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.
Happy Sunday reading friends and welcome to my Sunday Summary catch-up! I hope you’ve had a good one however you’ve spent it? This weekend has been quieter and I’ve enjoyed the slower pace.
But… that’s not what you’re here to read, is it? You’re here to find out what I’ve been reading. We’ll get there, right after I recap what I’ve shared online this week.
First, I’m pleased to share that I finally got my review of Stolen Focus by Johann Hari into a place where I was happy to publish it. I thought I was happy with the word count I had, but I managed to add a good bit more before that post went live. If you haven’t yet taken a look, there’s a link to that post above.
Next, I published my First lines Friday on schedule and fulfilled the challenge of featuring a book on my 20 Books of Summer challenge. I hope to pick up this book soon. Want to see what it is? It’s a historical fiction novel, but I’m not telling you any more…
As well as the blog, I’ve started posting up-to-date book reviews on Patreon. Partly, that’s so I don’t end up in a position where two years down the line I’m struggling to write one (ahem, Stolen Focus I’m looking at you). However, it also gives anyone the opportunity to support me for early access to these reviews. They’ll make there way here in time, but new reviews are going on Patreon first. This week, I reviewed Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. However, I’ve also got reviews of Crashed, The Poppy War and Elektra so far if you want to read any of those.
And now, onto the fun part of my Sunday Summary posts – the reading updates!
Books Read
The Measure
Over the course of this week, and yesterday especially, I dedicated time to The Measure. I’ve really enjoyed this book – so much so I finished it yesterday. That means this week I read a little over 260 pages to complete this book.
If you enjoy contemporary fiction with a bit of a dystopian element, The Measure could well be for you. I loved how this book exploded how the knowledge of one’s lifetime changed both the world and people’s individual stories. the measure of one’s life isn’t just in a span of years, and that is also a big theme of the book. Honestly, I’m glad we’ve picked this up for book club because there are plenty of talking points I can’t wait to get into with the group.
I didn’t quite cry at this one, but there were a few close moments. It’s a very thought-provoking and emotional read.
House of Frank
I’ve continued House of Frank which I’m reading as part of the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club over at Chantelle Solace. I confess though that The Measure took priority earlier in the week. Now I’ve finished it, House of Frank is now my main read.
It’s very different the book I just read, although it still deals with the topic of death and grief. It’s interesting that I’ve ended up reading these so close together. I’m not going morbid I promise!
So far this week, I’ve read a few more chapters. So, as of this Sunday Summary I’m 16% through the book.
House of Frank is a cozy fantasy, so very different vibes and hopefully a quick read. I’m hoping it will make for a nice change before moving on to my next read, which is a dark academia that also features death 😅 I promise I’m okay!
Stormdancer
After sharing in last week’s Sunday Summary that I was putting down Alan Turing: The Enigma, I picked up Stormdancer.
Stormdancer is a bit unusual as it combines asian fantasy and steampunk. Not something I’ve ever read before, but I’m liking it quite a bit! I didn’t really have any doubts over enjoying the book as it’s written by an author I’ve read a small variety from already – Jay Kristoff.
This week I’ve listened to a couple of hours of the audio. With around 10 hours left an a deadline on Audible to get it finished, I’m hoping to share completion of this in next week’s Sunday Summary.
Books Discovered
I picked up a couple of audiobooks this week after seeing them advertised in their weekly edit email. The first of those is Your Boss Era. As a lifelong learner, there’s always something I can be doing better. Whilst I may not be a manager, I have become a go-to contact between teams and. I am getting towards a more senior person in terms of experience. I think the contents of the book can help me step-up and demonstrate the skills necessary for a promotion in future.
Next, I picked up another book that tickled my lexicon fancy. I loved English and words – so much so I wanted to be a speech therapist. The job wasn’t really viable here and there were aspects to it I wouldn’t have enjoyed, so I didn’t pursue it. However, I still have a love of language and words. That probably doesn’t surprise you when you consider I consume and write so many in a week of my own free will! That book is called Algospeak, and particularly focuses on how social media has shaped modern language.
Coming Up…
The final section of today’s Sunday Summary is about what’s coming up content-wise next week.
On the blog, my first post well be a mid-year check-in my my progress towards my reading goals in 2025. It almost feels like that compulsory HR mid-year review, but don’t worry – I’ll make it more fun!
Next, on Friday I’ll release another Shelf Control instalment. This one will be prepared ahead of time as on Friday night, I’ll be out attending one of my best friend’s weddings. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. It’ll be scheduled in advance 😉
Finally, the last post on the blog will be next week’s Sunday Summary instalment. I’m hoping to have at least two bookish completions with you this week! It’s rapidly coming up the end of the month and I still have a few books on the TBR to get to. Fingers crossed for some reading productivity!
