Tag: Throne of Glass

My May 2026 TBR… It’s LONG!

Posted on May 4, 2026 by fantasyst95

When planning my May 2026 TBR, I knew I wanted a fresh start. After a lacklustre reading month in April (see my April wrap-up if you want the low-down on that…), I’m hoping a clean slate is the key to getting my reading groove back.

I have some reading obligations as well, so the deadlines will also go a long way to spurring me on. I have two blog tours, as well as kicking myself up the bum to get my Throne of Glass read-alongs back on track.

Beyond that, I’ve let my brand new, refreshed TBR Jar decide the rest! It pulled out some chunky books, and I confess I tossed one back as it tried to give me a 1,100 pager after already tossing me a couple of 700 pagers. The genres I’m reading this month span horror, thriller, historical fiction, non-fiction, as well as my favourite, fantasy. One epic fantasy sequel as well I’m excited to get to 🎊

Enough teasing, I’ll get stuck in with my obligations first, then I’ll highlight my TBR Jar picks.

Carryovers from April/Reading Obligations

Why We Get Sick

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At the end of April, I started listening to the audiobook Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman. I started this book as I have an interest in the subject, in particular the biological level of detail insulin resistance has on cells.

I didn’t have a book like this on my TBR. Rather, it’s a topic I have wanted to learn about personally. Leaning into a complete change and effectively scrapping my TBR, I hoped picking up a book totally unrelated to my April TBR would give me the fresh start I needed.

As of the end of April, it was working! In fact, this book features on my May 2026 TBR as I finished the book in May – yes – it’s already done 👍 It’s the best of starts I could hope for when it comes t my May TBR – long may it continue…

Crown of Midnight

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Crown of Midnight is a carryover from my April TBR and my current read as of this May 2026 TBR.

My read-along for Sarah J Maas hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts. The fault is entirely mine – I’m not prioritising it enough. That changes this month. Not only am I immediately prioritising down of Midnight to catch up on my being behind, but I will be following up with the sequel immediately.

I’ll also plan ahead to set myself goals so that I DO actually read-along over the course of the month, as opposed to just playing catch up at the end which is what’s happened three times now. I’m going to go and do that on Storygraph and Fable after this post goes live. I’ll havens excuse then, right?!

Heir of Fire

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As above, once Crown of Midnight is finished I’m jumping into the first part of Heir of Fire right away. Compared to the earlier books in the series, Heir of Fire is longer. Compare 400-and-something pages for those first two books to nearly 600 in Heir of Fire.

I can’t catch up with that too late. I need to keep on top of this one…

Watch this space and hold me accountable friends!

The Eagle Will Rise

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The first of my blog tour obligations this month is The Eagle will Rise by M.J. Porter. I signed up to this tour as I’m a big fan of the author’s Eagle of Mercia Chronicles. We also have some character overlap in this book, although the circumstances are very different in this new series.

I’m excited to see where this takes us. I know what to expect in terms of writing style from M.J. Porter, and I’m keen to explore a new plot in a similar setting to that already established in Eagle of Mercia.

Will I enjoy this one as much as I hope? Only time will tell, but I am optimistic!

Witch Hunt

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My second commitment is an audiobook tour. I don’t do these often, but I’m excited to get stuck in!

When it comes to listening to audiobooks, I’m typically slower than reading conventionally. So, with that in mind, I’m going to jump in the gap finishing When We Get Sick has created and start Witch Hunt now. My review obligation isn’t until early June. However, in order to listen to this book in sufficient time, I’ve popped it onto this May 2026 TBR.

What piqued my interest for this book? Its association with witchcraft and being set around Pendle Hull of course. It’s a take on the narrative I haven’t explored for a while. It’s also modern mystery/police procedural type book which is a change on what I’ve read and listened to lately. I’m keen to give this a try and let you know what I thought soon.

May 2026 TBR picks

Moving on, I then pulled four books out of my refreshed TBR Jar. I had filtered out around 30-40 books I had read or removed from my TBR, but then added the latest books that were not in the jar. The net effect was more to pull from the jar, but all up-to-date at least. The paper I used was different this time, so I can visually see old vs new entries. I aimed for two of each; that way I can target some older books, but also deliberately mix in some newer ones to keep things fresh.

Here’s what I pulled!

Don’t Fix Women: The Practical Path to Gender Equality at Work

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The first book that came out of the jar was kind. It was one of the newer additions to the jar. At 266 pages, it fits well with the overall size of my TBR. Pity the next three books I pulled didn’t agree with the sentiment…

Don’t Fix Women is about fixing imbalances in the current workforce. Will this book have the most practical applications for me? Well, aside from being a women, I don’t have much in the way of power at my company. I’m not HR. However, I’ll advocate as much as I can and if I find practical advice here I think we could adopt, I’ll absolutely speak up.

It should make for an interesting read nonetheless. I do enjoy some feminist reading now and then!

The Great Hunt

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The next book I pulled from the jar was also a new book to the jar. I started a read of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series with The Eye of the World in late 2024. It’s about time I got the sequel anyway, and the jar made that call for me.

The Great Hunt comes in at just over 700 pages. It’s not a short read, but it does lean into one of my favourite genres of all time – epic fantasy. I’m looking forward to jumping back to the life and fate of Rand al’Thor. If I had left it too mcc longer, I’d be trying to recall what happened in the first book and I would struggle to pick this up again. As much as this is a long read, I think it’s a bit of a blessing in disguise that it came out now.

Sleeping Beauties

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After pulling two ‘new’ reads, I then targeted slips that have been in my jar since I first put it together. Sleeping Beauties has been on my TBR since January 2018. I also have a copy on my bookshelves, but I’m not sure if I have owned it as long as that or not. The spine is pretty faded from exposure to the sun, so it’s quite possible!

Sleeping Beauties also comes in a fraction over 700 pages. Not a short read either, but one I’m excited to try. It’s also a bit feminist in nature, as well as overlapping with horror/thriller and fantasy for the plot line. A unique mix I’m keen to try!

Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon

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This last book is actually the second draw from the jar. My first pick that came out was The Weird. Not problem, I thought initially, as I had a hunch it was a collection of short stories. That it is, but the whole volume comes in at 1,100 pages. No way was that going to be feasible. So, I’m being honest here and declaring that’s what the jar give me, but I tossed it back in so I could make a second draw.

That second draw was a far more approachable Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon. At 450 pages, this is still somewhat achievable. This May 2026 TBR already has a sizeable page count, so it’s debatable if I’ll get to this one. However, I’ll use access to audio copies of book where I can, maybe even library loans for books I don’t have.

