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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.
Low Battery
I was not as productive last week as the week before, I must have used up all my superhuman capabilities the week before. I did get in a couple of runs, and one of them was even for 8km! Which is probably what exhausted me for the rest of the week. I also didn’t get very much sleep these last couple of days, so the energy is low.
I continued with decluttering and organizing my workspace but I didn’t get as much done as I wanted and I am now seeing just how much clutter I’ve accumulated. I have a hard time throwing stuff out because I always feel like I might need them someday, but I have to learn to do this if I don’t want to be featured in one of those hoarders documentaries one day. Universe, give me strength!
On my watchlist: We just finished watching All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix and it’s really good. I haven’t read the book yet, so I don’t know how it compares, but I love the casting with Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo, and the other actors were amazing too! I can see why the book is popular if the movie is already affecting me like this. I do have the physical book on my shelf and it’s been staring accusingly at me for a while now, so maybe I should read it soon!
I also forced my husband to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters with me! I don’t care that it’s girly and cheesy and cute, it’s also really good! The music is so catchy! I’ve been hearing “Golden” all over social media and had no idea that it came from this show, but once I realized, I was like, I must watch the show! And maybe my husband and I are not its target audience, but I loved it! My husband maybe liked it. But I loved it!
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin – It’s been on my TBR for a while so I’m glad I finally read it! Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as the author’s other books, but it was still really good.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins – Once I started the first book, it was hard to stop, so I just breezed through them all. It still never fails to get me in the feels. There were so many incredible scenes in the books that just hit me and I cry like a baby.
Books I’m reading:
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang – From the author of The Sword of Kaigen, which I haven’t read but have heard a lot about! I’ve only just started but I’m sure I’ll want to read The Sword of Kaigen after.
I’m feeling a little rebellious this week and don’t feel like reading my “assigned” books (that I listed for my August TBR). We’ll see where my mood takes me this week!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
I loved Madeline Martin’s other books and also books about books. I also somehow gravitate towards books about WW2 and this has been on my TBR for a while.
The Quotes
“Good books were like amazing sunsets or awe-inspiring landscapes, better enjoyed with someone else. There was no greater experience in the world than sharing the love of a book, discussing its finer points, and reliving the story all over again.”
“It whispered to her in the silence, a promise only a book can make to a reader, to offer a journey unique to them, tailored”
“There was power in literature. Brilliant and undeniable. Books inspired free thought and empathy, an overall understanding and acceptance of everyone.”
“We cannot let the atrocities and persecution of the Jews slip between the cracks of history. We cannot allow education to be stifled or cultures to be erased or books to be banned. Nor can we let the memory of those brave men and women who fought for freedom and what is right disappear in the turning pages of time.”
The Narrator(s)
Saskia Maarleveld. I have listened to another book narrated by her and didn’t have a problem with it, but I feel like possibly because of the writing in this book, there was a strong inclination towards susurration that made it difficult for me to hear the story very well. It wasn’t bad during dialogue, it bothered me mostly in the narrative parts.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed the story, and I love how books and stories play such a big part in keeping spirits up during times of war. I love that Zofia and Janina were part of an anti-Hitler book club, and the way they connected with others through the book club and book discussions. I’ve read many books set in WW2 throughout my life, but they’ve been hitting a lot harder in recent times, and I believe more than ever that reading is one of the most important things for developing empathy.
Martin is very good at writing about friendships and connections, and I love the bond between Zofia and Janina. I love how they looked out for each other and found ways to keep in contact even when it was dangerous for them. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Martin’s other books, but it’s more so because I didn’t enjoy the audiobook experience. Hopefully, if I reread this in the future, I may change my mind when I read it on print or in some other form.
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?
It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she’s catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don’t get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie’s worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick’s afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life featured this book in her Top Ten Tuesday Beachy Reads post a couple of weeks ago and I was intrigued! I’ve been craving more romance and I love haunted house stories. Thanks for the rec, Erin!
The Narrator(s)
Jeannie Sheneman. Wonderful narration, I was fully immersed.
