Happy Monday bookish people! As we near the end of 2022 I wanted to make a post about my goals for 2023, this year has been full of difficult moments and a lot of stress. Of course, there’s been lots of good moments too but it has overall been very draining.
I have three main goals for 2023 which are:
To find more time to read for me. By this I mean not reading for my PhD or any work purposes, just because I want to read. I haven’t been doing that much this year but I am hopeful for next year.
To organise everything I am doing in order of priority. This year I have been doing so many different things what with school and braille and guide dogs and starting at Etsy and so on and so on, I’ve been getting very very tired so I am aiming to not put as much pressure on myself, I’ll do all my work etc but if I can’t manage something then I am going to try not to push too hard.
work hard on a children’s picture book idea and find an agent (this has already been started, I sent my work to a few agents but I haven’t heard back yet so fingers crossed)
that’s it for my goals, what are your goals for 2023?
Happy Monday bookish people! As it is getting so close to Halloween I thought it would be a fun idea to give some spooky book reccomendations, now I don’t read too many ‘spooky books’, murder mysteries yes but not so much terrifying books so I hope you find something to match your interests in this list! Let me know if you do!
This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher
“Will keep readers on edge from start to finish.” —Kirkus Reviews
Tell the truth. Or face the consequences.
Clue meets Riverdale in this page-turning thriller that exposes the lies five teens tell about a deadly night one year ago.
One year ago, there was a party. At the party, someone died. Five teens each played a part and up until now, no one has told the truth.
But tonight, the five survivors arrive at an isolated mansion in the hills, expecting to compete in a contest with a $50,000 grand prize. Of course…some things are too good to be true.
Now, they realize they’ve been lured together by a person bent on revenge, a person who will stop at nothing to uncover what actually happened on that deadly night, one year ago.
Five arrived, but not all can leave. Will the truth set them free? Or will their lies destroy them all?
The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah
‘I’m a dead woman, or I shall be soon…’
Hercule Poirot’s quiet supper in a London coffeehouse is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified – but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done.
Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a fashionable London Hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one’s mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman? While Poirot struggles to put together the bizarre pieces of the puzzle, the murderer prepares another hotel bedroom for a fourth victim…
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady hendrix
A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette’s worst fears are realized–someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.
But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh
In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.
At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
A teenage murder witness is drowned in a tub of apples… At a Hallowe’en party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the ‘evil presence’. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer…
See How They Lie by Sue Wallman
All’s not well at the Hummingbird Creek wellness resort. No one can see in. No one can get out… New from the talented author who brought you Lying About Last Summer: a psycho-chiller to wake up your darkest phobias. If you got to live in a luxury hotel with world-class cuisine, a state-of-the-art sports centre and the latest spa treatments, would you say ‘yes please’? Well, that’s kind of what Hummingbird Creek is like. No wonder Mae feels lucky to be there. It’s meant as a rich-kid’s sanatorium, but she isn’t sick. Her dad is the top psychiatrist there. But one day Mae breaks a rule. NOT a good idea. This place is all about rules – and breaking them can hurt you…
The Cousins by Karen M McManus
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised… and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Jack the Ripper is back, and he’s coming for Rory next….
Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school just as a series of brutal murders mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper killing spree of more than a century ago has broken out across the city. The police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man believed to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him – the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target…unless she can tap her previously unknown abilities to turn the tables.
Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.
Happy Tuesday bookish people! I am so so so excited today to be bringing you the book blitz for Kerri Maniscalco’s latest book The Kingdom of the Feared, the third and final book in the Kingdom of the Wicked series – one of my favourite series’ ever. So happy publication day to Kerri Maniscalco!
Synopsis:
Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.
Two curses. One prophecy. A reckoning all have feared.
And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stalking the Jack the Ripper series comes the steamy conclusion to Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy.
If you’d like to buy the book, here are links to Amazon and Waterstones:
Happy Friday bookish people! I am so happy today that I am bringing you my post as part of the Blood and Moonlight Book Tour with TBR and Beyond Tours. I will be revealing my top five reasons to read Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty and I will be including a photo of my book look inspired by the cover. But first here is the cover and synopsis:
Blurb/Synopsis:
In this medieval YA fantasy thriller, an orphan with a secret, magical sight gets caught between a mysterious genius and the serial killer he’s hunting.
Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan girl with unique skills—for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly.
But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she’s pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again. Assigned to capture the culprit is the mysterious, brilliant, and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a killer are frighteningly accurate.
