Tag: book love

Belated Top Ten Tuesday – Books I’d Love to Re-Read!

Posted on July 9, 2025 by fantasyst95

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday post is regretfully coming out later than planned. Unfortunately, despite my prep work on Monday to get this post ready for drafting, work got in the way.

We’re usually busy at work after a bank holiday anyway. Combine that with quarter-end and there being several people out of the office. It’s fair to say yesterday didn’t particularly go well.

Long story short, I ended up logging back on at home during the evening and so I didn’t have time to finish this Top Ten Tuesday. The good news is that I’ve managed to get my most time sensitive work now finished. And, I’ve been able to draft this post for you just a day later than planned (instead of a week!)

So, I hope you’re excited to read this Top Ten Tuesday post and that it was worth the wait!

Books I’d Love to Re-read

The Hunger Games

I’ve been threatening to re-read The Hunger Games for a little while now. I’m hoping to do so later this year!

It’s been a little while since I read the books of the main trilogy. These are the books I want to go back to in particular because they are the ones I’ve not read for a while. I read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes last year and Sunrise on the Reaping just recently. I haven’t decided if I’ll include these two books in my re-read as yet, but no doubt I’ll update you on that as and when the re-read happens.

A Game of Thrones

If there was one series I had to limit myself to read for the rest of my life, I would choose to read and re-read A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

It’s my favourite series of all time. That shows in the way I have a copy of each book in physical, ebook, and audio format. It also shows in the number of times I’ve read the books (the series to date twice and the first book four times!)

There is so much detail in the series that every time you go back, you pick up on something new. It’s also very difficult to get bored of as there’s so much going on and so much to take away.

Mistborn

I read the early Mistborn books when I was a teenager. Having finished the series as an adult, I want to go back and appreciate these earlier books from an older and more experienced perspective.

I loved these books when I was younger and I’m interested to see how much, if at all, my experience changes second time around!

The Midnight Library

I have already read The Midnight Library twice. I initially read it for myself, and then picked it up again as one of our early book club reads. The Midnight Library is a very profound narrative. It’s a narrative in which you can take something new away each time you read it.

I’d be interested to see if the book lands differently reading this at different times in my life, each with its own pressures and joys.

The Midnight Library is a pretty rare entry on this Top Ten Tuesday and that it’s only one of two entries to the list that isn’t a series!

Empire of the Vampire

I’ve enjoyed the first two books of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire series so much that I already know I want to re-read it once it’s done.

I believe the final instalment is coming out later this year. Honestly, I will be very sad to see this finish. But that opens the door for a re-read!

Babel

So far, I have only read Babel once. However, I loved this book the first time round. When I first read the book, I only had a token appreciation for its nods to historical English colonialism. When I go back to re-read this book, I want to do so with a better understanding of this point in the narrative.

It just goes to show that you can learn about a wide variety of topics in books where you don’t even realise that’s a theme…

Realm of the Elderlings

I’m only on book 7 of Robin Hobb’s The Realm of the Elderlings series. However, I already know that this is a series I will read and re-read throughout my life.

Here’s a huge thank you to my friend Rachael for getting me into this series. Whilst I had already purchased a copy of the first book, Assassin’s Apprentice, she gave me the nudge to get started. I’ve never looked back!

The world in which I have read so far has such a detailed history and lots of complex action. It also has its fair share of heartbreak. I sobbed finishing Fool’s Errand. If you know, you know. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series entails in the first place, and then no doubt can’t wait to get back to it!

Harry Potter

A classic story, Harry Potter is going to be a well-read series throughout the ages. I have a particular love for this series because I grew up with it and I aged with it.

I have already re-read the series once in my life. Reading these books from an older perspective was already more interesting. I have more of a love for the later books in the series where events get a little darker than the comparatively lighthearted first books.

Nevernight Chronicles

Jay Kristoff features for a second time here in today’s Top Ten Tuesday post. I first discovered his writing when listening to his Nevernight Chronicles books. I loved this story so much that I definitely want to re-read it. This time, I want to experience the books in either e-book or physical format as opposed to audio. I really enjoyed the footnotes and witticisms throughout the narrative, and I want to see how differently these come across in the different format as opposed to audio.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Although I’m not much of a romance girly, I could route behind the character Karou and the romance that unfolds in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Plus, Laini Taylor has such a beautiful and effortless writing style. Daughter of Smoke and Bone would be such an easy trilogy to pick up and read again. And again…

Summary

Apologies this Top Ten Tuesday went live later than planned. However, it’s been a fun post to write, and I definitely need to write my priority list on when to re-read each of the books and series featured in today’s post.

