Saturday, 31 October 2026

What I Read in September 2026


I got so much reading done in September- probably because I started another reread of the ACOTAR Graphic Audios to jog my memory in time for the new release this month, and they're just so addictive. 

I ticked off fourteen books, began two others, had nine five star reads (though, it doesn't really count when most of them are rereads), and finally got to read Sea of Charms- and loved it!

 August Reading Stats:

📖 14 books completed, 2 started.
📖 5 hardbacks.
🎧 9 audiobooks
📖 2012 pages (4289 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 69.4 hours listened at 1.1x to 1.3x speed.
📖 9 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.59 stars.
📖 Average book length: 429 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 5 days.

I went into the month intending to read all the sci-fi books for a science fiction themed reading challenge that I participated in, but I ended up finishing a grand total of one (1) sci-fi books, and devoured so much fantasy instead. It had to be the most un-sci-fi-y sci-fi reading challenge ever, but thankfully, the prompts are open to interpretation, so anything goes.

I Read:

📖Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole. 3.75⭐
📖Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst. 5⭐
📖Twig's Travelling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy. 4⭐
📖Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole. 3.5⭐
📖The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber. 4⭐
🎧Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Thorns and Roses Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Thorns and Roses Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Mist and Fury Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Mist and Fury Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part Three by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight Graphic Audio by Sarah J. Maas. 4⭐ (Reread).

And I started
📖Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole.
🎧A Court of Silver Flames Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. (Reread).


Favourite Reads: My favourite new read for September was Sea of Charms, followed by The Mirror of Infinite Endings, and Twig's Travelling Tomes

Sea of Charms was one of my most highly-anticipated books for 2026. I'd been excited for this third installment in The Spellshop series since I finished book two, The Enchanted Greenhouse, last summer, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. It was a cosy and whimsical delight, and it's sure to enchant anyone who believes in magic, adventures, interspecies friendships, second chances at love, the beauty of music, and the healing powers of the sea. It has sentient plants, a sassy singing sea serpent, winged cats, dragons, sea turtle swimming instructors, unicorns with musical hooves, a bespelled boat, adorable parents that believe in peach pie for breakfast, a sweet prodigy musician, and all manner of wondrous things that make the story so magical and captivating. I thought the story had the perfect balance of whimsical fantasy adventure and touching real-life issues, and it added so much heart to the book. Amongst the daring quests and the charming magical creatures, it touched on some heavy topics, like controlling relationships, abandonment, corrupt governments, rebellion, and debt through familial scamming, and the author explored each of them in a realistic and sensitive way. I found Marin's story particularly compelling, as she worked to rebuild her life following an emotionally abusive relationship that had gradually chipped away at her until it made her big personality small. The way her despicable ex-fiancée manipulated her and her parents infuriated me, but it was inspiring how she weathered his continued attempts to ruin her life with dignity and determination until the very end. And uplifting to see her gradually regaining her confidence, and trust in others with her new friends, and building a happy life for herself. Dax was also an interesting character with how he appeared to be just a sweet and naïve young musician with a cheerful and optimistic disposition, until you dug deeper and learned how difficult his life had been. My favourite character was probably Perri, the sea serpent, though; he was so sassy and cute, and I loved Ree, the sentient Wax Myrtle plant, too. The show-burn, friends-to-lovers relationship was the perfect mix of frustrating and satisfying, and the friendships were wonderful, too. I also love how this book blended the three Spellshop worlds together with some cameos and crossovers with previous characters and islands, and it was fun to explore more of the world, like the infamous city of Alyssium. The only thing I really didn't like about Sea of Charms with Marin's obnoxious ex-fiancée, who was one of the most detestable villains I've ever read. He was a well-written antagonist, though- which I know thanks to the numbers of times I was left wishing he'd get mauled to death by winged cats every time he opened his spiteful little mouth. Overall, I adored this book, and everything about it. It was cute, it was imaginative, it made me feel, and it offered some much needed escapism from the real world. If you're looking for a story that will leave you feeling happy and content, engage your imagination, take you on a journey, and perhaps infuse you with some emotional pain, get yourself a copy immediately! You won't regret it. You can find my full review of Sea of Charms on Goodreads here.