Off the blog, I have two reviews to catch up with on Patreon – Ultra-Processed People and All the Light We Cannot See. If you are interested in either of those two books, I hope you can subscribe over on Patreon so you don’t miss out!
Until next time, may your tea be hot and your book better than real life ☺️
If you’ve had glorious weather this weekend as I have, then I hope you’ve been able to make the most of it! Welcome to today’s Sunday Summary update! After a busy week and weekend, I’m here to catch you up on reading progress this week.
Overall, progress has taken a slower pace this week. That’s because real life priorities had to come first. We’ve had a busy week at work. I knew this was coming and so I only planned to share a Top Ten Tuesday post before today’s Sunday Summary. However, even that ended up being late. This belated post went out on Wednesday, so if you’re interested on books I’m planning to re-read, go and take a look at that post.
Books Read
The Anxious Generation
In last week’s Sunday Summary update, I confided that I only had 30 pages left of this book to finish. Whilst my intention was to pick up the book and finish it last Sunday, it was Monday in the end.
The Anxious Generation was a very informative and interesting read. I already had a good measure of the book from what I’d read so far, so the ending and my feelings about the book weren’t really a surprise.
The Measure
Next, I moved on to a kindle read – The Measure by Nikki Erlick. You may recall this is the book we’re reading together in the book club I host at work.
This week, I haven’t made a load of progress with the book, although I have really enjoyed starting it. The blocker on reading progress this week hasn’t been any fault of the book, but rather my time. Quarter end is a really busy time and it was especially rough this time as we had several people out of the office. I did quite a bit of overtime. To top it off, I didn’t make any reading progress on Saturday because I was out at a hen do all day. At least I got to enjoy the beautiful weather!
As of this Sunday Summary update post, I’m 25% into The Measure. It’s a really interesting book and premise so far. I really like where the book is going in terms of exploring individual stories, but also highlighting changes in society. If you are unfamiliar, the book is about what happens when people have the knowledge of how long they are going to live. There are some really interesting character discussions and events that take place as a consequence. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this progresses and fingers crossed I can make a good deal more progress now things are settling down.
House of Frank
A book I have started this week, that isn’t on my official July TBR, is House of Frank. This will probably come across as an unusual choice, but it makes sense when I explain where it’s come from.
I have just become a moderator of an online book club called the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club over at Chantelle Solace. With my experience of hosting our work book club, I volunteered and was offered the position of moderator to help with the book club. Naturally, I need to read the books that this club are reading, hence why I have started House of Frank.
Reading progress on this book has also been slow. I’ve literally only read the first chapter so far, but I think this is going to be an interesting and cosy read. Given that one of the main topics it’s dealing with is grief, this sounds like an unusual combination but one I’m happy to explore.
I’ll be sharing more on that next week. If you’re interested, you can find out more here.
Alan Turing: The Enigma
I haven’t made any more progress with Alan Turing this week. After a very slow start last week, I’ve not been able to psyche myself up to pick up this book again.
So much so, I’m only including this book in today’s post to let you know that I’m DNFing it. I’m not enjoying it, so there’s no point in forcing myself to continue when I could be reading or listening to something else more interesting…
Books Discovered
I’ve picked up one book this week. As and when I pop into one of our bigger Tesco stores, I usually take a look at the little bookshelf they have near their customer services area. Most of the time, they don’t have anything that catches my eye.
However, this week I found a copy of Janice Hallett’s The Examiner in a really good condition. I really enjoyed reading The Appeal so I’m excited to be able to try another of her books written in mixed media format. And, I dId a good deed in getting my copy as charity benefits!
Coming Up…
So, what’s the plan next week? Well, given most of my time sensitive deadlines are now over at work, scheduling should return to normal.
This week I’m returning to my draft review of Stolen Focus in an attempt to finish it off to a standard I’m happy with. In terms of word count for the review, I’m not far off where I want to be. It’s hopefully just a case of refining it, but we’ll see.
On Friday I return with my regular First Lines Friday feature. In the spirit of making things more interesting, I’ll set myself a challenge here and now to feature an upcoming read from my 20 Books of Summer reading list. I hope you can tune in to see what that is!
Lastly, I’m back again for another Sunday Summary instalment at the end of the week. With work deadlines less imminent and more staff in the office next week, I should get my time back.
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.
The Anxious Generation
The final carryover I have in this monthly wrap-up post that I’ll pick up in July is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. As at the end of June, I’d read the first 60 pages of the book and I’m enjoying it so far.
