Category: sunday summary

Sunday Summary – 14th December 2025

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Last week’s Sunday Summary post came to you from a wet and miserable day. Today isn’t any different. With yet another warning for rain in place, winter has truly taken hold. Not only that, but the winter lurgy is also doing the rounds, and it’s officially my turn. Please bear with me for this post. It may not be my best, but it will be the weekly update you expect!

So, what have I been up to? My first post of the week was a book review for Brandon Sanderson‘s second book in his Skyward series, Starsight. I really enjoyed this young adult series, so it was a pleasure to feature the second book and let you know just how much I enjoyed it.

On Friday, I featured a thriller on my TBR. I would not like to be in the shoes of the victims. Deprived of their senses, victims return to society mentally scarred by their experiences. Interested in hearing more about this book? Take a look at my Shelf Control post using this link.

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Dawn 

I’m struggling to read Empire of the Dawn, and I don’t understand why.

This is the third week in a row in which I have very little reading progress to update you on. At this point, I’m putting this book down for now and trying again later in the month.

I don’t understand why this book isn’t doing it for me right now. I am enjoying it as when I’m reading it, the problem is I’m just not really picking it up to read it! Sometimes having a heavy physical hardback can be a bit off-putting. However, the reason I think I’m struggling with this book the most is that I don’t want to finish the book (and the series) yet. 

It’s silly, I know. However, for the sake of keeping up with reading progress, I’m going to put this down temporarily and pick up another physical read for now. 

 

A Crucible of Souls

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I had already listened to the vast majority of A Crucible of Souls. With just a short way left to go in the book, I finished this audio this week.

If I’m honest, the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I had hoped we will find out more about Caldan and his past. Instead, I finished this first book of the series knowing as much about him as I did at the beginning. A bit disappointing to say the least, because this book leaves a lot of questions unanswered. 

I don’t feel so strongly about this book to continue with the series. It was unacceptable lesson, but I wouldn’t say it was really engaging either. That’s just my experience, and a lot of people are of differing opinions. Don’t take mine as gospel if you want to try this on yourselves. 

 

The Housemaid is Watching 

Audiobooks have been a lot easier for me this weekend. I like to listen to them when I’m busy plotting along with household chores and the lake. However, I’ve also turned to audiobooks today because they are easier to listen to then they are to read physically. 

Over the course of this weekend, I’ve listened to over six hours of audio. In terms of p The Housemaid is Watching, I’m currently at around 60% as of this Sunday Summary update. As I found with each of the books in this series, they are pretty easy to listen to. The narrative is engaging and the plot keeps you gripped. What is happening, and are events as they are portrayed as they seem to be? Very often with these books, the answer is no. Whether that is the same for The Housemaid is Watching remains to be seen.

 

Beyond Redemption 

It barely feels worth a mention, but I have started Beyond Redemption this weekend. I initially started the book at the hairdressers yesterday, but given my decision to pause Empire of the Dawn, I’ve read a little more of this book tonight. I’m really intrigued by The narrative and emphasis on delusions shaping reality. 

It sounds like it’s going to be a very dark book, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes us. It’s specifically what I asked ChatGPT for in the final prompt I asked, so I hope it lives up to expectation. 

 

Books Discovered

Once again, I’ve behaved and not added any new books to the TBR, or purchased anything, this week. Well, Santa is nearly here right…?

 

Coming Up… 

My first blog post due next week will arrive in your inbox on Tuesday. A regular post I like to feature on this blog is a Top Ten Tuesday. I’ve also done this theme before. Once a quarter, one of the topics is about books on your next seasonal TBR. In this case, I’ll share which books are on my winter 2025/2026 TBR in a couple of days time. 

My next post is also a regular feature, although this week I am setting myself a festive challenge. For next week’s first lines Friday post, I have to feature something festive. Whether the book itself is festive or is set around Christmas time, anything goes. 

Finally, next week I’m back with my latest Sunday summary catch up. Fingers crossed, I’ll have better physical reading progress to share with you. Hopefully switching up my books will help get reading momentum back on track. I have a lot of books to try and pick up before the end of December, so I’m hoping for a miracle 🤞🏻 

That’s all for me and this Sunday summary update though! What have you read recently? Have you read anything worth recommending, or has a book you recently picked up disappointed you? 

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Sunday Summary – 7th December 2025

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It’s a soggy Sunday here, but that won’t put a dampener on today’s Sunday Summary catch-up! Whether the weather is as miserable where you are as it has been here, or if you’ve got off lightly, I hope you’ve had a great week.

This week I’ve posted more than average on the blog. With the timing of a blog tour coinciding with the beginning of the month, I’ve had an increase in post obligations. That said, I’ve managed the extra post pretty easily, and I hope you have enjoyed finding out what I’ve been up to.

My first post that went live was my monthly wrap-up for November. In the end, November was a great month of reading progress. If you have yet to check out that post, or are interested in the books I read last month so you can maybe pick up a recommendation or two, here’s a link so you can take a look for yourself.

