Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate August/September
31 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: August/September, Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up, Books, Fantasy, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, What's on my Plate
I’m trying to post a wrap up for the end of each month, mainly to help me to keep track of my reading and at the same time look at what I’m intending to read during the month ahead (inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
This month’s wrap up post will be a bit messy again like last month’s because I’m combining it with my weekly wrap up.
Weekly Update
Well, I’ve had my six week check up and my hip is progressing well. I’ve not been using any walking aids for about three weeks and I’ve been keeping up with the exercises and so far so good. In the past week I continued with some of my September reads and completed No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes which started a little slow and then won me over, The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey which I did have a few issues with and I also read A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis – which I really enjoyed and crammed into one delicious sitting.
Next Week’s reads
I shall be continuing with my September review books so will be picking up The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan, No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead and maybe I’ll have time for a third and check out The Naked Light by Bridget Collins.
Reviews Posted:
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- A Tangle of Time (The Hexologists #2) by Josiah Bancroft
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – DNF
- Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
- This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara
- The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey
- No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes
- A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in August:
- The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher
- Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
- Damned by Genevieve Cogman
- This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May
- Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
- The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft
- This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara
- No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes
- The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey
- A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis
I’ve had a very good reading month reading 11 books, I completed all my August review books and even made a dent in some of my September reads. No DNFs this month fortunately.
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in September (and I’ve already read three so should be able to tuck into my October books all going well – good thing too as I have quite a few books that month):
- No Friend to this House by Natalie Haynes – read rtf
- The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey – read rtf
- The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
- No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead
- The Naked Light by Bridget Collins
- A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis – read rtf

Lets just be honest – I’m not doing well so far – I need to give my head a big 0wobble.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo.
and the text version:
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2025 (TEXT VERSION)
| 1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife | 2. A lighthouse | 4. An archery target with three arrows in it | |
| 5. A very large mechanical telescope | 7. A stag | ||
| 9 |
|||
| 15. A stylized sun with a human face |
Today, I’m ticking off another prompt. No. 16 – A Roman helmet – and I’m using This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
No. 3 – an apple on a leafy branch – Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisther
No.10 – A Sheaf of Wheat – The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst –
No. 11 – An Old Mechanical Typewriter – The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia
No.8 – The ruins of a temple-like structure – I’m using Daughter of Chaos by A S Webb
No. 12 – A cluster of four mushrooms – I’m using Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
No. 13 – A fringed umbrella/parasol – I’m using A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
No.14 – A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes – I’m using Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
No.9 – A Crab – I’m using The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – if you’ve read this already you’ll be able to guess why. There are some very unusual creatures in this story.
No.6 – A Human Skull – I’m using The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North – because this is about a serial killer and there are definite human remains included in this one.
Number of books read this year: 63
Review: A Tangle of Time (The Hexologists #2) by Josiah Bancroft
25 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Tangle of Time, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Josiah Bancroft, reading, Review, The Hexologists #2
My Five Word TL:DR Review: One Word Will Suffice: Brilliant
A Tangle of Time is the second in the Hexologists series – of which I hope there will be many – and as second in series goes it’s an absolute banger. I loved it.
I think that if you intend to read this you should read the first in series, but that’s because the first is very good, you’d miss so much in terms of the world, the set up and the characters and also why deny yourself the pleasure. However, if time is something of an issue and the thought of having to read the first before diving in here is off putting, then I believe you could pick this up as a standalone.
My review for The Hexologists ended on this note “Stunning, clever, stylish, filled with creativity and misdirection. I can’t wait to see where this takes us next.” And, I would say this still holds true here.
A Tangle in Time – well, the clue is definitely in the title, which is spot on. This is indeed a mystery and a deliciously tangled web. At the heart of this story is a murder mystery and one which Isolde and Warren have not specifically been asked to investigate, rather they’ve stumbled upon something by accident and Isolde is unable to let it go – and with good reason. And, in fact, there is another mystery that feeds perfectly into the story – Isolde’s missing father. I definitely think this book could be read again and probably with even more enjoyment the second time around, picking up on all the nuances that sometimes almost get lost in the indecent haste of tearing through the pages to discover the book’s secrets. Will I read it again? Probably not if I’m being honest but I can dream.
I’m not going to delve further into the plot. This is a captivating story that really heightens the tension and I don’t want to give away any spoilers.
What worked for me.
The writing is again perfect. I love this style. It suits the period, the couple and the storyline perfectly. I literally found myself rereading certain paragraphs because they were simply so enjoyable to read.
The setting has a faux Victorian feel. I think I mentioned in my review this almost feels like a new Sherlock and Watson, with Isolde being the persistent Holmes and Warren her beleaguered and good natured assistant.
The couple themselves are a delight to read. They’re a well established couple with their own little quirks. They fit together so well and in fact you could say that they are cosy. There love for each other shines out so easily. Definitely not a romantic story but one which shines in terms of the main character’s true partnership.
And, the imagination at play here is once again off the charts. As the description says ‘seedy underworlds, enchanted gardens, and subterranean military zoos’, plus wolves, all manner of attacking birds, vampirish pixies/wasps and of course a culinary minded dragon. There’s no shortage of critters and dangerous situations as the pair put their lives at risk in the search for answers.
I loved it and really can’t get enough of this series. Highly recommended.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
24 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Fantasy, reading, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up

