Tag: Monthly TBR

Monthly TBR – September 2025

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My monthly TBR post is a little later than usual. If you read yesterday‘s Sunday Summary, you’ll know that I’ve just been away. However, now I’m back into full swing and I have a great list of books I’m planning to read in September. Make yourself comfy, and then we can go through the list of books I have been and I’m due to read this month. 

Have you read any of the books featured in this monthly TBR? 

 

Fixed Reads 

 

The Atlantis Covenant

The first book on this monthly TBR was the Atlantis Covenant by Rob Jones. If you are a regular reader here, you’ll know I read this book early as I had a blog tour obligation on the 4th of September. 

If you are a fan of Indiana Jones and like this kind of high-stakes action with history and archaeology combined, go check out my review of this book! 

 

The Giver

The next book on my list was The Giver. You may recall this book was on my August TBR as we were picking it up for our workbook club. Due to summer holidays, we ended up pushing this meet-up back to tomorrow. In the end, I ended up reading this quite last minute. However, I was able to read the book in just a couple of sessions whilst travelling.

I really enjoyed this children’s dystopia. Although this book is aimed at a younger audience, it didn’t oversimplify the dystopian setting or the message behind the book. It was a really easy and interesting read. And, as you can tell by the way, I’m discussing this book, it’s the second I’ve already ticked off this list.

 

Sensitive 

Switching to audiobooks, my next and current read is Sensitive. 

Admittedly, this book is near completion as well. I have just a couple of hours of audio left and I expect I’ll make light work of it. 

I’m interested in reading this book as I am pretty sure I fit into the classification of a ‘highly sensitive person’. As the book iterates, there are different ways people can be sensitive and some overlap with other traits. I’m pretty confident I’m an emotionally sensitive person, so it’s been validating to know my feelings and experiences aren’t unique. 

We’re getting to a useful section of the book shortly – the authors share strategies for sensitive people to put into practice. That’s one of the main takeaways I’m looking for from this book, so I’m keen to progress with this audiobook! 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison

Another fixed read for the month is the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club read, A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison. As progress goes, I’m already halfway through this book as of sharing this monthly TBR. 

Whilst I’m already ahead, I’m going to prioritise this book so I can encourage conversations about the book in the Discord group. For the last couple of books, I’ve been behind and it’s made the job a little easier. As I picked this up as an ‘easier’ read whilst away, I’m going to keep going. 

 

HR Disrupted

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to HR Disrupted last month. As it’s a loan, I can’t put this book off. 

It’s also a short one, so it’s carried forward from August but will absolutely be read soon! 

 

Betrayal of Mercia 

Ahead of another upcoming blog tour review next month, I need to catch up on the prior book of the series. 

Somehow, I missed reading Betrayal of Mercia as part of the publication blog tour at the beginning of the year. In fairness, I’ve been doing a lot less in the way of tours, so it’s not a surprise I missed this email. 

Regardless, I didn’t miss the email for book eight, Shield of Mercia. So, first things first, I’m revisiting the series with Betrayal of Mercia and then heading into book eight. 

 

Mood Reads 

 

The Pagan Lord

Another carry forward, but this time originally featured in my July TBR, is The Pagan Lord. 

Historical fiction is more prominent towards the end of this monthly TBR. This isn’t the first historical fiction on this list. But, in practice, I think I’ll start with this well-loved and reasonably short seventh instalment in Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories series. 

 

Gran Familia

In a completely different change of pace, I’m hoping to read a manga and feature/review the book ahead of its official publication at the end of the month. 

As it’s a 200-page manga, I expect it will be a very quick read. It’s also a complete change of pace to the other books on this monthly TBR. I don’t read manga very often, but I think it’ll be nice to introduce some to my reading and my blog content. 

Stay tuned for more about this manga in due course. 

 

Shield of Mercia

If I get time at the end of the month, my aim is to start Shield of Mercia ahead of next month’s blog tour review date. It’s early next month that I’m due to review this book. So, it makes sense to start as early as I can! 

 

Summary 

I have a large number of books on September’s TBR, but thankfully they are shorter than a lot of the books I have on my wider reading list… 

Have you read any of the books featured in this monthly TBR? 