My Thoughts
It was so much fun! I finished it within 24 hours because it was just so easy to read and I couldn’t put it down. The romance itself is sweet, maybe a little cheesy, but honestly, the ghost story was so good! Most of the time when I read romances with side ghost stories, I don’t expect a good story because I see it only as a plot point, but in this case, I got really invested in the ghost story.
I love that it’s also a found family story, and finding a place of belonging among people who care about you and accept you for you. It scratches a lot of itches for me, and I love it more than I expected I would. It makes me so happy to see that there’s going to be another book in the series featuring a secondary character in this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on that when it comes out!
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?
Against the wishes of his mother, sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as The Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour without ever stopping… with the winner being awarded “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But, as part of this national tournament that sweeps through a dystopian America year after year, there are some harsh rules that Garraty and ninety-nine others must adhere to in order to beat out the rest. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—permanently…
“They’re animals, all right. But why are you so goddam sure that makes us human beings?”
“Any game looks straight if everyone is being cheated at once.”
“Crowd was to be pleased. Crowd was to be worshipped and feared. Ultimately, Crowd was to be made sacrifice unto.”
“They walked on, somehow in step, although all three of them were bent forever in different shapes by the pains that pulled them.”
The Narrator(s)
Kirby Heyborne. Not a big deal but there were some parts where I felt his inflection didn’t fit the part. Otherwise, it was good listening.
My Thoughts
Stephen King’s psychological horror is always so chilling to me. I’ve read this book before but had forgotten much of it and recently I’d been wanting to read it again because the movie was coming out later this year. I’d been wondering how this could be a full length book when all they do is walk and nothing else happens.
Well, never underestimate the power of King’s storytelling. There are backstories, conversations, philosophizing… in addition to the things happening directly to the plotline. It turns out reading about their walk itself is incredibly fascinating, sometimes horrifying. King is so good at describing the feel of the ground, the movement of their feet, the landscape they walk across, and so much more. But still, the best parts are the psychological thought processes as they walk.
There’s a challenge among some fans of the book where they walk while listening to the audiobook according to the rules of the story. They walk for the whole time they’re listening to the book, and they’re not supposed to go slower than the walkers in the book. It sounds “fun” and immersive, and maybe one day, when I’m a lot fitter, I’ll do it.
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 Guaranteed to Put an End to Your Book Slump
I was having a hard time with this week’s topic because I feel like it’s so subjective depending on each person’s taste in books, so I decided to go with the alphabetical prompts and my next one was Books Beginning with D. While putting the list together, I realized that almost all of these are books that would get me out of a slump, so for what it’s worth, if your reading tastes are anything like mine, this might be a two-fer for both topics!
Top Ten Books Beginning with D
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – If you like high fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons, or role-playing games, you probably already know about the Dragonlance books. I’ve been trying to reread this series for a while and need to make time for them!
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – One of the most well-known TJR books. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio because of the full-cast production.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – I’ve read the first two books and I am hooked! I’m trying to get my hands on the rest of the books. It’s LitRPG with the funnest characters and storylines.
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning – One of my favorite low fantasy series, I read up to Book 9 and still can’t get enough. It’s so well-written with characters I love and it’s so easy to get completely invested in the world.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – A short and sweet classic. Also full of nostalgia for me, so it’s guaranteed to get me out of any reading slump.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – A sci-fi thriller that pulls you in from the first page. It’s an incredible read and gives you lots to think about, but even better, a lot of feelings to feel.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black – I love a lot of Holly Black’s books, and this one is about the fae and changelings. I love how you get something really unexpected with this book.
Daughters of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor – The lore and world-building in this series is amazing. It’s been a while since I read it so I feel like I need a reread, but I remember the impression it made on me, and I remember feeling awed by it all.
Duma Key by Stephen King – Another one I don’t remember but I rated it 5 stars when I read it, and honestly, I can’t go wrong when it comes to Stephen King.
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown – A non-fiction that never fails to make me feel more grounded whenever I feel like I need it. If I’m in a slump because of mental-health reasons, Brene Brown instantly makes me feel better.
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.
Superhuman!
Last week I was very responsible. I caught up with almost all my book reviews, updated my reading challenges, did some journaling, got a lot of cleaning and reorganizing done, ran a couple of 5ks, and did some meal planning ahead of time. Am I even human?!