Next, I shared my blog tour review for a book called Death of a Billionaire by Tucker May. If you are looking for a fun, lighthearted murder mystery, this would be a great pick for you. I read this book very quickly and the lighter tone was very much needed. I’ve been reading a lot of heavy fantasy. The change of genre and tone were much appreciated.

On Friday, I shared my last monthly TBR of the year. With final reading goals to meet, I’ve planned December‘s reading list around hitting those final milestones. Final books in series? Check. Books on the Goodreads Fall Challenge? Check.

 

Books Read

Empire of the Dawn 

I’ve still not really read much of Empire of the Dawn this week. However, with the conclusion of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! tonight, I’ll have less in the way of TV obligations to keep up with and hopefully more time to pick up a physical read. 

I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a digital copy of this book from my local library. Sometimes, I think having a big heavy hardback can get in the way of me getting some reading done. However, I can’t borrow it that way, so I’ll persevere with my physical copy. 

 

A Crucible of Souls

Progress with my audiobook listen of A Crucible of Souls has gone much better. In fact, I have listened to several hours of the audiobook today whilst putting up Christmas decorations. That, and redecorating my Christmas tree every time the cats pull the ornaments off. I have a suspicion I’ll have ‘redecorated’ the tree about 50 times before the 1st of January… 

With progress at around the 75% mark, I’m now intrigued as to whether the narrative of this first instalment of the series will end. Caldan is doing pretty well for himself after his exile from the monastery he grew up in at the beginning of the book. Honestly, I think he’s having too good of a time at the moment and I’m wondering if it’s all going to come crashing down on him. He’s clearly an exceptional person who was undiscovered because of his cloistered circumstances. For a person of his naivety, I can’t help but think at some point somebody is going to take advantage.

Regardless of how the book pans out, with a little under five hours left of progress to make, I anticipate finishing A Crucible of Souls next week. Then, I can tell you more! 

 

Death of a Billionaire 

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I picked up at the beginning of the week with priority going to finishing the last 80% of Death of a Billionaire.

With a review deadline of Wednesday, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I pushed on with this book so I had plenty of time to write my thoughts before that post went live on Wednesday. Not that it was difficult to finish! On the contrary, the change of genre, pace and tone was exactly what I needed. After reading a lot of heavier and longer books of late, I appreciated something shorter and with plenty of humour laced throughout.

This Sunday Summary isn’t the place where I’m going to outline all my thoughts. I’ve done so already in my blog tour review post. If you want to find out more, that’s the place to go.

 

Books Discovered

With a couple of book acquisitions last week, I’ve behaved and have nothing new to add to my reading list. The only update in today’s Sunday Summary is that I actually took a couple of books off my list when looking ahead to an upcoming post next week. It may not be exciting news, but I have plenty enough of my reading list to be getting on with without forcing myself to pick up something I’m no longer interested in. 

 

Coming Up… 

It’s been nearly a month since I shared my last book review with you that wasn’t for a specific commitment. And everyone knows I have a backlist longer than my TBR. Okay, well not quite, but it’s significant! Next on my list of books to review is Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. If you know a fan of young adult sci-fi, you won’t go wrong with this series if you need some Christmas present inspiration 😉 It’s well documented I love Brandon Sanderson, so my review won’t come as a surprise. 

On Friday, I’ll share my next Shelf Control post. If you haven’t seen this before, it’s a series I have ongoing on my blog. In the series, I look at upcoming reads on my TBR to make sure what’s on there is still relevant. This week, I’ve got a sinister thriller lined up for you. 

Finally, this time next week I’m back again with another Sunday Summary. I’ve got plenty of books on my final TBR of the year, so hopefully I’ll have plenty more reading progress to share! 

That’s all from me right now though. Enjoy your week ahead! 

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Sunday Summary – 30th November 2025

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This week’s Sunday Summary follows another week off work. Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not rubbing it in. If you feel that way, you can laugh at me because I’m back tomorrow. Bag packed? Check. Lunch organised? Yup. Jokes aside, it’ll be nice to get back into my normal routine.

The routine that hasn’t really changed is my blog schedule for this week. Whilst I’ve been off, I’ve kept up with posting online as usual. This week, my first post was a final review of my 2025 resolutions and a list of books I could pick up in December to meet my outstanding goals. As of that post, I have actually already completed one of my goals due by the end of the year! If you haven’t read that post and you want to find out what’s coming up in the very near future, you can check that out now.

On Friday, I set myself a challenge to feature a young adult novel in my First Lines Friday feature. In the end, I featured the first book of a series loved and plan to re-read in future. Whilst young adult isn’t a genre I gravitate to very often, I did enjoy this one. I even confess in that post that I could get behind the relationship between the protagonists – that’s not something I say lightly! 

 

Books Read

Empire of the Dawn 

Progress with Empire of the Dawn has admittedly been slow. I’ve enjoyed picking up this book in the couple of instalments I have, but honestly, I think I’m holding myself back. Empire of the Dawn is the final instalment of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire trilogy. The only reason I can give for my resistance picking up this book is that I’m not looking forward to finishing it and the series being over. 

