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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Genre Freebie
I decided to go with “portal fantasy” for today’s genre freebie. Portal fantasy is when people from the “real world” suddenly find themselves transported into an alternate reality, a fantasy world, via some sort of portal like a book or a wardrobe. Some of these are well-known and loved, and others less so, but I realized I enjoy portal fantasy a lot. What other books have you read and loved that fall into the portal fantasy genre? Please share them with me!
Top Ten Portal Fantasy Books
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – The MC is sick and unwell in real life and finds herself transported into one of her favorite books as a villain. It was one of my favorite surprises; I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did but I’m obsessed and eagerly waiting the next one.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – This book probably doesn’t need an intro since I only read it because so many of you gushed about it! I’m so glad you did because I loved it and I kind of feel like rereading it now.
Oz: The Complete Collection by L. Frank Baum – Dorothy goes from the real world into Oz via hurricane. Not really the portal I would choose to go through if I had a choice, but I love the Oz stories and was surprised that Dorothy is only a small part of the whole collection!
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – This is one of my favorite books (and I loved the movies too!) but it’s been a while since I read it. I’m mixing up a lot of the book details with the movie details so it makes sense that I should just go ahead and reread it and rewatch the movies soon!
Fairy Tale by Stephen King – If King wrote it and it fits the prompt, it sits on the list! This is one of my favorite King books, but I love so many King books I don’t know if being my “favorite” King book carries weight anymore. This one is fantasy, not horror, has found family and a dog, and is just really good.
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn – I’ve been wanting to read more of Kate Quinn and this is on my TBR. It’s probably the most recently released book on the list and I’m very excited about it, because it’s about a hidden library where you can go inside your favorite books and visit those worlds!
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke – In the same vein, this one is also about being transported into a book world. Full disclosure, I’ve only watched the movie but I love the idea and I’ve been thinking that I should probably read the book.
Her Majesty’s Wizard by Christopher Stasheff – I loved this book as a child. It’s a series of 8 books but I’ve only read up to book 4 because I didn’t know there were more at the time! In the first book, the “wizard” is just a normal guy from the real world who gets transported into a world with a rhyming magical system, and he becomes a powerful wizard in that world just because he’s good with rhymes. I love it and I’m going to reread it all over again!
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher – I love Kingfisher and I loved this book. I found it so creepy but in a good way, and I jumped at shadows for a while, but it was worth it!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – I feel like this is another one that doesn’t need an intro because it’s probably one of the most popular portal fantasy and everyone knows about the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. However, I realized suddenly as I was writing this, that this is another one of those stories you think you know because it’s so popular, but I’ve only read the first book and not any of the others! I need to rectify this.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.
February 2026 Wrap Up
February went by too quickly! I completely reorganized my workspace this month and it took up a whole week and a half, which is basically almost half the month! I still have little bits and pieces to clean up but at least I can actually use the space now. It made a short month feel even shorter, but I did manage to read a lot of good books anyway.
My February 2026 TBR Intentions
Yeah, I didn’t do so well reading from my TBR in February because of the mental load of reorganizing, but I did end up reading a lot of good books and even got one single nonfiction in!
The Women Are Not Fine by Hope Reese
The Glass Château by Stephen P. Kiernan
The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD
This Is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, and The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth were just pure enjoyment for me this month. It was the storytelling – both books were different to each other, but it was just the way the stories were told. I felt completely immersed and felt all the feelings.
The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan also made a huge impact on me. It’s a reread, but it’s been a while and I’d forgotten everything except the impression it made on me the first time. It hit me harder this time around and I’ll probably talk about it more in a review soon.
And of course, Dare to Lead by Brené Brown makes the list because I love everything she puts out and this is no different. I finished the book in a single sitting, and I’ve restarted the book again because I want to savor it this time around.
March 2026 TBR Intentions
I’m keeping this month’s list short because the Sherlock Holmes collection is massive at 72 hours, or 1796 pages, and two of the other books on the list are nonfiction that require more attention.
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Glass Château by Stephen P. Kiernan
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD
This Is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
How was your month in February? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful March with lots of great books!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Quotes From/About Books
I don’t normally remember quotes, but I’ve been adding some favorite quotes that stand out to me every time I review a book so that I can at least keep a record and remember them when I come back to the reviews. The list below are some of my favorites from my most recent reads.
Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes from Recent Reads
“The library belongs to everyone. The library, Janet used to say, is one of only a few places in the world that one doesn’t need to believe anything or buy anything to come inside.” – The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
“There’s no bitch on earth like a mother frightened for her kids.” – Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
“We all make mistakes. It’s how we deal with our mistakes that really define our character.” – Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
“There is no happy ending, theres just. . . happily living. As best you can.” – The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
“At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to say I contributed more than I criticized.” – Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
“They ask something small of you. A thing you would prefer not to do, but is not so terrible. You think you are working your way up, but in fact they are changing you. Moulding you into what they think you should be, one compromise at a time.” – The Will of the Many by James Islington
“I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him.” – Emma by Jane Austen
“Nobody can take care of you the way you need to take care of yourself. It’s your job to take care of yourself like that.” – The Wedding People by Alison Espach
“Don’t cheat your friendships. Don’t ask them to mean less to you than they do, or think they only have value if they’re a stop on the way to a real relationship. All relationships are real. Friendship can be as deep as the ocean. It’s all a kind of love, and love isn’t any one kind of thing.” – Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
“There is a crazy-wild delight that comes over you when you discover something new, something extraordinary. If you try to share that and people look at you blankly, it’s crushing. But if there’s someone else there to say really?! and take fire with enthusiasm alongside you – well, that will keep you going for a long time.” – Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
What are some of your favorite bookish quotes? Why do they resonate for you?
Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes #2) by Travis Baldree
Return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller, Fern.
Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!
If only things were so simple…
It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.
A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.
As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.
“”We goes when is time to be somewhere else,” said Zyll.”
“I could wish you hadn’t seen the worst of me, but I’m glad you looked past it until you saw the back of me.”
“Always remember, although the unimaginative see life as a thread stretched from one point to another, birth to death, a life truly lived is a glorious tangle. One is never lost. And if one is lucky, one is never found, either.”
The Narrator(s)
The author himself. I enjoy his narration in general but I had trouble understanding many of the made-up words and names, a common problem with fantasy stories, so I ended up switching to a physical copy of the book.
My Thoughts
Full disclosure, I didn’t like this book as much as the first two. The author mentions in the acknowledgement that he worried people might not enjoy this book as much because it was not as cozy and was higher conflict than the first two books, but that he didn’t want to write the same book over and over, and frankly I respect that. This wasn’t the issue for me.
My issue was that I didn’t like Fern very much here because she was so wishy-washy and uncertain about everything, and yet constantly complaining and imposing her opinions on others. On the one hand, I recognize that I don’t like seeing these traits in her because I really didn’t like seeing these traits in myself, so I get that I have work to do for myself. But it was just really annoying to be shown a mirror.
I did enjoy the rest of the book, and I love Zyll’s character so much! As mentioned, the author said he didn’t want to write the same book over and over, and that actually makes me look forward to more books in this series because I’d love to see how these characters and their stories change and evolve as we go!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.
But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?
A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.
I borrowed a bunch of Hepworth’s books after loving the last one I read; The Good Sister.
The Quotes
“Even after all these years, yearning for the love and attention of someone who couldn’t give it to her was much more comfortable than actually receiving it.”
“Some people are so busy chasing perfection they don’t appreciate the wonders right in front of them”
“When cruelty becomes familiar in your tender, adolescent years, of course you start to become comfortable with it. You believe you deserve it. But you don’t.”
“When it came to vengeance, Miss Fairchild preferred to play the long game.”
The Narrator(s)
Jessica Clarke. I enjoyed her narration more than Barrie Kreinik’s for The Good Sister.
My Thoughts
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The Good Sister but I thought it was pretty good too. I’m discovering that I often find the author’s stories predictable but I still really like their storytelling style and I’m happy to read more. It’s the psychological horror that gets me; the author writes those emotional scenes so well and I find myself feeling all the feelings. This book features motherhood, foster children, and the complicated issues that come with that. I loved the story overall, but I have to say that I found the last chapter unnecessary and unrealistic. It was a twist for shock factor but it doesn’t make sense to the story, in my opinion, and it not only weakens the shock factor but the whole psychological horror aspect. It was a great story up to that point.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
From master storyteller Stephen King comes an extraordinary new novel with intertwining storylines—one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission, and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker—featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.
When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.
Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.
Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.