I’m really motivated to pick this up as it’s about one of my favourite TV series (based on books) of all-time – A Game of Thrones! If that’s not incentive to get through the rest of my May 2026 TBR to finish here, then I don’t know what is.

That’s plenty enough to get on with for my May 2026 TBR. What are you reading?

Sunday Summary – 3rd May 2026

Posted on May 3, 2026 by fantasyst95

It makes a pleasant change for a Sunday Summary post that to come to you not at the end of the weekend! Yes, it’s the early May bank holiday weekend here, and I’m looking forward to an extra cheeky day off work. It also makes a change that the typical British bank holiday weather has held off so far. In fact, I was able to get out for a bike ride earlier, making the most of the weather being dry, if not the most sunny.

As much as I’m sure you really want to know my whereabouts this weekend, maybe I should stick to the topic at hand and catch you up on the blog posts and other content I’ve shared so far this week. Here on the blog, I shared a review of Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb, followed by my monthly wrap-up for April. Both of those are pretty lengthy posts, so if you’re in for an exciting read, go and check either (or both) of those posts out.

Over on YouTube, I shared the equivalent of last week’s Sunday Summary catch-up in video form on Monday. Whilst I had hoped to get a little further with my posting schedule already, I plan to make up for that lack by getting my monthly wrap-up for April posted on YouTube today.

Books Read

Looking at Women, Looking at War

When I left you in last week’s Sunday Summary post, I had a reading marathon to achieve. I have just started Looking at Women, Looking at War and I still had a chunk to go.

With the deadline of returning this book before 5 pm on Monday, I stayed up late on Sunday night to get as far as I could, then finish the book Monday lunchtime with just enough time to spare to run it down to the library and return it.

Who says being a reader doesn’t mean flying by the seat of your pants sometimes? I certainly do 🫣

Despite this needing to be a quick read out of necessity, the rapid case I had to read the book didn’t detract from the experience. It was both usual and unique to read a book of this nature. I went into it thinking it was more historical, but obviously it’s really kind of a current events book.

What also made this interesting is that the book wasn’t finished by the author before she unfortunately lost her life. Therefore, there are sections of this book that are Victoria‘s rough handwritten notes as opposed to a fleshed-out chapter. Did that help me get through it? Absolutely! It’s a shame she obviously didn’t get to finish the book, but I really enjoyed reading it in the format it was nonetheless!

Crown of Midnight

One of my main reading priorities this week has been picking up Crown of Midnight. Yes, one surprisingly, my read-along book that I was meant to do in April, didn’t really happen as planned. I’ve got a good of that but also I didn’t make an effort to prioritise, but even knowing my reading month wasn’t going to plan.

Nevertheless, I have finally started this book and as of this summary, I am around 20%. To be perfectly honest, it’s been quite easy to make this programme. I’ve enjoyed getting back into this world as we have enough overlap with one of the series, but also plenty of hints as to what to expect coming up in this latest, because I’m hoping to read for a rest with this book along very quickly. If I’m not talking about completion next week, I’m going to be upset with myself. My plans are to read the third book, Heir of Fire this May, so I definitely need to get my skates on!

Why We Get Sick

The book I feel like I’ve made the most progress with this week is called Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman.

I was a little disheartened with my recent lack of reading progress. That’s especially so for both my previous audiobook listen, Onyx and Ivory, but also more generally. With the hopes that a fresh start was exactly what I needed, I turned to a book not even on my TBR. Rather, I leaned into a subject I have wanted to read more about anyway. I hope the complete fresh start would help kickstart my reading journey once again.

The main focus of Why We Get Sick revolves around insulin resistance and how this strikingly common phenomenon impacts chronic health conditions. In some cases, I go so far as to explain the links between insulin resistance and these conditions, if not definite, then the correlation. Why am I reading about this subject, you ask? Because I think I have it. More importantly, whilst I am interested in the biology, (this was distinct criteria I gave ChatGPT when looking for a recommendation), but my motivation for reading this book is to find out what I can do about it.

As of this Sunday Summary, I’m actually about 90% through this audiobook and I reckon with a bit of a push, I could finish this tonight. I’ve taken to listening to sections of this audio before bed anyway. It feels reasonable that I could finish this book tonight! And, that would make me happy. After a bit of a slump in recent weeks with reading progress, a quick win is definitely not going to hurt my stats or my interpretation of progress. Numbers aren’t everything, don’t get me wrong. However, they don’t hurt sometimes when you need a little kick…

Books Discovered

I’ve been good for another week in a row and not added any books to my TBR. What’s going on with me?!

Maybe the need to refresh my TBR jar yesterday, sorting old books and putting in maybe 60 or so of my latest adds, was enough to dissuade me…

Coming Up…

What I’m Reading…

Next week, my early priorities will be finishing Why We Get Sick as I’m so close to the end, and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. With hopes to read Heir of Fire this month, I naturally need to read the predecessor book.

Then, I think I’ll pick up Heir of Fire hot on the heels of Crown of Midnight. I need to read this in May and actually start my readalong in good time! Plus, I also don’t want to give away my May TBR reads before my post goes live 😉

Blog

I only filmed my May TBR and drew my books out of the TBR jar yesterday evening. So, I didn’t get time to post that list here this week. So, I’m naturally going to start next week with this one! It’s planned, and it’s a long list! I’ve also got some chunky books that came out. So, I’d best get back into the groove with reading, else my reading month will flop as hard as April…

On Friday I’ll return with a Shelf Control feature. It’s been a few weeks since I posted one of these. If you’re keen to see what’s coming up on my TBR, that’s the post to check out 😊

Finally, another Sunday Summary will roll around before you know it. Let’s hope I can land some good reading progress in the next week and get my May TBR off to a great start.

YouTube

Over on YouTube, I’ve got both my monthly wrap-up post and May TBR to edit and post – I hope you are looking out for those!

Summary

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary and I hope you’re as excited for the content I’ve got planned, as well as joining me in reading some of the books I’m picking up in May.

What are you going to be reading in May?

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2026

Posted on May 1, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s monthly-wrap-up contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase***

April should have been another productive month. Again, I set myself an ambitious TBR. However, a busy period at work, combined with stagnating on a re-read, meant progress stalled in April. It’s a shame – I’d been on a good run. At least I had a head start so I’m not behind after this month’s progress. Even so, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t pick up more reads this month.

Let’s take a look at the books I picked up, and how I got on…

Books Read

Storm of Mercia

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Storm of Mercia was a priority read, given I had a review obligation for the book on 2nd April.

Thankfully, I’m the kind of girl who thrives on a deadline. I started the book just a few days before the end of March and still read close up to the deadline. However, my already established love of the series meant this was easy for me to pick up and get invested in.

