Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now December and that means it is time to talk about what books we will be reading this month.
What books do you hope to read in December and before the end of 2025?
December TBR
Murder at the Orpheus Theatre by Irina Shapiro
Pages and Co: Tilly and the Map of Stories by Anna James
Dog Sitter Detective Christmas Tails by Antony Johnston
Miss Beetons Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd
Traitors Legacy by S J Parris
Fearful by Lauren Roberts
Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you my answers to a Halloween Book Tag, I found it last year and I was curious to see if any of my answers would have changed between now and then.
1. carving pumpkins: what book would you carve up and light on fire – A Novel Murder by E C Nevin
I did not enjoy this book, actually I DNF’d it after only a couple of chapters, honestly I could not do a cosy crime novel with a main character who is so self deprecating, I couldn’t continue.
2. trick or treat: a character who is a treat and one who is a trick – Adena in Powerless, Eli from Vicious
Adena is one of the sweetest characters in any books I have read and she did not deserve her ending, on the other hand Eli from vicious started my obsession with morally grey characters and he did deserve the ending he got.
3. candy corn: what book is always sweet – What Would Jane Austen Do?
This book is one of few romance novels that I have actually enjoyed. It merged classic romance of Jane Austen with a light, fluffy, funny, romance plot.
4. ghosts: a character you would like to visit you as a ghost – Ferrius Parfax from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
She takes no nonsense and she will give you the harsh truths that you need to hear.
5. Dressing in costume: a character you would want to be for a day – Violet Sorrengail from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I had a stall at London Film and Comic Con July 2025, and I dressed as Violet Sorrengail for that. First time ever wearing leather trousers – they’re not the easiest to wear! But I thought it was great fun to dress as a favourite character for a day or two.
6. blood and gore: a book so creepy you had to take a break – A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis
This book has a big focus on the dead coming back to take revenge on the living and I made the mistake of reading it at night, I thought the book was excellent but it was creepy.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the end of August and that means it is time to share my wrap up for the month.
In the UK, August is the summer holidays for most people, lots of people have time off and the kids aren’t in school so it’s always a busy month for my family, especially now that my Sister has a new baby. Alongside that I’m still plodding along with my PhD and we have been redecorating the dining room. It’s not left a lot of time for reading, however, I have been reading such good books lately that it’s looking like August will be one of my best months for reading and the most books I have read in a month so far this year.
What has your reading looked like in August? Have you read any great books? Any not so great books?
My August Wrap Up: From my TBR
A Novel Murder – I started this book and I am counting it as read because I actually ended up DNF’ing this book. At 24 pages. That is so early in a book to decide not to carry on but I could not get along with the main character, she was so self-pitying it was every few sentences my life is awful and I was losing the will to read.
A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber – I did read this and that means I have finally finished the whole Caraval and Once Upon A Broken Heart series’. I loved this book, it was so close to being a five star and was easily my favourite book in the series even though it contains one of my most hated tropes. I thought it was done well.
How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – I did read this. This is the second book in the Castle Knoll mystery series. I did not like the first book, How To Solve Your Own Murder, but this second book surprised me because I actually enjoyed it and gave it four stars. I will give a deeper insight to my thoughts in a book review coming the 15th September.
Fearless by Lauren Roberts – What I think is the final book in the Powerless series. I am currently reading this and as I am typing I will be finishing this book today.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – I did read this and I will be giving a spoiler filled review on the 19th September.
This Monster of Mine – I have not read this yet but I still have ten days before the end of the month so I am still planning on finishing this one.
Knife Skills for Beginners – another book I am yet to read but I do still plan to read this before the end of the month.
Outside of my TBR I also read: Grimstone by Sophie Lark. Murder at the Highland Castle, Murder at the Island Hotel and Murder on the French Riviera by Helena Dixon and Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.