I’ve enjoyed every aspect of the book I’ve read so far and to continuing with it. I’ll have to put my big girl pants on and just accept that it’s the final book and I won’t find out what happens unless I read it! Even when it’s over, I can always re-read it… 

 

The Housemaid’s Secret

You may recall in last week’s Sunday Summary post, I shared that I’d listened to just over 25% of The Housemaid’s Secret. Well, it’s fair to say I made pretty light work of that book! Having listened to such a long audiobook before picking up this one, finishing Freida McFadden‘s second instalment in her housemaid’s trilogy was a breeze! 

As I mentioned in last week’s post, whilst I’ve been off work, I’ve been doing some work around the house. More specifically, I’m updating my kitchen. Because I’ve been doing physical work, I’ve been occupying myself with audio to keep myself entertained. I’ve also been doing a lot of crafty projects in my downtime, and listening to audio works really well for me at the same time. 

As a result, I devoured The Housemaid’s Secret. The plot and characters in the book really helped this along. It was an easier read because it was a lot shorter, but it is also engaging and an interesting story to listen to. Truthfully, I expected nothing less. I felt the same about the first instalment of the series, The Housemaid. If you read or checked out my 2025 resolutions review post earlier this week, you may have spotted the sequel to the series on that list as a potential December read.

Watch this space… 

 

A Crucible of Souls

After devouring The Housemaid’s Secret, I started A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan. This is the second book I’m reading as part of a ChatGPT recommendations challenge I’ve set myself. 

So far, I’m getting on pretty well with the book. For a debut, it reads really well and I’m hoping the action in the book starts to pick up pace very shortly. As of this Sunday Summary post, I am a third of the way through this audiobook. It’s interesting, and there are elements of the plot that have us intrigued because they are unresolved at the moment. The main character Caldan is also a little bit of a mystery. Who is he, and is he going to draw unwanted attention by his abilities? Time will only tell. 

 

Death of a Billionaire 

Finally, I picked up Death of a Billionaire by Tucker May today. I am reviewing this book as part of a blog tour which kicked off earlier this week. My review is due on Wednesday, so naturally this book is taking priority in the immediate future. 

As things stand, it’s a pretty short and easy read. I’m enjoying the humour and I’m intrigued as to who the mystery narrator is. Their overt opinions and distain for a lot of people, the reader included, has me asking questions as to who it is and why they presenting themselves that way. It’s not the sort of thing you see in a lot of books, but it has me intrigued! I have a suspicion already, but it remains to be seen whether that turns out to be the case! 

As of this Sunday Summary update, I’m 20% into Death of a Billionaire. Naturally, I’ll be sharing more about this book on Wednesday, so I hope you can check in with me then. 

 

Books Discovered

I popped into town on Friday to do some Christmas shopping, and of course I had to take a look in our local Waterstones. Armed with some vouchers, I picked up Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad and Come to This Court and Cry. 

No prizes for guessing I combed through the history section… as sad as it is, I love reading about World War II and the associated events, history and people affected. I’m looking forward to reading these books in this category. 

 

Coming Up… 

I may be back to work next week, but there is no rest for the wicked here! I have a full week of content planned, and I’m excited to share each of these posts with you 😊

My first post will go live tomorrow as it will officially be the beginning of December. I can no longer complain about premature Christmas music or mince pies being on sale. With it being the end of the month, I’m looking forward to sharing my monthly wrap-up for November and sharing the books I’ve read over these last few weeks. Progress has felt really good, so I hope to have plenty of content in that post for you.

Next, on Wednesday I’ll be sharing my review for Death of a Billionaire, as I’ve previously alluded to. December 3rd is my official stop date, so that’s a hard deadline to meet.

On Friday, I’ll share my December reading list in my usual monthly TBR format. I’ve already got several books planned which has been shaped from my 2025 resolutions review post. I’ve got some cracking books to finish up the year with. If you are intrigued to see what those will be, I hope you can check in with me later this week.

Finally, this time next week I’ll be back with my next Sunday Summary instalment. No doubt I’ll be a little bit tired and fed up because I’m planning to put up my Christmas decorations. Good luck to me – I have no idea how the cats are going to react to the Christmas tree. However, I have my suspicions and it may not be pretty 😂 

Like I said, no rest for the wicked! 

What have you been up to this weekend?

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Sunday Summary – 23rd November 2025

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Today’s Sunday Summary brings plenty of reading progress. I’ve enjoyed the week off work, and the good news is, I’ve got another one next week! I’ve enjoyed doing some jobs round the house, and reading… of course! 

On the blog, I shared a book review for Stephen King’s The Waste Lands. I’ve enjoyed reading this series so far, and The Waste Lands is probably my favourite book so far! 

On Friday, I shared a Shelf Control post. In this series, I look at upcoming books on my TBR. Friday’s feature was a historical fiction classic that’s nearly 1000 pages long. 

 

Books Read

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

Last week, I shared in my Sunday Summary that I was about 50% through the book. It’s a long audiobook, and I had approximately 14hrs audio left. I wasn’t sure if I’d manage to listen to it all this week. Progress so far was pretty slow. However, I shouldn’t have doubted myself! 