Twig's Traveling Tomes was another feel-good cosy fantasy- this time about a reclusive young witch with a travelling bookshop and unique magic that allows her to match people with their perfect books. She is tasked with using her powers to find the missing pages of her ex-mentor's stolen grimoire, and gets thrown together with a charming erstwhile thief, a guard with a dragon phobia, a sassy jilted gardener, and a couple of kooky old wizards. Together, they travel the four kingdoms and face all kinds of threats and mythical beings in order to retrieve the pages, from sirens who put on musical productions to lure their victims, to fireflies that are flying embers of fire. But perhaps the biggest threat of all is the handsome ex-thief that seems intent on stealing Louella's heart, no matter how hard she tries to guard it... It was such a cute, cosy, and wonderfully whimsical read, and perfect for curling up with in autumn. The plot and characters were so funny that it had me laughing throughout, especially at Everett's relentless flirting and back-and-forth with Louella, and the overall silliness of the writing. It was so fun and light-hearted, and provided a great distraction from the rising dread of the real world for a while. I loved the found family vibes, the quests, the imaginative world-building, the characters, the unique creatures, and especially the travelling bookshop and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance. Louella's bookshop and tree house were the setting my bookish dreams are made of, and I got lost in the magic of both. I loved the chemistry between Everett and Louella, and Everett was a swoon-worthy love-interest. Why are all the best men fictional? *Sigh.* While I loved it, I do feel that the writing quality declined during the last quarter. The dialogue became a little too cheesy for my taste after the moms joined the story, and the enemies became lovers- I'm just not a fan of soppy romance- but I can't deny that it was an enjoyable read overall, and had some great twists and turns and shocking reveals along the way. If you want a cosy, witchy romance read for autumn, it's well worth the read. My full review can be found on Goodreads here.

I'm still trying to organise my thoughts on The Mirror of Infinite Endings, but if you enjoyed the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, I think you'll enjoy the new novella as much as I did. It was so much fun to return to The Hollow, spend time with Jacks and Evangeline as a loved-up couple, see Evangeline exploring a different life through the mirror, and enjoy the obvious sexual tension between Chaos and Lala. Yes, it was fluff, but sometimes fluff is exactly what you need.

Favourite Listens: I had the best month rereading the Graphic Audio versions of the ACOTAR series to catch myself up before A Court of Splintered Harmony was released, and I enjoyed them all so much, it's near impossible to narrow them down to just one favourite. ACOSF and ACOMAF are my favourite books in the series so far, but ACOWAR is just so good in this format, so I'm not even going to try to choose between them. I love them all- even the questionable festive novella, ACOFAS. 

I also loved relistening to Project Hail Mary for the second time this year for my reading challenge. It's one of my all-time favourite sci-fi books- if not my favourite, and it just gets better with every read. If you haven't read it but love the film, you need to check it out!

Least Favourites: There wasn't a book that I truly hated in September, but if my life depended on me choosing a least favourite, it would probably be Glow of the Everflame. It was pretty chaotic and far-fetched, even for a fantasy book, one of the love interests was detestable, and so many of the side-characters were loathsome. It was entertaining enough, had good found family vibes, and addictive slow-burn romance, but it won't be cracking my top ten or even my top forty any time soon, and there are far better fantasy/ romantasy books out there to spend your time on. (If you want recommendations, I'm always happy to give them)!

So, that's what I read in September.

Have you read any good books lately?

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Wednesday, 30 September 2026

What I Read in August 2026

I'm still hopelessly behind with these What I Read posts, so I'm here to talk about what I read in August. September will follow soon.

As always, I'm going to show you what I read, and then I'll talk about some of my favourites and least favourites reads of the month.


