Tag: physical TBR

Monthly TBR – December 2025

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We’re in the final month of 2025, and I have a great list of books to round up the year. As of this monthly TBR, I’ve completed my Goodreads reading challenge. At the beginning the year, I set out to read 45 books this year, and increase of three on the previous year. The great news is I’ve met that target, so there is no numerical target to hit any longer. Instead, this monthly TBR is made up of books to meet my other goals. If you recall, those were: –

  • Get up-to-date or finish 10 series
  • Complete Goodreads Reading Challenges
  • Get out of my comfort zone

From final books of trilogies to books written in unusual dialects, I have a weird and wonderful list of books that make up my last monthly TBR of the year. Shall we take a look at what those are? 

 

Fixed Reads 

 

Empire of the Dawn

Starting off this monthly TBR is my current physical read, Empire pf the Dawn by Jay Kristoff. So far, progress with the book has been a little slow. I’ve not picked it up loads. Partly, I think this is out of fear of finishing the series. However, I’ve also had other bits on, and I know it sounds silly, but keeping up with I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Has impacted my reading time. I’m not a religious watcher of TV, and especially not live programs. However, this is the one exception I will bend over backwards for. 

Now though, I’ve got a deadline. Of all the goals left to achieve this month, finishing 10 series is highest on my list. That puts Empire of the Dawn and two other books on this list as priority reads this month. Oh, what a shame, never mind… 

Seriously though, I can’t wait to see what happens in this book. The hinted at trials and betrayals will be juicy and emotional, I’m sure… 

 

A Crucible of Souls

Next on this monthly TBR is my current audiobook listen. It makes absolutely no sense to drop this book given it’s one I’ve already started. Whilst reading towards my ChatGPT reading challenge isn’t a goal I set myself this year in my 2025 resolutions post, its a fun piece of content I want to make. Also, I want to know if ChatGPT or other AI can make good recommendations for books if I’m in a slump or stumped on what I want. That, or if I’m looking for an off-the-wall recommendation. 

I’m also playing with recording my thoughts on these books in video format, so watch this space. I’ll likely release these together as one comprehensive post. It’s a trial to see if I can get used to filming and recording myself with a view to publishing for video content in future. So, A crucible of Souls, as well as the final book on this challenge, are on my December TBR so I can release that video in the new year. Maybe. We’ll see how reading progress goes.

As of this monthly TBR, I’m a third of the way into A Crucible of Souls. I’m enjoying the audio so far, so fingers crossed more good progress follows! 

 

After the Forest

If you are a regular reader, you’ll know I help moderate a book club online. The Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club recently changed their format from a traditional to a non-traditional book club. Instead of picking one designated book to read, the club has put together a list of suggestions that meet Cottagecore themes. Even still, books aren’t limited to those that the club has highlighted. If readers have a book on their TBR that meets the criteria, they can pick those up instead and share their thoughts (and hopefully recommendations) in Discord and on the monthly call. 

For my pick, I’m committing to reading After the Forest. It’s a Cottagecore, witchy spin-off of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, as far as I can tell. It’s a bit different and I’m interested to see how well I like the book in due course. 

 

The Doors of Midnight

The second book on this monthly TBR that will help me complete my goal of finishing series is picking up R.R. Virdi’s The Doors of Midnight. I read and reviewed the first book, The First Binding, a while ago now as part of the publication blog tour with Gollancz. 

Whilst I’m later to the party with this book, I’m looking forward to returning to this complex silk-road inspired fantasy. It’s a chunk at over 800 pages, but not unexpected. The first book could knock someone out if you hit them over the head with it as well! 

On a serious note, I loved the narration style and story of the first book in the series. Reading The Doors of Midnight will bring me up to date, so will be a worthwhile accomlishment if I can finish it before the end of December. 

 

The Housemaid is Watching

The final sequel I’m finishing in December, after listening to A Crucible of Souls, is The Housemaid is Watching. This is the final sequel on this monthly TBR and finishing this book (as well as Empire of the Dawn and The Doors of Midnight) will mean I’ve hit my target finishing or getting up-to-date with 10 series throughout 2025. 

