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Halloween Book Tag

October 24, 2025September 24, 2025 theblindscribe

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.

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My Favourite Spooky Books

October 17, 2025September 24, 2025 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. As it is getting so close to Halloween and October/Autumn is when we all start reading the spooky/atmospheric books I thought I would share some of my favourites with you all.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mansicalco

This novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, an upper-class woman in Victorian London and her desire to train as a surgeon in a time when women were not allowed to, alongside this it features the murders of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Audrey Rose teams up with Thomas Cresswell to solve the mystery. This is one of my favourite books of all time, I love the mystery and I love the romance. The time period provides a spooky, dangerous atmosphere that keeps you reading.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

This novel follows Emilia, a witch and when her Twin Sister Vittoria is murdered she summons a prince of sin to find out what happened. It is dark, brooding, enchanting, just overall incredible.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

I have seen that a lot of people are divided on this book, some like it and some don’t. For me personally I loved the isolating feeling of the location and the mental confusion of whether there was something fantastical and at the same time sinister going on or whether Effie is imagining it. I devoured this book in one day.

Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

I believe this book is listed as a YA read but it is still sufficiently spooky. It follows a girl who enrolls in a prestigious school to find out more about her father and she gets dragged into a mystery concerning the school library, a curse, and an annoyingly handsome ghost.

Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin

This novel is somewhere between cosy crime and historical crime. It follows Arbie and Val as they team up to solve mysteries. I absolutely loved this series. Arbie is a writer whose books send him to locations to explore ghost hunting, even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts, and due to this keeps accidentally running into val and running into crime scenes. These two characters are the epitome of chalk and cheese and yet they work together so well. I can’t wait for the next book coming in 2026.

Murder at Highgate Cemetery by Irina Shapiro

This novel opens with the body of a young girl who has been murdered, suspended from an angel grave in the cemetery. It goes from there to be told from two perspectives, Gemma Tate a crimean war nurse who has returned to London and found herself in trouble when her brother dies, and Sebastien Bell a Police Detective who is strugglign in his own personal life. They keep running into each other and although Sebastien keeps telling Gemma to stay away from the crime for her own safety, they end up working together anyway.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

This series follows the Bronte sisters as they solve various mysteries. For me this is the spookiest in the series. The sisters end up investigating a woman who it seems has vanished into thin air and there are constant references to dark, gothic manors and ghostly occurrences. Very creepy but very good. I have just read the last in this series and I loved them all.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Graveyard Shift by M L Rio

This is only a short novel but I loved how it all came together, how slowly we learnt things about the group of people who accidentally ended up together in the wrong place at the wrong time and witness something they shouldn’t have.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

City of Ghosts by V E Schwab

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

What are some of your favourite spooky books?

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25 to read in 2025

January 17, 2025December 15, 2024 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all good today, a bit of a warning, this might be a long one.

I have been seeing these lists everywhere and I thought it would be fun to do my own. So, these are the 25 books I want to prioritize in 2025. I have chosen these books because they are either: oldest on my TBR, continuing series I have started which is one of my goals for the year or they are books I feel like I should have got to by now.

The ACOTAR series (yes, I am counting the books I have left to read – A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight and A Court of Silver Flames – as one together because I really want to finish this series in 2025)

I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V E Schwab

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Traitors Blade by Sebastien de Castell

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

City of Brass by S A Chakraborty

Where Dreams Descend by Janelle Angeles

Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine

That’s the ones on my list, what books do you want to read in 2025?

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

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Books I want to reread

August 11, 2023July 17, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I thought it would be fun today if I shared the top ten books I want to reread within the next twelve months. I have to say I’m not usually the type of person who rereads books, there are a few that I have loved and read over and over but not many but recently I have been thinking about rereading these ten books:

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah penner

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson

Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Vicious by V E Schwab

Monthly TBRs

August TBR

August 4, 2023July 17, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Friday Bookish people! Today I am bringing you the ten books I want to read in the month of August.

Disaster in Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Lady Macbethad

A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson

The Agathas

Gathering of Shadows by V E Schwab

The Secret Society of Tea and Treason by India Holton

Monthly TBRs

January TBR

January 2, 2023December 31, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Welcome to my first post of 2023, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.

as we all know last year was definitely a rollercoaster, and I was extremely busy so reading took a backseat for much of the year. I am hoping this year that I will be able to read much more so fingers crossed.