The Anxious Generation is an informative read for all. However, as someone who is and has family of age with the population featured in the subject of the book, it has a personal connection.
The research of the book so far is well backed up by facts and figures. At the moment, that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Later in the book we get to actions we can take. I’m intrigued on the author’s take on this and I’ll update you in the near future.
Summary
This monthly wrap-up post includes all the books I set out to pick up in my June TBR. Whilst I had hoped it finish all the books on this list and maybe start another, I came very close to completing June’s reading list. Admittedly, All the Light We Cannot See took a little longer to read than I expected and A Day of Fallen Night is a very long audiobook. Equally though, I’ve listened to Saint’s Blood very quickly too.
On balance, I think I can achieve reading 5-6 books a month at the moment. So, I’ll set my July TBR accordingly. If you want to see what I’m picking up this month, I’m publishing my July TBR in the next couple of days! I hope you can take a look and maybe find inspiration for your next read.
I don’t quite know how, but we’re at the end of another week already! I hope you’ve had a good week and you’re ready for today’s Sunday Summary check-in. As always, I’m here to catch you up on the blog posts I’ve shared. Not only that, but I have four books I’ve read to update you on. finally, I share any I’ve added to my reading list this week. Make yourself comfortable, and then let’s get stuck in.
I had originally intended to share a review of Stolen Focus by Johann Hari midweek. Whilst I’ve made progress with drafting that review, I’m not yet happy with it. With this in mind, I decided to postpone publishing this post. When I get my review in a position where I’m happy to share it, it’ll go live then.
Instead, my first post of the week went live on Friday. In my regular Shelf Control features, I look at upcoming books on my reading list and share them with you. I talk about why I’m excited to pick up those books, and often they get me hoped up to read them soon. This week’s feature is a mystery novel in which the book has an interesting psychological thriller storyline. If you have yet to read that post, here’s a handy link for you to take a look.
Books Read
A Day of Fallen Night
Starting off this week with only four hours left of A Day of Fallen Night meant that I didn’t have long left in this audiobook. With the conclusion rapidly coming up, and some well-timed annual leave from work, I blitzed this final stretch.
I really enjoyed getting back into this series. It wasn’t that long ago that I read the first book of the series, The Priory of the Orange Tree. Picking up this next book within a few months of finishing the first book has been a godsend. With so much going on in the subtle hints and clues between storylines, it’s been really helpful to read these closer together to be able to pick up on and appreciate this detail.
I enjoyed this prequel so much that I am now eagerly anticipating the next instalment of the series, due out later this year. As soon as that book is published, I’ll listen to the audiobook and get stuck back in.
Little Fires Everywhere
In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared how I’d made light work of the first half of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. That continued to be the case this week. Little Fires Everywhere is the first book I’ve read on my Kindle for a little while, and weirdly I enjoyed the experience. As much as I love physical books, the convenience of a Kindle can’t be downplayed.
I read and finished the second half of Little Fires Everywhere in rapid time. This was an interesting book to read and I enjoyed unravelling the characters’ backstories. Of course I was keen to figure out what was happening in the present day too. I’m looking forward to discussing this in our work book club next week.
Saint’s Blood
Given that I’ve been off work for a few days this week, I’ve leaned into audiobooks whilst crafting quite heavily. So much so, I have listened to the vast majority (est. 80%) of the next audiobook on my TBR.
As of this Sunday Summary, I have just under four hours of Saint’s Blood. As I said to you and last week’s Sunday summary, with only four hours left and the end of the book rapidly approaching, I don’t think this will be long in finishing!
Unlike A Day of Fallen Night, I’ve left it a considerable amount of time between listening to this audiobook compared to its prequel. To be more specific, I last picked up this series in June 2022 – three years ago!
That said, I haven’t found it too tricky getting into the story. I started the audio without a recap to see if events would naturally come back to me or be recapped within the story. Whilst there wasn’t too much of an info dump, I managed to pick up enough information that I’ve been able to carry on with the book without a recap. Would I have been better picking this up sooner? Absolutely yes. It’s not been a dealbreaker though.
The Anxious Generation
The last book I’ve started this week is the final book on my June TBR, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Progress in this book hasn’t been so fast as the other books in this Sunday Summary update, but it’s been no less enjoyable.
It’s surprising really how many non-fiction books I now read, when you consider I barely picked up the genre even just a few years ago. In fact, it’s becoming one of my most read genres and that’s happened quite naturally.
What helps in the case of The Anxious Generation specifically is that the book very much talks about people around or very close to my own age. I am someone who is not quite the subject of the book, but I have very close ties to it. I have no doubt that The Anxious Generation will continue to be an interesting read. It will also likely be a book I would recommend to all parents.