As I’ve already reviewed this book on my blog, I’m not going to go too heavy into my thoughts on this book here. Instead, I’ll point you to that review if you are a fan of action-based historical fiction with political aspects to the underlying storyline.

The Astral Library

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My next carryover from March was my audio listen of The Astral Library. In my March wrap-up post, I shared that I didn’t have a lot left to go.

Unsurprisingly, I finished this book in just a few days of the new month. I was invested into the narrative and events of the book were already coming to a head. Naturally, I had every inclination to get to this and see how the book finished. This was an easy book to prioritise and finish! It’s a pity the rest of the month didn’t follow through with this pace…

1984

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I started my April TBR already 33% into 1984 by George Orwell. I had to set this book aside in order to pick up my reading obligations – Rose Red, then Storm of Mercia.

Firstly, the near month break I took between putting down and returning to this book wasn’t ideal. Combine that with a break from reading in general due to doing overtime at work, and tiredness after that, meant I was slow to get going again. Knowing how the book ended, there wasn’t much excitement or incentive for me to pick it up either.

So, long story short, I was slow to pick this back up again. However, towards the end of the month I found my motivation again and finished 1984. Despite the lack of speed, I still enjoyed this one. I’m also keen to pick up the retelling Julia shortly. I’m ready for a slight change of perspective, and it should offer a refreshing change.

Onyx and Ivory

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One of the books I pulled out of my TBR jar in my March TBR video is Onyx and Ivory. This YA fantasy romance was the final book I pulled from the jar, yet equally was the only one I got to this month.

And you know what, it didn’t land perfectly. I knew it was a stretch, being YA fantasy. In other circumstances, I might have gotten on with it. However, listening to this audiobook coincided with my slow patch of 1984. That didn’t help, so in the end, I decided to pick up a fresh audiobook. After that, I didn’t have the inclination to return. I gave myself a deadline of the end of April to return to this. I didn’t, so I’ll call it a DNF.

Looking at Women Looking At War: A War and Justice Diary

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It’s a good job this girl thrives on a deadline. Despite my intentions to start this book in plenty of time before it was due back to my local library on Monday, I only started it last Saturday. Needless to say, I was on the clock to finish the book.

Most of Monday lunchtime was spent finishing the book. I had hoped I could take the book back after 5pm, but unfortunately the library shut then. So, a rocket was firmly up mine to get the book finished… but you know what, I did it!

Looking at Women Looking At War was a really interesting read, so it wasn’t difficult to prioritise this read. It was also unusual to read a book that’s shaping currency events./ It barely counts as history, but it had that vibe. The circumstances of the author’s work, and terrible passing, meant that the book wasn’t finished. It was odd to read a book in which the author’s unedited notes have to stand as the content. But, it brings home what happened and the level of work Amelia was going to in order to document the war crimes and make sure those harmed by the Russians get their justice.

Looking at Women Looking At War is a very different book to those I’ve read lately, and it landed well! Of all the books on this monthly wrap-up, it’s the book I enjoyed the most!

Crown of Midnight

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I’m carrying forward two books into May – my readalong of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Starting this book was later than intended, but I have somewhat of a schedule to maintain. So, whilst I’m a bit late in getting started, as of this monthly wrap-up post, it is my priority read.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, I’m 14% into Crown of Midnight. I’ve enjoyed the start of this book so far, and it has been easy to get back into it. There’s enough ties to events from the previous book that the story is cohesive and I understand where I’m up to. However, already there are hints of new events that are going to unfold in this latest instalment. I’m keen to get stuck in, so watch for some speedy progress with Crown of Midnight in the coming days.

Why We Get Sick

Amazon Purchase Link

Goodreads

Finally, I started Why We Get Sick as a break from Onyx and Ivory. Although not on my TBR, I have a personal motive to listen to this audiobook.

I’m trying to learn about insulin resistance and the effects it has on people. I have signs of insulin resistance myself, and I’ve stagnated in trying to lose weight. In order to find this book, I sought the recommendation of a book that goes into the biology of insulin resistance and how to reverse it. I used ChatGPT to seek out the recommendation. So far, it’s interesting and engaging whilst also giving the detail I wanted.

Looking at everything from brain, heart and reproductive health to illnesses like cancer, the book covers the links to insulin resistance. Later in the book, I get to explore more about how insulin resistance comes about and what I can do about it. I’m hopeful this will also be a quick read and help end the slump I experienced in April.

Summary

So, all in all, April wasn’t the reading month I hoped for. However, all is not lost. I’m still two books ahead of schedule to meet my 60 books in 2026 reading goal. My current reads are also well received, so let’s hope they are the remedy I need to get progress in May off to a great start!

Thanks for sticking with me in this monthly wrap-up. I’m not giving myself a break, and May’s upcoming TBR isn’t going to let up any. Onwards and upwards!

What did you read in April?

Monthly TBR – April 2026

Posted on April 5, 2026 by fantasyst95

My monthly TBR for April is a little bit different. Normally, I have a set of books that I have in mind to pick up and I largely pick this myself. Sometimes that’s shaped by reading challenges, and that is still somewhat true for this month. However, half of this monthly TBR has been decided by a TBR jar.

If you want to go and watch me physically pull these out of the jar and share my initial reactions, I recorded this and published the video over on my new YouTube channel. Rather than rehash all the content, what I’m going to do is share a link to that video in this post, and for those of you who don’t want to go and watch that, I will provide a brief written summary of the books on my TBR below.

Carryovers from March/Reading Obligations

Storm of Mercia

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Starting with a carryover that I was actively reading as at the change of month, I have already finished storm of Mercier by MJ Porter as I had a review obligation to share my thoughts on the book on the 2nd of April.

I’m not going to go into too much detail here, because my thoughts are already live on the Interwebs. You can check out my blog post here for more on this ninth instalment to this epic historical fiction series set in 10th century England.

The Astral Library

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Another book I’m featuring because I did carry forward into April, but have already finished as of this April TBR post, is my audiobook lesson of the astral library.

I really enjoyed this contemporary fiction and a story that’s really about the power and magic of libraries. If you like the style of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, it offers a similar feel but a completely unique storyline.

1984 / Julia

In March, I started rereading 1984 by George Orwell. At just over 125 pages in, I had to put this down in order to fulfil my reading obligations for reviews for Rose Red and Storm of Mercia.

Now those are done, I’m keen to get back into my re-read of this dystopian fiction so I can then dabble in a retelling of the same world, Julia by Sandra Newman.

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I always enjoy a Stephen King novel. In this particular case, Bag of Bones is a chunky Stephen King novel. At around 700 pages on its own, this monthly TBR promises to challenge me. I was going to say take me right up to the wire, but let’s be honest, it will take me into May…

The TBR jar did me dirty here!

