Monthly Wrap Ups

December Wrap Up!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. It is time for the final wrap up of the year, and what a reading year it has been. I was struggling to find time in most of the months but since October I have been enjoying my reading again, and picking up brilliant books too.

Here is what I read in December,

From my TBR:

  • A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson – I did read this and a review is coming on the 20th December
  • Everyone this Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson – I read this
  • The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose – I did read this
  • Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah – I read this
  • Murder on the Dance Floor by Helena Dixon – I also read this

Which means…. I completed my TBR this month! I only had five specific books that were christmas themed that I wanted to read and I am very happy that I got the chance to read them all this month. Not only that but I also got to read some books outside my TBR, which were:

  • Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan – review coming on the 13th December
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I know, I FINALLY read this book and yes, I absolutely loved it. So much so that I went and bought the complete hardback series immediately after I finished it..
  • Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – At the time of writing this post I am currently reading this book and I will finish it before the end of December
  • Shadowscent by P M Freestone – I started this book and I have decided to soft DNF it, I still want to try it again but what I read wasn’t keeping my interest so I decided to leave it for later

So, in December I read 9 books – so far at least, as I am writing this it is the 15th December so it is likely I will read something else this month too, but right now I’m not sure what book that will be.

What did you read in December?

Monthly TBRs

December TBR!

Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all doing today? It is December, the final month of 2024, and I am excited to get stuck into reading the christmassy books that I have, admittedly I don’t have very many but the ones I have, I plan on reading.

December for me is looking like it will be a busy month, my diary is already getting pretty full so hopefully I will still have some time to read.

What are you planning to read in December? Any special plans for Christmas?

December TBR

A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson

Everybody This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

Hercule Poirot’s Silent night by Sophie Hannah

Murder on the Dancefloor by Helena Dixon

Okay, this one isn’t exactly christmas but it is set in winter and I have been reading one a month of this series so I want to continue this.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

Book Tags

October Book Releases

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day.

It is a new month and that means it is time to see what books are coming out in October, I have put together a small collection.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo – 1st October

Heir by Sabaa tahir – 1st October

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi – 3rd October

The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Dever – 3rd October

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling – 8th October

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacey Sivinski – 10th October

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske – 10th October

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose – 10th October

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan – 15th October

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy – 15th October

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber – 22nd October

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – 29th October

Monthly Wrap Ups

February Wrap-Up

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am excited to bring you my February Wrap-up. Well, I say excited – I barely read anything so not so excited about that but I accomplished a lot during February.

First of all, I handed in my first assignment for my PhD and that has taken a lot of stress away from me, I also completed the redecoration of my new room including buying seven bookcases and putting my books on them (that was a great day!). Also, I went through the next stage in the process of getting a guide dog which is both terrifying and exciting.

So, usually I would list the books I was supposed to read this month and say whether I did or not, well – I only read two books this month so I won’t be listing them I will just put them here instead.

I read:

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Review to come shortly!

and…

The Maid by Nita Prose

So that’s what I read this month, it wasn’t a lot but considering how busy I was I am okay with the little that I managed to read, also I plan on reading Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix tonight which was on my February TBR so that might mean I read three books..

That’s it for this post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Tomorrow I will be posting my March TBR so if you’re interested in seeing what I will be reading make sure to check that out.

Book Reviews

Book Review – The Maid by Nita Prose

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am so excited to be bringing you my book review of The Maid by Nita Prose, this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I was so excited to get around to it so early in the year.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Maid Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The premise of this book really excited me, a murder mystery set in a hotel where you follow the POV of Molly, the maid. The first half of this book really lived up to my expectations with a lot of plot twists and intriguing mystery that kept my attention. However, the second half of the book became quite predictable and the mystery sort of fizzled out for me by the end.

The Maid Characters:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really felt that I could relate to Molly, the maid with her friendly although a little socially awkward personality. One thing I should mention is that she is portrayed in a very similar way to an autistic character but I haven’t seen anything describing her as actually autistic. I was rooting for her character a lot, especially during the second half of the novel, she came into her bravery a lot there.

The Maid Writing and dialogue:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The writing in this book is so clear and smooth and enjoyable. The writing drew me in from the very first page.

The Maid Overall:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I gave this book four stars overall because I really enjoyed most of the plot but I felt the ending was a little disappointing.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!