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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.
All’s Well That Ends Well
I was hoping the second week of school would be easier but the Universe had other plans for me. This time again, it wasn’t school kicking my butt although I have to admit I’m finding myself using parts of my brain I haven’t accessed in years and that’s a challenge in itself.
Nope, what happened was we had a plumbing issue on Monday, and we were lucky enough that we got the plumber to come on Tuesday, but those couple of days weren’t fun, let me tell you. And then on Thursday, we woke up to one of our cats, Pepper, limping, and after having Loki just passing a few months ago, I was perhaps a tad paranoid and worried about something bad happening to Pepper as well. I was anxiously monitoring and babying her the whole day. Fortunately, she seemed a lot better the next morning and is pretty much back to normal now. (I’m still babying her a little bit though.)
So yeah, it was an emotionally difficult and anxiety-ridden week for me. I didn’t get much sleep, which made it difficult for me to concentrate in class as well. I was so glad for the weekend! Everything is looking up this weekend!
Please let the coming week be as easy breezy as can be! I should mention I have my first exam this week, but the sentiment stands! Please let this week be so easy breezy that I’ll ease and breeze through the exam too!
The Books
Books I read last week:
Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – It was so much more intense than I remembered! To be fair, it’s been maybe 30 years since I last read it, but I still love it! I was initially going to read the Dragons of Summer Flame after this one but just found out that there’s another book that I don’t have in between these two, so I’m putting the series on hold.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – I read this last year and loved it, but haven’t finished the series, so I reread to refresh my memory and I intend to finish the series this time!
Books I’m reading:
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman – I also read this last year and stopped halfway through book 3. Rereading it for a refresher and finishing the rest of the books. I’m on Ch 7 now!
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – I’m only on the third chapter, which is only 3% in, but it’s already really interesting and the characters are really standing out.
Last Week on The Blog
I missed out on Top Ten Tuesday last week, but I got a couple of reviews done!
I have temporarily given up on S. by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst. I don’t have the mental power for an intellectual book like that right now. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series weren’t really in my plans this month, but I just needed something fun and it fits the bill!
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 With Occupations in the Title
Apparently, I have a lot of books with occupations in the title on my TBR list. I had a hard time narrowing it down to ten but these are the ones higher up on my TBR, so hopefully I’ll actually read some of them soon!
Top Ten Books With Occupations in the Title
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie – This has been on my TBR the longest and I don’t even remember why I was interested in it at the time, but it’s relatively short, so I’m curious to get it read and crossed off my list.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan – I’m actually interested in many of Amy Tan’s books, but this is the only one that had an occupation on the title. I’ll make my way through her portfolio eventually!
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed – This one calls to me. I love fantasy and horror and it gives me dark fairytale vibes. For some reason, I’m reminded about the Grimm Brother’s fairytales, the dark ones, not the Disney ones, and I hope I’ll get something like that here.
Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth – The TV series charmed me although I only watched the first couple of seasons. I just googled it and I’m surprised to learn it’s apparently still ongoing and on its 14th season now! I’m sure it has deviated a lot from the book already, but I’ve lost interest in the show anyway, and I’m curious to read the book itself.
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller – I really need to get to this one soon. It calls to the adventurous, swash-buckling feminist in me, and I just want to immerse myself in adventure. It’s the first of a series though, and I’m trying to finish series I’ve already started before starting more.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart – I have a fascination with plants and what they can do and the author has another book called Wicked Plants that’s on my TBR too! This book is about plants that go into alcoholic beverages and I don’t drink, so I’m not as excited about this one compared to Wicked Plants, which is about dangerous and poisonous plants. Perhaps I should clarify that I don’t do poison either! 😂
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett – Who doesn’t like Terry Pratchett and the Discworld books? Unfortunately, I haven’t read many of them because I have this thing about series. I find it hard to read them out of order (unless I didn’t know they were a part of a series) even if they’re not sequentially related. One day I’ll either read them all, or I’ll break the series-in-order rule!
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi – I found this book in a Little Free Library and brought it home because it caught my attention. I’m not sure when I’ll get to this one; it sounds a little heavy and I think I need to be in the right frame of mind for it.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich – I’ve read The Sentence by the author and loved it, and I have The Mighty Red higher up on the TBR. I intend to read this one after, because I really like the author’s writing style so far and I hope to read more from her.
The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman – I read The Main Dish and The Making of a Chef by the author and loved them, and of course immediately added this book to my TBR as well. I just love the way he talks about food and cooking. I want more!
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 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.