Books Discovered
This week has been a relatively quiet one. The good news is that I’ve managed to tick a couple of reads off the list and I’ve not added anything new. Yet… 😅 there’s still time!
Coming Up…
The end of the month is back around again! So, next week I’ll be busy initially with sharing my monthly wrap-up post for June. In this monthly post, I recap the progress I’ve made against my TBR and give you a brief review of my thoughts on each of the books. I hope you can check-in with me for that post early next week.
Next, with a new month over the horizon, I’ll share which books I plan to read in July. We’re now officially into the second half of the year. It’s also the second month of the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. The books on this TBR shouldn’t be a surprise, but I’ll be sharing what my reading priorities will be in the near future.
Finally, I’ll be back this time next week with another Sunday Summary instalment. If you want to catch up on the books I’m reading next week, that’s the post to check out. I don’t know how much reading I’m going to get done next week. We are stepping into a really busy period at work, but I’m determined to keep up pace with reading as much as I can! If nothing else, I’m setting myself the challenge of finishing Saint’s Blood.
It honestly feels like I’ve barely finished one Sunday Summary post before I’m starting the next. Where are the weeks going?
Happy Sunday friends and welcome to my weekly catch up post! As always, in this Sunday Summary, I’ll recap the blog posts I’ve shared so far this week, then jump into my reading updates.
My first blog post of the week was a Top Ten Tuesday post. I’ve shared a few books around this week’s theme in the past as it’s a quarterly re-occurring post. This week, it was time to share my top ten books on my summer TBR. As I’m taking part in the 20 Books of Summer Challenge, I decided to use this post to share which books I’ll be prioritising from that challenge after my June TBR.
On Friday, it was the return of my First Lines Friday feature. This week’s feature was a completely novel choice that I added to my reading list; normally I’m featuring one already on there. If you’re also looking for a quirky way to discover your next read, take a look at that post, as I share an interesting resource I stumbled upon via my local libraries website.
Books Read
All the Light We Cannot See
This week, I read the final third of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I was pleasantly surprised actually. Overall, I found myself reading this book in lots of short stints. The pacing of the book meant that I was picking it up and putting it down often, not reading very many pages in one go.
However, I got to a point in the book where I was determined to finish it, and so I did. I spent a couple of hours one evening this week and I read between 120-140 pages in one sitting.
I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See, but it didn’t wow me either. Based on the write up, I’d hoped that Marie-Laure and Werner spent more time together once they finally met. In the context of this 500 page story, they meet quite a long way down the line, and for what feels like a very brief period of time. I had high hopes for this book, and if I’m entirely honest, it didn’t quite live up to expectation. It is still a decent read – I rated the book 3 stars.
A Day of Fallen Night
In last week’s Sunday Summary post, I shared that I’d made only a little progress with A Day of Fallen Night.
Compared to last week’s one and a half hours progress, I’ve made an additional five hours progress on top of that benchmark this week. If I had listened to this book just a little bit more throughout the course of the week, I could’ve been sharing a completion with you here. As it stands, I only have four hours of this audiobook left as of this Sunday Summary update. I may not be able to share a completion of this with you this week, but the six and a half hours I’ve listened to this week sets me up so I can share it with you next week!
Events are now bringing characters together for the conclusion. I’m really interested to see how this book wraps up. If nothing else, that’s my motivator to pick up this book.
Little Fires Everywhere
The final book to update you on in today’s Sunday Summary post is my current read, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.
This is our work book club book. We’re next meeting at the beginning of July. I haven’t got the most time in the world to finish this book. Equally, I’ve read 45% in just the couple of days. Compared to All the Light We Cannot See, Little Fires Everywhere is progressing much quicker; the pacing of the book suits my reading preferences better. It’s a lot easier to sit and read in longer settings. I’m not worried about finishing it on time.
I’m starting to see where character conflicts are building. Do these explain the events at the very start of the book? Is it going to be as transparent as we think? I’m not so sure at the moment. I hope there is a bit of a mystery for me to unravel here. Hopefully, I’ll be talking more about that in next week’s Sunday Summary. Given how quickly I’m progressing with this book, I am optimistic for a completion very soon.
Books Discovered
If you read my First Lines Friday post (either on Friday or if you followed the link above) you’ll know that I added a book called The Great Passage to my TBR on Friday.
Books about books make for interesting reads. What also intrigues me is that the author and setting is based on Japanese language and culture. I read a lot more Westernised narratives but that’s something I’m looking to address. I’m intrigued as to whether that will be prevalent in the book and educate me on differences between my more familiar Western culture compared to Eastern.