August Reading Stats:

📖 15 books completed, 1 started.
📖 6 hardbacks.
📖 2 ebooks.
🎧 7 audiobooks
📖 2620 pages (5201 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 72.32 hours listened at 1.1x to 1.3x speed.
📖 9 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.45 stars.
📖 Average book length: 346 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 5 days.

August was a great reading month, and one of my favourites of the year so far. I read fifteen books and started another- although, a couple were really short novellas, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. Nine of them were 5 star reads, but I did reread a bunch of favourites in new formats, so I'm not sure that counts when I already knew I loved them. Either way, I enjoyed what I read, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

I Read:

📖The Night Prince by Lauren Palphreyman. 3.5⭐
📖Rose in Chains by Julie Soto. 5⭐
📖Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore. 5⭐
📖The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith. 4.5⭐
📖The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith. 3.75⭐
📖The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent. 4⭐
📱The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst. 3⭐
📱Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree. 3⭐
🎧Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐ (Reread)
🎧Foxglove by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐ (Reread)
🎧Wisteria by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐ (Reread)
🎧Holly by Adalyn Grace. 5⭐ (Reread)
🎧The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst. 5⭐ (Reread)
🎧The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black. 5⭐ (Reread).

And I started:

🎧Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. (Reread).

If you're wondering why so many of the books have flower names, it's because I took part in a reading challenge with a nature theme. It was a good excuse to read some books that had been on my shelf for a while, and to listen to some favourites as audiobooks for the first time.


Favourite Reads: My favourites last month were probably Rose in Chains and Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore, although, I was addicted to The Rose Bargain, and The Lion and the Deathless Dark, too.

Rose in Chains was a harrowing dark fantasy about a fallen kingdom and the trafficking and sexual abuse of young women for their magic by power-hungry, misogynistic men. It follows a princess who is purchased by the boy she hates more than anyone in the world- but also has a secret crush on- and how she fights to survive in a dangerous new world where being a princess holds no status, and people with mind-control magic have no rights. I found it upsetting to read at times, and most of the male characters enraged me, but this book also kept me in a chokehold, and I'm still thinking about it weeks later. I was particularly entertained by Briony and Toven's turbulent relationship- especially the flashbacks to their school day rivalries- and can't wait to see how their relationship develops in book two. I swear, if they don't act on their feelings and reclaim the kingdom together, I'll be throwing the book out of the window. Also, please check trigger warnings before reading, because it covers upsetting topics like rape, kidnapping, slavery, and violence against women. You can read my in-depth review of Rose in Chains on Goodreads here. 

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore always sounded like a bad contemporary teen romance, which initially put me off reading it, but as soon as I realised it was a cosy fantasy with magic and a sentient homicidal plant, I couldn't get my hands on a copy fast enough. It follows a similar style to The Spellshop books by Sarah Beth Durst, with plenty of wonder and whimsy, magical beings, fantastical world-building, loveable and complex characters, cute sidekicks, a slow-burn, grumpy/ sunshine enemies-to-lovers romance, and an ambulatory plant that likes to hold people at knife-point. It just comes with more spice, villainy, fast friendships, alchemy, and an ex-villain who is trying her hardest to start over and be a better person to make up for all the awful things her recently-deceased master made her do. She opens a charming flower shop in a new town, uses her powers to grow flowers instead of hurt people, and rents a room from a moody alchemist who isn't happy about her presence at all... at least until he is... But then an unwelcome face from Violet's past shows up in town, and the new life she built for herself is put in jeopardy as the truth of her past threatens to be exposed... It was the perfect mix of cute and cosy, with no shortage of lovely and humorous scenes which left me feeling so happy and content, but it was far from just meaningless fluff. It focuses on many difficult topics, like trauma, kidnapping, grooming of a child (for villainy), grief and loss, accidental death, loneliness, debt, anxiety, and panic attacks, which helped make the main characters more relatable and realistic, and gave the story so much heart. It was such an entertaining read, and I know it's one I'll be returning to time and time again in the future. You can find my full review of the book on Goodreads here.