I’ve spent a good portion of the week doing household jobs that allow me to listen to audio as well. That, and working on a large cross-stitch project! I love listening to audiobooks at the same time. Thankfully I’m not having to wrestle kittens off my work too frequently anymore and the two hobbies go side-by-side very well 😂

I finished The Shadow of What Was Lost yesterday and I have lots of thoughts! The epilogue did so much for convincing me to pick up the sequel. I’m looking forward to documenting my thoughts on this one properly. 

 

Empire of the Dawn 

Another finish I was hoping for this week, but didn’t quite get to, was Empire of the Dawn. 

I’ve read the book spasmodically over the week. And I’m enjoying it! However, with the jobs I’m doing at home at the moment, I’ve not done much in the way of conventional reading. I was also out watching Wicked: For Good last night. 

My focus will be to finish Empire of the Dawn next week. As of this Sunday Summary, I’m about 20% through. I’m intrigued where the story is going to take us. 

 

The Housemaid’s Secret

The final book I’ve progressed with this week is one I started today – The Housemaid’s Secret. Just as I was settling down to read Empire of the Dawn, one of the kittens decided to fall asleep on my arm and rendered holding a hardback book impossible. 

So, I started my next audiobook instead! It’s been a good few months since I listened to The Housemaid earlier this year. My efforts to continue series whilst they’re still fresh in my mind motivated me to start The Housemaid’s Secret. 

Already, I have listened to 2 hours and 30 minutes of the housemaid secret so far. If you are a stats boffin, that puts me at 26% progress in one sitting. Not bad, eh? I always feel like progress goes really quickly when I pick up a short audiobook straight after a lengthy one 😂 When you consider this audiobook is just under 10 hours long, it’s only a fraction over a third of The Shadow of What Was Lost in terms of page count. Big difference! 

I’m actually enjoying the shorter and more faster post read. I do enjoy a lengthy epic, but sometimes something short and sweet (and a thriller to boot) helps pick up the pace.

 

Books Discovered

It’s another quiet week here in terms of new additions to my monthly TBR. I actually took a book off my reading list when prepping for Friday’s Shelf Control post. It’s fair to say things are moving in the right direction… 

 

Coming Up… 

Next week is the last week of November. Please tell me where that’s gone! I’ll have to start mentioning the C word before long 😂 

Before that though, I’ve got plenty of non-festive related content to share with you. I’m pointedly avoiding this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post theme to get away from the festivities – how bad is that? 

My first post of the week will be a recap on where I’m up to with my reading goals this year and an opportunity to set my final intentions for the last month of the year. How close am I to my reading goals? Is there anything I can do to get myself over the finish line with some of these before the end of the year? That post is all about setting out my intentions. I hope you can check in with me and celebrate my progress so far. 

On Friday, I’ll return with a First Lines Friday feature post. I’m in the mood to set myself a challenge for next week’s post. Sometimes I like to make my life difficult, okay? 😆 For next week’s First Lines Friday, I’m challenging myself to feature a book that is either for a young adult or new adult audience. Most of my reading list falls outside of these two genres, so I’ve got my work cut out for me to feature something interesting that meets these criteria.

Last, but certainly by no means least, I’ll be back the same time next week with another Sunday Summary. Fingers crossed, I’m able to use my time off work to get a lot more reading done before I’m back to the daily grind. 

That’s all for me in this Sunday Summary update, however. How have you spent your weekend? What projects do you have ongoing at the moment, bookish or otherwise? 

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Sunday Summary – 16th November 2025

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This Sunday Summary is one I’ve been looking forward to writing. Why? Because it finally coming around means I’m now off work for Two. Whole. Weeks! Yes! I’ve got all the time for reading, crafting, doing some random jobs round the house and generally enjoying a slower pace. 

But, before I get too hot on what’s happening next week, I suppose I should update you on my news from the week just gone, right? That’s the point of my Sunday Summary after all! 

In terms of content, this week I shared a Top Ten Tuesday of books I enjoyed that were out of my comfort zone. This is a fun one if you’re looking for a diverse list of reads and need some inspiration. On Friday, I shared a First Lines Friday and the opening lines to my current read. 

 

Books Read

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

Progress has been a little slow with The Shadow of What Was Lost up until now. This week though, I’ve tripled last week’s meagre hours progress. And, as I’ll be spending a good chunk of time home in the next couple of weeks, it’s prime time for audiobook listening! 

Events I’ve listened to today have taken the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting. However, I’m keen to see where it leads. Naturally, I expect to make a lot more progress in the next seven days. I’m coming up 50% through, with under 14 hours left. Can I do it in a week? We’ll see! 

 

The God of the Woods 

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared that I was pushing for completion of The God of the Woods ahead of book club. 

Thankfully, I finished The God of the Woods the night before and it was a great read. It was also well received at the club, so it was a good choice all round. 

The mystery was twisty yet somewhat resolved how I wanted it to. The narrative was cleverly written and I was engaged all the way through! 

 

Empire of the Dawn 

The final book to share progress with in today’s Sunday Summary is my current read, Empire of the Dawn. I’m looking forward to reading more of this book. With a bit of a rush to finishing the God of the woods, I stepped back a little from reading in the last couple of days. That’s no reflection on this book though! 