Freakonomics

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I feel like this book could go one of two ways. It’s either going to be really interesting and tie together some unusual behaviours that impact our economy. Or, the synopsis hinting at this is a bit of a gimmick to get you to pick up the book and I’m going to be disappointed.

Only time will tell I’m intrigued to pick up this book and find out. Fingers crossed, I’m wrong in my suspicion and that this book turns out better than I think it might.

Onyx and Ivory

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I’m glad a fantasy made it to this reading list and came out of the TBR jar. Honestly, I would’ve been surprised if it didn’t. I have a lot of fantasy on my list and by rights, the odds of one not being pulled out out of the jar would have been slim.

Onyx and Ivory is also a good pick for me right now as it leans into the romantic genre – what I’m trying to read more of anyway. I feel like this is the kind of topical/trendy book that I’m actively seeking to engage with fans of. Let’s hope I’m a fan as well!

Thanks for checking out my latest monthly TBR! What are you reading this April?

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

The final audiobook to feature in this monthly wrap-up post is The Astral Library. Reading progress with The Astral Library has been pretty quick. It’s not an overlong read anyway, but the plot line is engaging and reminiscent of another of my favourite reads.

Reading a book about books, and featuring snapshots of well-known titles, makes for an entertaining change of angle. Dipping in and out of the margins of classics has been fun, but of course, it’s not over yet. As of this monthly wrap-up, I’ve got three hours of audio left. I’ve chipped away at this audiobook commuting and listening a little before bed. I can reasonably listen to an hour a day. So, I’m sure you can do the maths and come to the same conclusion that I’ll finish this one shortly!

Rose Red

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One of my final reads to feature in this monthly wrap-up is Rose Red by Sarah Biggerstaff. Progress with 1984 stalled as I needed to prioritise reading Rose Red for a social media blog tour.

This fairytale retelling was a fun foray into fantasy… again. It’s my favourite genre for a reason, and I always love going back to it. More than that, though, this Snow White inspired tale has elements of witchcraft, romance and challenging family dynamics. Whilst in principal the description of this book sounds suitable for YA, I wouldn’t say it is. It has elements of gore and violence that may be too much for a younger audience.

My favourite aspect of this book, however, is that Rose doesn’t find magic instinctive and she has to learn. Often, the hard way. I’m going to share more on this book in the near future. For now, know it’s a solid read.

Storm of Mercia

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Finally, in anticipation of a review due in just a couple of days, I started and made good progress with Storm of Mercia. On Sunday I made good headway into this ninth instalment of M.J. Porter’s Eagle of Mercia chronicles.

This historical fiction series is compulsively readable and I got back into this book very quickly. On Sunday, I read the first third of the book. Yesterday, another 10% just before bed. I’m hoping for a little more progress tonight before bed, though that may be a push taking into account when this monthly wrap-up post goes live.

I’m reviewing this book on Thursday, so I need to get my skates on. Needless to say, it’s my immediate priority…

Summary

Considering there were 11 books on my March TBR, I made a noble attempt and managed to progress with seven of these. I’ll take the unread books forward into April, so they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Storm of Mercia is naturally going to be my priority, with 1984 returning to attention shortly after. In the coming days, I’ll release the rest of my monthly TBR for April. This month, the other books on my TBR aside from Crown of Midnight and my March carryovers were decided by a TBR jar. I’ve got an unusual mix, so there is something on the list for every reading mood! I hope you can check that out when it goes live later this week.

What was your favourite read of March? Have you read any of the books in today’s monthly wrap-up post?

Sunday Summary – 15th March 2026

Posted on March 15, 2026 by fantasyst95

Good evening all – I hope you’re looking forward to this latest Sunday Summary update. Whereas the last few weeks have been a little bit crazy, this week I’ve enjoyed some downtime. I’ve enjoyed a week off work with the other half, and we’ve made the most bit by doing as little as possible! Well, that’s not strictly true. We’ve enjoyed going out at leisure, and we made most of some great weather on Wednesday this week and went for walk on an 8 1/2 mile course. Needless to say, I felt that afterwards…

Although my downtime has taken priority this week, that’s not to say I’ve sacrificed content production. Here on the blog, I’ve still written and posted a book review of The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, as well as a First Lines Friday instalment. This week’s feature was by an author I read as recently as February… and she has a sizeable backlist I had to choose from. Can you guess who?

On YouTube, I’ve also published two videos with you this week. My first video of the week was a short list of fantasy series I want to start (or in some cases restart) in 2026. The second of my videos was also a review. This was for The Great Passage by Shion Muira which went live yesterday.

Books Read

Throne of Glass

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish my readalong of Thrones of Glass before the end of February. As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was around 60% into the narrative. I made a real push to finish this book this week. With my plan to pick up the sequel, Crown of Midnight in March, I needed to finish this first book so I can move on.

Admittedly, I enjoyed this book more than I anticipated! For a book with romantic sub-plots, that aspect of the narrative didn’t dominate the plot and/or take away from the fantasy elements of the storyline. When you think Sarah J. Maas, you think romance. That’s what I went into the book expecting, but in reality the balance is far more suitable to my preference of not too much romance.

I’m glad I took my sister’s advice with this series to try this author with. It was the right choice, and I’m keen to get stuck in with this second book ASAP.

An Arcane Inheritance

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was only a few chapters into An Arcane Inheritance. Over the course of this week, progress has picked up a little and I listened to about 3 hours, or around 25% taking into account the x1.25 speed I’m listening to. Not bad, considering I’ve not really had as much solo time and therefore opportunity to listen. I’ve made up for the lack of solo commutes and gym listening time by instead listening before turning in at night. Overall, it’s worked reasonably well. I did have to go back a couple of chapters one night; I fell asleep unusually quickly that night…

Now I’m further into the book, I’ve got a better feel of the narrative direction and I like where it’s going. I’m intrigued by the magic, symbolism and occult vibes plaguing Ellory. There’s definitely a mystery to unravel here and I can’t wait to listen on to figure out more. As far as the dark academia genre experience is going, I’m loving revisiting the genre. The character dynamic between Ellory and Hudson is more tolerable than the early chapters. Well, at least a bit healthier. A bit…

1984

Whilst not strictly contributing to any breeding challenge books, 1984 is on my fixed reading list for 2026 as I set out in my 2026 resolutions. Not only that, but the companion book I want to read alongside it, Julia, does qualify for the Goodreads 2026 Winter challenge. Before I go into that retelling, I want to pick up 1984 and refresh myself on the original world as set out by George Orwell.