Favourite Listens: I'm not even sure I can pick a favourite audiobook this month; every one I listened to is an all-time favourite book, and they were all a lot of fun. I loved listening to the Belladonna series for the first time- which is an amazing gothic fantasy series where Death and Fate are love interests, everyone gets poisoned, and one of the female main characters can communicate with ghosts. But I also really enjoyed having a reread of The Enchanted Greenhouse and The Spellshop ahead of Sea of Charms' release, which were so much fun to listen to and reacquaint myself with. I love both books so much! And even though I've read it three of four times, I couldn't resist returning to How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories from the Folk of the Air series to complete my reading challenge criteria. It's the fourth book in another of my favourite series, and it's always so interesting reading from Cardan's point of view, and learning why he did the things he did, or why he was the way he was. Holly Black's writing is so magical and immersive.

Least Favourites: Everything I read in August was enjoyable, but if I had to choose one, I'd say Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk- but only because it was such a weird one. I liked it well enough, just not in an I'm-going-to-make-this-my-whole-personality kind of way. It's a short novella from the author of Legends and Lattes about a monastery employing the help of a very unusual detective in knight's clothing to help investigate the death of a monk who has fallen from a bell tower. Everyone's a suspect, but nobody quite suspects who it turns out to be. Except that I had my suspicions from early on, and I'd be surprised if most people don't figure it out, too. It wasn't bad, it just gets least favourite because I read so many great books in August, and something has to be last. It's only about fifty pages long, so I'd recommend it if you want a quick read to help boost your reading goal.

And that's what I read in August.

I'll be back with what I read in September really soon.

Have you read any good books lately?

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Monday, 31 August 2026

What I Read in July 2026


July is likely to be one of my best reading months of the year. I finished fourteen books, and started two others, and discovered some real gems along the way- including four five-star reads.

A number of the audiobooks I listened to were only around four hours long, so the quantity read sounds more impressive than it really was, but I'm going to take the achievement and run, anyway! Haha! It's still a lot of books, even if they weren't all chunky.

I'm going to run through what I read in July, and then talk about some of my favourites- and least favourites- of the month with you.

July Reading Stats:

📖 14 books completed, 2 started.
📖 4 hardbacks.
🎧 10 audiobooks
📖 1409 pages (3281 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 62.33 hours listened at 1.1x to 1.3x speed.
📖 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 3.82 stars.
📖 Average book length: 252 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 4 days.

I read a good mix of authors and genres of fantasy; finally got to When the Coffee Gets Cold, and the rest of the Wayward Children series after years of meaning to; and listened to a ton of audiobooks.

I Read:

📖The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker. 4⭐
📖Under the Whispering Door by T. J. Klune. 5⭐
📖The Bones Beneath My Skin by T. J. Klune. 5⭐
📖Six of Crows: A Darker Shore Letters From Ketterdam. 4⭐
🎧Rite of the Starling Graphic Audio Part One by Devney Penney. 5⭐
🎧Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire. 3.5⭐
🎧Mislaid in Parts Half Known by Seanan McGuire. 3.5⭐
🎧Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire. 4⭐
🎧Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire. 3⭐
🎧Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. 3.5⭐ (Reread).
🎧Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Yamamoto. 3.5⭐
🎧A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. 2.5⭐
🎧Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. 3⭐ (Reread, 5 stars in print).
🎧A Crown of Ruin Graphic Audio Part Two by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 5⭐ (Reread).

And I started
📖The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman.
🎧Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. (Reread).