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Monthly Wrap-Up – August 2025

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Hot off the press, I’m here to share my reading progress in today’s monthly wrap-up! I hope you enjoy today’s catch up post and can take some book recommendations away. 

In my August TBR I shared an extensive list of books I hoped to pick up. As usual I didn’t get around to it all. My plans also had to change a little as I agreed to take part in a blog tour later this week after sharing the TBR. 

Shall we take a look at what I did get to? 

 

Books Read 

House of Frank 

My first carryover from last month was the July Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club read, House of Frank. I only had a third of the book left and I was determined to finish it even after the readalong was officially finished. 

It was a pretty decent read and I’m glad I got to see the final character progression. The book didn’t end entirely as I expected, so it did have a little twist. Whilst I did enjoy the book, it was a pretty average read. 

In fairness, even at this state of affairs it fared better than the August book… but more on that below.

 

Stormdancer 

Even closer to the finish line than I was with House of Frank, I completed the final two hours of audio for Stormdancer in early August. 

I enjoyed this book a lot and I’m really interested to see where the rest of the series will take us. The good news is that I have the other two books in audio format so I can pick these up at my leisure. The steampunk and Asian fantasy mash-up is truly an interesting genre to read. Honestly, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Then again, so far Jay Kristoff hasn’t put a foot wrong and I’ve enjoyed all his books.

The first book ends on quite a cliffhanger. What happens next? I can’t wait to find out! 

 

If We Were Villains 

This book has been sat on my bookshelf for the longest time. I found out this month why I’d been holding out on myself! 

If We Were Villains is a fantastic, suspenseful read. Although the book and narrative owes a lot of its influence to Shakespeare, you don’t need a wealth of knowledge on his plays to enjoy this book. Sure, I think there are probably smart references and Easter eggs fans could pick up on. From someone not well-versed though, it really doesn’t affect your overall enjoyment of the book. 

This is quite an interesting one. Whilst from the beginning we think we know what happened (the tale is told by a single narrator after the event, after all), that turns out not to be the case at all really. It was an interesting way to play out the narrative. Fans of dark academia books will definitely love this one!

 

The House Witch

I have a DNF to share this month, which was August’s Cottagecore Fantasy Book club read. 

In all, The House Witch was fine, but I lost steam with it. It’s quite long-winded and takes time to get going. A few of us in the group agreed that the book read like an indie, even though it has been traditionally published. 

I was struggling with motivation to pick up the book. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t worth trying to force myself through it so took the decision to write-off the couple hundred pages I read. It’s a shame, as that’s effort that doesn’t count towards any of my stats. But, I made the right decision as reading progress picked back up again with a fresh read, and a very drastic change of pace… 

 

The Atlantis Covenant

The final book I picked up physically at the end of August is The Atlantis Covenant. As I mentioned near the top of this post, I signed up for this blog tour at quite short notice, well, at least for me. Rachel dropped me an email asking for help with the tour and I did like the sound of it. So, I agreed to read it for the tour! That tour date is in just a few days time. In the spirit of not leaving things too late, I picked this up with a few days left in August. 

As of drafting this monthly wrap-up post, it is still a current read but I am 60% through and the reading time estimate puts me at less than two hours to complete the book. It’s significantly faster paced and action-packed, which is a direct contrast with The House Witch. Think if Indiana Jones was a book, that’s the kind of experience I’m having right now. It’s fun and there are some interesting theories coming up in the narrative. Will they be true, or is there another twist yet? I suspect there is! I’ll be reading this in the next day or so in order than my blog tour post is ready to go live early on Thursday. 

Stay tuned!

 

Tyrant’s Throne 

This monthly wrap-up includes updates on two more audiobooks yet, so don’t be too hasty with scanning down the post! 

In August I listened to Tyrant’s Throne in its entirety. It feels like it’s been a while since I completed an audiobook within a calendar month. However, this was the final book of its series and after listening to Saint’s Blood pretty recently, I was keen to get to the end of this book! 

Often when I’m finishing a good series, I get sad towards the conclusion and start putting up resistance to actually finishing the last book. However, as I shared in my Sunday Summary yesterday, I didn’t get to that point with this book for the best of reasons! I’m so glad I finished the book and I hope to see more stories from Falcio, Kest and Brasti in future. 

 

Sensitive

The final audiobook and book to feature in this monthly wrap-up post is Sensitive by Jenn Granneman and Andre Solo. 