Have you read any of the books on today’s Top Ten Tuesday? Have you ever re-read any of the books?

Monthly TBR – July 2025

Posted on July 4, 2025 by fantasyst95

The books in today’s monthly TBR are all part of my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. It shouldn’t be a surprise, in a broad sense, what I’ll be reading over the next few months. In my recent Top Ten Tuesday post, I shared which books on that list I’m prioritising soon.

The culmination of both these lists is my July Monthly TBR. Take a look at the books coming up on this month’s list – I’m very excited to pick each and every one of these up!

Fixed Reads

The Anxious Generation

The first of my carryovers from June is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. As of my monthly wrap-up post, I’d read the first 60 pages. As of drafting this monthly TBR, I’m another 100 pages along. Progress therefore stands at about 50%.

The Anxious Generation has proven to be an interesting and relatively easy read. For a non-fiction, informative book, it’s not dry. The facts and figures are easily spelled out and backed up. Perhaps I’m biased by the subject matter meaning so much to me. Either way, I’m really enjoying The Anxious Generation so far and hopefully I’ll blast through the last half before the end of the week!

Saint’s Blood

The second and final carryover onto this monthly TBR is my audiobook listen, Saint’s Blood. I’m even closer to the finish line with this book, with just 45 minutes listening time left as of drafting this post. I will absolutely finish this book tomorrow at the latest!

Saint’s Blood has been a great listen and I’ve loved getting back into this series. With just one book left after this one is finished, it makes sense to pick the sequel up soon and finish the series. That way it’s fresh in my mind, and it’s a tick in the ol’ box for my series completion resolution 😅

The Measure

I’ve convinced book club to pick up The Measure this month. I was a little worried about squeezing in book club reads on top of my Summer Challenge TBR. However, it was my turn to pick a book and so I made it work to my advantage!

I think this will be a good fit for the group as well. The story type appeals to the reading tastes of several in the group. That’s a great start. Also, I think this will have some really interesting talking points for our meet-up.

Win-win!

Mood Reads

The Pagan Lord

I’ve convinced my boyfriend Shane to start watching The Last Kingdom. We’ve recently finished watching Vikings (which he introduced me to), and he’s liking it so far.

I reviewed Death of Kings recently and shamed myself a little over how long it’s been since I picked up the series. It’s quite a long one, so not a likely candidate for a finish this year. Pagan Lord is book seven of the series. I think there are 13 in total off the top of my head. That’s no reason not to make progress with it though!

At around the 300-page mark, The Pagan Lord will make for a good recap to the series. I have watched the series, so I should be able to pick up the storyline quickly enough despite the reading gap. It should also be a relatively quick read – helpful to getting caught up with my reading goal!

If We Were Villains

The oldest book on this monthly TBR, in terms of how long it’s been on my TBR, is If We Were Villains.

I’ve had a copy of this on my bookshelf for years. It’s finally time to get to it! Although I’m not a big Shakespeare fan, I do love literature and drama. This combination means I’m looking forward to this book. In the past, I’ve enjoyed dark academia books. If We Were Villains falls into this category. It all bodes well – let’s just hope the book lives up to my expectations.

The Dragon Republic

Whilst events of The Poppy War are fresh in my mind, I want to pick up the sequel. As the second book of a trilogy, progress with The Dragon Republic means I’ll have just one book left in the series once it’s done. Naturally, I’ll then look to finish the trilogy this year! That’ll be another series ticked off my list ☺️

The Poppy War was a great read. It wasn’t the fastest because the story was quite dense. Not in a bad way. I enjoyed taking my time over it. I don’t know if The Dragon Republic will be the same. Having laid the groundwork, events could go either way. Things could speed up now the world-building is established. Equally though, if there is more to lay down it could be a repeat of the same. I’ll just have to see how it goes. If I expect the latter then I won’t be disappointed if reading progress is a little slower.

Alan Turing: The Enigma

Another chunky read on this monthly TBR is in the form of an audiobook. I’ve deliberately chosen to listen to the book for this reason. As I’m so close to finishing Saint’s Blood, I should have plenty of time to listen to Alan Turing.

I added this book to my reading list after watching The Imitation Game. I’m intrigued to learn more about the person who had such an important influence on history. What shocked me most was how Alan Turing was treated after all he did to end WW2. I’m hoping this is covered in the book, because it’s a significant part of Mr Turing’s story. I’ll let you know in due course whether it does and what my thoughts are on the book.

