Sunday Summary – 17th August 2025

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Hello friends! It’s the end of another week (and weekend… again 🙄), so I’m back with today’s Sunday Summary catch-up. I have some fun books I’ve been reading, and I can’t wait to share those with you! As always though, before we get that far, let’s recap what posts I’ve shared with you in the last seven days.

The first post of the week was a Top Ten Tuesday instalment. This week, the topic was Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump. In this post, I feature some firm favourites I turn to when I’m in a slump and need a pick-me-up. If you ever find yourself in this position, maybe one of these books can drag you from the abyss?

On Friday, I shared an interesting dystopian novel with an extreme take on diet culture. It’s an odd topic for a dystopian to lean into, but I love the sound of it. I reckon this could make for good discussion in the context of diet culture too. As and when I get to reading it, I’ll let you know if that is truly the case!

On Patreon, I shared my review of Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night. As prequels go, I think A Day of Fallen Night ticked all the right boxes. I also love that you can read the books pretty much standalone, or in any order. If you want to find out more of my thoughts of this book, consider subscribing to me on Patreon for early access to my reviews of recent reads!


Books Read


If We Were Villains

As planned, I finished If We Were Villains early this week. It wasn’t quite Monday – it ended up being Tuesday.

I really enjoyed how the events of the book played out and the narrative style. My only regret is that I left it so long to pick up this book! Even if you aren’t a big fan of Shakespeare (and I’m not overly – it’s hard to understand!), that doesn’t especially matter. It contributes to the narrative, but doesn’t dominate it. It can be read without understanding the full context of the plays, characters and lines. I have a suspicion those more in-the-know on Shakespeare probably got more in the way of foreshadowing and ‘easter eggs’ from the plays and characters portrayed. Even without that level of appreciation myself – I had a great time!


The House Witch

This week I’ve made a real effort to catch up on the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club read, The House Witch. As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I’d only just started the book. This week, I’ve made an effort to catch up on where I *should* be with it. I set the schedule and yet I’m not quite keeping up with it 😅

As of this Sunday Summary, I’m nearly on track! I’ve got to chapter 17, which is only a week behind schedule. I’ve already read 120 pages or so in the last few days and I plan to read more tonight as I wind down for the evening.

So far I’m enjoying the book. I hope we get to see more of the character dynamic between Fin and his father. I feel like that’s what the book is building up to and it’ll make for an interesting dynamic.

 

Tyrant’s Throne

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I’ve come on leaps and bounds from the 1.5 hours of Tyrant’s Throne I’d listened to. Over the last seven days, I’ve listened to a further 5 and a half hours. In terms of overall progress, that puts me at around 45% progress.

I’m intrigued as to where this book is going to go to round up the series. Already, the events of the book have taken a turn I didn’t expect. We’re at what I suspect to be a pivotal point in the story right now – and it could go one of two ways. As final books in a series go, this one of up there for unpredictability and for having me hooked to get to the end. I’m not even lamenting the fact that I only have 9 hours of audio of the book/series yet! Usually, I find myself in a mixture of eagerness to get to the end, but also sadness it’s about to end. For this one through, I’m that gripped my events I want to listen on!

Whilst I may not finish this audiobook next week, I hope to get as close as I can!


Books Discovered


Whilst my wallet hasn’t suffered this week, I have added a few books to my TBR. I’m lining myself up to start a new challenge after 20 Books of Summer is over. I’m not going to spoil anything on that too early, but in short, I’ll be picking up three reads that weren’t on my TBR from ChatGPT recommendations. More on that challenge to follow.

On Facebook this week, I read about a book called I Know I’m in There Somewhere: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner Voice and Living a Life of Authenticity. It’s not a super-long read, but I think it could be an interesting one to pick up.