Coming Up…
Given I have a number of book reviews to catch up with, I’ll tackle one of these early next week. The next book on my review list is Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. This was an interesting read; I’d recommend it to anyone who feels they struggle with their focus or attention span. It’s scary to realise what impact technology has had on our brains!
As I’ve just shared a First Lines Friday, that means this week’s Friday feature will be a Shelf Control post. I enjoy using this series as an opportunity to look forward to upcoming reads on my TBR. This week I’m featuring a psychological thriller with an element of mystery. I hope you can tune in to that upcoming post to see what it is.
Finally, I’ll be back at the same time next week with another Sunday Summary catch up. Fingers crossed, I’ll have at least two completions in that post. We’re rapidly approaching the end of the month! I hope to get through my reading list before the start of July, so I’m making a push between now and then.
What book have you read recently that you would recommend to me?
In today’s post, I share the books I plan to pick up throughout the month of June. This monthly TBR isn’t too heavy on the book count front, but that’s not to say I won’t be reading more if I manage to get through each of these.
If you read the post I shared on Wednesday, you’ll know that I’m taking part in the 20 books of summer challenge. In that post, I set out 20 books I hope to read before the end of August. Should I get to the end of these five before the end of June, I’ll be picking up one of those to keep up momentum with the challenge.
Let’s take a look at what’s on my official June monthly TBR!
Fixed Reads
A Day of Fallen Night
This book is the only carryover that I started in the month of May. That’s hardly surprising, given that this audiobook is a little under 40 hours long in total.
I started A Day of Fallen Night as part of my May TBR but only started it around a week before the end of the month. In that first week, I listened to a good portion of this audiobook – over 12 hours – so I can’t grumble on progress. If I’m able to keep up the pace, then I should have plenty of time to read the second audiobook I’ve planned for later this month.
All the Light We Cannot See
I had originally planned to read All the Light We Cannot See last month. However, as it took me longer to read The Poppy War than I expected, I didn’t get to the mood reads on my May TBR.
Instead, I incidentally picked up this book for the first time last Sunday, being the first of this month. Already I’m enjoying the book and keen to see where the set-up is taking us. I’m also intrigued by how the lives of the characters are going to intersect. That can only remain to be seen and I’ll be updating you on progress in my usual Sunday Summary posts.
Little Fires Everywhere
Our work book club is meeting later this month, and for that meeting we have agreed to read and discuss Little Fires Everywhere.
I was aware of the book before it was suggested, but as yet hadn’t made a decision on whether I was going to read it or not. That’s the great thing about a book club! It’s through picking up books that you wouldn’t necessarily read for yourself that you get to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
I don’t know if Little Fires Everywhere is going to do that for me, but I’m intrigued to find out. And no, I won’t be cheating and watching the Netflix series instead 😂
The Anxious Generation
Another book I didn’t quite get to on May’s TBR was The Anxious Generation. I’m still keen to pick up this book, so I’ve carried it forward onto this monthly TBR.
I’m still looking forward to picking up this book. The Anxious Generation is the only non-fiction on my official reading list this month. When I get to it, it will be a refreshing change from this fiction-heavy list. There’s absolutely no reason why I wouldn’t get to this book, but on the off chance I don’t, I’ve made it a part of my 20 books of summer challenge so I have to read it to complete that!
Saint’s Blood
It’s been a long time since I picked up Sebastien de Castell’s The Greatcoats series. It’s been three years, to the month, in fact.
Given I’ve enjoyed the series to date, it makes sense to get myself back into it. I also want to read it because it will help me towards my reading goal of completing series this year. After Saint’s Blood, I only have one book left in this series until I’ve finished it.
Given it’s been so long, I will definitely have to refresh myself on what’s happened to date. I do have some vague recollection, so I don’t think I’m going to have to spend too long doing that. However, that refresher is much needed. Once I’ve read Saint’s Blood, I won’t leave it too long before finishing the last book. If nothing else, I want to finish it before the end of the year towards my reading goal completion! That also means I won’t need to refresh myself again on what’s happened.
Summary
I’m hoping setting myself a slightly less ambitious list will help me towards completing my June monthly TBR. As I’ve already shared, I know which books I want to read this summer, so I have a selection to choose from should I exceed expectations and get through this list.
Thanks for checking out today’s monthly TBR post! What upcoming reads are on your list? Is there any particular book or series you’re looking to pick up this summer?
In today’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I’m sharing the ten books that surprised me. Most are for good reasons, although there are a couple of exceptions to that rule.
Very often we go into books with a preconception of what we’re going to make of it. The books in today’s Top Ten Tuesday post are featured today because they didn’t live up to this preconception, for one reason or another. I’ll explain why for each book below.