Thrilling, wildly fun, and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King’s richest and most propulsive novels.
I’m reading all of King’s books and Holly Gibney is one of my favorite characters.
The Quotes
“He’s dangerous because he thinks he’s sane.” She pauses. “To belabor something else that’s obvious, he’s not.”
“The bastards don’t get to win.”
“It’s not courage she lacks, it’s the fundamental self-worth necessary to call someone out on their hurtful behavior.”
“…because deeply religious people in every sect or faith can always find justification for what they want to do in one holy book or another.”
The Narrator(s)
Jessie Mueller, with an afterword read by Stephen King. Seriously, Mueller is damn good, but even more so, she can sing! There are parts in the book where music and performance comes in, and Mueller delivers so well I am in awe.
My Thoughts
I know many King fans are lukewarm about Holly but I love her and can’t get enough of her. This book’s story isn’t the best compared to the previous Holly stories, but I still love it because of Holly and her friends. I’m glad to see Jerome, Barbara, and Izzy again, and I love seeing how they have all grown in so many different ways. I also fell in love with Corrie as a character and I’m hoping we’ll see her again in future books. There was some mention of the possibility of Izzy joining Holly as a PI, and honestly, I’m so excited about the prospect of that as well as seeing more of Corrie in future books. I don’t care what others say, this book made me want more Holly books!
The story itself is good, but it’s tough to compare King’s books because he’s got so many amazing books. I think my biggest complaint is that there weren’t enough supernatural elements here although I wonder if that’s the point. I’ve always loved that while King writes about supernatural monsters, he also often makes a point that some of the worst monsters are the real life ones. To be fair though, despite not having enough supernatural elements, I did enjoy the book very much. I had about three hours left of the book just before bed and it got so thrilling I couldn’t sleep and ended up staying up to finish it, so I’d call that a win.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books for Armchair Travelers (Submitted by Laurie C @ Bay State Reader’s Advisory)
I’ve traveled a bit when I was younger, mostly around the Asia and Australasia area, but it’s been a while since I traveled and there are still so many places in the world I’d love to see. In full honesty, I prefer to travel in comfort and would probably be too afraid, and frankly not in any shape, to do some of the extreme adventure traveling depicted in these books, so except for the food/travel books, I’m happy to experience them all through the pages of the books and leave them at that!
What about you? Have you traveled a lot? Do you prefer traveling in comfort or do you enjoy extreme adventures?
Top Ten Books for Armchair Travelers
A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain – My favorite part of traveling has always been about trying new foods. I also love Anthony Bourdain and there’s nothing I would love more than to get to know the world and different foods through his perspective!
Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop – In the same vein, I love Sichuan food and I’ve heard that Fuchsia Dunlop is the go-to person to learn more about the Sichuan food and culture.
The Wager by David Grann – Once upon a time I wanted to be a marine biologist, but that never happened because I have a very big, healthy fear of the sea. I can’t get rid of my fascination for it though, so I’m always drawn to stories of sea adventures and braver adventurers than me.
Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi – The fact that she was 18 years old, and sailed the world alone for two years(!) makes me want to read her story and live vicariously through her. I have so much respect for people who can do this but I would never!
Ice Ghosts by Paul Watson – I read The Terror by Dan Simmons last year and loved it but it was a fictional account of the Franklin Expedition and I have so many questions! Then I saw this book on Aj @ Read All The Things! listed as one of their best books of 2025 and I knew I had to read it!
The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford – My friend saw me reading The Terror last year and recommended this book to me. It’s not related to the Franklin Expedition, but it is about brave explorers doing incredible things.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson – After all the harrowing adventure stories, I think this one might be a little more my speed. I love the idea of walking through the woods, but honestly, the Appalachian Trial sounds challenging to me and the most I’m probably going to do is walk on my treadmill while reading this book!
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner – I love the idea; the author travels the world looking for the happiest places and asking questions about what makes people happy.
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux – Traveling through Asia by train sounds like something I could possibly do, but I’m thinking it’s a good idea for me to read about it before doing it in real life! Although things have probably changed since the book was written in 1975.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed – Another hiking story that I’ll read without taking a step out of the comfort of my own home! I haven’t read this book but I know it was hyped up and very popular at one point. I’m curious and have had it on my TBR for a while.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.
There’s only been one time that Rose couldn’t stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be…dangerous.
When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.
Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.
I have enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s books in the past and this one sounded good.
The Quotes
“The library belongs to everyone. The library, Janet used to say, is one of only a few places in the world that one doesn’t need to believe anything or buy anything to come inside.”
“I’d always found there was something agreeable about people who liked dogs and something untrustworthy about those who didn’t.”
“If it were up to me, every child would have a year in the library before they went to school.”
“Sisterly relationships are so strange in this way. The way I can be mad at Rose but still want to please her. Be terrified of her and also want to run to her. Hate her and love her, both at the same time. Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”
The Narrator(s)
Barrie Kreinik. She was overall good, but there were times when her voices for each character was inconsistent and I wasn’t sure who was talking.
My Thoughts
This is one of the best mystery thrillers I’ve read in a while. I was so incredibly invested in the story and it really felt like I had my heart in my throat for most of the second half of the book. The first half was also very interesting because Fern’s POV read like a wholesome romance, while Rose’s POV was so sad and difficult to read at times.
I did figure out early on what was happening, but it didn’t ruin the story for me because the journey from beginning to the end was just so good. These are some of the most interesting characters I’ve come across and I especially love Wally/Rocco’s character. To be clear, some of these characters aren’t necessarily good people and I do question some of their actions, but they are so interesting to read about and get to know as we move through the book.
It’s early in the year and I already feel like this may be one of my favorite books this year. I would be very happy to be proven wrong because that only means that I’ll have many more great books to look forward to, but this one was just incredible.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and phenomenon in Japan—unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms— a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house’s warped and unsettling floor plans.
When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.
What is the true purpose behind the house’s disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses, mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all.
I was very intrigued by the idea and I think Japanese horror is in a league of its own.
My Thoughts
I borrowed the physical copy from the library after a long hold and there were many others waiting for the book after me, so I felt pressured to finish it quickly. I needn’t have worried though because from the moment I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down and I finished it in one sitting.
Personally, I felt like the mystery itself involved a lot of guesswork and theories by the writer and his friend that is unrelated to actual evidence, but the horror it unleashed is unparalleled and the journey getting there was chilling. I loved that the floorplans and diagrams were displayed so clearly, and I enjoyed how the story panned out in the end. There’s just something about Japanese-style horror that is otherworldly and gets me in the worst/best way.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Love/Valentine’s Freebie
I decided to feature some of my favorite authors for romance for this week’s topic. These are authors with more than a few books I’ve read and loved, and who I’m still interested in reading. I love some more than others, and they all have different writing styles, but I get a lot of joy out of reading them! Do you have any go-to romance authors? Please share your recommendations, I’m always looking for more!
Ten Of My Go-To Romance Authors
Taylor Jenkins Reid – She doesn’t write the typical Happy Ever After romances, but her books do often revolve around BIG LOVE and always give me a ton of feels. Her stories live rent free in my heart!
Mhairi McFarlane – Also not your typical romance writer, but her books are so valuable to me and give so much insight into the topic of love and human nature.
Beth O’Leary – I loved some of her books more than others, but even the not-so-good ones are good for light entertainment and for that reason I continue to read them.
Jennifer E. Smith – She writes young adult romance, but I started reading them years ago so her books are kind of “grandfathered” into my reading lists whenever I need a nostalgic pick-me-up.
Ashley Poston – She’s a new favorite! I’ve read two books and loved them, and I’ve already borrowed more from the library! I especially love the magical realism element to her stories, and the vibes!
Emily Henry – I also love some of her books more than others, but all of them always feel like safe go-tos for comfort reads, and so I keep going back to them.
Kasie West – Another author “grandfathered” in from my younger days. I still love her books and I think they’re relevant and lovely regardless of audience age.
Katherine Center – She might be one of the most consistently good romance writers with consistently good stories. Her books have such a wonderful balance of light-heartedness and profundity that I think is not appreciated nearly enough.
Christina Lauren – Their books are delightful snacks for me. They don’t keep me full for long, but sometimes all you want is a snack to satisfy a craving, and their books fill that role for me.
Tessa Dare – I love historical romance but haven’t read many recently because I don’t like some of the outdated ideas that come with them. I get it, it’s true to the time, but still. Tessa Dare manages to write wonderful historical romance that feature feminist ideas and I love them!
Have you read any of these authors? What did you think of them? Would you read any of their books?