Coming Up…

Last week I kicked off my blog content with a Top Ten Tuesday, and the same applies this week! However, this week’s topic is books with a high page count. As you know, an epic fantasy lover like me will have plenty of those to share. Tune in on Tuesday for a list of chunky book recommendations! I promise to feature more than just fantasy books 😊

On Friday I’ll return with a First Lines Friday feature. In that post, I’ll tease one of the three books I’m reading for my aforementioned upcoming reading challenge. I hope you can take a look at what’s coming up for that reading list.

Last of all, I’ll return with another Sunday Summary post this time next week How many books will I finish next week? Hopefully a few more than this week!

What are you reading?

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Shelf Control #94 – 15/08/2025

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Dystopian fiction is the feature of today’s Shelf Control post. In today’s post, I’m sharing a book I added to my reading list just days after the book was published. However, over five years on I’ve yet to pick it up. That should change soon! 

Before I share more, let’s take a look at what Shelf Control is about and then I’ll share why I want to read The Choice. 

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.

If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

 

The Choice – Claire Wade

Genre: Dystopian

Pages: 368

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 26 Dec 2019

 

 

Goodreads – The Choice

Imagine a world where…

Everything you ate was monitored by the government.

Every step you took was counted.

Your children were weighed every day at school.

Neighbours reported on neighbours and no one was safe from judgement.

Sugar was illegal, and baking was a crime.

Imagine if that world was here… What would you do?

Toe the line or fight for your freedom…

 

My Thoughts

The premise of this book is an interesting one. In modern society we are regularly told what we ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t eat’ as part of our diet culture. The Choice takes this to the extreme, mandating what food can and cannot be eaten. Personally, I think I’ll like this book. It promises to explore an interesting topic. As someone who does not have the healthiest of relationships with food, I’ll likely feel more strongly about the narrative and the restrictions imposed. I am working on it, but I also don’t care to be perfect.

I would not do very well in this world 😂 I enjoy treats and I can’t lie! My love of cake would land me in the Perspex box on many an occasion! 

I’m looking forward to reading this one as it’s a debut novel. New authors (and featuring new authors) is always a pleasure. If I can, I like to share new and/or less mainstream authors. 

The reviews of this book on Goodreads are a little polarised. As to what I make of this book remains to be seen. In principal, I can always get behind an #eatcake campaign, so I’m optimistic. 

 

If you’re still here, thanks for reading today’s Shelf Control post! Have you read The Choice… or anything like it? 

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Top Ten Tuesday – Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump

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We all go through reading slumps. Even us voracious readers find ourselves unable to pick up a book now and then. Whether it’s due to a bad run killing our reading vibe, to the complete opposite – a book so good nothing can live up to it, we’ve all been there. That’s where my Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump can help!

Personally, when I’m struggling I tend to seek out the familiar, or favourites. Let’s take a look at some of mine ☺️

 

Books Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump

 

A Game of Thrones 

If there was only one series I could read for the rest of my life, I’d choose this one! I love getting immersed in the details of the story. There are characters I love and some I love to hate. It has so much to give! I’ve reviewed this first book which you can check out if you haven’t already.

I’ve already re-read this series once and I don’t doubt I’ll do it again. Certainly I will be if we get word on the next book… 

 

The Hunger Games

I keep threatening to re-read this series! 

Having enjoyed reading A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping in more recent history, I want to return to the main trilogy. I read these books as a teenager and I’m keen to see how they stand the test of time now I am an adult. 

I love the world. These books are set in a dystopian world. Fiction is always something I look forward to. For that reason, The Hunger Games series is always a safe bet if I’m looking for books guaranteed to put an end to my book slump.

 

Mistborn 

Brandon Sanderson and his Mistborn series were very highly rated by me the first time I read them. Again, the immersive world and strong characters are easy to love and fall in with. 

Honestly, I could have featured any number of Brandon Sanderson books on this list. I have yet to find one I haven’t loved. I have a particular fondness for Mistborn, however, as it is one of the first books I ever read. It’s also a substantial series of seven books across two timelines. The time difference between these two settings also makes a very different world. Whether I’m looking for something of a traditional fantasy, or something a little bit more western, the books in the series can appeal to either of those wants.