Favourite Reads: My favourites for July were Under the Whispering Door, The Bones Beneath My Skin, and The Ballad of Falling Dragons

I'm so glad that I bought Under the Whispering Door with my birthday money (along with The Bones Beneath My Skin), in an effort to try more of TJ Klune's work, because it's one of my favourite reads of the year so far. It's about a recently-deceased, tyrant workaholic learning the error of his ways in a way station between life and death, and discovering for the first time what it means to live. I can't help but compare it to The Midnight Train- if The Midnight Train was set in a tea shop instead of on a train, had diverse characters with a playful sense of humour, and the lessons were learned moving forward instead of looking back. A story about Death might sound depressing, but it was actually a wonderfully uplifting and heartfelt read, with cosy fantasy and found family vibes, epic world-building, the loveliest gay romance, and a good dose of comedy. I laughed my way through it- except when I was sobbing over the bittersweet and hearfelt moments- which may have happened a time or a dozen... I found it to be a very thought-provoking read, and it got me thinking about my own mortality, as well as the mysteries of the afterlife, and the impact different kinds of loss have on us. It also made me consider what's really important in life, and left me wanting to make better life choices, so I don't end up like Wallace. I should note that the story focuses on different kinds of death, including heart attack, murder, and suicide, plus a parent's grief caused by a child's death from cancer, and while it's all handled sensitively and often in a light-hearted way, if you find any of those topics triggering, this probably isn't the book for you. But if it isn't triggering and won't upset you, I'd highly recommend this book because it's amazing.  You can find my full review of the book on Goodreads, here, if you want to know more.

The Bones Beneath My Skin was another fantastic book from TJ Klune, and I think I enjoyed this one even more than Under the Whispering Door. Seriously, I was obsessed with this book, and wish I could erase my memory so I could read it for the first time all over again. It's about two guys  on the run from the government with an alien in the body of a ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. An alien who is obsessed with bacon and western novels and the healing powers of chicken soup. There's a hostage situation, a bit of Stockholm Syndrome, a road trip across America as they flee for safety, and a tense stay in a creepy cult to hide from the bad guys while they try to get Artemis back where she belongs. There's also a lovely LGBTQIA+ enemies-to-lovers romance, and unbreakable bonds between the three main characters that will give you all the feels, and might just tear the heart right out of your chest. It's awesome, and everyone should read this book. Just trust me on this.

The Ballad of Falling Dragons was a sequel I was excited to dive in to after loving the first book, When the Moon Hatched, but after an interesting start, I was actually disappointed by how slow-paced it was. For much of the book, I couldn't discern what the true purpose of the plot was, or where the author was taking it, and it wasn't until I was about three-quarters into it that it really started to come together, make sense, and get good. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story all the way through- especially the humour, banter, the relationship between Raeve and Kaan, the bonds with the dragons, and Pyrok developing feelings for someone unexpected... it just felt like a lot of effort for little return at times. The story flourished into an exciting, action-packed, and trauma-inducing clim@x, rolling out wave after wave of shock reveals, despicable villainy, harrowing fights for survival, and enough emotional pain to leave a girl rocking in a corner. The imprisonment, torture, childbirth flashback, and dragon deaths were brutal, and turned me into a sobbing wreck! I ploughed through the last two hundred pages in a whirlwind of emotions, and enjoyed it more that the rest of the book combined. Ironically, after days of struggling onwards, by the end, I was so invested in the storyline and characters' wellbeings, that I was sad it was over, and left longing for more! I need to know what happens to them all next! It ended with so many unanswered questions, and I can't wait for the third and final installment. Even if I'm waiting another couple of years to get it. I wrote a much longer review on Goodreads here.