I enjoyed listening to The Housemaid earlier this year and The Housemaid’s Secret last month. It was an impromptu listen in November (see more in my monthly wrap-up for November), but it proved an easy and entertaining listen. Of the sequels on my list, I think it’s the easiest to finish due to its size. The series so far has also been really engaging, and listening to the books is pretty easy as well. It’s engaging, with multiple perspectives unveiling the twists in the story. I can’t wait to finish this one! 

 

Mood Reads 

 

Beyond Redemption 

I didn’t get to Beyond Redemption last month. As I said above, completing my ChatGPT book recommendations challenge isn’t top of my list and therefore this book makes it to the Mood Read list. 

I’ve still got a copy of Beyond Redemption via Kindle Unlimited, ready and waiting for me. It’s the grimdark recommendation I asked ChatGPT for. It’s been a while since I leaned into this sub-genre, and I’m looking forward to getting into it. Last time I read in this genre, I discovered a favourite trilogy. I’m optimistic I’m onto another winner here! 

As I mentioned above, this doesn’t contribute to my 2025 resolutions goals. However, I want to keep up progress with the book for the ChatGPT challenge I started much later. 

 

Yellowface

The last book I read by R.F. Kuang was Babel, and that book was one of my favourite reads that year. As a result, I can’t wait to see if Yellowface is as well received! 

From what I recall of the hype when Yellowface released, I’m confident I’ll enjoy this one. It deals with a morally grey character who steals the literary work of another after a lack of success of her own merit. My understanding is that it also deals with cultural appropriation. It should make sure an entertaining and thought-provoking read! 

Yellowface will help me towards one of the Goodreads Fall Challenges – Fiction Faves. 

 

The Burning Girls

Another Goodreads Fall Challenge is picking up a Spine Tingler. For that challenge, I want to pick up The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor. 

I’ve enjoyed numerous books by this author to date, including The Chalk Man, The Other People and The Taking of Annie Thorne. It’s a pretty safe bet as thrillers go. With darker nights right now, it’s fun to cozy in at home and read something spooky! 

 

Deep Wheel Orcadia

The final book on this monthly TBR, and on the list as a book ‘out of my comfort zone’, is Deep Wheel Orcadia. This book caught my attention and landed on my TBR as I was intrigued by the idea of a sci-fi book written in Orkney slang. It’s also written in English, so I will actually be able to read it. However, it’s a unique book and idea, and I knew I had to give it a look! 

Deep Wheel Orcadia is a reasonably short read. In a way, it’s the last priority book on this monthly TBR. However, I may choose to call on it if I need a break between genres, or just a short read if I fancy something different. 

 

Summary 

With my Goodreads reading challenge done, the final books that make up my December monthly TBR are to wrap-up my last resolutions for the year. 

Did you set yourself any goals for 2025? Do you have any goals you’re making a final push to complete? 

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Monthly Wrap-Up – November 2025

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I’m looking forward to sharing the books I read in the last 30 days in today’s monthly wrap-up for November! I put in some solid reading, and I have a lot of good books to recap and share with you. How many books did you read in November? I’m not even sure how many I read; let’s take a look, shall we? 

 

Books Read 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping 

As of my last monthly wrap-up post, I had just 100 pages left of A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. I got on so well with this book, I didn’t even feature it on November’s monthly TBR – I finished it on the first day of the month. 

I enjoyed this cozy, whimsical read. The message is great, and I was compelled to find out whether Sara’s life and circumstances changed after the book or not. The characters were great, and A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping was a well-received read, even if it’s not one I’d have picked myself. That’s what makes books clubs fun – and helps me meet me reading goal of reading outside of my comfort zone. 

 

Wizard of Ends: United Army

The beginning of the month was punctuated with reading deadlines. In a way, I actually think that helped me get some solid reading done. Sometimes, you need something like that to give you a kick up the bum, right? 

The added bonus is that Wizard of Ends: United Army was a shorter read. I read the book over the course of a day, and I published my review of the book on the 3rd November. No rest for the wicked, is there? In the interests of getting you to appreciate my efforts in writing down my thoughts, I’m going to point you to that review. I had fun with this short fantasy book. I also have a unique perspective in that unusually, I read this third instalment before picking up the earlier books. It’s not a habit of mine, but necessity struck. 

