Always Me

  Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my my third update for my progress for the year long reading challenge called the  2026 Popsugar Reading Challenge .  In March, I completed 7 books for a total of 15 read so far out of 50 total books on my tbr.  I think I'm making pretty great progress.  You can see my original tbr  here .  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in March for this challenge: 21. A book about a bachelorette trip ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ I've only read Ashley Herring Blake's MG before and romance isn't usually my go-to genre, but I ended up enjoying  Delilah Green Doesn't Care  ( Bright Falls  #1) by Ashley Herring Blake  quite a bit more than I was expecting.  I most appreciated that it was told from both the perspectives of Delilah and Claire rather than just one of them.  I felt like I really got to know the both of them.  I don't think the book needed to be n...

        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: Between Two Thorns ( The Split Worlds #1) by Emma Newman Published: February 25, 2013 Genre: YA Urban Fantasy My Copy: Format: Trade Paperback Pages: 384 Where I Acquired It: Thrift shop Summary (From Goodreads): Something is wrong in Aquae Sulis, Bath’s secret mirror city. The new season is starting and the Master of Ceremonies is missing. Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer. There is a witness but his memories have been bound by magical chains only t...

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my third update for my March progress for the year long Read Queerly 2026 which is hosted by Alexx @  Enthralled Bookworm .  In March, I completed 1 book for a total of 6 read so far out of 16 total books on my tbr.  You can see my original tbr  here .  Keep reading to see the sixteen books on my tbr for this challenge: 2. Black author: A queer book written by a Black Author ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ Model Home  by Rivers Solomon  is my favorite book from this author so far.  That said it is intensely creepy and bleak.  I don't think I was quite prepared for just how intense it was going to be.  I'll have to catch up on more from Solomon soon. My review is also on  Goodreads  and  The StoryGraph .  Are you participating in this challenge?  Have you read this books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today, I'm sharing my March update for  Bookforager's Picture Prompt Book Bingo 2026 .  In March, I completed 1 out of 5 read so far of a total of 16 books on my tbr.  Without further ado, keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in March for this challenge: 14. A skull and crossbones  ❋   ❋  ❋ Coffin Moon  by Keith Rosson  is a horror novel I was really looking forward to.  In the end, it was a novel I liked, but I wish I loved it a little more than I did.  I loved the atmosphere of the 1970s setting.  The tone and the style really worked for me for the first half but then it started to lose some steam for me for the second half.  Even though this wasn't quite a favorite, I think I'll try more from Keith Rosson in the future.   My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . Have you read these books?  Are you taking part in this challenge?  As always, thanks ...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book, but I'm going to specifically list Books Featuring Found Family On My TBR.  I love found family stuff and I hope these will be as good as they sound.  Here we go in alphabetical order by title: A College of Magics ( A College of Magics #1) by Caroline Stevermer The Goblin Emperor ( The Chronicles of Osreth #1) by Katherine Addison The Last Sun ( The Tarot Sequence #1) by K.D. Edwards Medici Heist  by Caitlin Schneiderhan The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson Nevermoor: The Trials on Morrigan Crow ( Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Winans So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens The Way of Kings ( The Stormlight Archives #1) by Brandon Sanderson   Have you read any of these books?  Wh...

Happy Monday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my third update for my March progress for the year long  Beat The Backlist 2026  reading challenge, hosted by Austine Decker.  You can see my original tbr  here .  In March, I completed 1 books for a total of 7 read so far out of 24 total books on my tbr.  Not bad so far!  Without further ado, keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in March: 7. BFFs: features 2+ best friends as main or important side characters ❋ DNF'd @ p. 63 I like small, local bookshops, Agatha Christie, and reading in general, but cozy mysteries aren't always quite for me. As it turns out,  Dead and Gondola  ( Christie Bookshop  #1) by Ann Claire  set my teeth on edge. I was going to try to make a go of the whole novel, but I decided I just wasn't interested in reading 255 more pages of this one. My review is also on  Goodreads  and  The StoryGraph . Are you participating i...

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday!  Let's share some songs we've been enjoying!  If you would like to link up with me, please see the rules below. Rules: Every Monday share a few songs you've been enjoying.  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.  Hello everyone! Today, I'm featuring four of my favorite song mashups from CLMC Music .  I recently found this YouTube channel and I've really enjoyed the variety and style of the music featured there.  The mashups are delightful and sometimes unexpected.  Give a listen to The Phantom of the Opera x Eye of the Tiger (if I went to a gym, I would totally listen to this while working ou...

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for the the  Spring Into Reading Athon 2026  which was hosted by  Completely Melanie .  This round of the SeasonAthon ran all of March and I completed one bingo (diagonally from top left to bottom right) from my original tbr .  Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the books I read for the challenge: Spring Cleaning: Read a book that has been collecting dust on your TBR ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ The Soul Slayer  by Paul Doherty  is my second book by this author and so far it is my favorite. The story really sucked me into the world pretty much straight away. I also liked getting to know Rebecca. I just wish she got to be more by the ending. My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph . Spring Fashion: Read a book with a beautiful cover ❋   ❋  ❋  ❋ The Hexologists  ( The Hexologists  #1) by Josiah Bancroft  is a series opener that...

      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 Anne'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 2026  books,  Zhara  ( Guardians of the Dawn  #1) by S. Jae-Jones .  I hope this will be as good as it looks. Beginning: The rent was due, the rodents had gotten into the rice, and...

        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: The Unicorn Quest ( The Unicorn Quest #1) by Kamilla Benko Published: January 30, 2018 Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy  Adventure My Copy: Format: Paperback Pages: 336 Where I Acquired It: Thrift shop Summary (From Goodreads): Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor... until the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden. There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no long...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  This week's topic is Books on My Spring 2026 TBR.  Most of these are going to be books I'm hoping to read for my Read Harder Challenge .  Spring runs from March 20th-June 20th.  Without further ado, here we go by date: March Killing Floor  ( Jack Reacher  #1) by Lee Child   Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng  by Kylie Lee Baker   Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher - Release date: March 24th April Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler  by Lynne Olson Hyperbole and a Half  by Allie Brosh   May A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit  ( Side Quest Row  #1)   by R.K. Ashwick   White is for Witching  by Helen Oyeyemi   June Otherworldly  by F.T. Lukens   Ana on the Edge  by A.J. Sass   Three ...