Tag: comedy

Monthly TBR – October 2026

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My monthly TBR for October is intentionally tamer. Whilst I’m still looking to hit some of my reading goals, I’m deliberately not setting a long list this month. If the last few months have showed anything, it’s that my reading pace is a little slower of late. I’m spending time with other hobbies and commitments. It shows in the number of monthly TBR’s I’ve gotten nowhere near finishing. 

So, what do I plan to read with this reduced list? I’ve still got some Booker longlist novels to share. Blog tour obligations. 2026 new releases I feature. That, and I’m still concluding my Throne of Glass readalong. However, rather than including a long list of books around these commitments, I’m not pressurising myself. If I finish the list, maybe I’ll naturally mood read to fill the gap? If nothing else, the promise of the luxury of choice will make a change. 

October 2026 Monthly TBR

Kingdom of Ash

Goodreads

Last month, I didn’t get to the end of Kingdom of Ash. In part, I needed to prioritise another audiobook listen that I’ll talk about shortly. However, I also had plenty of missed opportunities to listen to audiobooks, but didn’t make the most of them. 

I don’t know if it’s just that I have a lot on at the moment, or that I’m hesitant to get to the end. Probably a combination of all three, if I’m honest. However, in better news, I’ve made more progress with this audiobook already this week and I think I’m back in the game. I suppose I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch, but equally, I’m not one to lean too far into pessimism either. 

Let’s see what progress looks like over this weekend and go from there! 

Debt Reckoning

Goodreads

It feels weird talking about a book in a monthly TBR when you completed it several days ago, but that’s where we’re at! If you are a regular reader, you’ll know that I reviewed this book earlier this week. This was the audiobook I needed to prioritise given the looming deadline. With work busy over the last week or so, plus another blog tour deadline, I started early. It’s a good job too. 

I started this audiobook back at the end of September and still finished it just a couple of days before the blog tour was due. Naturally, I’ve already talked about this book on my blog. So, if you’re interested in a political thriller that’s both action-packed and engaging as well as informative and topical, go take a look at my review. 

One More Hour of Daylight

Goodreads

My next blog tour read came in thick and fast. As of this monthly TBR, this is my second completed read of the month. Given reading progress has been slow of late, it makes a significant change to have some wins already ticked off my monthly TBR already. 

Like Debt Reckoning, I’ve already reviewed this book. It’s also full of action and juggles storytelling with present day action. Unlike Debt Reckoning, this is a historical fiction novel set in WW2. It’s just a bit different! However, both were great reads, and this one has the added bonus of leaning into my reading preferences. This comes from my favourite genre. Go check out my thoughts on One More Hour of Daylight here. 

The Wax Child

Goodreads

My September TBR included some International Booker longlist prize books that I wanted to start in the month. Something I’ve never done before is set out to read the longlist. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read a prizewinning book before this year. Back in January, I read Orbital by Samantha Harvey to kick off the year. I also have The Promise on my TBR, which won a prize back in 2021. However, by and large, it’s not something I’ve ever attempted. 

I have to say, I haven’t gotten off to the set of starts. In terms of progress, I only tried and DNF’d The Witch last month. To be honest, my experience put me off starting The Wax Child. I didn’t want the book to feel too similar and get lumped into the same bucket. However, new month, fresh start. I’ve also read some good books in between, so here’s to a fresh start! 

The Director 

Goodreads

Another International Booker Prize 2026 longlist I want to get to is The Director. After a poor start with my prize longlist in September, I wanted to go for a slightly safer option on the list. Leaning into my recent love of One More Hour of Daylight, I want to tap into The Director as it’s set around what time World War II. Between the director and the wax child, I’m optimistic for a fresh start with the long list, and that once started, my overall experience with the rest of the prize list is better than the precedent The Witch has set.

The director has a unique take on the individuals impacted by World War II, but also the people in power at that time. Rather than focusing on other areas I’ve widely read about in the genre, including those living in concentration camps, we instead are faced with a particularly unpleasant character high up in Hitler’s regime, Joseph Goebbels. I’m looking forward to the fresh take. 