At 50 pages in, I am back up to speed with what has happened to date and I can’t wait to see where his final book takes us in Gabriel’s story. 

Needless to say, I’m excited picking this up coincides with my time off work. It’s a hefty book over 750 pages. Will I get it finished next week? I sincerely hope so! 

 

Books Discovered

I’ve not added any more books to my reading pile this week. Whilst that’s not the most exciting news for you, it’s not a bad thing for me 😅 

 

Coming Up… 

I feel like I’m overdue a backlist review. With that in mind, my plan is to share my thoughts on a classic fantasy horror from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. The Waste Lands is the third book of the series and I hope you like reading my review. 

On Friday I return with a Shelf Control post. In this series, I feature upcoming books on my reading list and why I’m looking forward to reading them. I’m excited to look forward at what is coming up on my TBR – fingers crossed you are too! 

Finally, I’m back with another Sunday Summary post at the end of next week. I’ve got no excuse for a lack of reading progress, although I don’t expect that to happen in the slightest! 

What is the name of the book you last finished? How do you rate it? 

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Sunday Summary – 9th November 2025

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Today’s Sunday Summary post is jam-packed full of reading progress and a recap of what else I’ve shared on the blog this week. Having taken a bit of a break in order to catch up with some reading obligations, it’s fair to say it’s good to be back. 

As always, before I get into what I’ve been reading over the course of this week, let’s take a look at the blog posts I’ve shared. 

 

Blog Posts

My first post of the week was my review of Wizard of Ends: United Army by Vanessa Finaughty. This was a fun read to pick up and review. I thought I might struggle with sharing my thoughts given I have yet to read the earlier books in the series. However, I had plenty to share in that review and I hope you can check that out.

Next, I shared my monthly wrap-up for October‘s reading progress. That post went live mid-week. Having had a bit of a lull with reading progress mid-month, I went into drafting that post thinking I hadn’t read a lot. However, I had a better month than I thought. I still picked up a good number of books, even if progressed slow towards the end. If you want a recap of the books I’ve read in the last month, take a look at that update here. 

Hot on the heels of that post, I shared my review of The Angel Prophecy by Rob Jones on Thursday. I was one of the last stops on the blog tour for this book. If you read my review on The Atlantis Covenant and liked the sound of that book, The Angel Prophecy continues that series. It’s very Indiana Jones, so if that’s your bag, take a look. 

Aside from this Sunday Summary post, that was all I had scheduled for this week. However, I was in the mood to share my Monthly TBR for November this week rather than next. I hadn’t put that in my schedule as I didn’t want to overcommit. However, it’s ready and live! Check out which books I’m reading this month here.

 

Books Read

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

I confess, with the latter books in this Sunday Summary taking priority, I haven’t listened to a whole lot of this book this week.

However, I am still enjoying the story. My intention is to record my thoughts on this book and now I’m a third of the way in, I have plenty to talk about already. I’m enjoying the different storylines that are taking place at the moment and I hope the characters end up coming together. Whether that will happen in this book or later in the series, I don’t yet know. Regardless, I’m really excited to find out what happens next. I have just one reading obligation left and then The Shadow of What Was Lost will start to see greater progress.

 

The Angel Prophecy 

With my review for The Angel Prophecy imminently coming up due, my focus early this week was to read this book ready for the review.

The Angel Prophecy is actually quite a short book, so I polished this off in British short order. I was already familiar with the setting, characters and style of the book after reading The Atlantis Covenant back in September. The Angel Prophecy lift up to this expectation, and I hope that reflects in my review I published on Thursday. 

The Angel Prophecy was a fun quick read. Having found myself lagging on other reads of late, it was fun to have a short, snappy and action-packed book.

 

The God of the Woods 

The last book I’ve picked up this week, and has especially been the focus of my reading this weekend, is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. 

I’ve already pushed back our workbook or meet by two weeks in order to get this read before the meet. Attendance is pretty low this month, so I kind of had to pick it up in order to make the meet worthwhile. It’s a bit of a shame, because this is a great book! As of this post, I’m coming up halfway through the book having binge-read the start this weekend.

Not only does this book span multiple timelines, but it’s also a multi perspective book. I like the mystery and intrigue this adds as we don’t know who knows what or where false information could be strewed amongst the narrative; there is no central truth if you like, and I’m curious to see how this plays out. There are multiple characters in the book who aren’t exactly made out to be altruistic. Do they have a role in what has happened both in the past and in the present day? I’m very excited to find out! 

 

Books Discovered

Since I added a few books to my reading list just last week, I’ve behaved this week. Mostly. Whilst I haven’t spent any money, I did add an Amazon first reads book to my account – Artificial Truth. 

 

Coming Up… 

My first post next week is going to be a Top Ten Tuesday post. This week’s topic is Books I Enjoyed That Were Out of my Comfort Zone. I have plenty of those, owing to the fact that I read quite diversely. I’m looking forward to sharing my list already! 