 

Harry Potter 

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the author, I really enjoyed the Harry Potter books both as a child growing up, and again more recently as an adult. The latest books in the series are my favourite by far, and I find them very easy to dive back into. 

The earlier books are lighter and shorter. If I’m looking for a quicker, lighter fantasy read, these are ideal. But, as I said, I love the latter books. The darkest storyline and more sinister aspects of the plot are really enjoyable to me. Even if the page count is heavier, the content is what I love, and I can devour it! 

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone 

I really loved this trilogy by Laini Taylor. The main character, Karou, was one of the reasons why I experimented with dyeing my hair blue 😂 

If there was one thing Laini is good at, it’s encompassing an engaging storyline with a lyrical narrative. Her books are very easy to read, and it’s for that reason I’m confident the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy makes my ‘books guaranteed to put an end to your book slump’ list.

 

Strange the Dreamer 

It’s for the exact same reason above that I’ve got Laini Taylor‘s Strange the Dreamer duology on this list! 

An added bonus is that the series is only made up of two books, so it’s not too much of a commitment to read, and I can get through it quickly! 

 

Lord of the Rings 

Although not the easiest to read, due to the long-winded and complex sentence structures, I love Lord of the Rings. For that reason, this trilogy also makes the cut. 

It’s a series I couldn’t get tired of, even if I tried. Plus, it’s a classic! 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale 

I’ve already mentioned in this ‘books guaranteed to put an end to your book slump’ that dystopian fiction is a safe genre. 

Another dystopian novel I could read over and over is The Handmaid’s Tale. I do enjoy feminist fiction as well as dystopia. The Handmaid’s Tale is also a book I’ve read multiple times already and no doubt will again in the future! 

 

The Midnight Library 

In the last two years, I have read this book twice. Both occasions, the experience was different. 

The Midnight Library is an interesting and quite short book to read. The subject matter isn’t the easiest, but it’s engaging and thought-provoking. I strongly believe I can take away more from this book the more I read it. 

 

Babel

Combine magic, language, and historical fiction, and you get Babel! I loved this book so much that I plan to read it again. 

Babel has a number of elements I love in a book. This will be a great read to pick up if I’m in a slump and don’t know what to pick up next! 

 

Summary 

Thanks for taking the time to read my ‘books guaranteed to put an end to your book slump’ Top Ten Tuesday. 

Have you read any of the books on this list? What is your go-to book when you’re in a reading slump?

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Sunday Summary – 10th August 2025

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Another Sunday Summary graces your screens on account of the fact that another week is over. Aren’t they flying by? In today’s post I have a great line up of current reads to update you on, as well as a couple of new books purchased. 

Before that though, the first port of call is always to catch up on the content I’ve shared so far this week. That way, if you missed anything, you have a chance to catch up! 

The first post of the week was my August TBR. Naturally the books I’ve been reading derive from this list and it’s been a great start to the month. I’ve made a good start so far this month, so I’m optimistic 🤞🏻 let’s hope that’s not famous last words…

On Friday I published a First Lines Friday post featuring an author I’m listening to currently. If you read my August TBR you’ll have a better chance of guessing the author. However, when it comes to books, he’s written several. Take a look and see if you can guess which it is. 

I’ve reviewed another recent read on Patreon this week. If you are curious about Little Fires Everywhere – maybe to decide whether to read it for yourself, or to compare notes, please consider subscribing to gain early access to reviews for all the books I’m reading! 

 

Books Read

 

Stormdancer

Stormdancer was always going to be a pretty quick finish this week. As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I only had a couple of hours of the audiobook left. 

Naturally, being this close to the conclusion I rapidly picked this up at every opportunity to get to the end. I really enjoyed the book and I’m curious about how the story will continue. The good news is I already have the audiobooks! 