Favourite Listens: I listened to a lot of audiobooks in July, but I think my favourite was probably A Crown of Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Crown of Ruin was a reread of a novella from The Blood and Ash series that I read in print last winter, but it was a lot of fun to hear the story brought to life as an audiobook. It follows straight on from the The Primal of Blood and Bone, and helps to end a bit of the agony that its massive cliffhanger ending left us in before the final book's release. I'm so very grateful for this novella, because that book left me shooketh, and I would have been left reeling in despair until the next one comes out and everything ends happily for the three main characters- because I refuse to believe in any other ending for the series. I loved getting a taste of Casteel in his 'chaos era'- villanous Cas is delightful- and seeing him and Kieran mending the rift between them. Plus Millie and Malik's back and forth was hilarious, and I felt less anxious about the main characters' futures by the end. Jadis' return broke my heart, though, and Kolis, as usual, just gave me the ick. The only thing, besides Kolis, that I found off-putting was that the narrator made Cas sound like he belonged in a 1970s crime drama, and Kieran like he should be lurking in the shadows of a smog-filled London alleyway with a dagger in his boot. Which was just weird, since they're both meant to be nobility that grew up together from birth... I much prefer the narration on the Graphic Audio versions of the series over these unabridged versions, but Graphic Audio hasn't reached this book yet, and the unabridged is still well worth a listen. The first book in the series is From Blood and Ash, but just a warning, it's a very spicy romantasy series, and not suitable for under eighteens.

Least Favourites: And the worst thing I read last month was definitely A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. I enjoyed this middle-grade fantasy story well-enough, but I found the exaggerated English accents- especially the haughty voice of the FMC, which made her sound more like a 50-year-old woman off to a luncheon at the country club than a teenaged baker girl- incredibly annoying, and it was a real effort to keep listening. In fact, it got so bad, I had to pause it and listen to something else for a few days to destress, before going back and trying again. I wish I'd just bought a physical copy instead. Maybe I will one day. I'd like to give her children's books another go, because I always love T. Kingfisher's YA and adult books, because of her imaginative and humourous writing, and I'm curious about how she writes for younger audiences.

Anyway, that's what I read in July.

I'll be back to talk about what I read in August really soon.

Have you read any good books lately?

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Friday, 31 July 2026

What I Read in June 2026

June was another great reading month for me. I finished fourteen books, and listened to a few hours of a fifteenth-that I ended up DNFing because I hated the narration. I loved almost everything else that I read, though, and nine of them scored four stars or above, so that helps me feel better about not finishing one I loathed.

Let's have a closer look at how I got on in June, and then I'll recommend a few books I loved- and one or two I hated that you might want to avoid.

June Reading Stats:

📖 14 books completed.
📖 1 DNF.
📖 3 hardbacks.
📖 1 paperback.
🎧 11 audiobooks
📖 1734 pages (3804 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 59.18 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.
📖 6 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.05 stars.
📖 Average book length: 281 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 4 days.

I Read:

📖Divergent by Veronica Roth. 5⭐ (Reread).
📖The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune. 5⭐
📖Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T. J. Klune. 5⭐
📖A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena. 2⭐
🎧The Swimmer of Auschwitz by Renaud LeBlond. 3 ⭐
🎧Shield of Sparrows Graphic Audio Part One by Devney Penney. 5⭐
🎧Shield of Sparrows Graphic Audio Part Two by Devney Penney. 5⭐
🎧Avalon Tower Graphic Audio by C.N. Crawford and Alex Rivers. DNF⭐
🎧Down Amongst the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire. 3.75⭐
🎧Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire. 4⭐
🎧In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. 4⭐
🎧Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire. 3⭐
🎧Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire. 4⭐
🎧Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire. 3⭐
🎧A Soul of Ash and Blood Graphic Audio Part Two by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 5⭐ (Reread).

Favourite Reads: The answer is easy this month: The Cerulean Chronicles duology- The House in the Cerulean Sea and Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I finally got around to reading the books that my sister gave me for Christmas a year and a half ago, and my only regret is that I didn't start them sooner. I. Adored. Them! I loved every last thing about them, from the diverse characters and the slow-burn middle-aged gay romance, to the daft, slightly-dark humour and magical world-building. In fact, I'd say these are two of my favourite reads ever! They have the most wonderful (and wonderfully weird) characters, and they're just so funny and cosy.