Summary

I have a good number of books on this monthly TBR. However, given I’m close to finishing the carried over books from June, I think this is achievable. Even if I have a repeat of this month and get very close, I’ll be happy.

What books are coming up on your reading list?

Monthly Wrap-Up – June 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by fantasyst95

In today’s monthly wrap-up for June 2025, I recap great reading progress over the last month. With my 20 Books of Summer Challenge well underway, I’ve made a respectable start to getting through the books featuring in that challenge.

Want a reminder of what books those are? Let’s dive into this monthly wrap-up post and I can catch you up on what I’ve picked up so far 😌

Books Read

Sunrise on the Reaping

At the very beginning of this month, I devoured the final 2/3 of Sunrise on the Reaping. This book isn’t on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge – it was just a carryover from my May TBR.

This was such a highly anticipated read for me, and it’s fair to say the book didn’t disappoint! I love The Hunger Games books so much and this one was fantastic for giving backstory to Haymitch’s character.

Just when you think the hunger games couldn’t be any more dark or dystopian, Suzanne Collins surprises us once again. No character is safe in this world. That’s something I love! Weirdly, I love to be fearful for the characters I’m reading about and routing for. I don’t want to think they’re safe, especially in the world where that’s not realistic.

It was fantastic to get back and up-to-date with the series. I definitely anticipate a full re-read later this year!

All the Light We Cannot See

The book that took me the longest to read this month was All the Light We Cannot See. I was really looking forward to reading All the Light We Cannot See and I did enjoy picking up this book. If I’m entirely honest, I didn’t love it as much as I expected I would.

Given the premise of the books is sold on two very different characters coming together, I thought this would happen earlier in the storyline. Not only that, but the way the book is structured into super-short chapters didn’t suit me. I like to get into a character perspective and take time in a scene to figure out what’s going on. The stories of Marie-Laure and Werner kept chopping around so much that you didn’t really get this chance. I understand why this works in the context of the story, but it did detract from my personal reading experience of the book a little.

What I did enjoy reading was a perspective from a character who is blind. So often when we read books, we are introduced to a setting by the way it looks more than any other sensory input. To instead be introduced to a setting by touch and sound was a change of perspective I enjoyed.

Little Fires Everywhere

One of the fastest books I read this month, maybe except for Sunrise on the Reaping, was Little Fires Everywhere.

Admittedly, I did have a deadline for this book, but that was today’s work book club meet. Even beyond the deadline, I found myself devouring this book, partly because it was on my Kindle and very convenient to pick up and put down, but also because the storyline hooked me.

Book begins with a present day fire, and then spirals to the events leading up to it happening. There is a good deal of mystery around several of the characters. Finding out what was going on motivated me to finish this book more than anything. Little Fires Everywhere was also a very easy read. The book was very easy to pick up and put down at will. I picked it up for good long stints at a time, and progress was fast!

A Day of Fallen Night

The biggest book on this reading list was a carryover from my May TBR. As of last month’s monthly wrap-up, I had listened to around 11 hours of A Day of Fallen Night.

I listened to the remaining 28 or so hours over the course of this month. I finished this book last week whilst on annual leave. One of my favourite hobbies aside from books is crafting. Knitting, crochet, cross-stitch – that kind of thing. A hobby I can do with my hands works well with listening to audiobooks. Last week, I made the most of it with both A Day of Fallen Night and the next books on this list,

As I shared in my Sunday Summary instalment just before the end of the month, I really enjoyed getting back into this series not too long after starting it. Picking the second book up within reasonable time to the first meant I could appreciate overlapping details; if I’d left it too long I was far less likely to pick up on and appreciate this detail.

Saint’s Blood

In the last week of June alone, I listened to 80% of Saint’s Blood. That’s a lot of audiobook progress and I wouldn’t have been able to do it so easily if I wasn’t off work.

Getting back into Saint’s Blood hasn’t been too bad. I thought it would be more difficult, given I haven’t picked up the series in three years. Even so, the book has recapped the broad points of the narrative so I’ve been able to follow along well.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, Saint’s Blood is still a current read and I anticipate finishing the book in the next few days. The narrative is starting to come together, but I feel there is more to explore as well. Will there be another revelation? At the point of the book I’m at, I’m getting the enjoyment of the main characters being in a lot of danger. Going back to what I said about Sunrise on the Reaping, I like to be scared into thinking the main characters aren’t safe.