 

If We Were Villains

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I’d started the first 40 pages of If We Were Villains and was already intrigued. 

It’s fair to say that sentiment has held! I’ve been reading If We Were Villains throughout the week. Admittedly, I held off posting tonight to try and get the book finished this evening before this Sunday Summary went live. I’ve fallen a little short, but I only have 60 pages left! 

The story is really compelling and I’m looking forward to finishing this book. Fingers crossed I can finish it tomorrow! I really need to know how it all ends! 

 

The House Witch 

As part of the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club, I’m reading along with The House Witch. Admittedly I’ve only just started this book. Currently, my plan is to read this little by little throughout the month. The chat is set up with a rough timeline week on week to discuss, so at least I have some benchmarks to aim for. 

At the end of this week, in theory, I should have read up to and including chapter 17. I haven’t, my next priority will be catching up on this book before picking up another read! 

 

Tyrant’s Throne

Finally, the last book I’ve started this week is Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell. 

This is the fourth and final book in his The Greatcoats series. With finishing series being a priority in this year‘s resolutions, you can see why I’m excited to read and finish this book. I’m glad that I picked this up so soon after finishing Saint’s Blood. It had been some time since I picked up this third book in the series. Not wanting to end up in the same position as last time, I’m keen to finish the series whilst events are straight in my head. 

As of this Sunday Summary I’ve listened to one and a half hours. It made a good introduction. I’m looking forward to listening more over the next week! 

 

Books Discovered

I popped into town yesterday and a window-shop turned into a couple of purchases. 

The God of the Woods, Waterstones current book of the month, caught my attention. As well, Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World also appealed to me. 

Both these books were part of Waterstones ‘but one get one half price’ offer, so it would have been rude not to, right? 

 

Coming Up… 

 Next week I plan to start the week with a Top Ten Tuesday post. The subject of next week’s feature is ‘books guaranteed to put an end to you book slump’. It’s an interesting topic. It happens to all of us, and I’m glad to share my guaranteed books to pull me out of it. Hopefully they can help anyone else in the same situation. 

On Friday, I’ll be back with a Shelf Control post. In this week’s instalment of the feature, I share a dystopian novel that caught my eye and I’m interested to try! 

Finally, next Sunday I’ll update you on my reading progress over the next seven days in my Sunday Summary regular feature. I hope you’re looking forward to this next one already! 

On Patreon, I’m planning to share my review of Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night. If you’re interested in my thoughts on this prequel, make sure you’re following me on Patreon. 

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you around! 

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First Lines Friday – 08/08/2025

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In today’s First Lines Friday, I feature anew series by an author I’m reading at the moment. I’ve really enjoyed the series I’m listening to right now. He writes such funny chapter introductions that I had no doubt this would make for good First Lines Friday content. Naturally, he didn’t disappoint!

As always, I’ll let the opening lines of today’s feature catch your attention (I hope) and then I’ll share the details of the book! 

 

Everyone has a talent, and these days, mine is running. So superb is my aptitude for panicked flight that it almost makes up for my less admirable traits, which include cowardice, poor fencing skills, and a regrettable tendency to forget those faults while making bold threats against brutish thugs who suffer no such deficiencies of their own. 

‘Run, Rabbit, run!’ my pursuers cheered as they chased me through bustling streets and abandoned alleyways, over one crowded canal bridge, and across the next. ‘Run down your warren, run up the hill! Run from the Vixen before she makes her kill!’

 

 

 

Play of Shadows – Sebastien de Castell

Genre: Fantasy 

Pages: 528

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

Publication Date: 02 Apr 2024

Goodreads – Play of Shadows

 

Welcome to the Ooperato Belleza… it might save his life, or it just might be the end of him!

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…

 

My Thoughts…

Sebastien de Castell has a very witty writing style. So far I’ve enjoyed listening to his The Greatcoats series in audiobook format. In future, I definitely want to try more of his books and maybe pick them up in physical or ebook format instead! 