The Language of Liars

Goodreads

The language of liars is a pretty short novel, so I’m surprised I haven’t got to it already. When I talked about this book in my Fall TBR, not only did I talk about my intention to read this book soon. I also mentioned that this book has made it onto at least a couple of TBR’s and not in front of my eyeballs. That I’m keen to change. For such a short book, I’m hoping I can fly through this and tick this 2026 release off my list.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of the book, the language of liars is about science-fiction espionage novel that I am excited to read because it seems to have emphasis on language and integrating into a society where you don’t belong. If this is also your cup of tea, can I also point you to One More Hour of Daylight, which has a similar aspect to the narrative. It’s because I have read and loved that book recently that I’m all the more excited to finally pick up The Language of Liars. At 161 pages, there really is no excuse for this book to find itself unread after a third month of intention.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Goodreads

In a recent First Lines Friday post, I set out to feature something both fun and different. Whilst I had heard of the book at the time I featured it, I quickly added Dungeon Crawler Carl to my TBR. What can I say, the idea of a televised, post-apocalyptic situation is ridiculous in the first place. Combine that with two main protagonists who play off each other, and one of those being Carl’s sassy ex-girlfriend’s talking Persian cat… well, colour me intrigued.

Given reading progress has been a little bit slow of late, I am deliberately picking up this book to change the pace and style of books I’m reading. I’m looking for something a little less serious (in contrast to my booker prize longlist books) and hopefully, my experience of this book matches the wider reception received and I have a new series to devour! 

Get 20% Off Your First Demon This Halloween

Goodreads

Not long ago, I sought help choosing a Halloween novel this year. And, I’m pleased to say I’m not disappointed! The author of Get 20% Off Your First Demon This Halloween got in touch and offered me a copy of the book in exchange for a review. This particular book overlaps the comedy and horror genres. Unusual yes. However, given my recent reading experience, I’m optimistic the comedy and seemingly lighthearted note of the book will pay some dividends.

It’s also nice to feature some independently published authors. As you can probably tell by the volume of blog tours I sign up for, even if the timing isn’t convenient, that I like to try and support indie authors as well as read well-known authors. So, watch the space as I may be able to offer you a very different read to pick up this spooky season.

Metabolical 

Goodreads

For my last read of October, I debated which audiobook to pick up. So far, only Kingdom of Ash is designated an audiobook listen on this monthly TBR. Some books, such as The Language of Liars, are not available in audio format. One of my two recent blog tour reads was in audiobook format, but I’ve finished it already.

That doesn’t leave very many options for other books I could pick up in audio. So, I instead turned to some audiobooks I already own and have not yet scheduled time to read. One title caught my attention as it serves as a good refresher for a book I read last year. That book is Metabolical. If you have a read or are interested in another book called ultra processed people, then I should think metabolical will also be up your alley. At least, based on my enjoyment of ultra processed people, that’s why I’m picking up Metabolical. Not only will I find this an engaging listen from a learning perspective, but it’s also nice to have a non-fiction book make it onto this monthly TBR.

Summary 

My October monthly TBR still has a decent page count to it, but I’m excited to pick up some shorter books this month. I’ve also gotten off to a pretty good start, finishing both Debt reckoning and One More Hour of Daylight so far this week. Can I mark another book as complete before the end of the week? Should I pick up The Language of Liars or The Wax Child for a quick win?

What are you reading this spooky season? Let me know in the comments!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – September 2024

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In today’s monthly wrap-up post, I feature the books I read throughout the month of September. No surprises here that I didn’t get to everything on my September Monthly TBR. Given that I’ve got into the swing of studying for an upcoming exam, naturally reading progress is a little slower.

However, I have broadly enjoyed the books I picked up this month. That said, I didn’t complete  anything that knocked me out of the park in terms of enjoyment. Still, it was a steady month.

Shall we take a look at what they were?


Books Read


Eruption

Following on from last month’s Monthly Wrap-Up post, I had 35% of Eruption left to finish. Priority was given to finishing Eruption as I was lending my copy of it, once I’d finished with it, to another member of the club. Hats off to Helen for reading it as quick as she did; she was faster than I was!

I picked up this read for our second ever work book club. Overall the general feeling from the group was mixed. There were elements of the book we liked, others less so much.

Overall the book received a verdict of different, but average. I definitely agree with the group’s sentiment.


The Lost Apothecary

After finishing Eruption, I elected for some lighter reading. The Lost Apothecary wasn’t planned, but given that I am trying to allow myself the space for mood reading now and then, I made this choice as I wasn’t in the mood for anything on my reading list.

The Lost Apothecary was also a fairly decent read, but nothing outstanding either. It was a relatively fast paced and interesting historical fiction with the two timelines coming together nicely towards the end of the book. If you enjoy your historical fiction with a slant towards feminism and advocating for women, you’ll get on with this book! I really enjoyed this aspect of it.


Defiant

Audiobook progress over the course of September was a little slow. Although I’m listening to a great audiobook at the moment, I only progress through a third of defiant throughout September.

This is partly victim to the fact that I’m studying and using what was my listening time whilst driving to think about what I’m learning or just have a quiet moment to myself.