As of this Sunday Summary, I am currently 126 pages into the book. I’ve enjoyed reading all of the setup in the first section of the book to appreciate the detail and nuances of the dystopian world. When reading these books over a stretch of time, it’s easy to forget the details. That’s precisely why I wanted to pick up the original 1984 novel first before reading the retelling on my March TBR. Although this is my third read of the book, I’m not bored with revisiting the book. I had sizeable chunks of time between the re-reads so it doesn’t feel repetitive.

Wild Dark Shore

A priority read on this Sunday Summary was starting and finishing Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

I had a notification from Libby that my digital download of this library loan was due earlier today. By the time I looked at this notification, I had just over two days left to read the book. But, unfortunately I was unable to extend my loan. How dare other people want to read the same book as me and put a hold on it, right?! 😅

So, with all due haste, I started and finished this 298 page book in a relatively short time. Thankfully, this book and its mystery is very compulsively readable. Did I read it a little quicker than I would have in other circumstances? Probably yes. However, I was gripped by the storyline and having the deadline didn’t jeopardise my enjoyment of the book.

I have to say, this book wasn’t quite what I expected. However, it was also a little bit better. It was very cleverly written, which is what I expected. The storyline and The mystery were a bit of a different angle than I anticipated, but that’s okay! It was nice to be surprised and it helped overall with my wanting to pick up this book.

The good news is, reading Wild Dark Shore contributes to 2 Goodreads achievements this week. I’m now 8 out of 12 achievements in towards the Goodreads 2026 Winter challenge.

Books Discovered

Thankfully, this week I’ve ticked a couple of books off my list and there are no new additions. I’ve added quite a few books to the TBR of late. This week, I haven’t added anything new, so I’m making progress back towards the 200 books mark.

Interestingly, I caught a bit of a milestone when looking at my books recorded on Goodreads. According to my Goodreads records, I’ve got a total of 500 different books ‘Read’ 🎊🎉

Coming Up…

If you were salty with me for revelling in being off work this week, you can laugh now. I’m back to the daily grind in less than 12 hours, and it promises to be busy! Still, it’s no excuse and I won’t be slacking off of content creation…

Blog

On the blog next week, I’ll be taking a look at the longest of books nominated for the 2026 Booker Prize. The list was published last month, and reviewing whether each book is something I want to read or not. I’ve never paid much attention to this list before, so it could be fun. If there are enough books I want to read, maybe I’ll make a readalong or some kind of challenge to incorporate these into my reading list later this year.

On Friday, my usual Shelf Control feature will go live and share a non-fiction about one of my favourite tv series (based on books, obviously). It’s one I’ve been looking forward to getting to, so it’ll be fun to share this on Friday and get psyched to pick up the book!

YouTube

I’ve recorded two videos today that I’ll edit and push out next week. The first of these is my review of Throne of Glass. I wanted to document my thoughts on this first book of the series before I get stuck in to Crown of Midnight. That way, my view can’t be coloured by what I’ve ready later.

Later in the week, I’ve got a list of dystopian book recommendations if you enjoy books like 1984. In this video, I share what these dystopian books are about, as well as their similarities and differences compared to 1984. Hopefully in this video you can find a recommendation of a new book to pick up.

Summary

This Sunday Summary is a sizeable update. If you’re still with me – thanks for sticking around!

Have you read any of the books featured today? If not, what are you currently reading?

Sunday Summary – 8th March 2026

Posted on March 8, 2026 by fantasyst95

This week, my Sunday Summary is the conclusion of a busy week, but also the start of some well-earned time off. The first quarter of the year is our busiest period anyway. For some additional reasons this year, when I go back to work, we will be under a little bit more pressure than usual. However, that is future Rebecca‘s problem. Instead, I’m only going to be looking forward to the weekend ahead where I don’t really have much in the way of plans. That’s what I’m looking forward to!

However, we’re not here to look at the week ahead so much as to recap the week I’ve just had. There will be more on what’s coming up over the next week later on this Sunday Summary instalment. For now though, let’s recap the content I’ve shared this week and they’re getting into the books I’ve read.

Blog

My first blog post of the week was my February monthly wrap-up. All and all, I’m pretty happy with the reading progress I made in February. For the shortest month of the year, I pulled it out of the bag in terms of getting ahead with my Goodreads reading challenge for the year by completing seven books. I can only hope to take this forward into March, as I said to myself the most ambitious TBR to date, which I shared later in the week.

On Friday, I shared my 101st instalment of my Shelf Control feature. In this week’s post, I shared details of a spy thriller I added to my TBR after loving a psychological thriller by a new to meet author at the time. I read that first book about six years ago now, so it’s time to get around to this latest book on my reading list.

YouTube

Over on YouTube, I also shared video editions of my February wrap-up and my monthly TBR if you want to go and watch/listen to these rather than read my posts. I get it, sometimes that’s easier…

Books Read

Throne of Glass

In my Sunday Summary posts over the last couple of weeks, there hasn’t been much movement on Throne of Glass.

I am pleased to say that in this week’s Sunday Summary, I have made significantly more progress. And you know what, I’m getting on well with this storyline. I am coming up 60% through this book as of this Sunday Summary, and I’m still really getting on with the narrative. It’s proving easy to read, with an engaging, world-building plot line and a main character I’m getting on with more than I expected. Celaena has an intriguing backstory that I know I won’t really get to explore watching this book. However, I have been reassured it comes up later and I can’t wait to get there.

For now, there is a mystery element to the plot line I’m looking forward to exploring. Why do so many people turn up dead, and what is behind the brutal murders? I’m not yet sure, but the implied supernatural links have me intrigued and I can’t wait to see how this plays out!

An Arcane Inheritance

This week, I’ve also started listening to An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole. This book is exciting to me for two reasons – the first is that it fits The Black Heritage prompt for the Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge. The second reason is that in reading this narrative, I get to go back to her genre I haven’t read much of late – dark academia.

Whilst I am enjoying the book so far, the rivalry going on between Ellory and Hudson is dangerous. I have seen the consequences of similar competitive dynamics before, and it wasn’t pretty. It’s not great for the mental health of those involved. So, whilst I can recognise it for what it is, I would stress that this kind of relationship should NEVER be romanticised. I feel like it is a little in this novel, so I’m taking it with a pinch of salt.

That said, I’m enjoying where the book is going so far and I’m intrigued by the magic intertwined in the narrative. I’m not sure yet what abilities Ellory has that lands her in locations she does not recognise, or the significance of this. However, I have no doubt this will be explored in more detail throughout the book. It’s early days yet – I’m only a few chapters into this book as of this Sunday Summary. I’m looking forward to listening to more of this next week.