This brings my current total for the month to: 10 so far, but if I manage to get to those two final books on my TBR then it would bring my total to 12 and easily be the month so far this year that I have read the most books even though it has also been my busiest month so far.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today. It is August, the middle of the summer holidays in the UK, and time to pick what books I will be reading this month. Or hopefully reading at least. I have a few things to be doing during the month: my PhD work, redecorating the dining room, taking a trip to see family in Hampshire, it is going to be a busy month. Which means I need some good books to get me through it. For some reason, summer months I get really into reading fantasy, their covers give Autumn vibes, but I love reading them in summer so you won’t be surprised to know the bulk of my reading is fantasy this month.
A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber
Fearless by Lauren Roberts
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
This Monster of Mine
Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin
A Novel Murder
How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin
I have also put together a small list of books I would also like to get to but only if I have time, which are: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas which was on July’s TBR but I ran out of time, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas, Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis and the Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. What a month April was. For me personally, there were many highs and lows to do with family and learning how to juggle those things alongside my PhD was difficult but here we are finally at the end of the month and things have settled down a bit. Anyway, in terms of reading I had a good month. I finished my TBR and I got through a couple of extra books too which was surprising alongside everything else but a nice bonus. It was also a good month for enjoying the books I was reading.
What was your favourite book that you read in April? I have started making a list of my favourite book that I read in each month of this year and then in December I’ll be able to see what my top ten books of the year could be. So far the list is: January – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, February – Murder By Candlelight by Faith Martin, March – Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano and April – Capturing The Devil by Kerri Maniscalco.
What I read in April: from my TBR –
Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano – I had written my TBR for April around the middle of March and it turned out that I had time to squeeze this one into my March reading instead. I had been putting off this book for a while because I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue the series after book two, it was starting to feel a bit samey but I decided to read it and I ended up loving it and subsequently bought the next two books in the series which i am excited to get to.
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith – I did read this. After all the hype I was excited but apprehensive to get to this one because I had heard so many opinions, mostly positive, and I thought it probably wouldn’t live up to the hype. I will be posting my full review of this book on the 12th May.
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory – I did read this – there may be some historical inaccuracies within the novel but as a lover of history from the 1400s to the 1600s I still enjoyed this novel.
Capturing The Devil by Kerri Maniscalco – as you can see from above I did read this and it was my favourite read of April (though it was a close race between this one, unravel me and murder at highgate cemetary). This was the final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and I will be posting my full review of it on the 19th of May.
Reckless by Lauren Roberts – I did read this and I did enjoy it, I see where the negative reviews are coming from with the lack of substance to the plot but I generally just enjoy being in this world with these characters and that cliffhanger was quite something. I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series and seeing what happens.
Murder At The Country Club by Helena Dixon – I did read this and like all the other books in the Miss Underhay series it was fantastic.
Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi – I did read this. This is the second book in the Shatter Me series. This series has a way of sucking you in. I had some issues with Juliette’s character in this book and how little she stood up for herself but I also recognise that she needs the time to grow into that and I have a feeling it is going to happen in the third book. Otherwise I loved this book, its nearly 500 pages and I devoured it in a day easily.
Outside of my TBR I also read: Murder On Board by Helena Dixon, Murder At Highgate Cemetary by Irina Shapiro and Graveyard Shift by M L Rio that I was gifted for my birthday. Overall this means I read 10 books in April which I am very pleased with. There was only one that was a bit of a slog to read but everything else I really enjoyed, hopefully my reading in May will be just as good!
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is already April, I don’t know about anyone else but that has snuck up on me. What are you planning to read this month?
For this month I have tried to put together books that are a mix of genres so that I can have something fresh in between the big fantasy books.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I’m bringing you my March Wrap Up.
I set myself a longer TBR for this month because I have been doing so well the past couple of months finishing the TBRs I set so I thought I would add a few more. So, as I am writing this I have just over a week left of March and two books left to read which SHOULD be possible but we shall see on that count.
From my TBR:
Powerful by Lauren Roberts – I did read this one, I originally wasn’t going to read this because I wasn’t sure about the character in Powerless but I decided it might have an impact on the rest of the series so I read it this month.
