Always Me

      Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is 2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To.  A lot of great books came out last year and I'm hoping to get to these pretty soon.  Some of these I'm on hold the audiobook via Libby (and have been for quite awhile) and others I just ran out of time.  Hopefully I'll get to these soon!  Here we go, in alphabetical order by title: Children of Anguish and Anarchy ( Legacy of the Orisha  #3) by Tomi Adeyemi The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes Heir ( Heir Duology #1) by Sabaa Tahir Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee Lucy Undying by Kiersten White Mirrored Heavens ( Between Earth and Sky  #3) by Rebecca Roanhorse The Silverblood Promise ( The Last Legacy  #1) by James Logan A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher The Trials of Empire ( Empire of the Wolf  ...

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let's share some songs we've been enjoying lately!  If you would like to play and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below. Rules: Every Monday share a few songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s). If you would like to participate in Music Monday, please join the link up by sharing your post's url.  Welcome back again!  Today, I'm featuring 7 favorites from the soundtrack of  Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) which if you haven't seen it yet it's delightful.  Honestly, it was just comforting to see these characters again - even that cold yet stylish villain Feathers McGraw (that little penguin even gets his own Max Cady and Bl...

  Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to my first  2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge  update with mini reviews!   In January, I somehow managed to complete 13 books out of a total 50 books. Wow!  That's progress!  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in January: ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  by Rebecca Skloot  is a must read and I'm glad I finally decided to take all of the recommendations and read it. It's fascinating read, but absolutely terrifying. I'm glad her name is more known now at least. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ Well,  The Thieves of Ostia  ( The Roman Mysteries  #1) by Caroline Lawrence  was a fun little adventure. I wish I'd read this back when it was brand new. I'm sure I would have loved it even more. I'm glad glad I decided to take all of the recommendations I've gotten for this over the years even i...

    On Friday's I take part in two weekly link ups - The Friday 56, currently hosted by  Anne @ My Head Is Full of Books , and Book Beginnings, hosted by  Rose City Reader .  For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.  Happy Friday everyone!  This week I'm spotlighting one of my  Beat The Backlist 2025  books,  The Hammer  by K.J. Parker .  It's been a long time since I've read this author, but I remember enjoying his style of fantasy. Beginning: When Giovanni was seven years old...

            Happy Thursday everyone! Welcome back to  Books from the Backlog , the weekly linkup I'm taking part of which is hosted by  Carole's Random Life in Books .  This is a great way to put a spotlight on books that I've had sitting on my shelf for awhile.  I don't know when I'll get to my weekly featured book, but I hope to some time hopefully soon. This Week's Neglected Book: Kingdom of the Grail by Judith Tarr Published: January 1, 2000 Genre: Historical Fantasy My Copy: Format: Paperback Pages: 456 Where I Acquired It: Antique Shop Summary (From Goodreads): The wizard Merlin, imprisoned within an enchanted forest since the fall of Camelot, receives a visitor possessing strong magical talent. His name is Roland, a knight and warrior who has sworn to free the legendary sorcerer. But, to save the wizard, Roland must first confront an old, powerful enemy of Merlin's on a quest for the Holy Grail. Why Did I Add It?...

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my first update for my January progress on the year long  Beat The Backlist 2025  reading challenge, hosted by  Austine Decker .  You can see my original tbr  here .  In January, I completed 5 out of 24 books on my tbr.  Without further ado, keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in January: ❋   ❋  ❋   ❋ The Haunting of Blackwood House  ( The Haunting of Blackwood House  #1)   by Darcy Coates  even if it might have been just a bit too long.  If you like ghost stories and haunted house stories, you'll have to give it a try. I'm so glad I decided to start reading Darcy Coates. I love her style and I have so much to explore.   My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋   ❋  ❋ Murder Your Employer  by Rupert Holmes  has a fantastic concept with a fun sense humor, but it doesn't need to be nearly as long as it...

Happy Tuesday!  Today, I'm sharing my January update for my 12 Challenge 2025 .  This month I managed to complete 3 of the 12 books recommended to me.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on what I've read for this challenge in January:  ❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ A Guest in the House  by Emily Carroll  is dripping with a creepy and mysterious atmosphere.  The art is gorgeous, and I really appreciate the use of color.  I do wish the ending was a little less open though.  I definitely need to read more from this author in the future. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . ❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ The Great Fortune  ( Balkan Trilogy  #1) by Olivia Manning  was first put on my radar for my 12 Challenge 2025.  I'm glad it was because I can see why it is now considered a classic.  I haven't read many books set in Romania and I liked all of the details that made it feel real.  I haven't decided whether or not...

    Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Discovered In 2024.  I tried quite a few new authors, but these are the ones that really stood out.  Without further ado, here we go in alphabetical order by name: Katherine Arden Brom Alena Bruzas Marc J. Gregson Louie Stowell Sajni Patel Randy Ribay Kamome Shirahama Benjamin Stevenson Robin Wasley Have you read any of these authors?  Have you read any of their books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!