me a lot of time for anything else. I‘m really hoping to get to Elantris this month. I don‘t know why I keep putting it off.

What are you reading in March?