Murder In First Class by Helena Dixon – I read this one
The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C M Waggoner – I read this book but I really disliked it.
The Last Word Is Death by Faith Martin – I read this – and it is a new favourite series.
The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead by Antony Johnston – I did read this
A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – I have not read this yet but I am hoping I will have by the end of the month
Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – I have started this novel but I haven’t finished it yet but again I hope to by the end of March
Outside of my TBR I also read Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a great start to the month of March.
It is time for me to share my TBR for the month and I have given myself some book choices this month because I am travelling with a friend to London for a weekend and I need some good books for travelling in the car. Onto the TBR!
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas
This is the fifth book in the ACOTAR series and it will bring me up to date with the series until the next book comes out and also it will tick off some of my 50 books to read this year list.
Powerful by Lauren Roberts
This is the novella that goes alongside the first book in the series, powerless, following one of the side characters and I am looking forward to reading it then reading Reckless in April before the final book comes out that month but I have to say I didn’t love the character this one follows so we shall see what I think of it.
Murder in First Class by Helena Dixon
The next book in the Miss Kitty Underhay mystery series, I am reading one of these every month so soon I will have finished the series which is heartbreaking but also quite satisfying.
Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco
This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off series from Kingdom of the Wicked, these books are SO good. I can’t explain anything about this series as its a spin off of the other and it would spoil things but all I can say is everyone should read these books. I will read anything Kerri Maniscalco writes.
The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by
I have no idea what this book is about really but it said something about a mystery and it has the word library on the cover so I am intrigued to read this book.
The Last Word is Death by Faith Martin
After reading the first in the series, Murder by Candlelight, in February and devouring it in a night I am excited to jump straight into the next one in the series.
The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead by Antony Johnston
This is the third book in the Dog Sitter Detective, a modern cosy mystery series that I like, I am looking forward to reading this but I am hesitant because there is a side character who keeps appearing and I don’t really like him so I will see how I feel after this book.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Seeing as it is Valentine’s Day today, what else could I bring you except a post celebrating some of my favourite book boyfriends. I have to say, it was hard to choose. I made a list of them all and then picked the best ones for the questions and it was a long list.
I found this Tag on Got Meghan’s Blog if you want to check out how they answered the tag.
The Most Romantic Boyfriend: LORD PHILLIP STANTON from The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson. Phillip is a bit of a rogue for most of the book but by far out of my fave book boyfriends he would be the most romantic. He is a Lord in the Tudor period brought up on chivalry and how he should treat a lady.
A Dark and Moody Bad Boy With A Good Side: KAI from Powerless by Lauren Roberts. He is the epitome of dark and moody especially for the first half of the book but deep down he’s a softie, he just doesn’t want everyone to know that.
Paranormal Boyfriend: WRATH from Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I wasn’t sure who to put to start with then I remembered, he’s a prince of hell so a demon of sorts. Which I am saying counts, okay.
Boy You’d Be Friends With Benefits With: JULIAN SANTOS from Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Now, I wouldn’t be friends with benefits at all but for the purpose of this tag it would be Julian. I love him and he had to make it onto this list somewhere, so I put him here because he dresses like a cross between a circus performer and a pirate.
Your Soul Mate: THOMAS CRESSWELL from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri maniscalco. You can’t convince me otherwise. He is my favourite book boyfriend by a mile.
Boyfriend You’d Venture Anywhere with: NATHANIAL HAWTHORNE from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. He’s magic, it would make life interesting.
Boyfriend You Want to be Stranded on a Desert Island With: KELLEN ARGOSI from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell. He literally spends most of the series trekking across a desert trying to survive so he must have picked up some skills from all of that which could help us.
Most Badass Boyfriend: RHYSAND from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I don’t think I need to explain this one, if you’ve read the series then I am sure you will understand.
That’s my answers! Who are some of your favourite book boyfriends?
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