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When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.
I loved the movie! I didn’t know there were books but came across them as I was browsing my library’s catalog and just had to read them!
The Quotes
“The island was teeming with life. And now it had a new kind of life. A strange kind of life. Artificial life.”
“If you stand in a forest long enough, eventually something will fall on you.”
“I’ll tell you what: If I could do it all over again, I’d spend more time helping others. All I’ve ever done is dig tunnels. Some of them were real beauties too, but they’re all hidden underground, where they’re no good to anyone but me.”
“As the robot looked out at the island, it never even occurred to her that she might not belong there. As far as Roz knew, she was home.”
The Narrator(s)
Kate Atwater for the first book, Kathleen McInerney for the second and third book.
My Thoughts
I love that the movie stayed pretty true to the first book. There are some differences, of course, but I feel like the important points were covered. The stories for the second and third books aren’t told in the movie but I’m hoping there will be more movies, maybe! I personally loved the first book most; the other books had good stories to tell too but I wasn’t as invested and I think I didn’t feel the urgency as much. Still a wonderful series and I enjoyed it very much!
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 Genre freebie
I’m going with Stephen King Books that are Not Horror. I’m currently doing a Stephen King Reading Challenge, and although I’ve read several of his books, his catalog is so extensive that I’m not even halfway done yet. I don’t think I’m even a quarter-way done! He also has a lot of books that aren’t explicitly horror, even though he’s most recognized as a horror writer. Below is a list of books he’s written that I wouldn’t categorize as horror.
I haven’t read all of these, but have watched some of the film adaptations so I’m vaguely familiar with the stories, and I’m quite confident they’re mostly non-horror. If you’ve read them and don’t agree, please let me know! If you’re familiar with his works and can name more that aren’t horror, please do!
Top Ten Stephen King Books That Are Not Horror
11/22/63 – One of his best works; I have read this book twice, watched the tv series, loved both and I could probably reread it over and over again! I would categorize this as time-travel historical fiction.
The Green Mile – I’ve read the book and watched the movie, and it’s just heartbreaking drama. If there’s any horror, it’s the horror of human monsters. I cried so much for both the book and movie.
Billy Summers – I’ve only read this once a while ago so I don’t remember a lot, but I remember loving it. It reads more like a crime thriller.
Under the Dome – I read this and watched the tv series a long time ago and don’t remember much either. I mean, the dome phenomena is probably supernatural, but the monsters are only of the human kind.
On Writing – The most obvious non-horror, since it’s his non-fiction memoir. I’ve read this a couple of times and it’s always amazing listening to him talk about writing. It’s so inspiring and it makes me want to be his bff!
Fairy Tale – One of my favorite SK books; it’s like the title says, it’s more like a fairy tale than any horror story. I am enchanted by the book from the first page.
Dolores Claiborne – I watched the movie but haven’t read the book. It’s another one I would categorize as a drama. Kathy Bates acts as the titular character, and she’s amazing as usual. I’m excited to read it eventually.
Joyland – More like a coming-of-age story. SK is really good at those, and I enjoyed this one.
The Body – Also a coming-of-age story, perhaps better known by its movie’s name, Stand By Me. I think most people are familiar with the movie and know that there’s not much horror to it. I haven’t read the book. Hopefully soon.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – A survival story, not horror unless it’s adventure horror? It stays pretty true to real life and there isn’t very many paranormal elements to it except for hallucinations that can be explained in extreme survival conditions. At least, as far as I remember.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Happy August!
I did very well last week on my fitness! I ran 5k on the treadmill three times last week after months of not running at all. It might just be that I’m feeling a little more motivated coming back to it after so long, but I fully intend on keeping it up as consistently as possible in the next few months. Fingers crossed!
I also did some more back-to-school prep; setting up my student ID, shopping for backpacks (I haven’t found one but I’m doing the research!), academic calendars, stationery, and other miscellanous things. I’m excited about going back to school and I’m making a bigger deal out of it than necessary! One more month to go and I’m counting down the days!
On my watchlist: We watched Deep Cover and it was one of the funnest, most hilarious shows I’ve watched in a while. Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed are three actors I’ve enjoyed, and they have such great chemistry together here. It gave me so much pleasure to watch them and I highly recommend the movie if you want a good laugh.
We also watched Untamed with Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Lily Santiago, and others, and it was really good too. I didn’t like Eric Bana’s character very much, in fact there were a lot of characters whose morals were questionable, but I did love Lily Santiago’s character, and the storytelling really pulled me in.
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Finished for the nth time and I’m happily surprised that I still love it as much as ever. This is the 4th time I’m reading it in 4 years and I was afraid I might get tired of it, but I didn’t! I’m not going to push it though, I think I’m going to leave it for a couple of years before I reread again.