Books That Surprised Me
A Promised Land
I had my doubts about whether I’d enjoy the A Promised Land and a book with a heavy emphasis on politics. It’s not a topic I’ve ever really taken much interest in before.
I think it helped that the book was written by (and the audiobook narrated by) Barack Obama. I quite like him as a person and I already had an idea of the family history through reading Becoming by his wife, Michelle.
Don’t expect me to be reading books by any and all politicians now. But this was a pleasant surprise.
Ship of Magic
In contrast to Assassin’s Apprentice, I didn’t take to Ship of Magic straight away. Having read three books in the wider series so far and then changing to something set in a world seemingly completely different, it took some time for me to adjust.
I confess I also wasn’t sure initially of how I felt about the magic around the ships. It was a bit of an odd concept, but I came to love it over the course of the trilogy.
Empire of the Damned
Empire of the Damned surprised me in a good way. Having loved the first book of the series as much as I did, I had very high expectations, and therefore doubts, that the second instalment could live up to the first. I’m pleased to say that I was very wrong!
I really enjoyed the further character development and seeing where the plot is starting to go. If there’s one thing I like in my books, it’s feeling a little bit of worry or concern for characters. I never know if they’re going to make it out of a sticky situation or not. It adds tension to an already action-packed and exciting narrative, and I’m looking forward to continuing this series!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
I confess The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a book that surprised me in a less positive way.
After watching the film at the cinema when it came out, I decided to pick up the book pretty much straight after. However, I struggled a little with motivation to finish the book despite loving the series.
I expect this is because I’d watched the film and didn’t have the anticipation of ‘discovering’ the ending. Still, I got there in the end!
Wizard and Glass
Wizard and Glass surprised me as the vast majority of the book isn’t set in the present day. In contrast to the earlier books in the series, this one largely recounts how characters have ended up where they are to date.
This didn’t really fit with the rest of the series to my mind. Earlier info drops (albeit on the lighter side, admittedly) were interspersed with the present-day action. However, Wizard and Glass provided important context, and in hindsight, this probably couldn’t have been covered in any depth in any other way.
A Brief History of Time
I went into reading A Brief History of Time with the worry that it would be too technical a book for me to understand. That proved not to be the case, though!
I’m by no means a scientific brain, so I’d say this is largely approachable to anyone with an interest in the subject. Whilst there is a good level of detail in the book if you wish to delve that far, it’s not essential to complete the book or understand the topics within.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine surprised me because I allowed myself to be disarmed by the main character.I trusted her perspective more than I think I would and should have in hindsight.
It made for good reading though, and when the twist came I felt a little daft for not seeing it for myself.
The Lost Metal
The Lost Metal finds itself on the list of books that surprised me because I didn’t expect the ending. I both enjoyed and railed at its ending; only a handful of books make me cry. The Lost Metal reduced me to tears at the very end.
The Lost Metal is a fantastic series and one I’ll read again. As much as a part of me was sad it was the end, the way it ended was the icing on the cake.
As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow
The book As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow surprised me because it’s a very different contemporary fiction to what I normally listen to/read. Still, I was captivated by the story and the cultural aspect of the book. I loved this book so much that it made my list of debut novels I enjoyed.
Also, as a bonus, I didn’t anticipate an unreliable narrator in this story. It’s a favourite element of mine.
Golden Son
Sadly, I have to end this Top Ten Tuesday post with a book that surprised me in a bad way.
I loved the first book of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series. However, the sequel Golden Son fell very flat for me. The book did not live up to my expectations. It felt like us readers were barely given a moment to breathe before characters jumped from one catastrophe to the next. The pacing felt very off and sacrificed time for world-building. My disappointment in this sequel is strong enough that I doubt I’ll continue the series.
Summary
Thanks for reading today’s Top Ten Tuesday post. Today I’ve enjoyed bringing to you the ten books that surprised me (and why)!
What was the latest book that surprised you – in a good or bad way? I’d love to hear from you!
We’re now two full months into 2025. I want to get in nice and early with my monthly wrap-up for February to update you on the books I picked up, and in some cases put down, during the last month.
One of my main reading goals for February was to pick up books around the theme of Black History Month. Not all of my books fit into this category, as they were either carryovers from January or I had to read them for other commitments. How I did with February’s TBR surprised me; there were books I wasn’t sure about that but I’ve gone on to really enjoy, yet equally there are books I thought I’d get on with, but didn’t.
Shall we get into this monthly wrap-up so you can see just how this month has gone?
