Tag: Liz Moore

Monthly TBR – October 2025

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I’m hoping to piggy-back off the success I had in September and planning another ambitious TBR for October. This year, I’m not leaning too hard into seasonal spooky reads in October. That may change in November. However, for now, I have a number of fantasy reads to pick up in this monthly TBR. 

Have you read any of the books on this list? Take a look below to find out! 

 

Fixed Reads 

Among the Burning Flowers

My first read on this monthly TBR is one of my current read carryovers from September. I made good progress with this audiobook last month and I’m looking forward to getting to the end of this audiobook later this week. I’m optimistic to make quick progress with this to keep up momentum. There are just a few hours of this audio left as well, so it should be a nice, quick finish! 

 

HR Disrupted 

The next ongoing read that starts this monthly TBR is HR Disrupted. 

I’ve borrowed this book from our HR lady at work, and so far, it’s proving interesting. I’m 40% into the book as of publishing this post (6th Oct) and already I think there are interesting ideas I’d love to see in practice. 

My plan is to finish this book in the next couple of days. That way, I can return it to Donna when she’s back from leave. 

 

Woden’s Storm

I’ve got one final blog tour planned at the moment, and that’s for Woden’s Storm by Donovan Cook. I’ve read and reviewed an earlier book in the series, Woden’s Spear, so it makes sense to carry it on to keep up with the series (you may recall, that’s a reading goal for this year) and review it for publication and help out the author as well. 

It’s another historical fiction book. Honestly, I hadn’t read the genre for ages and recently I’ve read several books in short succession. After this one, I think I’ll give it a short break. At least this time, this will be a change from a fantasy-heavy TBR. 

 

The God of the Woods

Another break from fantasy on this monthly TBR is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. 

I’m reading this book along with my work book club. For the first time ever, I’ll also be reading this book on Fable, so anybody reading this can join along with me. If you’re interested in a spooky read this October, it’s the one and only I’ve got on the list. Fable is free to join if you aren’t already, and I hope to see you there with your thoughts on The God of the Woods! 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Another book club read, although not one I host this time, is A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. Instead, I’m coordinating and moderating the chat for this cosy fantasy pick with the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club. If this is more your cup of tea, check out host Sabie’s Bindery page to find out more and join the club! 

Again, if you are able, I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on this book either on Fable, Storygraph or in the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club Discord chat. 

 

Mood Reads 

A little while ago, I decided I was going to try AI book recommendations. With some past reads I enjoyed in mind, I asked ChatGPT to make me some recommendations. The three books I’m reading towards this challenge, and I’ll be creating a separate feature on these, are The Shadow of What Was Lost, Beyond Redemption and A Crucible of Souls. 

This challenge entails nearly 1,600 pages of reading. Is it likely I’ll finish this in October? Perhaps not. I’m going to have a good stab at it though, and of course, I’ll keep you up to date with my usual Sunday Summary update posts. 

 

Summary 

Again, today’s monthly TBR is far from shy on page count. Will I get to it all? I can only hope my success in September helps motivate me to read on! I’m also really looking forward to each of the reads on this monthly TBR, which really makes a difference. I have a very fantasy-heavy list, but it IS my favourite genre… 

Have you read any of the books featured in today’s monthly TBR? 

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First Lines Friday – 26/09/2025

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Today’s First Lines Friday features an upcoming book on my TBR. If you read any of my recent blog posts, I’ve mentioned this as an upcoming read on next month’s TBR as we’ll be discussing it in book club at the end of October. 

Shall we take a look at the opening lines and then I’ll share more about the book itself and why I chose it? 

 

The bed is empty.

Louise, the counsellor – twenty-three, short-limbed, rasp-voiced, jolly – stands barefoot on the warm, rough planks of the cabin called Balsam and processes the absence of the body in the lower bunk by the door.

Later on, the ten seconds that pass between sight and inference will serve to her as evidence that time is a human construct, that it can slow or accelerate in the presence of emotion, of chemicals in the blood.

The bed is empty. 

 

 

The God of the Woods – Liz Moore 

Genre: Mystery 

Pages: 435

Audience: Adult

Publisher: The Borough Press

Publication Date: 02 Jul 2024

Goodreads – The God of the Woods

 

When their thirteen-year-old daughter Barbara goes missing at summer camp, all eyes fall on the Van Laar family.

They’re cold, rich people. They own the camp. And it’s happened to them before.

Fifteen years ago their little boy, Bear, vanished without a trace.

Two children lost to the same wilderness.

Is it a tragedy… or a crime?

 

My Thoughts…

I picked up a copy of The God of the Woods fairly recently.

I suspect this book has just released in paperback format, because it was one of Waterstones book of the month picks. It was also part of the buy one get one half price sale, which you know I’m a sucker for.

When choosing our next book club pick, I knew I wanted to pick up a book from the genre. Not only is it a favourite among readers in the group, but with the time of year in mind, a spooky pick is ideal! We’ve picked up a lot of dystopia lately, so I am looking forward to a change of genre and hopefully to seeing some different faces at our next meet.

Whilst I am yet to start the book, one of our members Meg has already listened to this book in its entirety! Her review in short form was that she didn’t want to put it down and frequently fell asleep listening to this book whilst doggedly trying to stay awake for the next chapter. It bodes very well for me, and I am looking forward to getting stuck in with this read myself. I’m planning on picking up this book in a month where I also have historical fiction and several fantasy books on the reading list. The God of the Woods as a mystery will make a refreshing read and with the dark nights are coming in, it’s the perfect time to get stuck into this sinister tale. 

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday! Have you read The God of the Woods? Is it on your reading list? 

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