The Court of Shadows is a fairly new series. So far, only this first book is published and a second book, Lady of Blades, is expected in May next year. 

I think this would be a fun way to read more from Sebastien de Castell without saddling myself with another pending series to catch up on. Sure, it’s still a series. However, I can read them as they are released as opposed to having a lengthy backlist. As a result, I won’t be accumulating a longer reading list than necessary.

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday post. Have you read Play of Shadows, or any other books by Sebastien de Castell? 

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Monthly TBR – August 2025

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It’s the beginning of August and I’m with you today to share my monthly TBR. It’s the final month of the 20 Books of Summer Challenge. Whilst I fully expected to be a little behind with this challenge as it was a stretch goal, I’m hoping to read as much as I can from that list before the end of the month.

When I shared my monthly wrap-up post just a few days ago, I was very close to completion with both of my current reads. It feels like great progress to share in this post that I have finished both of those books. They won’t feature in this TBR, but mentally it helped set me up for what I can only hope to be success with this monthly TBR. 

So, shall we actually get round to talking about the books on the list?

 

Fixed Reads 

 

The Giver

Starting off with my book club commitments, the first book I need to read is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Following on from The Measure, The Giver is also set in a dystopian world and was very clearly one of the inspiring stories behind this book. When talking about it in our book club discussion last week, Meg recommended picking up The Giver as it’s a great book itself. However, we also decided it would be interesting to see how this book influenced The Measure. 

The good news is The Giver is quite a short read. This book is actually aimed at a middle grade or young adult audience. As a result, its page count only sits at around 240. That should be plenty easy to get through! 

 

The House Witch

Next, I am picking up The House Witch with the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club, over the course of this month. I came to the party late last month. Consequently, I ended up bingeing House of Frank in order to catch up. Instead, I’ll be picking up The House Witch incrementally so I can contribute to the discussion on a weekly basis. 

As a result, you’ll see me chipping away at this slowly over the course of the month. That is, unless I get carried away and binge the whole lot early on. We’ll see how my experience goes of the book 😌

 

If We Were Villains 

The next book I’m including in this early section is If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. I’m including this as a fixed read on this monthly TBR because I have started already. As of this monthly TBR post, I have read around 100 pages so far. Although I can be very hit and miss with Shakespeare, its influence on the narrative isn’t putting me off. In fact, it’s been nice to read a book that dabbles with Shakespeare but isn’t so heavily that I’m put off.

If you are unfamiliar with the premise of the book, If We Were Villains is about a group of theatre students in their final year of education. The school of arts they attend specialises in Shakespeare. Now, I haven’t got to the juicy bit where someone gets murdered. Not yet. However, the parallels of tragedy between Shakespeare’s writing and what inevitably comes to pass are starting to weave their way into the narrative. I’m excited to see what happens and so I imagine this book will be read pretty quickly! 

 

HR Disrupted

I often talk books at work, and a conversation with our HR lady has resulted in my borrowing HR Disrupted from her. She started explaining to me what an HR Disruptor is and what it means in terms of breaking the traditional moulds and practices of HR. I was intrigued, and you know me 😉 I’ll read books on pretty much any subject! 

This is a fixed read this monthly TBR as naturally I want to return the book to its rightful owner ASAP ☺️

 

Mood Reads 

 

The Pagan Lord

Regretfully, I didn’t get to The Pagan Lord, which was on my monthly TBR for July. This is a carry forward, and I’m still looking forward to continuing with this series.

This TBR is a little on the long side, and I will admit that it is ambitious. However, with some shorter books on the list, The Pagan Lord among one of those, I’m hopeful I can catch up with my Goodreads reading challenge. I’m looking forward to reading this 300-page book to get myself back into the Last Kingdom, also known as the Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell. 