Books Discovered

The other half made a dangerous suggestion of going for a look in Waterstones earlier today. It was double-stamp weekend in celebration of World Book Day if you have a loyalty card. So, I said why the heck not?!

Armed with gift vouchers, I came out with three titles. Two of these were on my TBR already. I recently read Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet and added Reasons to Stay Alive to my TBR after completing that book. Also added recently on the recommendation of a work colleague is a book called A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I happened to spot this book whilst I was in the bookshop, so picked it up with my vouchers.

Finally, a book caught my attention whilst I was browsing that I have not yet added to my reading list until today. That book is called Fall of Civilisations by Paul Cooper. I love the idea of exploring how very different civilisations across the globe have left hints as to their downfall. Do people who have no knowledge of each other go through the same experience? Is there anything in common spanning the different continents and timelines that led to do their demise?

I believe this book stems from a podcast, so that’s one to explore as well!

Coming Up…

Blog

Early doors next week, I’m sharing a long overdue review. Cozy fantasy fans… you’ll want to check out this one. This week, I’m reviewing The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. For a book I wasn’t sure about when I picked it up, it was a fabulous read!

Later in the week, I’ll be back with a First Lines Friday. This time, I will set myself a challenge to make this post interesting. First next week’s instalment, I’ll feature an author I’ve read very recently. This author has a decent backlist, so I should have plenty to choose from.

Of course, last but not least, I’ll return with another Sunday Summary at the end of next week. With a week off work to unwind, I’m optimistic that I can make a dent in my March TBR…

YouTube

I’ll all be reviewing a book on YouTube, but this week’s feature is a far more recent read. Tomorrow, I’ll record my thoughts on The Great Passage by Shion Muira; I can’t wait to tell you more about this contemporary read.

Later in the week, I’m planning to share a list of fantasy series I’d like to start (or restart) in 2026. As my favourite genre by far, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I want to pick up more!

Summary

I’ve enjoyed catching you up in today’s Sunday Summary with my latest reading updates. With my upcoming week off work, I’m hopeful for a lot of reading progress. I need to make it work to get through the sizeable list…

What is your current read?

Monthly TBR – March 2026

Posted on March 5, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s monthly TBR post contains affiliate links to Amazon if you wish to purchase any of the books featured today. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this feature I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase***

My March monthly TBR is probably my most ambitious to date! With a goal of completing the Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge, plus books to read for blog tour obligations, my own readalong and book club… I have a hearty mix!

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

Following on from 1984, it shouldn’t be a surprise then that Julia is going to be the next book on my list. After enjoying the refresher of the world as originally written, I’m keen to see how closely or far out this retelling is. I have no idea as of writing this March monthly TBR post. I’m looking forward to being surprised one way or the other. The added bonus of picking up these two books is that Julia qualifies for one of the Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge prompts. Under the achievement for retellings, Julia naturally is a perfect fit. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to tick two books on my fixed reading list for 2026 off.

It’s also been a little while since I got my copies of these books, so it’s exciting to get to them at last!

A Study in Scarlet Women

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

A Study in Scarlet Women qualifies for the Goodreads prompt Swoony Stories. As I shared in my Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge announcement video on YouTube, it’s the prompt I found the most difficult to find a book for. Not being a big romance reader (not that you’d know it from this TBR, or even my last one), I need something other than a romance in order to keep my engagement with a book.

What appealed to me about A Study in Scarlet Women is that it’s almost a spinoff or variation on the character of Sherlock Holmes. Whilst the main character isn’t the main man we know and love, the pseudonym is used by a female protagonist to investigate and clear the names of family members accused of a crime. The mystery element is definitely going to help me with this romance. Not only that, but I’m keen to see how the reimagining of Sherlock Holmes plays out in this completely different narrative.

An Arcane Inheritance

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

It’s been a little minute since I picked up a dark academia novel. The last time I picked up the genre, I did so in the form of If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. This is very different from An Arcane Inheritance in that that first book tackles a group of actors and the group dynamics of a troop who specialise in Shakespeare.

An Arcane Inheritance is very different. I’m picking up this book because it was on my TBR and qualifies towards the ‘Black Heritage’ prompt. I had hoped my recent listen of Barack Obama’s Dreams from my Father would have qualified. That’s not necessarily the reason I picked it up, but the timing was perhaps a little influenced by this challenge. Nevertheless, it was a great read. Instead, I get to pick up another book and I’m looking forward to getting back to dark academia. It’s not a genre I read a lot of, so it’s a refreshing change when I do.

Looking at Women Looking at War

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

When I shared my Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge list, I had to take a guess at a book that would qualify for the Women’s History challenge. The list of qualifying books was only released on the 1st March. I had hoped to read Eve by Cat Bohannon. This is a book about the evolution of humanity and how women’s biology and evolution shaped that. Unfortunately, this book does not qualify. If it had, that would have been another read that overlapped with my fixed reading list in my resolutions post. Never mind!

Instead, I am picking up a book called Looking at Women Looking at War. This book is an interesting one because it focuses on some very recent history.

A young woman, Victoria Amelina – a writer living in Ukraine – started documenting war crimes in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Unfortunately, she would never see the end of the war. She was tragically killed just a year into the conflict as a result of a Russian missile.

However, not letting that stop her hard work from getting noticed, her efforts were published as Looking at Women Looking at War. Obviously, this is far from a complete account given the conflict is still ongoing. However, as a fairly recent history, I’m looking forward to both seeing what’s really going on behind the scenes. That, and to commemorate the bravery of a woman willing to expose the truth.

Crown of Midnight

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

Unsurprisingly, given I’ve already published my intended timeline for this readalong, I’m looking to pick up the second book in Sara J Maas’ Throne of Glass series later this month.

As this one is for my own deadline as opposed to for the purpose of meeting a challenge, I have put this towards the end of my March monthly TBR. However, I’m hoping to catch up so I’m not overlapping too far into April at the very least. If Crown of Midnight is anything like the first instalment Throne of Glass, I’m hopeful it will be very easy to read. It’s also only a few hundred pages, so not too big of a commitment. The later books in the series are longer and will require more time investment. However, I can’t get away with some flexibility early while the books are only 300 pages or so…

Mood Reads

The Astral Library

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

Finally, I have an audiobook on my March monthly TBR for a relatively new release of February. On YouTube, I shared a video of new releases in 2026 I was really looking forward to. The second book on this list (the first was Dear Debbie, which I finished listening to very recently) is The Astral Library.