 

The Angel Prophecy

Just three days after my review of Wizard of Ends went live, I had another deadline to meet. When it rains, it pours, eh? It’s my own fault! I have a tendency to book myself on to a load of blog tours in one go, then not do any for a bit. Rinse and repeat. 

I wanted to pick up The Angel Prophecy after reading and reviewing The Atlantis Covenant as part of a blog tour back at the beginning of September. Honestly, it was as fun as I anticipated after reading that first instalment. Not only that, but I enjoyed getting to read some chapter perspectives from characters I liked from that first book, but maybe didn’t have a dominant enough role or personality to shine in The Atlantis Covenant. 

As with Wizard of Ends, if you want to read more on this book, you can check out my review. 

 

The God of the Woods

My final deadline was to read The God of the Woods ahead of our book club meet at work. I did have to put this meeting back a couple of weeks, as originally it was coinciding with my deadlines earlier in the month. 

Thankfully, events of this book were compulsively readable and I enjoyed this one thoroughly. So did Meg, who listened to the audiobook of this in just a matter of days after I announced the read to the club. If anything, I had to remind her of events as it had been a good while between her reading and our meet! 

We had a good discussion about the book too. The characters are interesting and I was doubting pretty much everyone at some point in the narrative. What’s real, and who could be trusted? It’s an interesting narrative. I’m glad I chose this book! 

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost 

Another book carried forward from October’s monthly wrap-up is my audiobook listen of The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.  

Progress remained slow and steady throughout the month, until my time off work in the second half of the month. I was 30% into the audio as of the beginning of November, but rapidly made much more progress in the first week I had off and finished the audiobook on the 22nd. 

It’s a long audiobook, and I felt it in a way. However, it was a solid story and the ending really made the book for me. My decision to continue the series was made by the epilogue and by the epilogue alone! I had some suspicions that there was more to Kaden’s character. It wasn’t what I expected, but somehow, it was better… 

 

The Housemaid’s Secret

After listening to The Shadow of What Was Lost, I flew through The Housemaid’s Secret. The audiobook is about a third of the length of that first audiobook. That, and I was midway through kitchen renovations and both a crochet and cross-stitch project at the time. All are perfect opportunities to listen to audiobooks at the same time. 

I listened to the first book of the series, The Housemaid, earlier this year. To be consistent, I opted to continue the series in the same format. It was every bit as good as the first instalment. Given that I’d just listened to such a long audio, this one felt like it flew by! 

 

Empire of the Dawn

The last physical book I progressed with in November was Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff. Admittedly, I slowed down on physical reads towards the end of the month. On the one hand, I’d argue that it’s because I was doing more physical things and therefore listening to audio instead. However, that wouldn’t be a real answer. If I’m honest, I think I started holding out on reading the book because I’m scared and sad to get to the end. 

I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far, and I am having a good time with the book. As a result of not finishing it in November, this is one of my first reads of December – and I need completion to achieve my series goal. Is that motivation enough to get over my trepidation about finishing the book? 

 

A Crucible of Souls

Finally, the last book on this monthly wrap-up is A Crucible of Souls. I started listening to this audiobook right at the end of the month, but still succeeded in getting to 33% before the end of the month. Audiobooks have really been working for me, what can I say? 

So far, this audio is pretty interesting and I’m optimistic it’s only going to get better. Caldan is an intriguing character and I can’t wait to find out more. What really happened to his parents, and who is he? Is he going to be taken advantage of in the big wide world he’s not used to? I suspect so, but that remains to be seen. 

You’ll find out more in the near future as I report progress in my Sunday Summary updates. 

 

Death of a Billionaire

Finally, I picked up my e-reader for the first time in a while to start an ARC of a book you’ll be hearing more about soon. Sneaking on to today’s monthly wrap-up post is Death of a Billionaire by Tucker May. I started this book yesterday, the last day of the month, as I am due to review this in just a couple of days time as part of an ongoing blog tour.

I read the first 20% yesterday, with the rest to follow very shortly!

 

Summary 

I’ve made good reading progress this month, especially audiobooks! Circumstances have meant these have suited what I’ve been doing this month. It’s odd, because there are months I don’t read a lot on that format at all. Then, I get months like this where I listen to several. 