 

The Dragon Republic

Another carryover from my July TBR is The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang. I’m looking forward to this second instalment in The Poppy War series. 

I’m planning to pick this one up later in the month. Whilst momentum is strong, I want to try and blitz my shorter reads. The Dragon Republic is about 650 pages – it’s not short by any means. If my experience of the first book is anything to go by, it’ll be a slower and more detailed read. 

 

Tyrant’s Throne 

A final book of a series I’m looking forward to listening to this month is Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell. 

It’s also my main audiobook of the month! Naturally, I hope I can finish this in good time and squeeze in another 20 Books of Summer entry before the end of August. The audiobook is 16 and a half hours at x1.2 speed, so not unachievable… 

Having just listened to Saint’s Blood, I’m eager to finish the series whilst events are fresh in my mind. 

Summary 

With a total of seven books, 2200 pages, and 16 and a half hours of audio on this month’s TBR, I’m optimistic for a productive month of reading. 

I’ve already made a great start finishing two carryovers from July that aren’t featured in today’s monthly TBR; I’ve wrapped them up already! Let’s hope we can keep the momentum going! 

What are you reading this summer? 

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Sunday Summary – 3rd August 2025

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We’re back with another weekly round-up in this Sunday Summary. I hope you’ve had a great week? As always, I’ll catch you up on the posts I’ve shared, as well as what I’ve been reading.

My first post of the week was my Firsts of 2025 book tag post. It was a fun way to look back at some of my milestones of 2025. If you haven’t yet seen the post, there’s a link above if you want to check it out!

My second post of the week went live on Friday. As it was the first of the month, I came in hot with my monthly wrap-up for July. It was a decent month of reading, although I didn’t get through my whole TBR.

Elsewhere, on Patreon, I reviewed All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. In that post, I shared that there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, but there were others I struggled with too.


Books Read


House of Frank

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared I was 65% through House of Frank. I also shared I was optimistic to finish the book and share completion in today’s post.

The good news is I can share that I finished the book! It was a good read and I enjoyed this cosy fantasy. It was different to the books I’ve read lately and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the book in the cottagecore fantasy book club I moderate!

Stormdancer

Stormdancer was the second book I hoped to have finished this week. This didn’t quite come to pass, but I now only have two hours of the audiobook left. I’ll be very surprised if I don’t finish it in the next week!

I’m really enjoying this audiobook and the unusual genre combination. What more, events are leading up to a conclusion now and I have no idea how this book will wrap up! I thought I did, but the narrative has just pulled the rug from under Yukiko’s feet and I want to see what happens next ASAP!


If We Were Villains

I’ve started If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio today, but only just. So, I don’t have a whole lot of progress to note. However, it’s good for you to know what’s coming up on my reading list so you know what book I’ll be updating you on in the next week! As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve read the first 40 pages and I’m intrigued. Let’s hope that continues.

I’m looking forward to getting into this fully. It’s been on my TBR shelf for quite some time…


Books Discovered

During book club on Wednesday, I was recommended two books by my colleague Meg. The first is the book we’re now reading for August – The Giver by Lois Lowry. The second book is called The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

The third book I’ve added is called The Wealth Ladder. As regular readers will know, I am picking up more non-fiction than ever. As well, I think this will be a useful and informative read.


Coming Up…

With early August hot on our heels (where has THAT gone?!), my first post of the week will be my August TBR. It’s my last chance to progress with my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I hope you can take a look with me to see what’s coming up on my reading list soon.

On Friday, I’m back with another First Lines Friday instalment. The last time I shared this post, I set myself a challenge. This time, I’m keeping things open and interesting.

Finally, next Sunday I’m back with another Sunday Summary update post. As always, I’ll keep you informed on the books I’m reading, reviewing, and what I’ve posted online.

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you next time!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – July 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up, I have a number of books to update you on progress for. Over the course of July, I finished three books in full. I also have two carryovers into the beginning of August (but not long left for either) and one DNF to report.