Revival by Stephen King – This is objectively a good story but I didn’t connect with it as much as I hoped. I’m not sure if it’s because it was overhyped and I went in with overly high expectations, or if I maybe rushed through the book too quickly. To be fair, I do tend to rush through my first time reading exciting books and there are several SK books that I loved more in the rereading.
The Crêpes of Wrath by Sarah Fox – I read it for the punny title and I do enjoy cozy mysteries. This one was okay, I enjoyed it well enough, but I don’t think I’ll be reading the rest of the series.
Books I’m reading:
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin – I just started it. It’s been on my TBR so long, I’m glad to finally be reading this!
Last Week on The Blog
I spent some time doing admin on the blog! I’ve been leaving the “challenges” section of my book reviews blank because I hadn’t been deliberate about reading books for the challenges, but I finally took a look at them and have updated The 52 Book Club’s 2025 Reading Challenge with books that fit! I’m not done with the updates and the challenges aren’t finished, but I’m glad to see I’m not as far behind as I thought!
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction 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.
July 2025 Wrap Up
July went by in a whirlwind. I feel like I got a lot of things done, but I also feel like there’s still so much to do! And of course, my coping mechanism is reading for escapism, so the good news is that I got a lot of reading done this month. The bad news is that now I’ve got even more book reviews to catch up on, in addition to the ones I’m already behind on! 😅
My July 2025 TBR Intentions
I made my July TBR list based off a friendly team reading competition in my online bookclub for thick books, plus also books that had July deadlines. My team didn’t win unfortunately, but we had lots of fun! I also actually did pick up The Brothers Karamazov but in the last minute realized that my copy was the abridged version and it was too late to put a hold for the unabridged one. I wouldn’t have gotten it in time so I just let it go.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino
If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Revival by Stephen King
Notable Books This Month
Purple Hibiscus, and Atmosphere were the standouts for me this month. They both packed an emotional punch and made me feel all the feelings! I love books that make me feel, and these two did that the most for me. However, I cannot exclude The Count of Monte Cristo because it is one of my all-time favorite books that make me feel but it’s a reread and I’ve talked about it a lot already so I thought I’d let other books have a chance.
Also, I cannot not mention Sunrise on the Reaping, but I thought it’s a series and people who loved The Hunger Games don’t need convincing, and people who don’t love THG probably wouldn’t care for another book in the series. But I have to mention it because I need the world to know I personally loved it too!
August 2025 TBR Intentions
Every book on this list are books I have to read for August BOTMs or buddy reads with August deadlines. The Hunger Games series are rereads but I’m in the mood because I want to revisit after reading Sunrise on the Reaping. I’m probably going to end up reading other books based off my mood as well, but these are the priorities.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
How was your month in July? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful August with lots of great books!
Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt.
When Chase Beckett, the unsuspecting stranger who has more in common with Maggie than he’d like to admit, texts back, Maggie is beyond mortified. But message after message and night after night, Maggie realizes that Chase’s wit, charm, and advice are exactly what the doctor ordered. Is it enough, though, to get her back up in the sky? And what about her heart? Can she risk taking a leap of faith for the man on the other end of her accidental texts?
I was desperately needing a fun romance and this was available on Audible Plus.
The Quotes
“She used to tell me that it was my job to make myself happy. No one else can do that.”
“Life is short, this I do know. You have to find happiness where you can. That’s all we really have in the end.”
“My mom would sometimes tell us, when we were having a hard time with something, to look outside ourselves for answers. I never quite got what she meant until right now. Being there for someone else … well, it sort of feels like a balm on my soul.”
The Narrator(s)
Holly Warren. I enjoyed it very much!
My Thoughts
This was a quick, fun, read. I love the whole meet-cute story, and I love the chemistry between the two MCs. I love reading romance but it’s not always easy finding good ones that aren’t overly cheesy and/or unrealistic. To be clear, realism isn’t a priority for me when it comes to romance, but I still need things to make sense to an extent. I especially need the characters’ behaviors and motivations to make sense to me, so insta-love is often hard for me to swallow. I love that Maggie and Chase connected as friends and took time to get to know each other here. It was just a cute story that hit the spot for me.
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?
A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austen’s “Gothic parody.” Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist.
The story’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry’s mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.
Executed with high-spirited gusto, Northanger Abbey is a lighthearted, yet unsentimental commentary on love and marriage.
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
“A woman, especially if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.”
“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”
My Thoughts
I’m not a big Jane Austen reader, I’ve only read Pride and Prejudice and now this book, but I’ve enjoyed both and very interested in reading more of her books. I think she writes very interesting characters, and her books have the best quotes! I had such a hard time limiting the quotes because there were so many that resonated with me!