I’ve enjoyed this month, and I also have the great news to share that I met my Goodreads Challenge of 45 books this month. I’m a happy bunny, so any reading above and beyond this is a bonus. Naturally, in December’s monthly TBR I’m going to focus on reading towards my other reading goals. 

Thanks for checking out today’s monthly wrap-up! How many books have you read so far this year? 

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Monthly TBR – November 2025

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I’ve got just a few books left to complete my Goodreads reading challenge, and I’m optimistic! I had a bit of a reading lull in October. However, November’s progress is already off to a great start. Long may it continue. The great news is, I’ve got an exciting upcoming monthly TBR to share today!

As of drafting this monthly TBR, I’m still reading one carryover from October. It’s a long audiobook, so not unexpected in the circumstances. Otherwise, though, I’ve already finished two books this month and we’re just a few days in. I’ve already read Wizard of Ends and The Angel Prophecy. 

Let’s take a look at what’s left, shall we? 

 

Fixed Reads 

 

The God of the Woods 

I’m not completely out of the woods (pun intended!) with my reading obligations. In order to accommodate both blog tour posts for Wizard of Ends and The Angel Prophecy, I postponed our work book club. As things stand, I have only just started the book today and read the first 80 pages so far. I’ve got a busy weekend ahead! 

Even still, I’m looking forward to reading this one! The synopsis is intriguing and one of the ladies who also comes to book club raved about the book after she finished it. Naturally, I really hope it lives up to expectations now! 

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost

My audiobook carryover from October is The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington. I’m already about eight hours into the audio and I have about fifteen hours yet to go. 

So far, my experience of the book is a good one. It’s following a bit of a classic ‘coming-of-age’ storyline, and the characters aren’t who we think they are exactly. However, I’ve enjoyed how the main protagonists haven’t been protected from the harshness of the world they live in. It has been wondering what’s next. 

 

Mood Reads 

 

Empire of the Dawn 

I just received my pre-ordered copy of Empire of the Dawn. It’s also the last book of the Empire of the Vampire trilogy by Jay Kristoff. Needless to say, I’m both super keen and also somewhat not looking forward to getting to the end. 

It’ll be a bittersweet moment, but I have high hopes the series will have an epic conclusion. The earlier books have set my expectations very high, and I have no idea which way it’ll end up…

 

The Housemaid’s Secret 

With darker nights now in full swing, I’m in the mood for more mystery and thriller books. 

I read The Housemaid earlier this year, and it was a fun read. We picked that up as part of book club and I’m keen to continue the series. 

The last book was also a pretty easy listen, so I’ve already got my audiobook copy ready to go. As I have some longer fantasy books on this TBR, I’m hoping something shorter and a change of genre will make a refreshing change. 

 

The Murder Box

Sticking with the shorter and lighter theme, I’ve added a second mystery to my November monthly TBR. 

The synopsis of The Murder Box caught my eye nearly three years ago now. On the one hand, I’d say it’s time I got to it. However, the reality is that I’ve got books on my TBR that have been there far longer… 

 

Beyond Redemption 

If I get through all of the above books, I’m going to start the next book in my ChatGPT challenge. 

I’ve already got a copy of Beyond Redemption through Kindle Unlimited. Given I’m reading the other books on this list in either physical or audiobook format, it’ll be nice to get my Kindle back out. 

 

Summary 

I’m 41/45 books into my Goodreads challenge. Even if I only make a solid dent in November’s monthly TBR, I’m almost set to reach my target before the end of this month, and definitely by the end of the year. 

I’ve got some great books on the list to help me get there! Have you read any of the books on this monthly TBR? Are any of the books on your list? 

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Monthly Wrap-Up – October 2025

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On the surface, I didn’t have as productive a reading month as September. However, as today’s monthly wrap-up post has shown me, it’s still been decent. I wouldn’t have said that before this post. Honestly, I’d forgotten about some earlier progress in the month. After a bit of a lull and a push to meet some deadlines at the last minute, I’d have said it wasn’t the best. 

That said, I’ve actually picked up a few books! Granted, I didn’t get to EVERYTHING on my list. But, frankly, how often does that happen?! 

Let’s recap what I did read and make progress with in today’s monthly wrap-up for October! 

 

Books Read 

 

Among the Burning Flowers

As of the beginning of October, I was 40% of the way through the audiobook Among the Burning Flowers. 