I started this relatively short audio with jut a couple of days left in the month. The other intended reads on my August TBR are owned in other formats already, so I didn’t start audiobooks of those deliberately. Instead, I turned to my 20 Books of Summer Challenge for inspiration and chose Sensitive. 

As of this monthly wrap-up I’ve already listened to a healthy chunk of this audiobook. As at the end of the month, I officially carried over just under five hours of the audiobook to listen to. In practice, I’ve listened to a couple of hours today, so I have a little under three hours. I expect I’ll make light work of it so I’ll be starting a  new audiobook soon! 

 

Summary 

So, I picked up no less than seven titles at some point over the course of August. In terms of my 20 Books of Summer Challenge, I finished the season having read seven of the original books in total, as well as DNFing and subbing out another. I had hoped for more progress, but then again, I couldn’t always allow for book club or blog tour commitments in my reading list. I’ve still read a decent amount over the last three months. The unread books on this list aren’t going away. I’m putting them on a ‘priority’ list and I want them all finished before the end of the year. 

 That’s everything to catch you up on in this monthly wrap-up update! 

Have you read any of the books in today’s post? 

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Monthly TBR – August 2025

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

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

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

 

Fixed Reads 

 

The Giver

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

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

 

The House Witch

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

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

 

If We Were Villains 

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

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

 

HR Disrupted

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

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

 

Mood Reads 

 

The Pagan Lord

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

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

 

The Dragon Republic

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

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

 

Tyrant’s Throne 

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

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

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

Summary 

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

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

What are you reading this summer? 

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Monthly TBR – July 2025

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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? 

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Monthly TBR – June 2025

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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

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?  

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Monthly Wrap-Up – May 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up post, I recap the books from my May TBR that I picked up over the course of last month.

Whilst I didn’t get to all the books on my reading list, I still had a great time with interesting non-fictions and epic fantasies. They’re very different genres, but I’ve read a variety this month.

Shall we take a look at what I read?


Books Read


The Poppy War

When I shared my May TBR I had just started The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

I really enjoyed The Poppy War and I’m delighted I’ve now started this series. Given I have completing series as a resolution for this year, it gives me every freedom to binge-read the remaining two books in the series!

As much as I loved it, it did take me longer to read than I anticipated. The plot is quite dense, and the history the narrative is based on is not something I’m familiar with. As a result, I think I ended up taking my time mostly to enjoy the world-building and take time to understand what was going on.

Now that I’ve got this far though, I think I’ve set myself up in good stead for the remainder of the series!


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

Picking up where I left off in my April monthly wrap-up post, I’ve continued listening to Crashed throughout most of May.

I initially wasn’t sure what I made of the book because it had a lot of political discourse throughout the first part. Although this did ease a little, I came to see why this was an important part of the narrative. I got used to this style throughout the course of the book.

Whilst I picked up Crashed in order to learn more about the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis, in truth it is covered far more than that. It argues why the subsequent eurozone recessions and bailouts are inherently linked to the American markets that caused the initial crises in 2007-2008.

I confess this isn’t going to be a book for everybody. It’s only because of my working background that I have an interest in the subject. However, if this sort of thing is your cup of tea, Crashed was an enjoyable listen and I’ll recommend it.


Ultra-Processed People

Another non-fiction I read in May is a book called Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken.

Honestly, Ultra-Processed People was an eye-opener. I had a suspicion it would make me re-think my perception of food, and I wasn’t wrong. One of the greatest traps with ultra-processed food (UPF) is that we don’t look or understand what’s in it. Things that seem harmless are cast in a different light once you know why they’re there.

Not only does Ultra-Processed People discuss what’s in food, but also the impact it’s having on people. UPF is no stranger in UK markets, but how its introduction into new Latin American markets has impacted society should be ringing alarms to everyone.

Again, Ultra-Processed People was a really informative read and I really wish more people could get their hands on a copy.


A Day of Fallen Night

Before the end of the month, I managed to listen to about 11 hours of A Day of Fallen Night. When you consider the audiobook is around 39 hours long, it doesn’t seem like massive progress. However, it works out about 34% or just shy of 300 pages. That’s a shorter book!