Later in the week, I’m back with a Friday feature not seen on my blog in over a month! I’ll be back with a First Lines Friday update. I already have a book in mind to feature. Naturally, I’ll need to check the first lines are actually ‘interesting’ enough. Knowing this author though, I’m pretty sure it’ll make the cut.

Finally, this time next week I’ll be sharing my next Sunday Summary instalment. My goals for next week are: –

  • Finish The God of the Woods
  • Get to at least 75% progress with The Shadow of What Was Lost
  • Get to at least halfway through Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff

Will quantifying these goals help? We can only find out next week in my Sunday Summary! 

I’ll catch you then; in the meantime, what’s the latest book you’ve read? 

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Sunday Summary – 3rd November 2025

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It’s been a little odd taking a step back this week. However, it’s made a nice change and to be honest, a refreshing break. Today’s Sunday Summary is very light on content sharing, because I deliberately put a halt on content production so I could prioritise some reading. 

Speaking of which, shall we take a look at the books I’ve read this week? 

 

Books Read

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

Progress with The Shadow of What Was Lost is a little slower than last week. Compared to last Sunday’s four and a half hour progress, I have only half that to share in this Sunday Summary. 

That said, I am still enjoying this audiobook. I’m intrigued as to where this narrative is going to take (and I hope, reconnect) characters. If I have one criticism, it’s that events in the book seem a little convenient. It’s a hard one to explain without giving away what’s happening in the story so far. Given the feats the characters are having to go through to fulfil a vague quest, people and events crossing their paths are timed just a little bit too… right… to feel realistic. 

Nevertheless, it’s common in the fantasy genre. I’m determined to not let that hamper my enjoyment of the book. Maybe it won’t last, or maybe it will. Only time will tell.

Hopefully next week’s update will be able to delve into this idea a little more. 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

With my more immediate review obligations out the way, I had hoped to finish A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping pretty early on this week. However, it wasn’t meant to be. I had an original return due date back to the library on Tuesday this week. Despite furiously reading to meet this deadline, I still had 230 pages left to go and one night to do it. I made a noble effort and got through half that in one evening. However, with time running out, I admitted defeat and extended my loan. 

Despite the renewed and increasingly lengthened timeline to now finish this book, I was still determined to finish it this week! Whilst it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to read Sera’s story and discover if she was ever reunited with her magic. No spoilers here friends – if you want to know that, you’re going to have to get your own copy (or borrow it from your local library). What I can say is that for a book I wouldn’t have picked up of my own volition, I really enjoyed it. Naturally, that made finishing the final 100 pages or so in the second half of this week a very easy thing to do. 

 

Wizard of Ends: United Army

With a review coming up on the blog tomorrow, my final read of the week has been Wizard of Ends: United Army. 

It’s not common for me to read and review a book in a series without reading the earlier books to date. However, circumstances meant I didn’t have time to read those first. So, I picked up Wizard of Ends: United Army as a standalone book. And you know what, the world didn’t collapse. I was able to understand events and invest in the characters and action as it was taking place. Sure, I have questions about who is who and how they got there, but that just makes me want to read books 1 and 2 after the event. As things go, Wizard of Ends: United Army was a fun, short fantasy novella. Given my reading progress has been a little slow of late, it was refreshing to read a book in a day. 

Do I have my reading mojo back? Well, as of this Sunday Summary maybe not quite. However, a quick win is always a great motivator! Lord knows I need it! 

 

Books Discovered

After finding a Waterstones book voucher earlier today, I may have taken a wander into our local and made an… exchange. The books I picked up are books I’ve read already. They’re books on my re-read list that I don’t have physical copies of. I got myself the deluxe sprayed-edge box set of Hunger Games; I’ve had my eye on those for a while. The best part is, I want to re-read these very soon. Perfect timing!

I also got myself a hardback anniversary edition of The Handmaid’s Tale, an absolute classic! 

So, technically as of this Sunday Summary I don’t have anything NEW on the TBR… but I do have another box set and a hardback on my physical shelves. 

 

Coming Up… 

I’m not exactly phasing myself back into making content next week. On the contrary, it’s a mental week and I’m starting early. My review of Wizard of Ends: United Army goes live tomorrow morning UK time. Thankfully, that’s already prepared ready to go! I hope you’re as intrigued by this fantasy novella as I was! 

Next, I’m sharing my monthly wrap-up for October’s reading progress. I expect this post to drop mid-week, likely Wednesday. It’s not been quite the productive month that September was, but that was perhaps a little ambitious and hopeful on my part! 

Thursday also sees another review on the blog. This time, I’m reviewing The Angel Prophecy by Rob Jones. You may recall I reviewed an earlier book in the series, The Atlantis Covenant, at the beginning of September. I have yet to start this book, so again, need to get my skates on! 

Finally, I’m back next week with another Sunday Summary update post. Fingers crossed for some reading miracles this week and I can meet all my reading obligations! I also have work book club coming up (after a one week delay already). 

Wish me luck! 

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Sunday Summary – 26th October 2025

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Somehow it’s the end of another weekend, so today’s Sunday Summary is all about catching you up on everything I’ve read this week. 

Firstly, let’s recap the blog posts I’ve shared. 