Books Read
A Darkness at Sethanon
A Darkness at Sethanon was a carryover from January‘s TBR. I was just a couple of chapters in at the point of setting this book on my February monthly TBR.
Admittedly, I didn’t get much further than that before I put it down. Although I had recapped myself on events so far in the series, I was struggling to get into it. If I’m entirely honest, I didn’t love the books before this one. They were okay to read, but I didn’t have any burning desire to pick up this last instalment. If anything, I was motivated to try so I could mark the series as complete.
However, I decided it wasn’t worth slogging through this book in order to give myself that accolade. I have now finished this series, but it has a DNF as opposed to a completion.
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
A few weeks ago, I started listening to Fearing the Black Body. I ended up listening to this audiobook over the course of a weekend. I didn’t expect to love this book in the way that I did. It was really interesting, and I liked how the book was broken down and considered different ideas and arguments. I wouldn’t say this book is to be taken as gospel. However, it does consider some interesting ideas on why racism could play a role in our current culture’s fat phobia.
I wouldn’t describe this as a book that I would typically read. However, I’m glad I did. It’s a good way to get an alternate perspective on things, as well as consider things from a non-racial perspective as well. In addition to the race argument, the author also offers religion as a possible source of some of the negativity around larger bodies too.
A Promised Land
The second audiobook I picked up this month, and admittedly I’m still reading as of this monthly wrap-up post, is A Promised Land by Barack Obama. If there’s one book on this TBR I thought I was at risk of DNFing, it was this one. In truth, it’s one of the books I’m enjoying the most this month.
Politics is a subject that is out of my comfort zone. My overarching opinion generally of politicians is that they don’t achieve anything for the masses. instead, they use their office to promote their own self interest. I can be forgiven for this view when you consider the amount of cronyism that gets highlighted on the news.
So far, I don’t find Barack to be your typical politician. My overall perception of Barack Obama when he was in office was that he was a decent president.
Listening to his book, I still have this view. I’ve enjoyed listening to some of his insights on what his priorities were as a president. He also covers a number of different unplanned situations he had to deal with in office.
Naturally, this book is far more involved to the likes of Michelle Obama’s Becoming in describing the politics of his life. He’s not averse to making jabs here and there against other parties and individuals, but for the most part I’m getting on with the book well.
The only reason I’m still listening to this audiobook at the end of February is because it is so long! The audiobook is just over 29 hours long. As a drafting this post, I have just under 12 and a half hours left to listen to.
In Every Mirror She’s Black
Another read I intended to complete as part of this February TBR relating to Black History Month is In Every Mirror She’s Black. A few years ago I acquired my copy of the book in a Waterstones sale after Christmas. I liked the sound of the book and I thought it was going to have something quite prominent to say when it comes to race – how seemingly different black women end up experiencing the same treatment in life.
However, having gotten a third into this book, I still couldn’t tell where the storyline was intending to take us or what message it was trying to put out. So, I decided to DNF it. I was bored. The plot was meandering between the three female perspectives and not really giving any context as to what it was trying to say. Nothing significant was happening and I wasn’t enjoying reading it.
It’s a shame, because I think it could’ve been a good book if it started to get to its point a little quicker.
The Da Vinci Code
If you are a regular reader, you will know that I host a book club at work. We meet once a month, typically towards the end of a month, and discuss a book of a members choice.
A couple of months ago, we came up with the idea of reading The Da Vinci Code. Some members had already read the book a long time ago, whereas others like myself had not read it before. It sounded like a good book for discussion, so we decided to pick that up.
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like this one either. I read 29% of the book before I DNF this one too. Whilst I enjoyed the ideas of symbolism and the murder mystery aspect of the storyline, I felt overall that it was a very pretentious book. There is a lot of detail on symbolism and at times, I felt the narrative was talking down to me to have to explain some of it. I also found the idea of these clues being left for Robert too far-fetched.
In principle, one of the characters had approximately 15 minutes to lay down all these clues before he passed away from a fatal injury in order to point Robert to his murderer. After discussions with another book club member, there are perhaps reasons why this was plausible for the character to do given his position and preplanning for such an eventuality. However, it just felt far-fetched to me and I wasn’t a fan of the tone of the book.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
Lastly, we get to the final book of my February TBR, Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I am still reading this book as of publishing this monthly wrap-up post, but I confess I’m not loving this one either. At this point, I don’t think it’s the fault of the book, but more to do with the fact that I’m in a reading funk.
As of this monthly wrap up post, I’m 20% into the book and I’m going to keep going with it for now. I probably not help myself in that it’s been a good number of years since I read the first book of the series. I have recapped myself on events, But leaving it so long is probably acting as a blocker helping me immerse myself back into the storyline.