This book is one of two books I’m carrying forward from this monthly wrap-up post. So far, I’ve enjoyed the story unravel and learn about the history of the world in which The Priory of the Orange Tree is set. Taking place five centuries before that book, there are plenty of ties to that main book that add familiarity to the book whilst also standing alone.

A Day of Fallen Night is one of the first books I’ll be finishing in June and it will carry forward onto my June TBR.


Sunrise on the Reaping

At the end of the month, I had started and read about a third of Sunrise on the Reaping. It’s fair to say I enjoyed this book; I binge-read the remainder of the book on the first day of the month.

As such, it won’t feature on my June TBR because it’s already finished. However, what I can say is that this book lived up to my expectations of the series. Also, it means I’m now fully caught up on the series until or if another book comes out 🥳

Haymitch is quite a complex character even from the first series. What I love about Sunrise on the Reaping is that it unveils what happened to Haymitch. It explains what happened to make him into the rough character he starts out as in The Hunger Games. From a historical point of view, the world-building opportunity it filled in was perfect. If you love the main series, it’s a great way to enjoy the world again without re-reading.


Summary

May was a good month of reading overall. Although some books took longer for me to finish, a last-minute binge-read saved the day!

Thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up post. What have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Monthly TBR – May 2025

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My May TBR is officially here and I have quite the selection of books I plan to pick up this month. There are quite a few non-fictions, but I’m also spending time with one of my favourite genres.

I hope you’re as excited for my May TBR as I am. Well, maybe not quite…

But still, shall I stop stalling and get into it?

Fixed Reads

The Poppy War

Two out of the three fixed reads on my May TBR are books carried over from April. The first of these is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

If you read my monthly wrap-up for April, you’ll know I’ve only really just started The Poppy War. That said, I’ve really enjoyed the introduction I’ve read so far. I’m looking forward to getting into Rin’s story in earnest.

I’ve been recommended The Poppy War both online and by my sister‘s fiancé. He’s read and enjoyed the whole series already! We have quite similar reading tastes, and my experience so far suggests I am going to enjoy it as much as he’s advised I will.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

My second fixed read is another book I’ve started. I’m further into Crashed than I am The Poppy War, but I still have a good way to go. As of drafting this May TBR post, I have a little over 14 and a half hours audio until completion.

Thankfully, the second part of this book has been easier for me compared to the first. In fairness to the book, that first part sets down a lot of foundation about the political situation in which the financial crisis of 2007-2008 occurred. It is relevant to events that follow, even if it’s not a topic I find most interesting. Now that we’re over that though, I’m looking forward to and picking up this audiobook on a regular basis.


Sunrise on the Reaping

The last book I’m committing to reading this month is a recent release I’ve been excited for. Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel novel to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series. I’m looking forward to this book because it‘s the story of the games mentor Haymitch is thrown into. 

I enjoyed Haymitch’s character and development arc in the main series. Naturally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the events of Sunrise on the Reaping shaped him into his future drunken, grumpy, and chronically unpleasant self.

If anyone reading is interested in reading along with me, I’m trying with the idea of hosting an online book club. Please let me know in the comments if you’re interested!


Mood Reads

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See

After reading the three books above, I would like to read two books I proposed in last month’s work book club vote, but weren’t picked.

I feel like I’ve not read much in the way of historical fiction lately. So, I want to change that! I also think this could be a really touching story, and it goes back to a period of history I have read about and enjoyed time and again -World War II.

Not only am I looking forward to reading a book about war through the perspective of children, but one of the main characters is blind. So often I take for granted my ability to see – and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Reading a perspective from somebody without this ability is going to be a complete change… but one I’m looking forward to!


The Anxious Generation

The second book included in our work book club poll was The Anxious Generation. I picked up a copy of this book in December; I’m intrigued by the topic of how modern technology has changed children’s lives.

My upbringing was very different from when my parents were children. Yet again, even just a few years later, I can’t help but think how my experience of school would have been different if social media and smartphones were more readily available.

Has that had an impact on children? Hopefully, I’ll be in a better place to tell you about it once I’ve read The Anxious Generation.


Ultra-Processed People

I suppose you could say I’m undertaking a bit of a health kick this year. In an effort to both try and lose some weight and live a bit healthier, I’m educating myself on eating better. So far, I’ve already come across the concept of ultra-processed foods. I don’t think the impact these can have on the body is readily discussed. I’m looking forward to reading about more of this.