To be fair, I made good progress with this audio, finishing it mid-month. It helps that I was motivated to continue this series whilst it was fresh in my mind. I’ve read all three of the books in this series in the last 12 months. It’s a completely different experience from my usual habit of waiting 2/3 years before returning to an ongoing series. Hazard of the ‘job’ when I have so many on the go, I suppose 😅 

It’s been a refreshing change keeping up, and I’ve loved the stories and wider world of the books. It really appeals to my fantasy-loving, feminist heart! 

 

HR Disrupted 

In last month’s monthly wrap-up, I confided that I’d only just started HR Disrupted. I think my worlds were, “it’s barely worth a mention, but…”. 

Needless to say, most of my progress fell in the month of October, and this was an interesting read. Would I like to see some of the changes to HR practices suggested in this book? Absolutely. Who likes appraisals as they are? If anyone puts their hand up, I’m calling you a liar! 

 

Shield of Mercia

An early book I needed to prioritise on my October Monthly TBR was Shield of Mercia. As of my last monthly wrap-up post, I’d made a cursory start and read the first 13%. 

With my review of the book due on 4th October, I had to get my skates on. Even still, it was a close thing! I was sat up pretty late drafting my post after finishing the book the night before. It’s definitely a key contributor to my overall feelings of not having it together this month. It’s not the only example where I’ve had to rush either. If I had to pick one word to describe October in this monthly wrap-up, it would be ‘oversubscribed’. 

Despite the circumstances, I genuinely enjoyed this latest instalment of M. J. Porter’s Eagle of Mercia Chronicles. I’m not going to rehash my thoughts here. Instead, if you want to find out more about this action-filled historical adventure, here’s a link to my full review! 

 

Woden’s Storm 

My repeat performance of rushing a read for a blog tour happened again on the 22nd of the month. I blitzed reading Woden’s Storm between the 19th and 22nd October, with another late (but not AS late) night getting everything ready for that obligation. 

This is no reflection on the book. Again, I really enjoyed this second book in Donovan Cook’s The First Kingdom historical adventure. By this point, I’d had a bit of a slump in reading and I was firefighting to keep up.

Again, if you want to see more on this book, here’s a link to my review. 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping 

Last month, I was well ahead reading A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison. It’s where I wanted to be, and I’d sorted out my library loan to be able to start this early. 

Alas, it didn’t happen. On the contrary, I had to extend my library loan on the last day before it was due back. I’d tried to read the last half of the book in one sitting, to no avail. 

Technically at the end of the month I had around 100 pages left. However, I finished it on the 1st November. I’ll include in this monthly wrap-up post as it’s not worth mention in my November reading stats given the timing. 

It can also make me feel better about reading progress last month, right?! 

 

The Shadow of What Was Lost 

Finally, the last book to feature in my October monthly wrap-up is my audiobook listen of The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington. I started this audiobook after finishing Among the Burning Flowers. 

Progress has been slow but steady. I’m enjoying the book and the world, magic and setting that’s unfurling. As of this monthly wrap-up post, I’m about 30% or eight hours into the audio. It’s a long one! Needless to say, this will be carried forward and be my majority listen throughout November too.

 

Summary 

In the end, progress was better than I expected. Even if there were some last minute reads to meet deadlines, progress was good overall. 

As of this monthly wrap-up, I’m also in a healthy place with my Goodreads reading challenge. I’m currently set to finish the challenge about a month early. That’s if I keep up current reading progress. 

I wished for that last month and didn’t quite deliver. However, I have a new release in the post coming that I’m excited to pick up, and generally less in terms of obligations. With more time for ‘fun’ reading next month, I’m optimistic for some good news! 

Thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up post. 

What have you read recently? 

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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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Monthly Wrap-Up – September 2025

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I’ve had a really productive reading month. In a first for this year certainly, I have no less than ten books to discuss in today’s monthly wrap-up!

I suggest making yourself comfortable with a beverage of choice. When you’re ready, let’s take a look at the wide variant of books and genres I read in September.

 

Books Read 

The Atlantis Covenant

I left off from my last monthly wrap-up having read 60% of The Atlantis Covenant. With an imminent blog tour at the beginning of this month, I needed to get my skates on! 