This book caught my attention because it sounds similar to a book I love. Reminiscent of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, the premise involves a form of living a life through pages in a book. If you have read The Midnight Library, you will know that the protagonist explores multiple variations in how their life could have gone by picking up a book in which this life is encapsulated. This is purely the protagonists interpretation as opposed to a fixed idea in the book. The protagonist had a special relationship with a librarian at school. So, this is how the idea manifested for her. As an avid reader, this clearly resonated with me. Exploring something similar in The Astral Library is something I’m looking forward to!

Summary

I’m aiming high in this March monthly TBR – I don’t think anyone can argue against that! The heat is on to complete the Goodreads 2026 Winter Challenge. Will I achieve it? Place your bets now! 😂

Thanks for reading today’s March monthly TBR – are you having a go at this challenge?

Monthly Wrap-Up – February 2026

Posted on March 3, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s monthly-wrap-up contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase***

As of the end of February and this monthly wrap-up post, I am four books ahead of schedule in my Goodreads Challenge for the year to read 60 books in 2026. With seven titles added to my completed list in February, it’s fair to say I’ve had a successful month!

Compared to my monthly TBR for February, I pretty much got to the end of my reading list for the month with one current read I’m carrying forward into March. I did think I would complete this list this month. However, with a busy work week mid-month taking on a project from a colleague, I didn’t have much headroom to read in my free time for a few days and that did impact my overall progress.

Nevertheless, still managed to pull it out the bag. Two blog tour obligations helped to keep momentum going, and they were both highly-rated reads as well. It always helps when the book you pick up are well received!

Let’s take a look at where I got to!

Books Read

After the Forest

Amazon Purchase Link

At the end of my January wrap up, I shared that I was part way through after the forest by Kell Woods. I really enjoyed this dark fantasy overlap with a fairytale retailing. The darker tones of the book featuring witchcraft, war and discrimination, combined with the lighter and more familiar base of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel made for an interesting combination.

There is also a romance element to the storyline of this book. Whilst it wasn’t something I actively rooted for (it’s just not my thing, okay?), It was okay to read and didn’t detract from the narrative all my experience of it. It was refreshing to pick up something different, which has been a feature of almost every book I’ve picked up alongside the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club.

Dreams From My Father

Amazon Purchase Link

When I published last month monthly wrap up, I had a really only just started Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. Needless to say, it was one of my first finishes in February. Having read A Promised Land a year before, it wasn’t really a surprise that I enjoyed Dreams From My Father.

Whilst this type of writing and subject is enjoyed as an exception rather than the rule, I really like Barack Obama. He’s the only political figure from whom I think I will ever read a book. Or two, as it turns out!

Dreams From My Father is about Barack’s exploration of his heritage and identity via his race. He had an unusual upbringing and being of mixed-race ethnicity in a society where there weren’t very many kids like him, he struggled with understanding who he was. Dreams From My Father is all about exploring this, and seeing how Barack matures.

Grace

Amazon Purchase Link

He wouldn’t necessarily describe February as the month to read horror. Nevertheless, I had the pleasure of reading and featuring Grace on my blog by taking part in the publication blog tour this month. What attractive my attention to grace was that the event of the book are set relatively close to Home. Set on a remote island of the West Coast of Island, Croaghnakeela is as miserable and desolate as the worst British weather can make you feel.

Combined mythology and supernatural and you can get an idea or feel for this book. I loved the links to Irish and Celtic mythology, and I even found out through my research when writing this review that there are somewhat ties to more local mythology in these figures. If you want to find out more about this book, I shared my full thoughts on Grace in my blog tour review.

An Offer From a Gentleman

Amazon Purchase Link

Doing a complete 180° once again, after finishing Grace, I listened to an audiobook copy of an offer from a gentleman from Julia Quinn. I picked this book up on a whim. I’m currently watching season four of Bridgerton on Netflix. Having started this series on telly, I decided to give this third instrument of the books ago. Doing so was a little bit of a risk. Whilst I read the Duke and I and the experience was okay, I didn’t like book two, Anthony and Kate’s story. So much so, I DNF’d it.

However, I was able to borrow a copy of the audiobook from my library. So, I thought what the hell?

And you know what ended up better than I thought given protagonist from a very different societal background class, I found her more relatable characters in the series. Whilst Benedict is still somewhat insufferable in his behaviour at the beginning, I think persevering was worth the while. My experience an offer for a gentleman was marginally better than the first instalment the Duke and I. Being I’m not a big romance reader, it was always going to be a hard push to get a five star rating.

It hasn’t put me off trying the fourth book, which is Colin and Penelope’s story however.

Blues for an Alabama Sky

Amazon Purchase Link

For the first time ever this month, I read a play in the form of Blues for an Alabama Sky. I picked up this book for our work book club, as it also has a romance element to the story.

However, in the 104 page count, this book covers far more than just a basic romance. Set in depression era America, the book follows the story of Angel and her dreams of getting out of Harlem New York. She meets a man she thinks could be the love of her life. However, throughout the book we see a number of personal differences come to the fore and challenge the relationship.

Blues for an Alabama sky was a very quick read, and I enjoyed the difficult topics that were touched upon in the narrative. It was also really enjoyable to pick up a book in a different format!

The Three Witches

Amazon Purchase Link

My second blog tour obligation, which landed right at the beginning of March, was for a book called The Three Witches by Elena Collins. I ended up picking up and completing this read pretty quickly because I had the deadline to review. However, The Three Witches was very readable. I loved the angle of the narrative and the attempt to honour historical events as closely as possible. Not only that, but also in trying to give persecuted women their voices back and highlight the true lives of women accused of witchcraft.

If you’re interested in a historical fiction aimed at telling the real stories of women in a dual timeline mystery, go and read my review of The Three Witches.

Dear Debbie

Amazon Purchase Link

In a recent YouTube video, I shared some highly anticipated 2026 releases. The first of these books is Dear Debbie, which was released in January.

It isn’t a surprise I loved this audiobook! I read Freida’s The Housemaid series in this format. Given it worked well for me, I stuck and it paid off. Not that I think reading traditionally would hamper my enjoyment, because i don’t. In order to get through all my reads, I have to pick some up in audio and I know these are easy, engaging listens.

The twist at the end of this book took me by my surprise. In a way, it shouldn’t have. However, it was very cleverly written and the storyline pulled off well.

Throne of Glass

Amazon Purchase Link

Finally, the one book left that I’m currently reading as if this monthly wrap-up is Throne of Glass. This is a readalong series I’ve started, and I was also reading this towards the romance-themed book club.

Because of my blog tour obligations, Throne of Glass took a backseat. As of the end of February, I was 26% into the book. I’ve read a little more since then, and it’s going down well so far…

I went into this book with a preconception that I may not enjoy this one. However, the romance element of the book isn’t overtaking the events of the plot and the world-building behind it. So far, so good!