I am proud of me but now I’m not sure if I can ever perform at this level ever again!
It’s not all work and no play though. I read some really good books too, and watched a couple of scary movies – I don’t know why we chose scary movies, it just turned out that way.
On my watchlist: We watched The Monkey and Nosferatu, and they were both really creepy but The Monkey had a little more levity than Nosferatu. I enjoy a little bit of morbid humor sometimes. The Monkey is an adaptation of a Stephen King story and we all know I love Stephen King.
Nosferatu has got an amazing cast and the acting from every one of them was superb. It was so intense, I couldn’t stand it, I had to take breaks in between. If you like horror, I highly recommend both these movies!
The Books
Books I read last week:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman – I ended up getting this book from the library on a “skip the line” basis and I jumped on it because I’d been wanting to read it for a while. So glad I did! I loved it!
The Long Walk by Stephen King – Also a “skip the line” borrow. And a reread, but it’s been a while. I love how so much of King’s books are psychological. I didn’t remember how he managed to write a whole book out of people just walking, but he did it so well and I’m excited to watch the film adaptation coming out soon!
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca – Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life featured this book in her Top Ten Tuesday Beachy Reads post a couple of weeks ago and I was intrigued! I got the book a couple of days ago and finished it yesterday because it was so good! Thanks for the rec, Erin!
Books I’m reading:
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin – I had a false start last week and got distracted by several other books that “skipped the line” so I’m trying again this week.
Last Week on The Blog
I finished so many book reviews!! I’m almost all caught up, but I’m reading just a little faster than I’m reviewing and I feel like I need new rules that I can’t start a book until I’m done reviewing the one I just finished! I know I don’t have to take reviewing so seriously and I do sometimes skip them, but it’s important to me to record the books I’ve read somewhere, otherwise I’ll forget them and feel like I need to read them again.
At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet, a curmudgeon with staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People think him bitter, and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots.
Ove’s well-ordered, solitary world gets a shake-up one November morning with the appearance of new neighbors, a chatty young couple and their two boisterous daughters, who announce their arrival by accidentally flattening Ove’s mailbox with their U-Haul. What follows is a heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unlikely friendships, and a community’s unexpected reassessment of the one person they thought they had all figured out.
A word-of-mouth bestseller that has caused a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman’s irresistible novel about the angry old man next door is an uplifting exploration of the unreliability of first impressions and a gentle reminder that life is sweeter when it is shared with other people.
I have been wanting to read a Fredrik Backman book for a while. I recently watched A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks, and I loved it, so I bumped this book up the TBR.
The Quotes
“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.”
“We always think there’s enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like ‘if’.”
“Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say.”
“We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will pass us by. And leave us there alone.”
The Narrator(s)
George Newbern. It was good, no notes!
My Thoughts
I am in love with this book. I watched the movie with Tom Hanks and now that I’ve read the book, I feel like it did a great job of covering most of the things that happened in the book. I love that even though I’ve watched the movie and knew what was coming, I still got so invested and emotional when I read the book. I couldn’t help myself from crying all over again at the end.
This is such a wonderful story of unconditional love; both of the romantic and platonic kind. I love that it also talks about difficult topics; of grief, and loneliness, of loss, growing old. So many difficult topics, with Ove at the center of it all. He’s a miserable old man; unfriendly, rigid, difficult. And yet, he’s got the biggest heart. He’s the perfect character for us to follow through this journey. What a joy to have read this book!
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?
When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it–and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff. After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble.
I was looking for books to fit the prompt for the 2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge with a pun in the title. This title caught my attention, and the rest of the series have similarly fun titles too!
The Narrator(s)
Marguerite Gavin. She did a great job, I think I like the book more than I would if I was reading on print because of her narration.
My Thoughts
I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries but I love reading the occasional one when I come across them. This book caught my attention because of the brilliant title, and I thought I’d try it. It was quite fun and entertaining, and the narrator was also very good and made listening to the story very easy. However, I found the characters a little two-dimensional and didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to. I also thought the plot itself was a little flimsy, and in the end, I don’t like the book enough to continue with the rest of the series.