The Cerulean Chronicles is about a man called Linus who is sent to a secluded island to investigate an orphanage where six dangerous magical children reside with their master. One of them is the Anti-Christ in the body of a six-year-old boy, there's a sort of sea-slug/ octopus hybrid who longs to be a bellhop (he's my favourite!), and a female gnome who likes to threaten to lamp people with her spade and then dig their graves. But are they really as dangerous as Linus has been led to believe by Extremely Upper Management? Or are they just like any other children? Linus vows to find out by remaining impartial and following the rules he loves so much, but as he gets to know the gaggle of remarkable kids, and the man who cares for them, he begins to see everything in a whole new light. He not only needs to decide if the children should remain at the orphanage, but where his place in the world is, too. Is it behind a desk where everything is black and white and well-ordered, or is it somewhere filled with colour and chaos? Who knows, but I promise you'll have the most enjoyable time finding out! This book was so much fun, and I was addicted to it within a few pages. It's one of the best things I've ever read!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea was just as fun, heartwarming, and hilarious as The House in the Cerulean Sea, just with more threats, and a couple of villains- one who could rival Umbridge for most loathsome character ever written. God, I hated her so much! The orphans are also joined by a new child- a theatrical yeti, who loves to act and scare people for fun. He joins the troop at the worst time, though, as the orphanage's future once again comes under threat from the government following the fallout of Linus' report. When a prejudiced new caseworker is sent to investigate them, Arthur and Linus learn just what they will do to keep the children safe- but the kids have their own tricks up their sleeves, and aren't about to let anybody split their family up, either. It was such a great sequel that made me laugh out loud, and bawl like a baby, while teaching the true meaning of family, and how important it is to keep challenging other people's prejudice. I can't wait until the author writes another book in the series. I'm having withdrawals!

Favourite Listens: The best audiobooks I listened to last month were A Soul of Ash and Blood (Graphic Audio Part Two) by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Shield of Sparrows (Graphic Audio Parts One and Two) by Devney Penney.

I'd been waiting for the final instalment of A Soul of Ash and Blood for ages, and even though I've read the story before, it was so good to hear the story as a Graphic Audio- especially the part when somebody shifted for the first time, and wanted to eat Emil. It was hilarious! And there were plenty of emotional moments that made me cry again, too.

Shield of Sparrows was a new one for me, and another enjoyable romantasy Graphic Audio with brilliant enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity storylines. I can't remember everything that happened, so I definitely need to read the book in print at some point, but I loved the relationship between the two main characters, and couldn't get enough of them.

Least Favourites: My least favourite was definitely the Graphic Audio version of a fantasy book called Avalon Tower by C. N. Crawford and Alex Rivers. I enjoyed the first hour or two, but then came characters with the most irritating exaggerated posh English accents, and I just couldn't take it seriously after that. It only grew worse with they kept repeating British swear words for the fun of it, and were pronouncing the word twat in haughty voices so it sounded like twhat. I sense the narrator hasn't met a real English person in their life. I had to DNF it after that- and I rarely DNF books! It's been a few years since I last gave up on a book! That's how bad it was. I'm not against trying it in print in the future, but I wouldn't listen to it again if you paid me.

Well, that's what I read in June...

Have you read any good books lately?

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Tuesday, 30 June 2026

What I Read in May 2026

May was another great reading month for me. I finished nine books and started another, discovered some great new reads, revisited When the Moon Hatched, and completed my Throne of Glass reread.

It wasn't one of my best months in terms of books completed because several of the books were big beasts over 700 pages or 30 hours long, but I actually read more than I usually get through, so I'm happy with my progress.

Let's have a look at how I got on in May, and then I'll talk about some of my favourite (and least favourite) reads lately.

May Reading Stats:

📖 9 books completed, 1 started.
📖 5 hardbacks.
🎧 4 audiobooks
📖 1987 pages (4903 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 101.33 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.
📖 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.53 stars.
📖 Average book length: 544 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 8 days.

Less books than some months, but it was my best for hours listened, and second best for pages read so far this year. I also rated all but one four stars and above, so it was a great month for vibes, too.