Summary
It’s fair to say that reading progress in February didn’t end up going so well. Whilst I have read some enjoyable books in the month, I DNF’d three books – basically half the list!
I may need to reconsider my reading plans for March to help get myself out of whatever reading funk I’m in right now.
Thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up! Have you read any great books recently that you can recommend to help?
The first month of 2025 has flown by! It’s been a fun start to the year. And, as I hoped, I’ve picked up some great books to get me started. Today’s monthly wrap-up post is dominated by books I rated five-stars. What more could I ask for?
I set myself an ambitious monthly TBR, but I’m not going to knock myself down for not being able to match my enthusiasm with results. I still picked up the vast majority of the reading list. What didn’t make it in January is going to come back very shortly.
So, shall we take a look at the books I did manage to pick up in January?
Books Read
The Priory of the Orange Tree
I started the year with an audiobook listen of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I did this deliberately as I wanted to start the year right. I’ve heard great things about this fantasy, and I wanted to make sure that one of my first reads of 2025 was going to be a four or five-star rating.
At the beginning of January, I had already listened to just over half of this audiobook (55% if you want to get specific). That still left me with around 11 or 12 hours of audio to progress with. Whilst technically this is only half the book, that is more than a whole book’s worth when you think about the average book length I typically read!
Needless to say, my tactic worked. I rated The Priory of the Orange Tree five stars. I loved this fantasy inside out. It was a fun read with compelling characters and an interesting plotline anyway. However, its emphasis on strong female lead characters really made this even better for me.
Fool’s Errand
The second and final book I carried over from my December monthly wrap-up was Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. Admittedly, I was much less into this book when I started the year. Aside from the first 56 pages, I pretty much read the whole book in January.
Fool’s Errand broke my heart in every way I feared it would. I really enjoyed being back in the world of Fitzchivalry Farseer and seeing how events have moved on from the first trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings series. The foreshadowing at the beginning of this book hammered home my fears about what may happen in this latest instalment.
Can a book be both great and terrible at the same time? It was the events of this book that were tragic. The storyline and writing itself it’s usual fantastic standard. Robin Hobb is not known for pulling her punches when it comes to her main characters. Do we really get invested in them if we know they’re going to turn out right in the end?
Fool’s Errand achieved another five star rating and really cemented a good reading start for me this year.
Shuggie Bain
Back in November, our book club at work decided that we would reconvene in January after reading Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart.
Admittedly, this isn’t the type of book I would’ve picked up of my own volition. That’s the benefit of a book club! It gives you the chance to pick up and read new things and really get out of your comfort zone. Remember, that’s one of my reading goals for this year.
Whilst I confess I didn’t love every aspect of Shuggie Bain, that’s not to say I didn’t get anything out of it. The book is very bleak in its outlook, but gives great perspective on quite pivotal problems in our society like alcoholism, addiction and the impact these things have on families.
From our discussion, we came to the conclusion that whilst these things feel like a very distant problem for other people, they’re not so far under the surface. Quite often those afflicted are very good at masking their problems. Also, it’s dangerous that substances such as alcohol are so widely available to trap those trying to free themselves of their addiction.
Firefight
The final book I picked up and read to completion before the end of the month was Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. I appreciate fantasy has featured quite heavily on this month’s TBR, but I’m not apologetic for it. It’s my favourite genre for a reason! Brandon Sanderson is also always a great read. I’ve loved every single one of his books, even when you’re taken into consideration how varied they are.
Firefight is the second book of his The Reckoners trilogy. Part of the reason I wanted to pick this up early in the year is so I have just one book left in the series. You may also recall a featured this series in my Series to Finish in 2025 post.
I didn’t anticipate the ending of this book, but I went into it pretty open-minded. I really enjoyed how events played out in the book and it’s gotten me all the more excited to pick up the final instalment of the series very soon!
A Darkness at Sethanon
The last book I picked up before the end of the month, though admittedly I only got a couple of chapters in, was A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E Feist.
This book is also a final instalment in a series and that is the main reason for picking this book up. I want to make an effort continuously to keep finishing up series I’ve started and get the list back under control.
There’s not much to say as of this monthly wrap-up post, other than to say that I’ve gotten myself caught up on events of the prior books in the series and I’m looking forward to diving into this one in earnest!
Summary
This monthly wrap-up post has illustrated to me that my aims of picking up high-quality reads in my favourite genre for January have set me up in good stead for the rest of the year. With no less than 3 five-star reads already under my belt, I’m looking forward to continuing the positive streak.
Did you pick up any five-star reads in January? Do you have any reading goals you are prioritising for 2025?
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