The characters are the best thing about this book for me; I was completely appalled by the behavior of several of the characters here, I can’t believe how rude they were especially for the era, but on the other hand, I love Catherine, the MC of the book. I really admired how she handled herself in the face of other people’s bad behavior towards her, and considering how young she was, the poise with which she handled it. I don’t think I had the same fortitude when I was her age. Heck, I don’t think I have the same fortitude now!
To be honest, I’ve never felt the need to read more of Austen’s works after Pride and Prejudice because that was the most popular one and I thought it was enough, but I really enjoyed reading Northanger Abbey and now I’m compelled to read more of Austen’s other works!
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 Beach/Beachy Reads
Going with a topic I missed again today with the Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025. A couple of them have already been released since I’m late with the topic, but I’m excited about them and definitely still anticipating when I can read them!
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe – 15th July. I have enjoyed a few of Tess Sharpe’s books and I’m so excited about this one. I love how she writes her female protagonists and I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one too.
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst – 15th July. I only just finished reading The Spellshop recently but I loved it and I love that there’s another one! Telling us more about Caz’s mom, no less, and what comes after!
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher – 19th August. I am aware that I haven’t even finished Kingfisher’s other works yet, but this one sounds so good too! I love fairytale retellings, I can’t help it!
The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin – 26th August. Fine, I’ll admit it! I haven’t finished Martin’s other books either, but I’m still really happy to know that there’s going to be more waiting on me.
We Met Like This by Kasie West – 16th September. I read a lot of Kasie West’s books when I was younger and I have maybe aged out of the genre, but I still love her books because it’s the comfort of reading a familiar author whose works make me happy.
Thief of Night by Holly Black – 23rd September. It’s about time the sequel to Book of Night was released! I loved the first book and I’ve been waiting for more!
Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane – 7th October. Another author whose earlier works I haven’t finished, but you can never have too much of a good thing!
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree – 11th November. Yayy, more books in the Legends & Lattes universe! You know I’m totally here for it!
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth – 30th September. I’ve read a couple of Sally Hepworth’s books and they are just the kind of mystery/thrillers I enjoy. Some are better than others, but I’m excited about this new one!
The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer – 4th November. The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series and I’m excited to read something else by the author. This one is about a witch who sees ghosts, totally right up my alley! I’m so excited!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Some of My Favorite People
I managed to get some things done this past week that I had been putting off, including buying new pillows and a duvet to replace some really old ones that sorely needed replacing. They were probably the reason I didn’t sleep so well the week before because I slept just fine with the new bedding.
My cousin also came to visit from Vancouver with her family. It has been years since we saw each other but she’s one of my favorite people in the world and I love her to death! I love her family too, they are such a sweet family and so great to be around. We had a great time catching up and I really hope I get to see them again soon, and more often!
I also had my in-person bookclub meeting this weekend, so I got to see more of my favorite people! We don’t see each other often outside of our monthly meetings, but they are amazing people and I always love seeing them! Our BOTM is If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino, which was one of our member’s favorite books that they recommended, and we had an interesting discussion about it. I plan to write a review soon (once I catch up on the other reviews I gotta write!) but if you’ve read it, I’d be curious for your thoughts!
On my watchlist: We finished watching Building the Band on Netflix and I won’t say anything else because of spoilers, but I still love the bands I talked about last week and I truly believe they’re all going to do well as artists!
We also watched The Gorge, which was so fun and thrilling at the same time. I was so delighted with it and kept saying how it has everything; romance, horror, mystery, fantasy, scifi! I particularly loved their meet-cute “Covid-romance” story, because of the whole long-distance thing.
Lone and I are also huge fans of Adam Sandler’s works and we’re always happy when a new movie drops. I know a lot of people think that Adam Sandler’s movies are low effort and formulaic, but that’s exactly what we’re looking for sometimes when we seek out his movies. Something funny, entertaining, and low-stress, with a feel-good ending. His movies are like comfort shows for me, and I got all of that with Happy Gilmore 2! I also love that he invites his friends to act with him, and I loved that there were so many people doing cameos in this one!
The Books
Books I read last week:
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost – Jost narrates the audiobook himself and I really like how personable he is. It’s also really interesting to find out more about his background and family.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center – This one was just what I needed for a fun, lighthearted romance that I didn’t get from the last one I read! I loved it!
If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino – I listened to this for the first time on audio and apparently it was the wrong move because I got so confused! I did enjoy my bookclub’s discussion about it though!
Books I’m reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Reading this for the nth time and still loving it as much as ever! I’m about 60% in now. At this point, it’s just another comfort read, which is funny to think about because of how intense it is, but it’s just how I feel about it!