January TBR

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
A Gathering of Shadows by V E Schwab
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
Love in the time of serial killers
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
the unexpected everything by Morgan matson

that’s it for January’s TBR, I am excited for it so hopefully I will get to read a few of them at least. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

November Wrap-Up!

December 5, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my November Wrap Up today. It was one of those months where I felt like I read a lot but I actually only read a little bit, do you ever have those types of months?

Anyway onto the wrap up!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I did not read this but I do have a reason, it’s literally on the top shelf of my bookcase and I can’t reach it without a step ladder which I also can’t get to at the moment.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas – I think we can safely say none of us are surprised I didn’t read this, romance is not my go to genre.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano – I did read this! And I really enjoyed it so look out for my book review coming soon.
The Girl’s I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe – I did not read this.
Emma by Jane Austen – Okay so I started reading this in November and I am currently reading it now, It is also on my December TBR so it is a bit of a crossover into both months.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – I did not read this.
City of Brass by S A Chakraborty – I did not read this.
Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did not read this either.
Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell – I am still currently halfway through this book.
Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – Another romance of course I didn’t read it.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout – I did not read this
Gallant by V E Schwab – I did not read this either.

So, that was the books on my TBR and I read one of them…oops. But outside my TBR I also read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, I borrowed the audiobook from my library for my trip to Liverpool and that was really enjoyable.

What did you read in November?

That’s it for my wrap-up I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

November TBR!

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! October flew by didn’t it? So much has happened in the past month, and don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about my October Wrap up, that will be coming on Monday instead.

So, of course the biggest thing that happened is that my sister got married! She has just got back from honeymoon and while she was gone I have ben catsitting for her which has been fun.

And in amazing news, I matched with a guide dog! She will be moving in with me next week and then it is ten days of training before she graduates as my official guide dog! Of course I will be updating you all on here about my journey throughout this month.

Anyway, onto my November TBR!

November TBR

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

Emma by Jane Austen

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

City of Brass by S A Chakraborty

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell

Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

Gallant by V E Schwab

That’s it for my November TBR, have you read any of these? Let me know!

Book Tags

Mother’s Day Book Tag!

March 18, 2022March 2, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! Next weekend is Mother’s Day and so I thought why not have a look and see if there are any Mother’s Day themed book tags around and I found one on YouTube by blissful and bookish so that is what I will be doing for you today.

Best Friend: Pick characters in a book whose friendship you admire the most:

For this one I went with Irene and Kai in The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. To begin with they don’t really get along and it was great seeing the friendship start to develop and what I like most about it is that they have seen the worst of each other and still they are there when the other needs them.

Comfort: what’s a book that always puts you in a better mood:

For this one I chose Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson because it is one of my favourite books and no matter what mood I am in or what has happened it always makes me feel calmer when I read it.

Doesn’t Give Up: What’s a book that you were tempted to DNF but instead finished:

I chose The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I didn’t love the book and I found it took me a long time to read it but I don’t like to DNF books so I pushed on and I did end up giving it three stars and I will read the rest of the series.

Selfless: What’s a book that you had to sacrifice for:

I went with the Queen of Nothing because I sacrificed having a complete set of paperbacks because I couldn’t wait to read the final book in the series so I bought it in hardback as soon as it came out.

Love: What’s your favourite love story:

I had to go with Caraval, the characters of Scarlett and Julian, by Stephanie Garber. Definitely my favourite love story even though it isn’t a romance book.

Homemaker: If you could live with a fictional family whose home would you go to:

I would go and live with the Brown Sisters in Talia Hibbert’s novels because they seem very supportive and fun and I don’t know anyone quite like them in real life.

Forgiving: name a character you hate but would eventually have to forgive:

I had to go for Eli Ever from Vicious by V E Schwaab, although don’t actually have a reason for it, I just think I would end up forgiving him.

Teacher: name a book that has taught you thins that will stay with you forever

I chose Stalking Jack the Ripper because it taught me that you don’t have to fit yourself into society’s expectations.

Dedication: what’s a book that you would like to dedicate to your mum and why:

I struggled with this one, I was looking for a title that would resemble this question but I couldn’t find one so I went with a book series that I think my mum would enjoy reading which is the Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices) series by Cassandra Clare.

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

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Signed Books That I Own

March 11, 2022March 4, 2022 theblindscribe

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.