Incidentally, I purchased a copy of this book nearly a year ago. I was intrigued by the topic without really thinking how much attention I’d be paying to the subject now.

Having reduced my own consumption of ultra-processed foods by cooking from scratch in the last couple of months, I can attest to the science through personal experience. The way ultra-processed foods are manufactured means they bypass typical hormone responses of the stomach. As a consequence, people who eat more UPF’s consume more; these foods suppress hormones for satiety and increase hunger hormones.

I’m not going to claim I’m an expert on the subject – but this is why I want to read more. I wasn’t overly aware of the topic until I started looking into it for myself. And, I think it’s stuff more people should be aware of. 


A Day of Fallen Night

Finally, I have one last audiobook on my May TBR. Given I’ve already got several books on the list, I’ve opted for a longer audiobook to keep me occupied. It’s also a sequel, so a great way to continue my ongoing series goal!

I finished listening to The Priory of the Orange Tree in January this year. Whilst events of that first book are fresh in my mind, I want to carry on with Samantha Shannon’s next instalment of the series.

And, like its predecessor, it’s not a small book! A Day of Fallen Night weighs in at just under 39 hours of audio. Depending on the narration style, I may be able to speed that up to x1.2 speed and spend about 31 hours total listening. We’ll have to see though!


Summary

As I mentioned in the introduction to this month’s TBR, I have some great books on this month’s list. I’m excited to pick up each and every one of them — I hope you’re looking forward to hearing about them too!

What are you reading in the month of May?

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Monthly Wrap-Up – April 2025

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April feels like it’s come and gone in the blink of an eye! I can’t believe I’m already sharing with you my monthly wrap-up post for April. It’s been a great month of books, and I can’t wait to share my reading updates with you!


Books Read

Normal Women

I start off this monthly wrap-up post with the slowest mover of all the books I’ve read. As of sharing my April monthly TBR post, I was 30% into Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.

Over the course of the month, I have picked up this book several times and chipped away at the page count. As of this monthly wrap-up, it’s still a current read. I’m finding that I’m reading this in tandem with other books because it’s a little bit intense to try and read in long sittings. Well, that’s my experience of it anyway! I’ve enjoyed dipping in and out of it at leisure, and I fully intend for this to continue through to my May TBR.


The Weight’s Over: Take Back Control

An impromptu listen I picked up right at the end of March and continued through into early April was Sandra Roycroft-Davis’ new book, The Weight’s Over.

I’ve seen her Slimpod program advertised on Facebook. I was interested in her take on the science behind why our bodies set us up to fail when dieting. She also talks about why at predictable time increments we are most susceptible to ‘fall off the wagon’.

If you’re interested in the science behind weight loss, I definitely recommend this book. Not only does it pass on that scientific knowledge but also provides useful tips to help with common problems. Generally speaking, Sandra takes a gentle approach and promotes a very positive message around self-kindness. It makes a change from the condescending tone that is often experienced in the wider community…


Enemies of the Crown

My first physical read of April was one I needed to get my skates on and read. With a blog tour obligation early in the month, I read Enemies of the Crown in a matter of days to be able to provide this review.

Not that it was difficult! Enemies of the Crown is the fifth instalment in Peter Gibbon’s The Saxon Warrior series. When I picked up this book, I already had a good knowledge of what had happened in the series to date. I was able to pick this up and continue on with the series very easily.

I’m not going to spoil my thoughts on this book here, because I dedicated a post to it back at the beginning of April. If you want to check out this book, go take a look at my blog tour review here.


The Perfect Wife

The Perfect Wife was our book club pick for April. Incidentally, the meeting isn’t until Tuesday next week and we can discuss this at lunchtime. It’s also the first time I’ve read the book in good time…

I really enjoyed listening to The Perfect Wife. When I first picked up the book, I wasn’t sure what my thoughts were going to be around a main character built from AI and replacing a human being. However, it was both a really integral part of the narrative, but also really enjoyable to read. If I had any skepticism when I first started the book, that was very quickly dispelled; I really enjoyed this one!

My hope for next month is to choose a genre other than thriller. We’ve had it twice in a row, and I’ve enjoyed them. But, I’m ready for something different too.

 

Elektra

The last physical book I picked up and read in its entirety in April was Elektra by Jennifer Saint.