Summary

February was a successful month by all accounts. No DNF’s to report, which is great news, and seven competed reads in the shortest month of the year is a win.

How many books have you picked up in February? Have you read any of the books in today’s monthly wrap-up post, or added any to your reading list as a result of today’s monthly wrap-up?

Sunday Summary – 1st March 2026

Posted on March 2, 2026March 1, 2026 by fantasyst95

Today’s Sunday Summary comes at the end of another busy week. Well, not quite. Technically, it’s landing right at the start of another one, but that’s intentional. Thankfully, I’ve gotten somewhat more comfortable with everything I’m juggling at work, so I’m pleased to share reading is back on track! And it’s a good job too, especially considering today’s reading and review obligation.

Content-wise, I’ve been quiet on YouTube this week as I didn’t get a chance to record last week. However, things are back to normal now!

Blog content went out as normal. My first post of the week went live on Thursday, and it was my review of the finale of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, The Lost Metal. I can only hope I’ve done the book justice. It’s a tough one to review. It’s a huge series that’s intimidating to review at the best of times. However, being the final instalment, the pressure was ON!

My First Lines Friday featured an upcoming read on my March TBR. I want to pick this up and read it towards the Tale Spinners reading prompt in the Goodreads Winter Challenge. Also, this book is on my fixed reading list for 2026, so win-win!

Then, Sunday morning my review of The Three Sisters went live. This blog tour obligation was a delight to read and I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts on this book! It’s for this reason my Sunday Summary is going live at a minute past midnight on Monday morning…

Books Read

Dear Debbie

After only touching on Dear Debbie briefly last week, I’m pleased to share I got much further with the audiobook this week. In fact, I finished it earlier today!

Over the course of the week, I’ve listened to around 5 hours of audio – an amazing improvement on the week before if not exactly groundbreaking. Not like it was hard… Dear Debbie is a really engaging listen and the twist at the end was something else. Not that I should have been surprised having read and loved the Housemaid series.

It makes a change for me to read such a new release. And, I’m looking forward to sharing what I think about it in more detail in the near future.

Throne of Glass

In last week’s Sunday Summary update, I shared that I’d only read a handful of pages of Throne of Glass. This is the only book on today’s Sunday Summary for which the update is similar. However, I plan to change that once this post is scheduled.

Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more chapters before bed. Regardless of whether I do or don’t, finishing Throne of Glass is now top of my list; it’s my only carryover from February left. If the books continues in the way it’s started, it’s also surprisingly easy to read. Let’s hope for some quick progress, because then I am back on track to move on to the sequel which I’ve scheduled to read in March.

Blues for an Alabama Sky

A relatively quick read I devoured in a couple of evenings is a play, Blues for an Alabama Sky. I’ve read plays before, but not for leisure. Rather, I’ve read them as part of my theatre studies at school. However, this week marked a first in picking up a play as a new format of book to read. It went down pretty well actually! At just over 100 pages, it wasn’t exactly a long read.

Even so, the book discusses a number of societal issues present in depression era New York within the short page count. That’s in part why I wanted to read it. Yes, the book worked for my book club prompt as the main protagonist is involved in a whirlwind romance of sorts. However, with these societal issues plaguing the characters, there was more to the story than the romance, if you know what I mean.

The book club meet was scheduled for Wednesday, so you can see why Throne of Glass was put on the back-burner.

The Three Witches

Even after I read Blues for an Alabama Sky for book club, Throne of Glass still didn’t stand a chance as the next priority was to read and review The Three Sisters by Sunday. With just a few days (and a Saturday night out with my girl friends planned) that didn’t leave a massive window of opportunity. It’s good job I thrive on a deadline!

With a relatively free Saturday afternoon, and a slightly late night after watching Guys and Dolls, I finished The Three Sisters in time to review the book yesterday (Sunday). I loved this historical novel and how it tried to stay as true to the history that inspired it. Not only that, but the narrative was determined to give back the lost voices of the women falsely accused of witchcraft and murdered by emphasising their place as normal women in society. Often, they were those that gave most to communities as healers, midwives and wise women.

I’ve already shared my detailed thoughts on the book, so here’s a link to my full review in case this has piqued your interest.

Books Discovered

I’ve added quite a few books to my TBR lately. I’ve read 13 books, but I’ve added an identical number to my reading list as well. So, I’ve not improved the size of the list any.

And, a recommendation this week for the The Freedom Writers Diary makes another addition. I haven’t purchased any copies yet. It may just be payday, but I’ll wait until nearer the time to find a copy, either at my library if possible or from somewhere else. This addition is a recommendation from a colleague, Nanda. She has either read this book before or watched the TV documentary – I can’t recall which. Either way, she was telling me about it and the way this teacher gave her all to give disadvantaged students a fighting chance when everyone else had given up on them.

Coming Up…

Blog

Staring early next week, my first post will be my monthly wrap-up for February. With seven books completed by the end of the month, and a carryover, there’s lots to discuss in terms of reading progress. If you want a recap of how I got in compared to my February TBR, stay tuned and I’ll take you through the deets on Tuesday.

On Thursday, I’ll give you the lowdown on my March TBR. I’ve already shared a lot of what I’m reading in my 2026 Goodreads Winter Challenge video on YouTube. However, there are a couple of changes to that list, as well as some other reading obligations I’ve signed up for on top of that. March is going to be no less restful, although thankfully I do have a week of work coming up. Hopefully I can squeeze a bit more reading into that week to make the ambitious TBR possible…

On Friday, I’ll share my usual Shelf Control feature. In this post, I’ll return to an author I discovered thanks to a blog tour. The previous book of theirs I read got a 5* rating from me. This more recent book is a spy/espionage style narrative, so a bit different from what I’ver read lately. Tune in on Friday to find out more!

YouTube

With some free time earlier today, I prepared and recorded my monthly wrap-up for February. So, whilst I’m posting a written version on my blog, if you prefer video/audio content, that will be going live on Tuesday evening on YouTube.

Then, later in the week I’ve also got my monthly TBR video. This one is recorded and edited; not really sure why I edited this one first, but there we go! It’s not a big deal, and thankfully it means drafting my written version of the post will be a lot easier as I’ve planned it out a little more in advance than I would usually.

Summary

This Sunday Summary has plenty for you regardless of your reading tastes. Have you read any of the books featured in this Sunday Summary?

Now, my remaining plans for the night are to get showered, read a little Throne of Glass and then retire. For the night. Sadly I can’t retire full stop and spend all my days reading…

Never mind, there’s a EuroMillions draw on Tuesday. Who knows, I may get lucky.

Right! 😂 I’m more likely to see the end of my TBR