Let’s dive into today’s monthly wrap-up so you can see which is which!


Books Read


Saint’s Blood

An audiobook carryover from June was my listen of Saint’s Blood by Sebastien de Castell. Admittedly, as of my monthly TBR post, I only had an hour and 15 minutes of the audiobook left.

I finished it off pretty quickly! It was fun to get back into this series as it’s been a little while. Now I’ve finished this book, I’ve only got one book left in the series before I can mark this as complete.


The Anxious Generation

The next and final carryover from June was my physical read of The Anxious Generation.

I had more of this book to read into July. In June, I read the first 60 pages of the book, but that was all. By the time we were four days into July, I’ve progressed to 50% and I finished the book a few days later.

The Anxious Generation was a really informative read. I’d go so far as to say that I think this book should be more widely read. Understanding the changes in childhood experiences (both ways – this book compares and contrasts play-based childhoods and phone-based childhoods throughout) has opened my mind to why we’re seeing generational challenges today.

I rated The Anxious Generation four stars. It was an easy read even though it cites data and statistics. It’s written in layman’s terms so is approachable for all.


Alan Turing: An Enigma

Unfortunately, I have a DNF to share this month. I started listening to Alan Turing: The Enigma this month and I put it down within a couple of weeks.

I couldn’t get on with the book. The early narrative covers Alan’s early life and it was just dry. I was bored. Ultimately, I decided it wasn’t worth pushing on with an audiobook I wasn’t enjoying. I didn’t want to listen to it, nor risk getting into a reading slump over it. So, onwards and upwards….


Stormdancer

… and straight into Stormdancer I went!

Stormdancer has been a much better experience and I’m glad I made the switch. It’s an unconventional genre mash-up – Japanese fantasy and steampunk!

Not that I really had any doubts. Jay Kristoff is a regular feature on my blog now and I haven’t read a book of his I didn’t like. It’s also got me excited as I’ve got another standalone of his, more similar to this series than anything else I’ve read, upcoming on my TBR.

I’ve listened to Stormdancer for the rest of the month of July and as of this monthly wrap-up post, I only have two hours of listening time left.


The Measure

I picked up The Measure on Kindle Unlimited as it was the book I chose for book club. The Measure was already on my TBR and I was sure the premise would make for some great talking points.

It didn’t disappoint! This book was everything I hoped it was and I enjoyed getting to talk through my thoughts on this book. As dystopian books go, the narrative was set in a world very like our own so it was totally relatable. I also enjoyed how the story zoomed in on individual characters and impacts but also looked at how the knowledge of your lifetime impacted society as a whole.


House of Frank

A last-minute addition to my reading list this month was House of Frank. I’ve started to moderate a book club online via Discord and that is the club’s chosen book.

As of this monthly wrap-up I do still technically have a third of the book left to read. In my defence I was late starting it as I joined partway through the month. It’s not stopped me participating in chats about the book so far as it’s broken down into sections for easy participation.

I will, however, try to read this last section of the book over the next couple of days. Then, we can wrap up the discussion before moving on to our next book!


Summary

That’s all from me in this monthly wrap-up update! Have a good weekend and happy reading!

Have you read any of the books I’ve featured in today’s post? What did you read in July?

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Firsts of 2025 Book Tag

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I saw this tag on The Literary Huntress and this book tag was originally created by Tanya @ girlxoxo. I thought it would be a fun and lighthearted post to share. 

 

My Firsts of 2025

First book read this year

The first book I read to completion in 2025 was Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. Firefight is the second instalment of his The Reckoner series. I have since gone to finish the series, and it’s been great to tick this off the list. I’ve really enjoyed every Brandon Sanderson book, and the reckon was a perfect place to kick off 2025 with.