I finished this book the day before my post went live. It meant drafting my review in a hotel whilst on my way abroad (which was far from ideal as it kept dropping out!), but I got there in the end. Since I went to the effort of writing that review, I’ll point you there instead of talking about the book here. What I will summarise though, is that it was a fun, action-packed read! 

 

Sensitive

Also carried over from my August monthly wrap-up was Sensitive. With just three hours left of the audiobook, I figured I’d finish this quickly. 

Admittedly, I didn’t pick this up whilst I was on holiday but when I returned. I’m in the habit of listening to audiobooks as I commute and that’s what I did. 

This book is a great listen, whether you know, suspect, or wonder if you or those around you are sensitive. To clarify, this book is about advocating the benefits of sensitivity and the ways people can benefit from these traits. Granted, there are drawbacks too, as with anything. For that, Jenn and Andre offer practical advice for how to work with your sensitivity superpowers rather than considering them weaknesses. 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison 

Our Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club read this month was A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison. 

For a change, I finished this book uncharacteristically early. In the last few months, I’ve lagged behind and been scraping finishes around the end of the month. Not very helpful when you’re supposed to be prompting and facilitating conversation, right? 

However, this month I turned over a new leaf, and reading this book in advance paid dividends. It’s set a precedent I’ll be continuing now, and I’ll be starting our upcoming read very soon! 

 

Gran Familia

In a total change of pace, I picked up Gran Familia in order to review the manga to coincide with publication with Titan Comics.   I published that yesterday, which you can find here. 

I read this book within 24 hours. It’s only a couple of hundred pages and mostly images, so very quick and easy to read. Gran Familia was a nice change of format, but also a quick win that helped spur on reading progress this month. Overall, I did very well for reading progress. Having these shorter reads and multiple wins definitely helped on the motivation front… 

 

Betrayal of Mercia 

Switching back to audio, I listened to Betrayal of Mercia before starting my current read of the latest book in the series. 

Having read the remainder of the books in e-book format, it was nice to try this in audiobook. It was also convenient for me because I’d finish it whilst reading other physical books on my TBR. Obviously, I couldn’t start the latest book until I finished this! 

Whilst I have a personal preference for reading the books, the audiobook was very good. I’m just used to reading the place names, and the old names are more recognisable to me visually. That’s entirely personal preference. 

This book surprised me in that there was less travel than in previous instalments. However, this book was quite political, and the power plays between characters keep up the action and tension. 

 

The Pagan Lord

Another historical fiction I feature in today’s monthly wrap-up is the better-known The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell. If you are fans of this book, or the Saxon Stories more widely, please also check out the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles by M. J. Porter. 

I was looking forward to getting back into the series as it’s been a while. Although the book was decent, I didn’t love it as much as previous books in the series. 

Part of the reason I dragged my feet with it was the way I had to borrow it from my library. I’m not a fan of reading on my phone… 

 

Algospeak 

Audiobook progress continued with Algospeak by Adam Aleksic. At just under six hours at normal speed, it wasn’t going to last long. 

I enjoyed the book and its content, but the narrative voice of the author didn’t really come across as relatable. Although he acknowledges it later in the book, his use of generational language and emphasising his ‘tribe’ so to speak, he is quite condescending about earlier generations and their social media use. I’m not that old, but was kind of made to feel that way. 

It was an interesting read, but I probably won’t pick up anything else by this author if he publishes again. 

 

Among the Burning Flowers

A recent release sprung to the top of my TBR after finishing all my planned audiobooks for the month. Among the Burning Flowers came out earlier in September. Having read and enjoyed The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night this year, I figured it was worth keeping up with the story. 

As of this monthly wrap-up, I’ve listened to around 40% of the audiobook. Again, it’s not a long one, and certainly nowhere near the length of the earlier books. I’ve enjoyed listening to this latest instalment so far. My initial concern is that the book would follow the format of the others pretty closely and feel ‘samey’. However, I don’t find that to be true at all. I’ve been pleasantly surprised and I want to wait to read on! 

 

HR Disrupted 

It’s barely worth a mention, but I have just started HR Disrupted by Lucy Adam’s before the end of the month. This book is a loan after a conversation at work with our HR lady, who calls herself an HR Disruptor. 