I’m loving the storyline so far so the amount of progress I’ve made is no reflection on the book at all! Rather, I’m looking forward to progressing with this one over the next month or so. Hopefully, I’ll have more progress to share…

 

The Kingdom

I just squeezed the last few pages of The Kingdom in at the end of September making 100% completion on the very last evening of the month.

I enjoyed the twists in the plot line for The Kingdom and it was a very fast paced read. If you enjoy a little bit mixed media in your books, there are court transcripts and small variations in the way in which the story is told making it more engaging than just standard pros.

I also found Ana‘s character very compelling and I sympathise with her. There was definitely far more going on than she was initially party too. It had me asking questions throughout and the ending was interesting.

of all the books featured in this monthly wrap-up, it’s the one I recommend the most to you. I loved it!


The Rosie Project

Finally, I made the briefest of starts to my next work book club read, The Rosie Project. We’re only talking 4% here, so I’m only just getting into the narrative and getting a feel for the style.

I was promised The Rosie Project is funny and so far that has already established itself. With the protagonist as he is, there is definitely going to be a lot of humour throughout. I also enjoy reading perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, and Don very clearly is.

We are reviewing this book together in just under a week’s time, so if you want to find out more about my thoughts of this book, check out my blog over the next week to find out more. I’ll be prioritising this book over the next few days so I’ll have something to say in my upcoming Sunday Summary.


Summary

I’m not made the most reading progress this month, but it’s been a good one nonetheless. Remember that I am having to prioritise studying for an exam. That is a short term commitment for long-term gain and that’s going to have a knock on effect on my reading for the next couple of months. Once that’s done, I’ll be back in full swing!


What did you read in September? Do you have any recommendations you would like to share?

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Sunday Summary – 3rd March 2024

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Good evening friends! It’s good to see you once again for another Sunday Summary update! If you’re curious to see what I’ve been reading and posting this week, you’ve come to the right place!

Before we go over this week’s reading, let’s recap the blog posts I’ve shared so far this week. My first post of the week was a discussion post that talked about how my reading tastes have changed since I was a teenager. It was fun to look back and not only compare my reading now to them, but also how my reading has changed even since I started blogging. If you’re interested to look at that post, there’s a link here for you to check it out!

Next, I shared my monthly wrap-up on Friday. February was lighter on progress than January, but that’s hardly surprising given January was a mad month. I’m still on target to read 60 books by the end of the year, but I did lose a little bit of the lead that I’d give them myself in January. If you want a recap of the books I’ve read in the last month, that’s the post to go and take a look at.

 

Books Read

 

Hogfather

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post, I had already made progress up to 37% of Hogfather. This week, I continued with this read in dribs and drabs up until completing the book late yesterday.

Hogfather was a decent read, but not my favourite book by Terry Pratchett. I liked the themes and the messages that are covered in the storyline, as well as the characters within. However, I felt a little of the magic that makes these books sparkle was missing. Ultimately, I only rated the book 3 stars because it was good, but it wasn’t brilliant.

I’m still glad I have continued reading progress in the discworld novels, and I will be looking to keep up momentum with them. It had been a little while since I picked one up!

 

At the Stroke of Midnight

After finishing Hogfather reasonably late on last night, I then picked up my first March read, At the Stroke of Midnight. I am reading this book for a blog tour later this month, and it is the first of two that I will be reading for this purpose this month.

So far I am only a few chapters in. That equates to 15% progress, which is a decent start given that I only picked up the book for the first time yesterday, and I’ve been out most of today.

Obviously, being so early in, I can’t say too much about the book at this stage. What I can say is that the plot is very reminiscent of The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle, which is why I picked it up in the first place! I’m looking forward to seeing if the plot line goes down the same kind of route as I progress through the book!

 

Books Discovered

I received my pre-ordered copy of Empire of the Damned in the post this week. I’m really excited to pick this up, but I’m not doing so until I’ve re-read Empire of the Vampire.

I had hoped to pick this up in February, but I’ll shelve it for a future date.

 

Coming Up…

My first blog post of the week will be my Monthly TBR. I still haven’t fully decided on that reading list yet, but I have a few books to get me started in the meantime. I’m reading one of those already! 

On Friday I’ll feature my next First Lines Friday post. I’ve already decided on what I’m featuring this week, but no spoilers for you. You’ll have to check out the post on Friday.

Lastly, I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update post. As always, I’ll catch you up with the books I’ve read over the week, as well as what I’ve been posting. 

Until then, have a great rest of your weekend, if any is left of it!