On Patreon, I shared a Shelf Control regular feature on Friday. This week’s feature is a horror/thriller novel I’ve got on my bookshelf and owned for about five years! 

On the blog, I started early with a guest post on Monday. Ahead of reviewing Vanessa Finaughty’s third Wizard of Ends book shortly, I featured her AI Image Writing Prompts post. 

On Thursday, I reviewed Woden’s Storm by Donovan Cook. I enjoyed this historical fiction book and second instalment to his The First Kingdom series. If you want to take a look at that post, here’s a link to my review. 

 

Books Read

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

I’ve progressed with four and a half hours of audio of The Shadow of What Was Lost this week. 

I’ve had fun with this audio and I’m looking forward to recording a video of my thoughts on this book soon. I’ll be recording that as part of my ChatGPT reading challenge. It’s been a great start and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

 

Woden’s Storm

My priority this week was to finish Woden’s Storm ahead of reviewing the book on Thursday. Thankfully, I finished the book just on time on Wednesday night so I could share my post first thing Thursday morning. 

If you enjoy historical fiction based in Britain with lots of action and in-fighting. If you’re a fan of the lines of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy or M.J. Porter, Woden’s Storm would be a great fit! 

I’ve already outlined my thoughts in full detail, so I won’t re-hash them here. Instead, I’ll point you to my review. 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

The last book I’ve got progress to share in this Sunday Summary is A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. So far, I’ve read the first 100 pages of the book and I’m enjoying it so far. 

I’m hoping Sera figures out what’s happened to her magic and maybe gets it back. Already, I’m invested in her personal story and I’m enjoying the whimsical cast alongside her… especially Roo-Roo and Clemmie! 

It’s a complete change of pace from Woden’s Storm in a narrative sense. In a more literal sense, it’s similar in that I have a deadline to read the book. It’s a library loan due back in just a couple of days. So, skates are on and I’ll have more to tell you next week. 

 

Books Discovered

I’m back to a quiet week of no news! The focus is more on getting books read and off the TBR than building it up. So, as of this Sunday Summary, we’re aiming in the right direction. 

 

Coming Up… 

I’ve got some catching-up on books to do this week. I’ve got a few bookish obligations coming up. I need to finish my library loan and return it very soon. Our work book club is fast coming up and I may need to push it out a week as I’ve yet to start the book. Then, I’ve got two reviews scheduled for early November. 

With this in mind, I’m parking content online this week but for another Sunday Summary next week. I’m hoping that gives me the space I need to catch up on my reading. This month hasn’t quite been the productive reading month I wanted. However, there’s time to rectify that! 

That’s all from me in today’s Sunday Summary. What have you read this week? 

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Sunday Summary – 19th October 2025

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It’s been an eventful seven days, so I’m glad I planned a low-content week. After a somewhat more relaxed day, I’m looking forward to sharing my latest Sunday Summary and catching you up on the news!

As always, let’s recap what I’ve shared so far before getting into the bookish updates! 

On Patreon, I shared a First Lines Friday post featuring an author I’ve not long read. I’ve enjoyed one series of hers, and she has another well-known and loved I’ve yet to try! That’s the topic of that feature! Haven’t seen it yet? Here’s a link to go check it out! 

I was also intending to share a review on Patreon this week, but it didn’t quite make it to publication. Don’t worry though, it’s on its way very soon! 

On the blog, I shared a Top Ten Tuesday post, albeit a day later than planned. I’ll explain more as to why in just a bit, but it was a fun post to share. The topic – books I wish I could read again for the first time! What’s one book you wish you could read again for the first time?

The reason things have been a little slow on content, but more hectic behind the scenes is we rescued a kitten last Sunday! This week has been busy juggling two young kittens, trying to introduce them to one another and generally figuring out how best to get our new ex-feral girl comfortable in her new home. It’s been a lot, but worth it already to see the progress she’s made! 

 

Books Read

Among the Burning Flowers 

I swore this week I’d complete Among the Burning Flowers, and I did. Thank goodness! 

This audiobook was a fun listen and I’m glad I decided to keep up with the series pretty much as it came out. It meant events were fresh in my mind so I could appreciate the timeline better. 

Among the Burning Flowers takes place just a couple of years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, but also references events in A Day of Fallen Night. It was a nice in-between, but also works well if you read the books in any order. 

Among the Burning Flowers is considerably shorter than the other books, so it’s an approachable start! Not that you’d know it for how long it took me to finish it… 

 

HR Disrupted 

Another longer read I finished this week is HR Disrupted. There isn’t any real reason why this took so long to finish either. However, I did finish this and return the book to its rightful owner on Thursday. 

I would love to see some of the suggested changes in HR practice come in. I agree that current systems don’t work and infantilise/demoralise staff. It’s a tall order though. Our HR lady is all for some of these, so hopefully we can work towards some radical change in the future… 

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

After finishing Among the Burning Flowers, I picked up The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington. This is the first read of my ChatGPT recommendations feature. I’m looking forward to recording some of my thoughts on this book soon. 