As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between murderer and detective while hiding her own secret—a supernatural sight granted by the moon, destined to make her an outcast, and the only thing that might save her and those she loves from becoming the next victims…
If you can’t decide between the Fantasy and Murder Mystery genres, choose this book! It is a great balance between both with its mix of magic and old school investigating of a serial killer.
Exciting and unique magic that you get to discover alongside the main character. I personally had never read a fantasy book before with this type of magic in it.
If you like small town settings full of secrets I would definitely say this book could be for you! For me, it made me think of one of the small towns in France.
An intriguing main character who makes it easy for you to root for her.
I tried to imitate the cover of the book for this photo, it’s not perfect but I don’t think it turned out too badly. I was also wearing a pale grey top to imitate the colour of the cover background, you just can’t see it in this photo.
Author Information: Erin Beaty
Erin Beaty was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, which means she can’t drive a tractor but won’t eat veggies that come from a can.
She graduated from the U.S Naval Academy in 2000 with a BS in Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics) and German, then served in the fleet as a Weapons Officer on a combat destroyer and later as an instructor for the center for Naval Leadership.
After a few years as a stay at home mum and navy wife with a casual blog. Erin upped her game and started writing her first novel in the Spring of 2014. She is now the author of the Traitor’s Circle Trilogy published by Imprint, Macmillan and in several foreign languages.
She and her husband have five children, two cats, a vegetable garden and live wherever the navy tells them to go.
Erin has taught classes at the Muse Writers Centre in Norfolk and has also served on the advisory board of Hampton Roads Writers.
Happy Friday bookish people! It is the first of July, we are starting the summer with an okay month of reading. I didn’t read as much in June as I thought I would, other things just kept getting on top of me and I was struggling a little bit with how much there was that had to get done immediately. Anyway, June was still good. I managed to read a few books, I went to Belgium and back in a weekend, and I had my first meeting with a potential guide dog and if you want to read about this I will be posting on Friday’s throughout July about what it has been like going through the guide dog process. But we are here today to see what I read in June so let’s get into the wrap up.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik – I did not read. I wasn’t really feeling much fantasy this month.
Mad Woman by Louisa Treger – I did read this! I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the author and I have posted my review of this book already, probably my favourite read of June
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – I did not read this
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan – I am currently reading this book, a few pages before I go to bed each night
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – I did not read this
Nine Lives by Peter Swanson – I did not read this
Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud – Another book I am currently in the middle of reading
A Darker Shade of Magic graphic novel 1 – I did read this
Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle cosimano – I did not read this
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee – I did not read this
A Darker Shade of Magic graphic novel 2 – I did read this
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex – I did not read this
Book Lovers by Emily Henry – I did not read this
Beggars Abbey by V L Valentine – I did not read this
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I did not read this
Lore by Alexandra Bracken – I did not read this
Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian – I did not read this
So from my TBR I read 3 books and I am in the middle of two, which I should finish before the end of June. Outside of my TBR I also read the third A Darker Shade of magic graphic novel so altogether I read 6 books which isn’t too bad.
That’s it for this month’s wrap up, I hope you all enjoyed it! What did you all read in June?
Happy Thursday bookish people! I am so excited to be bringing you the information about the next readathon I am cohosting with @Plaid_readeriswriting in April.
This will be a week long readathon with seven prompts. Each prompt is based on an Easter egg with an ‘Easter’ themed item inside of it. As with the first readathon we hosted there will be a form where you can log your progress, how many pages and how many books you have read over that week. The prompts can be interpreted however you would like to.
The dates of the readathon are: April 10th -17th
The prompts of the readathon are:
Flower – The first book that you think of or the first book that you see.
Chocolate – Plot twist or a surprise
Cake – Multiple POV
Bunny – a short read
Sun – Non-book prompt – such as watch bookish videos, take a bath etc have some self care
Moon – a mystery
And finally carrot – a title that starts with a c
so that is the date of the readathon and the prompts, we will be talking more about the readathon on our twitter accounts: @oliviatempleto6 , @plaid_readeriswriting and @choppedread and if you need any more information you can message us on Twitter or in the comments below, I hope you will enjoy the readathon as much as we do!
Happy Tuesday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is already the end of March and so it is time to share my March wrap up with you all.
March has been a very busy month, a lot of work to be done and unfortunately not much reading happened. I am hopeful that my reading will be better in April because I’ve got a few long train journeys so books will be coming with me on those.