 

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Sunday Summary – 25th February 2024

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I’m back with my usual Sunday Summary update, and I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve been up to this week! As always, I hope you’ve had a great one?

This week has been more chilled out than last, so I have more in the way of reading updates to catch you up on very shortly. First, let’s take a look at the blog posts I’ve shared so far this week.

My first post of the week was a Top Ten Tuesday post. In that post, I explored some of the fun superpowers I wish I had to help me along with my bookish endeavours. From infinite storage space to being able to remember every minute detail about books, I had a lot of fun thinking about this post. The content is a bit more whimsical than I’ve been posting of late and it was great fun to draft. If you haven’t checked out that post yet, as usual, I’ll provide a link to that here.

My next post was a Shelf Control feature. This is the third post I have shared of its kind so far this year, and once again I have shared a historical non-fiction with you. I obviously went through a flurry of adding these to my reading list! Although they are the same genre, each of the three books I have featured so far are all from different time periods. This week’s feature post explores history of Tudor England. It’s a short book, but when I’m looking forward to reading to refresh my knowledge on a topic I already know I love.

 

Books Read

 

The Queen’s Gambit

I left off from last week’s Sunday Summary post in between books. After some debate, I decided to pick up my Instagram poll pick runner-up next, being The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis.

I added this book to my reading list after watching the Netflix series several years ago. I already knew what to expect in terms of the storyline and characterisation. The time between watching the TV show and picking up this book has probably helped negate any real comparison between the two as it wasn’t too fresh in my mind. I was still able to enjoy the story without overthinking how it compared with the Netflix show.

The Queen’s Gambit is a relatively short book, and I read this in its entirety this week. I rated the book four stars as I enjoyed the storyline, characterisation and flow of the plot. Whilst I have some basic understanding of chess and how to play, this prior knowledge isn’t especially needed to be able to understand the book. If that’s something that worries you, don’t let that put you off!

 

Hogfather

Next, I picked up what is my current read as of this Sunday Summary post. I only started this book yesterday, but already I have read 37%.

Hogfather has a really approachable narrative and is generally a bit of fun. I wish I’d had the foresight to check when this was coming up in the series, as I’d have read it in December if I’d known it was next. Hogfather is part of the Death miniseries within Discworld, and pokes fun at the concept of Father Christmas and belief.

I’m really enjoying the book so far, and given that I’ve managed to read about 160 odd pages in 24 hours, I can’t imagine I will be too long reading this book. In any case, it’s a digital loan from my library so I’ll have to get my skates on.

 

The Atlas Six

Finally, I have started listening to The Atlas Six again this week. As usually happens with me, I have let progress in audiobooks fall by the wayside in the last few weeks. However, I’ve had the motivation to start listening again this week, and I’m glad I have. I’m still not very far into the narrative, but I’m intrigued by the characters and where events in the book are going to take us.

This week, I listened to about two hours of the audio. Whilst it’s not a huge amount, it is a start considering it has been nearly 3 weeks since I last picked this up. Now that I am back into the story and the characters, I’m going to look to find more opportunities to listen whenever and wherever I can!

 

Books Discovered

Remember last week I shared that I got some book vouchers for my birthday? Well, I may have spent some of them this week ?

I picked up quite the range of books this week. From cyborg assassins (Lifelik3) to biology (The Song of the Cell), it’s fair to say I’ve got quite the range in reading taste!

In addition to these, I picked up a couple more non-fiction books – The Survivor and Normal Women. Whilst Normal Women wasn’t officially on my TBR, it has been on my radar. You may recall that I featured a podcast from Philippa Gregory of the same name in my Well, I Didn’t Know That! series. This podcast features research that contributed towards the book, and I really enjoyed listening to the particular episode I shared. I was aware the book was coming out soon, but I confess that it had escaped my notice that it was out already. I happened to see a copy of it just as I was turning to pay for the others I picked up. I’m glad I spotted it last minute, and I eagerly grabbed a copy!

 

Coming Up…

Usual scheduling will be put on hold this week as we are already at the end of February. Where on earth has the time gone?

My first post of the week will be a Discussion Post. In this post, I’ll share how my reading tastes have changed over time. I plan to cover my reading tastes from my teenage years onwards, so that’s quite a time span to cover!

On Friday I’ll share my Monthly Wrap Up for February. Overall, I’ve read less books this month than I have for a while. It shouldn’t be a particularly long post, but I’m doing my best to fit in as much reading before then as I can! Maybe I’ll surprise myself?

As always, I’ll round up the week with another Sunday Summary update for you at the same time next week!

Until the next post, that is all from me. What are you reading right now? Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

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