It’s a little early yet, as I’m just a few chapters in. In terms of audiobook time, that’s 2 hours out of a total 25.5 hours. That said, it’s a really interesting start and I’m intrigued as to where the story is going to go! More on this in the next week or so! 

 

Woden’s Storm

Finally, the last book I feature on this Sunday Summary is a book I’m reading for an upcoming blog tour next week. 

Woden’s Storm is the second book in Donovan Cook’s The First Kingdom series. My review is due Thursday next week, so priority goes to this book for the next few days! 

I’ve made a great start, even pushing onwards today to get to 25% of the way through. It’s been nice and easy to get back into. With plenty of reminders of the story to date integrated in the narrative, plus action to keep us in the present timeline, it’s an engaging historical fiction read! 

Again, you’ll hear more on this one VERY soon! 

 

Books Discovered

I’ve finally broken my ‘no new books’ streak, but thankfully my bank balance remains unmolested… for now. 

I came across an upcoming future release of The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. It seems reminiscent of The Midnight Library, albeit from a different context. I loved that book so much I’ve read it twice in quick succession. My hope is The Midnight Train delivers on my hopes that it will live up to that book. 

That book comes out in May next year. There isn’t even a cover published for it yet, so plenty of time! 

Coming Up… 

Patreon 

I didn’t get to my review of House of Frank this week. However, I promise to get to it this week. You may recall I picked this up alongside the Cotteagecore Fantasy Book Club. It was a stretch out of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I tried it. 

Next Friday brings another instalment of my Shelf Control regular feature. Next on the list is  a horror/thriller about a placid character with a devastating alter-ego. Dark, with a flawed cast and described as pacey, I can’t wait to share more! 

Finally, next Sunday brings my usual Sunday Summary personal round-up of the week. How many books can I finish in the next seven days? 

 

Blog 

My first post of the week goes live tomorrow. In anticipation for an upcoming review, I share a guest feature post prepared by Vanessa Finaughty. If you’re an aspiring fantasy writer and want some fun writing prompts to play with, look no further! 

Thursday is tour day and my deadline to review Woden’s Storm by Donovan Cook. If you love historical fiction set in early British history (450AD), this will be perfect for you! Stay tuned to read up more on this story in the coming days. I promise to do my best to upsell this book to you! 

Then, last but by no means least, I’ll update you on my reading progress and other updates in my Sunday Summary going live in a week’s time. I’m hoping for a more settled week and lots of reading progress. I can only keep my fingers crossed… 

 

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary! I hope you have a great week ahead? What books are you taking into next week? 

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Sunday Summary – 12th October 2025

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Happy Sunday and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary roundup of the week! 

It’s been a busy week of content. Here on the blog, I shared my monthly wrap-up for September, my October TBR, and a Shelf Control post earlier this week. 

Over on Patreon, I shared my October TBR (early access before readers of my blog), a post about my Patreon purpose, plus details of an upcoming reading challenge and a new content format I’m trialling that will be available to subscribers. 

 

Books Read

Among the Burning Flowers 

I was hoping to share completion of my audiobook listen of Among the Burning Flowers this week. Alas, not quite. 

I’ve listened most days pretty consistently, so it’s not a lack of picking up the audiobook that’s the problem. I just didn’t quite listen enough. Had I been able to hear properly, I’d have been able to finish the book whilst mowing the lawns yesterday. However, I do struggle with that, so I generally listen to familiar music instead. I listen to Alex Warren’s album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, a lot at the moment. 

Never mind – I am DEFINITELY sharing completion next week instead. No excuses. 

 

HR Disrupted 

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I also featured HR Disrupted. I was hoping again to finish this book this week so I can return it to the owner. However, as of drafting this post, I’m not quite there either. 

Never say never, I could finish it tonight with a bit of a push. Unfortunately, that’s not in time for this post, so it’s a little disappointing. Again, next week it will be a definite! I’m worried I’m losing the reading momentum of last month. It would be great for me to get that back. Finish these two reads, and I have a fresh start, right? 

 

Books Discovered

Once again, no news is good news this week! Surely I’m getting towards a record of the longest stint without any new books or additions to my TBR by now… 

 

Coming Up… 

Patreon 

I’m not going to get to a personal Sunday Summary type post tonight on Patreon – it’s already late evening as I’m drafting this! Instead, I’ll post a catch-up tomorrow with some more personal commentary than I do here on the blog. 

Surely I’m due to post a new review this week. It’s been a few weeks, so I’ll share my thoughts on the book club read alongside the Cotteagecore Fantasy Book Club, House of Frank. 

On Friday I’ll return with my next regular Friday feature, a First Lines Friday post. I haven’t got a particular theme or challenge in mind for this post. I’ll just see what I fancy nearer the time. 

Finally, I’ll be back next Sunday for a more timely weekly update post. I won’t leave it so late to post this time… 

 

Blog 

The first post to go live on the blog next week will be a Top Ten Tuesday post. The topic – Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time!

I’ve got some reads I need to march on with, so I’m actually going to leave it here and next share my Sunday Summary update at the end of the week. I need to get my reading mojo back! 

 

Have you made better reading progress than me this week? I hope so! 

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