A part of me hopes this book challenges a lot of conventional HR practices and argues what we could do better. I think it’ll be an interesting read anyway, and I’ll update you more next month. 

 

Shield of Mercia

Another late start is my current book, Shield of Mercia. I’m publishing a blog tour post later this week, so I need to get a move on with my read of this.

As of this monthly wrap-up, I’m partway through chapter 4, at 13% (unlucky for some…?). I’m looking forward to reading on, and it’s a good job! I’ve only got a few days left before I’m reviewing this read. That’ll be available to all Patreon readers on Saturday – I hope you can join me. 

 

Summary 

I’m not entirely sure how I managed to progress ten titles this month. Yes, there were some shorter books in this monthly TBR. That definitely contributed, but also my reading motivation has been pretty high! 

Have you read any of the books I feature in this monthly wrap-up? Are they on your list to read?

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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 Wrap-Up – July 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up, I have a number of books to update you on progress for. Over the course of July, I finished three books in full. I also have two carryovers into the beginning of August (but not long left for either) and one DNF to report.

Let’s dive into today’s monthly wrap-up so you can see which is which!


Books Read


Saint’s Blood

An audiobook carryover from June was my listen of Saint’s Blood by Sebastien de Castell. Admittedly, as of my monthly TBR post, I only had an hour and 15 minutes of the audiobook left.

I finished it off pretty quickly! It was fun to get back into this series as it’s been a little while. Now I’ve finished this book, I’ve only got one book left in the series before I can mark this as complete.


The Anxious Generation

The next and final carryover from June was my physical read of The Anxious Generation.

I had more of this book to read into July. In June, I read the first 60 pages of the book, but that was all. By the time we were four days into July, I’ve progressed to 50% and I finished the book a few days later.

The Anxious Generation was a really informative read. I’d go so far as to say that I think this book should be more widely read. Understanding the changes in childhood experiences (both ways – this book compares and contrasts play-based childhoods and phone-based childhoods throughout) has opened my mind to why we’re seeing generational challenges today.

I rated The Anxious Generation four stars. It was an easy read even though it cites data and statistics. It’s written in layman’s terms so is approachable for all.


Alan Turing: An Enigma

Unfortunately, I have a DNF to share this month. I started listening to Alan Turing: The Enigma this month and I put it down within a couple of weeks.

I couldn’t get on with the book. The early narrative covers Alan’s early life and it was just dry. I was bored. Ultimately, I decided it wasn’t worth pushing on with an audiobook I wasn’t enjoying. I didn’t want to listen to it, nor risk getting into a reading slump over it. So, onwards and upwards….


Stormdancer

… and straight into Stormdancer I went!

Stormdancer has been a much better experience and I’m glad I made the switch. It’s an unconventional genre mash-up – Japanese fantasy and steampunk!

Not that I really had any doubts. Jay Kristoff is a regular feature on my blog now and I haven’t read a book of his I didn’t like. It’s also got me excited as I’ve got another standalone of his, more similar to this series than anything else I’ve read, upcoming on my TBR.

I’ve listened to Stormdancer for the rest of the month of July and as of this monthly wrap-up post, I only have two hours of listening time left.


The Measure

I picked up The Measure on Kindle Unlimited as it was the book I chose for book club. The Measure was already on my TBR and I was sure the premise would make for some great talking points.

It didn’t disappoint! This book was everything I hoped it was and I enjoyed getting to talk through my thoughts on this book. As dystopian books go, the narrative was set in a world very like our own so it was totally relatable. I also enjoyed how the story zoomed in on individual characters and impacts but also looked at how the knowledge of your lifetime impacted society as a whole.


House of Frank

A last-minute addition to my reading list this month was House of Frank. I’ve started to moderate a book club online via Discord and that is the club’s chosen book.

As of this monthly wrap-up I do still technically have a third of the book left to read. In my defence I was late starting it as I joined partway through the month. It’s not stopped me participating in chats about the book so far as it’s broken down into sections for easy participation.

I will, however, try to read this last section of the book over the next couple of days. Then, we can wrap up the discussion before moving on to our next book!


Summary

That’s all from me in this monthly wrap-up update! Have a good weekend and happy reading!

Have you read any of the books I’ve featured in today’s post? What did you read in July?

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