Last Week on The Blog
I meant to catch up on my book reviews but I only managed one post.
I just got a couple of my holds from the library; Stephen King’s Revival, and Madeline Martin’s The Keeper of Hidden Books! I’m excited for both of these! I still have to finish The Count of Monte Cristo but I’m looking forward to these two as well.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
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 Set in/Take Place During X
I’m choosing books set in the dream realm for today’s topic. The distinction for me with “dream realm” is that they are not portals to an alternate world, but rather a place where you can only go with your mind, ie. your body does not follow.
Having said that, I haven’t read some of the books below (and some I read a while ago and might have forgotten details) so I can’t be 100% sure if they fit the criteria. I’ve added them here based on their book descriptions, what others have said about them, and other non-spoilery info. If you’ve read them and you think I’m wrong, feel free to let me know!
Top Ten Books Set in the Dream Realm
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick – This series has one of the best world-building and magical lore. Most of it relates to card divination but it also includes navigating the spiritual realm. It needs a reread!
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo – This is one of my favorite books that I’ve talked a lot about. A big part of the story has the FMC’s body sick and unconscious and her spirit spending a lot of time in the underworld.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – A recent favorite, but interesting enough, it also has the FMC sick and I’m assuming in a coma, while her consciousness is in another world.
Super Powered by Drew Hayes – This is a series featuring super powered young adults. One of them has the ability to go into people’s dreams and influence them that way. I loved the series, it was so much fun!
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King – The sequel to The Shining, it follows a now-adult Dan. Dan and another one of the MCs, Abra, communicate through dreams. One of my favorites from the King.
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin – I have heard much about this book but haven’t read it. It’s a scifi story where the MC’s dreams can affect reality. Definitely adding to my TBR.
Dreamfall by Amy Plum – This is a thriller/horror where the MCs participate in some kind of sleep study and end up stuck in the dream together. It sounds so good!
Dreamology by Lucy Keating – This is a romance where the two MCs dream about each other all the time, but one day they meet and realize the other person is real! I’m intrigued!
Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente – I’ve only read one book by the author but loved it. This one is about a world that you can only access through dreams, but you have to sleep with someone who’s already been there.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – Dreams choose the dreamer in this book. I had this on my TBR but forgot all about it. Now it’s back on my radar!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Unsleeping Grumpy
I haven’t been getting enough sleep this last week, and that means I’m not a Sleeping Beauty, but rather, an Unsleeping Grumpy. It’s no fun. I have been so irritable lately even though it’s been an objectively good week.
Ironically, I bought some new pillows and a duvet last week because the old ones were wearing out, and the cats have also started sleeping with us at night more regularly, which have given me a such a lovely sense of peace and coziness; so I should be sleeping better, but I’m not… Hmm…okay, maybe I should clarify. I have actually been sleeping better in terms of quality, but I haven’t been getting enough sleep in terms of quantity. And since we’re being honest, I have to admit it’s my own fault because I’ve been staying up late reading.
And therein lies the truth; I did it to myself. 😭
It’s hard to regret choosing reading over sleeping, but I’m not as young as I used to be and lack of sleep affects me a lot more than it used to. I have to be a responsible adult now. Ah, well.
On my watchlist: I have been watching Building the Band on Netflix and I am so hooked! I’m loving SZN4 and Soulidified and I can’t get enough of them! I think no matter who wins, these two bands are going to do well post-show. 3Quency is really good too, but I don’t like them as much as the first two bands.
There’s also some drama with a couple of the other teams that are annoying to watch, but part of the draw of reality tv, I guess. I’m just impatiently waiting for the next episodes to be released this week, and then after the show, I want all the deets on what the bands have been doing since then! As I said, I’m pretty sure at least a couple of these bands are going to keep going strong no matter who wins the show, and I’m excited to see it!
The Books
Books I read last week:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – It’s been on my TBR for ever and I finally finished it. I ended up getting quite sick of the characters, but I love how Tolstoy kept me interested in their drama. I just couldn’t stop reading!
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This book played with my emotions like a cat plays with its prey. It gave 100% emotional damage and I was ugly crying at the end.
Books I’m reading:
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost – Listening to this on audio right now. I’m about 35% in. I love him on SNL and Pop Culture Jeopardy!
The Love Haters by Katherine Center – I’m about 40% into this and really enjoying it! It’s funny and lighthearted and I’m loving the interactions between the two MCs.
Last Week on The Blog
So many posts the week before and only this one last week.
I want to finish up the two books I’m currently reading, and I also have If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino on the to-read list. I have to finish it before the week it out because our bookclub is meeting this weekend!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