It’s been a little while since I’ve read Greek mythology. I love going back to the genre though, and I’ll be sure to pick up more in the not-too-distant future.

Elektra was a great reading experience because it focuses on the lives and experiences of three women. The wider backdrop may be the war in Troy, but this is not about the men. It made for a refreshing change, and reminded me of a similar book – The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.


The Poppy War

Briefly before month-end, I started The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. This book has been on my list for a little while, but it was the receipt of a special edition for my birthday that reminded me how much I wanted to pick it up.

Although it’s early days when it comes to this book, as of this monthly wrap-up post I’ve really enjoyed the introduction and I’m looking forward to reading on next month!


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

Finally, with all my audiobooks listened to and my TBR read or in progress, I picked up Crashed as a last minute audiobook. I like to have physical books/e-books and audio on the go at the same time. It gives me the most capacity to read because I can do them at different times.

I’ve been doing a lot more walking of late in practice for a non-competitive event I’m taking part in this weekend. Naturally, what better time than to occupy my brain by listening to audiobooks?

Now, I confess the first part of Crashed was a little more in detail when it comes to politics and geopolitics than I initially expected. However, since starting the second part of the book where we actually get to the main financial crisis of 2007-2008… we’re in the territory I was looking for.

Fingers crossed the book continues in this way, because I’m getting on with it more now the foundations have been laid.


Summary

April has been a productive month of reading. I’m surprised I’ve even managed to read books I hadn’t originally planned, even if they only are in part. I’m looking forward to taking my ongoing reads through May and making more progress with them in the next few days.

Thanks for reading this monthly wrap-up post! What books did you read in April? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Monthly TBR – April 2025

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April comes with no set theme in mind. Rather, this month I’m looking to pick up books that I haven’t gotten to in the last couple of months, as well as pick up some reads geared around the Goodreads challenges. Shall we take a look at the books on this monthly TBR that I’ll be picking up in April?


Fixed Reads


Enemies of the Crown

The first book I’ll be picking up in April is for a blog tour review. It was a natural decision to sign up for this one, given that I’ve already read prior books in the series. That, and I want to keep up with the series anyway. I’ve really come to love Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series and I’m invested in the personal journey of the main character Beornoth.

As of this monthly TBR, I’m already making progress with this book. And it’s a good job —my review for this one is due on Sunday!

 

The Weight’s Over

I’m currently reading a newly released book called The Weight’s Over by Sandra Roycroft-Davis. I’ve seen a lot of adverts on Facebook for a slimming programme she’s developed, Slimpod. The reason I’ve picked up this audiobook is that I want to understand some of the science behind weight loss and why our bodies are designed for us to fail.

As of this monthly TBR post, I’ve almost finished listening to this book. It was only a little under 7 hours anyway, and I have just 45 minutes to go.


Normal Women

Normal Women is a carryover from March’s TBR. It’s a current read, and one I expect I’ll be chipping away at over the month of April.

As of this monthly TBR, I’ve already read a healthy 30% and I’m looking forward to reading more. I’m especially looking forward to seeing changes to women’s rights for the more positive— in what I’ve read so far… we’ve gone backwards!


Work Book Club

Although we have yet to christen the chosen book for this month, I’m keeping a placeholder here so that once we’ve selected a book, I’ve dedicated time to read it. At the moment, we have a poll going to choose the current book. The options are The Perfect Wife, The Anxious Generation, and All the Light We Cannot See.

Once we’ve christened the book mid-next week, I will let you know which we will be reading.


Mood Reads


The Poppy War

For a good few months now, I have been intending to start this series by R.F. Kuang. I originally received a copy of this book well over a year ago now. However, I received a special edition copy for my birthday recently. Receipt of that gift has inspired me and reminded me that I am really interested in picking up this fantasy series. So, that’s what I plan to do.

I have high hopes for this book given that I’ve heard a lot of good things. I’m also looking forward to reading something within the fantasy genre and going back to a genre I know and love inside out.


Elektra

Another genre I enjoy is Greek mythology, so Elektra seems a natural choice to pick up. It’s been a little while since I picked up a Greek-inspired story. I also like the idea of picking up Elektra because it follows on nicely from last month‘s theme that focuses on women.