So, onto my March wrap up…
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – I did read this! For a genre I don’t usually read I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, I will be putting my review of this book up very soon.
Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read this book
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I did not get around to reading this book but I am very excited to get to it hopefully soon
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I didn’t get around to reading this book either
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco – I didn’t read this one either, I wasn’t in much of a fantasy mood this month
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this
City of Brass by S A Chakraborty – I didn’t read this book either. I started this one a while ago but I haven’t been in the mood to pick it up yet
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I am so excited to read this book but I didn’t get around to it this month
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – again, another big fantasy that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune – I was hoping I would manage this one this month but I didn’t
The girl in the tower by Katherine Arden – I did not read this
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I did not read this
The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder – I didn’t read this either
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell – I did read this one and my review will be up for it soon
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman – I am currently reading this one and it should be finished by the end of march
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this one, I’m scared I’m not going to enjoy it as much as the first book.
I also read Kill Joy by Holly Jackson this month so overall I have, or will have by the end of march, read four books which isn’t too bad, I’m quite happy with it but as I said, I am hoping that I will read more in April.
That’s it for this wrap-up, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I thought it might be fun today to share what some books I have, that I have signed, are.
I would just like to say that I am not trying to brag about the books that I have I just thought it might be fun to share which books and where I may have gotten some of them.
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
I got this book as a wonderful signed edition from my monthly Illumicrate boxes
The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
I also got this book in a book box!
Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn
I also got this one in an Illumicrate box, I read it and loved it and now I own the second one in the series.
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
My friend ordered me this book from online because they had found a hardback copy and then when it arrived it was a great surprise to find out it was also signed
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
I got this amazing book in my Illumicrate box too.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
I managed to grab a signed edition of this book from my local waterstones
Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah
I found this book in a charity shop and it turned out to be a signed hardback and it was an amazing bargain
A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz
I got this from a company called Forbidden Planet, I was just scrolling through their website and I ended up ordering a lot of books (oops!) and I managed to get a signed copy of this book from there.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
I got this one in my Waterstones, it didn’t say it was signed and I was very happy when I got home and saw it was signed
Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
I got this book and Once and Future Witches by the same author in my monthly book boxes
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
I got this one in my local Waterstones
Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune
I found a signed copy of this one in my Whsmiths and I was really excited to find this one
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
I got this book in a recent Illumicrate box
The Desolation of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs
I managed to preorder a signed copy of this book from waterstones
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
I got this book in my Illumicrate box too
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
I got this beautiful book in my Illumicrate box
One Of Us Is Lying/One Of Us Is Next/Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M McManus
I got these books signed when I met Karen M McManus at YALC in 2019 which was amazing!
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
I also got this in my Illumicrate box
The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
My local waterstones luckily had a signed copy of this book
This Woven Kingdom by Taherah Mafi
I also got this one in my Illumicrate box
Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
I was looking everywhere for a signed copy of this book and I finally found one in Whsmiths
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab
I bought the special Illumicrate box for this book and along with some other items it got me a signed copy of this book
That’s it for this blog post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Do you have any signed books?
Happy Friday bookish people! I can’t believe it is March already! I thought it might be fun to share with you all some of the books I own that I think have beautiful covers.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
Shadow and Bone Collectors Edition by Leigh Bardugo
Where Dreams Descend and When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Traitors Ruin by Erin Beaty
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
Lily by Rose Tremain
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hatmakers and The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
That’s it for this post, I hope you enjoyed it. What are some of your most beautiful books?
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It was recently Valentines day and I shared a few posts about different types of relationships and book couples so now I am sharing a few books that have no romance or very little in them.
I haven’t read all of these books so I can’t call them a recommendation but I am pretty certain that there isn’t any romance and I have heard good things about all of them.
Onto the books!
A List of Cages – Robin Roe
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.
Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kindhearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives…
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.
Lirael – Garth Nix
Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. “To Kill A Mockingbird” became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, “To Kill A Mockingbird” takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
The Hobbit – J RR Tolkein
The Lie Tree – Frances Hardinge
The leaves were cold and slightly clammy. There was no mistaking them. She had seen their likeness painstakingly sketched in her father’s journal. This was his greatest secret, his treasure and his undoing. The Tree of Lies. Now it was hers, and the journey he had never finished stretched out before her.
When Faith’s father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues, she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears fruit that reveals hidden secrets.
But as Faith’s untruths spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter…
That’s it for this post I hope you all enjoyed it!
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