One thing to note, that I both like and dislike, is that the MC constantly calls the detective every time she has any new information. I dislike it because that sort of removes the MC as the unofficial sleuth in this genre, but I like it because the practical, cautious person in me is like, finally! A portrayal of what an actual, smart person should do if this was a real life situation; let the professionals handle this and never, ever keep important clues to yourself or decide to investigate on your own!!
In any case, it was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it.
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 dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.
In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.
Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.
This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.
“That’s how you know you’re home, I think, no matter how far you’ve gone from it or how long you’ve been in some other place. Home is where they want you to stay longer.”
“People say that where there’s life, there’s hope, and I have no quarrel with that, but I also believe the reverse. There is hope, therefore I live.”
“Religion is the theological equivalent of a quick-buck insurance scam, where you pay in your premium year after year, and then, when you need the benefits you paid for so—pardon the pun—so religiously, you discover the company that took your money does not, in fact, exist.”
“This is how we bring about our own damnation, you know-by ignoring the voice that begs us to stop. To stop while there’s still time.”
The Narrator(s)
David Morse. It was perfectly fine and I enjoyed it very much.
My Thoughts
I liked it very much but I’d hope to like it more. I’d heard so many people hype it up so maybe I went in with overly high expectations. The story itself was really good but not what I expected. I thought it was going to be some kind of church horror in the vein of the movie Midnight Mass, but it wasn’t. Which is completely fine, I like where the story went too!
It was very slow burn, taking fifty years to come to fruition, and it was very interesting to see the characters develop over that time; the way they grow up and grow old, the way their beliefs and values evolve, everything they do to bring them where they end up. I’ve said it before that one of the reasons I love SK’s books so much is because he’s so good at character study. This book was amazing for that, and it’s still one I really enjoyed reading, even if I don’t love it as much as SK’s other books.
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?
If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is a marvel of ingenuity, an experimental text that looks longingly back to the great age of narration—”when time no longer seemed stopped and did not yet seem to have exploded.” Italo Calvino’s novel is in one sense a comedy in which the two protagonists, the Reader and the Other Reader, ultimately end up married, having almost finished If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler. In another, it is a tragedy, a reflection on the difficulties of writing and the solitary nature of reading. The Reader buys a fashionable new book, which opens with an exhortation: “Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade.” Alas, after 30 or so pages, he discovers that his copy is corrupted, and consists of nothing but the first section, over and over. Returning to the bookshop, he discovers the volume, which he thought was by Calvino, is actually by the Polish writer Bazakbal. Given the choice between the two, he goes for the Pole, as does the Other Reader, Ludmilla. But this copy turns out to be by yet another writer, as does the next, and the next.
The real Calvino intersperses 10 different pastiches—stories of menace, spies, mystery, premonition—with explorations of how and why we choose to read, make meanings, and get our bearings or fail to. Meanwhile the Reader and Ludmilla try to reach, and read, each other. If on a Winter’s Night is dazzling, vertiginous, and deeply romantic. “What makes lovemaking and reading resemble each other most is that within both of them times and spaces open, different from measurable time and space.”
This was the BOTM for my in-person bookclub, and one of our member’s favorite book.
The Quotes
“What harbor can receive you more securely than a great library?”
“Reading is going toward something that is about to be, and no one yet knows what it will be.”
“Every new book I read comes to be a part of that overall and unitary book that is the sum of my readings…if you need little to set the imagination going, I require even less: the promise of reading is enough.”
The Narrator(s)
Jefferson Mays. The narration was fine, I had no issue with it.
My Thoughts
If you are reading this for the first time, please do not read it on audiobook. I was so confused! It was only during our bookclub discussion that I realized the overarching story was interspersed with little short stories in between. I didn’t realize that and couldn’t understand why the story was jumping all over the place. Subsequently, please take my review with a grain of salt since I’m sure I missed a lot.
The things that I did get and understood; I like that it was meta. It reminded me a little of The Shadow of the Wind, which I enjoyed very much. I like that there was a focus on the reader and reading experience, but interestingly, the part that interested me most was where there was focus on the writer and the writing experience. That part made me want to write!
I’m pretty sure I missed out on a lot by listening on audio instead of on print, but either way, I feel like this is a book that gets better with more rereads. I like rereading so I’ll get to it again eventually, but probably not anytime soon.
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?