August 2025 Wrap Up
I spent the first half of August mood reading, and the second half reading from the TBR, so I satisfied both sides of the reader inside me! I realized that it’s important to leave room for mood reading, and it’s okay to let go of some of the books I previously committed to if I’m not feeling it.
My August 2025 TBR Intentions
Six out of eight ain’t bad! I’ve lost interest in the last Children of Time book, unfortunately. I’m not sure if I’ll ever come back to it. I am still very interested in reading The Power of Myth, but every time I pick it up I end up putting it down after a few passages because I want to savor and contemplate everything. I want to study every last bit of it! I might end up having to make up a study schedule for it or something!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My favorite books in August were obviously The Hunger Games trilogy. They are my all-time favorites and always get better the more I reread them. Dragons of Autumn Twilight is also a reread and from one of my favorite series, and The Long Walk is another reread from a favorite author.
So in the interest of fairness, I should talk about the new reads that I loved this month; most notably A Man Called Ove and Blood Over Bright Haven. These two were amazing and they make me so happy that the authors have other books that have gotten great reviews as well. I’m so looking forward to reading more from them!
September 2025 TBR Intentions
My aim is to finish the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman this month, hopefully. I do have a couple of September BOTMs and a few other books that have September deadlines I should focus on though. I also hope to finish S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst if possible, but I’m perfectly happy to take it slow so we’ll see how it goes.
Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dragons of Summer Flame by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher
Falling by T.J. Newman
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
How was your month in August? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful September 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 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 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!
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 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!
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 with Honorifics in the Title
I like today’s topic and I can’t wait to see everyone’s lists, but I missed several previous TTT topics that I really want to do so I decided to go with Books on My Summer 2025 TBR for my topic today! We did Books I’d Like to Re-read last week and I stated that I wanted to read them soon so they are definitely on my Summer TBR as well, but I’ll try to go with different titles today!
Top Ten Books on My Summer 2025 TBR
If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino – It’s one of my in-person bookclub friend’s favorite book and I’m excited to read something she likes.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman – A different bookclub friend’s favorite book, I’m always excited to see what my friends love to read.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I love TJR and I love Julia Whelan who narrates this. Definitely listening to this one on audio.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich – I’ve read one other book by the author and loved it. I’m curious to read another and I thought this one sounded interesting.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston – This has been on my TBR for ages now, plus it’s been talked about favorably. I really should get to it soon!
The Love Haters by Katherine Center – I’ve read and loved several other Katherine Center books and I’m sure I’ll like this one too.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green – I’ve heard so many rave reviews about this one I got curious. I’ve read a couple of the author’s books and liked them, but this one is nonfiction.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – I’ve been meaning to read this but never got around to it. I recently watched the movie and loved it so it’s motivating me to read this sooner rather than later.
Never Flinch by Stephen King – I don’t care what people say, Holly is one of my favorite SK characters and I can’t wait to read more of her!
The Glass Chateau by Stephen P. Kiernan – This one came out two years ago and I had been anticipating it before it even released. I don’t know why I haven’t read it!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 Books I’d Like to Re-read
It’s been some weeks since I’ve done the Top Ten Tuesdays and I’ve missed some really great topics. I’ve had some things going on but I’m hoping to get back some semblance of normalcy and do the TTTs regularly again. Please bear with me!
I am big on rereading because I tend to rush over details when I read books the first time, and rereading helps me appreciate the books more and see things I didn’t see before. I’ve previously done a TTT for Books I Love to Reread, so I won’t repeat the same titles. The ones below are books I intend to reread soon. Hopefully before the year is over!
Top Ten Books I’d Like to Reread
The Long Walk by Stephen King – The movie is coming out and of course I have to reread this before then!
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel – I might leave this until later because I want to reread the whole series and that means I need to have dedicated time for all of them.
The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan – I’ve mentioned this author many times as one of my favorite underrated authors. This may be my favorite book he’s written.
Momo by Michael Ende – The author is better known for writing The Neverending Story, which I love, but I love Momo more and I need to reread it.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett – I was enchanted by this book when I read it the first time and it’s been a long while.
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood – This one touched me in a visceral way and has been on my reread list for a while. I need to make it happen.
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper – I love this author but haven’t read a lot of her works. This book is one of my favorite books.
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – This is another series I need to allocate dedicated time for. I love the characters and it’s been too long since I read it.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber – I remember thinking that every married couple needs to read this. I don’t remember why, but I guess that’s why I have to reread it.
The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike – I used to reread this regularly as a teenager, but I can’t remember the last time I read it. It’s time!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