 

First book reviewed

Another great first of 2025 was reviewing Ship of Magic. Robin Hobb is fast becoming an author I really enjoy books by. As of this post, I have read seven of her realm of the elder books. For context, Ship of Magic is the fourth of those. Ship of Magic was a five-star read, so it’s also a great book to have featured first in 2025. That post went live within the first couple of weeks of January and to be fair, I’ve reviewed a good few books since then! 

 

First book by a debut author

I picked up Fearing the Black Body during Black History Month. I had added the book to my reading list originally as I wanted to read about the subject of fat phobia. As a larger than life woman (and proud) myself, I was interested in the subject matter. 

This audiobook went down so well that I listened to the whole thing over the course of a weekend. To date it also qualifies amongst my firsts of 2025 in that it’s the only book I’ve read in two days.

 

First book by a new-to-me author

I’ve read a few historical fiction books and series in my time. A new one I discovered and started this year is Woden’s Spear by Donovan Cook. 

This was the first historical fiction book of the year but it wasn’t the last. The sequel is currently expected to release in November 2025 and I plan to keep up with it. Donovan cook is among my firsts of 2025 for my starting his The First Kingdom series. However, he’s written others that I’m inclined to try based on the book I read and reviewed for the release blog tour. 

 

First book that slayed me

I confess so far this year, I haven’t read a book that I’ve had big feelings about. The closest is probably The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. 

 

First book that I wished I could get back the time I spent reading it

All The Light We Cannot See

It’s perhaps a little harsh to go this far, but the books that earns this firsts of 2025 accolade is the book I reviewed on Patreon yesterday – All the Light We Cannot See. I say this is harsh because there were aspects of the book I enjoyed. At the same time though, it was a little disappointing. It wasn’t the narrative I expected and I’d hoped for more interaction between the two main protagonists. 

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Sunday Summary – 27th July 2025

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Today’s Sunday Summary comes at the end of a long weekend! I had Friday off work this week to attend one of my best friends’ weddings. It’s been a good week – let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to otherwise…

On the blog, this is the third post of the week. The first post was my 2025 mid-year review, which went live on Wednesday. In that post, I take a look at how I’ve done against my reading goals for 2025 so far. If you haven’t caught that post already, it’s a good read.

Friday’s Shelf Control was scheduled in advance in light of my wedding plans ☺️ This week’s post featured another upcoming book by John Marrs on my TBR.

 

Books Read


House of Frank

I’ve made a good dent with House of Frank this week, although not as much as I wanted. I was hoping to share this as a completion, but I’ve been busy with other things. Aside from prepping for the wedding, I made a gift for a friend whose birthday was this weekend, and it needed finishing touches. I’m also doing Sirdar’s crochetalong, and week 1 started this week.

Still, I’ve made solid progress, and I’m now just shy of 65% through the book. Reading time on my Kindle says I’ve got a couple of hours left. I’ll probably try to binge that tonight so I can tick this off my list.

Stormdancer

I was also hoping to share Stormdancer as a completion too, but not quite. As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve only made a three-hour dent into this audiobook, and I still have just under six hours left.

I really need to get a wriggle on with this listen as I have a deadline of Tuesday to finish it! I may end up having to try and borrow it from a library if I don’t finish the audiobook in time.

The genre mash-up is an interesting one, but I like how the story is progressing. I can only imagine what will happen at the end – the shogun won’t be happy with Yukiko if it’s heading where I suspect!


Books Discovered

When it comes to new books, no news is good news! It perfectly counteracts the fact that I haven’t taken any off the list either…


Coming Up…

So, aside from some reading catch-up, what’s on the cards next week?

My first post of the week will be a 2025 firsts post. Given I’ve had six months to tick some of these items off my list, I’ll let you know what some of my bookish firsts are.

On Friday, we’ll officially be into the month of August. With that in mind, I’ll publish my monthly wrap-up for July.

On Sunday, I’m sure you know what’s coming. I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update post and fingers crossed I’ll have more finishes next week to share with you.

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