Elektra is a powerful female character in Greek mythology. It’s also quite a short book, so Elektra should hopefully be a nice palate cleanser and give me a chance to pick up something a little different in between larger books.


Eve

I like to keep a non-fiction book on my reading list. This book is a non-fiction account about the biology of women’s bodies and how they shaped human society as we know it. On the off-chance The Anxious Generation isn’t picked for this month’s book club read, at least I have another non-fiction I’m already interested in on the list!


Summary

Am I likely to get to all the books on April’s Monthly TBR? Probably not. However, I may yet surprise myself! I prefer to set ambitious goals. If I finish a TBR or don’t set one, I find the lack of a goal demotivating and I tend to read less.

Are you planning on picking up any books in April? What are you reading?

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Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2025

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The end of March has come and flown by! Where is 2025 going? Regardless of how I feel about being a quarter of the year already, time waits for no man (or woman). And so, it’s time to share my monthly wrap-up for March 2025.

I did pretty well with my TBR for March. I didn’t get to all the books, as I often don’t nowadays. Still, I got to most of them and enjoyed the books I read. That’s a big improvement from February! Shall we take a look at what those were?


Books Read

Woden’s Spear

The first book on my TBR for March was a blog tour commitment. For the first time in a long time, I agreed to take part in some blog tours and help out where they lacked support and needed filling. Woden’s Spear was the first of two books I committed to – the second is coming up later this week. It was also a new author to me. I said yes to it because I liked the setting and genre it falls into.

After weeks of not much luck with the books I’d chosen to read, Woden’s Spear made a refreshing… return. I enjoyed going back to something familiar that I know I like. It kickstarted my reading again in the best of ways. I’d even go so far as to say that having the deadline changed the dynamic and got my focus back on books!

If you want to take a look at my full review of Woden’s Spear, here’s a link to that post.


A Promised Land

A Promised Land was an audiobook carryover from February. It was the one book on my February TBR that surprised me in a good way. I didn’t finish it that month due to the length – over 29 hours total!

As of the beginning of the month, I carried over the final 12 hours of A Promised Land and finished the book 11 days later. A Promised Land was an eye-opener for me in that previously, I’ve avoided politics. It’s not a subject of particular interest to me, but it was good to get out of my comfort zone. Arguably, Barack Obama is one of the few political figures I don’t mind – they’re very few and far between! That made a huge difference to the listening experience. That, and Barack narrating the book himself, made it a lot more personal!


The Housemaid

Next, I listened to The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. We picked up this book for our book club, which met on the last day of the month.

It’s the first time I’ve opted to read our workbook club pick in audio format, but it worked! Admittedly, I found myself frustrated with Millie when I first started the book. She didn’t half put up with some bad behaviour; there’s a good reason why, but as someone who wouldn’t, it got to me. However, the book got A LOT more interesting as the narrative moved on, and the second perspective changed the book entirely.

Thriller fans – no spoilers here… but I can’t recommend the book highly enough!


Calamity

One last audiobook I squeezed in before the end of the month is Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. I literally finished this on Monday, squeaking it in just in time.

I picked up Calamity as it’s the final book in Sanderson’s The Reckoners series. After a long break, I picked up the second book earlier this year. I was determined to finish it soon and not leave it years again before finishing the series. The great news is that I have a completion under my belt to go towards my resolutions for the year. The bad news is that the series is done, and there aren’t any more books with these characters…


Normal Women

Finally, the last book I have to share with you in today’s monthly wrap-up is one I’ll carry forward into April.

Normal Women by Philippa Gregory came onto my radar after I listened to a podcast based on the research for this book. I really annoyed that podcast – and I’m enjoying the book too.

It’s a bit of a slow read though, so it’s one I’ll likely end up chipping away at. Throughout March, I read the first few chapters and as of this monthly wrap-up, I’m a couple of hundred pages into Normal Women.

In truth, I think this book would be easier for me to listen to than read. I tend to prefer listening to non-fiction. Even still, it’s been quite informative so far. My perception of history being unfavourable to women isn’t always true – women lost a lot of rights by the time Henry VIII secured the throne.

Here’s to continuing with this book in the next few weeks!


Summary

Thankfully I have better news to share in this monthly wrap-up and reading progress has been better.

If you’re still with me, thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up. Have you picked up any good books recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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