I Read:

📖Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen. 4⭐
📖Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher. 4⭐
📖Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan. 5⭐
📖Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. 5⭐
📖The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. 3.75⭐
🎧Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker. 4⭐ (5 star in print. Reread).

And I Started:
📖Divergent by Suzanne Collins. (Reread).

Favourite Reads: I thought Dire Bound was going to be my favourite new read in May, but then I read Thistlemarsh and Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, and it quickly got demoted. They were both so cute, cosy, whimsical, and fantastical.

Thistlemarsh is easily one of my favourite reads of the year so far. I found myself addicted to this enchanting Faerie fantasy tale, and the blend of magic, adventure, and history that added so much wonder and whimsy to every page. Think Emily Wilde crossed with a little bit of the magic, betrayal, and Faerie trickery of The Folk of the Air. It's about a young woman who is forced to make a deal with a Faerie to help fix up her family's crumbling estate to meet the terms of her inheritance and be able to continue caring for her sick brother, or the house will pass to the man who she despises more than anything. And she can't have that. Of course, nothing quite goes to plan, and there's plenty of surprising twists and turns, exciting adventures, betrayals, and threat to life along the way- as well as some slow-burn romance, found family vibes, and forced proximity. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Mouse and Thornwood as they progressed from reluctant allies to something more complicated, and learned to work together to repair Thistlemarsh, navigating unexpected hurdles and unseen foes along the way. Their enemy era was endlessly entertaining. Also, it has the cutest dragon/ dog sidekick, and a detestable villain who was so fun to hate. I really couldn't recommend this book to you more! I loved it so much, I'm dying for a sequel.

I decided to try Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter after enjoying the author's Emily Wilde trilogy, and loved it more than those three books combined. It was a charming cosy fantasy about a struggling cat-shelter owner who accidentally ends up co-habiting with Montreal's most-wanted dark wizard with a feline allergy after her original rescue centre is destroyed during a magical attack on the city. Agnes just wants to take care of her cats, but as the police grow suspicious that illegal magic is at play in her shelters, she gets swept into a world of magic and crime, and caught in the middle of a feud between two of the world's most powerful sorcerers. But the more time she spends with Havelock, the more Agnes realises that perhaps he isn't the monster that the world makes him out to be. And maybe he's not as irritating as she first thought, either... I wasn't sure if this book was going to be for me, half-expecting it to be another dull copy-and-paste contemporary romance, but it was so charming, comical, and imaginative that I loved it almost immediately, and couldn't put it down. It was such a fun read, and I laughed my way through it- especially at the snarky back-and-forth between Agnes and Havelock while in close quarters. I also got lost in the whimsicalness of the magic, loved all the cute cats, wanted to eat all the pastries from the magical oven, and found the French Canadian setting interesting. I don't think I've ever read anything that touched on that side of Canada's culture before. If you love cosy fantasy, cats, magic, and slow-burn romance, you need to read this book at once!

Favourite Listens: My favourite audio reads were, naturally, the last three books in the Throne of Glass series- Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash. It's my favourite series, and even though it was my third read of the books in as many years, I had the best month listening to the final three audiobooks. Even if the reread emotionally annihilated me fifty times over all over again. You can find my original reviews of the books here.

Least Favourites: I didn't hate anything that I read in May, but something has to be last, so I'm going to say The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. I enjoyed the story and the interesting perspective it gave on the choices we make in life- how one bad decision can lead to a chain of bad choices that negatively shape our entire lives, until we die miserable and alone, like Wilbur did. How we shouldn't let our dreams cloud what's really important in life, and to appreciate what we already have in front of us. However, as thought-provoking as it was, the reason that I didn't rate it higher was that it also had its flaws. The writing style was very simplistic, the characters felt a little too stereotypical, and I found some of the dialogue irritatingly cheesy at times. It wasn't perfect, but it was a good read overall, and one that got me thinking more about my own life choices. If you liked The Midnight Library, or love a good cautionary tale, you should definitely give it a try.

Well, that's what I read in May...

Have you read any good books lately?

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