Books read this week:
Well, the weather has cooled down this week which has made sleeping a lot easier. I’ve had a good reading week and also managed to post three reviews. I read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison and The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft and really enjoyed both. Play Nice has had it’s date pushed back I think so I might hold onto my post a little while for that one – we’ll see. I’ve also been listening to This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara and in fact I should complete that later today with just one hour of listening left.
Next Week’s Reads:
I’ll continue with my September review books so looking at picking up No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes, or The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey, or maybe I’ll be overcome with longing and pick up The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan.
Reviews Posted:
- Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
- This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May
- Damned by Genevieve Cogman
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – DNF
- Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
- The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft
- This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara
That’s it for me this week, what have you been up to? Any good books to shout out about. Let me know.
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
17 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Fantasy, reading, reviews, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up

Books read this week:
My word this past week has been very warm, so warm it’s been difficult to sleep. Another busy week. I’ve read all my August review books and also posted three reviews – however, as I seem to be reading quite a lot at the moment I’m not really catching up with the reviews! I read Damned by Genevieve Cogman and really enjoyed it, a very satisfying ending. I also read This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May – mixed feelings for this one although I love May’s writing – I wasn’t in love with the story itself, it lacked any real sense of tension but at the same time I did want to finish it. I’ve been listening to This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara – intriguing so far, I’m about halfway through.
Next Week’s Reads:
So, I can now make a start on some of my August review books which is so exciting as I have some great titles. I think I’ll start with Play Nice by Rachel Harrison and The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time by Josiah Bancroft. And of course continue listening to This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara.
Reviews Posted:
- The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine
- The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – DNF
- Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
- This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May
- Damned by Genevieve Cogman
That’s it for me this week, what have you been up to? Any good books to shout out about. Let me know.
Review: Hemlock & Silver by T Kingfisher
14 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Hemlock & Silver, Review, T Kingfisher
My Five Word TL:DR Review: This Author is My Catnip
I simply cannot resist T Kingfisher, I love her writing and she creates such great characters that you really relate to and Hemlock & Silver is no exception.
Let me count the ways in which I couldn’t resist:
Author – oh hell yes
Description – you had me at ‘a dark reimagining of “Snow White” ‘
Writing – beautiful as always
Anja – the central character. She clearly hasn’t heard of the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ because her inquisitiveness is off the charts. I love her character, she’s always questioning and she doesn’t balk at taking risks.
So, this is a dark reimagining of Snow White that has a strange and captivating Alice Through the Looking Glass feel (even a, sometimes helpful, other times not so much, cat). I can’t/won’t say more. In terms of the original fairytale and the elements that shine through here. well there are poisonous elements, apples, mirrors, a Queen hellbent on achieving her goals and a touch of Kingfisher-style romance.
As the story begins Anja is visited by the King himself, desperate to find help for his daughter who appears to be slowly dying. Surely she is being poisoned and Anja, following her years of study, does seem like the perfect person to investigate what’s actually going on. Of course, as soon as the would-be poisoner discovers Anja’s purpose she herself will become a target – which is why two guard’s are assigned to look after her at all times.
It seems however that nothing is quite as it seems and this is no simple poisoning. Anja and one of the guards (who definitely becomes a friend and eventually something more) discover a whole new world and as a result find themselves in a good deal of danger.
I really enjoyed this. It was a quick read and full of Kingfisher’s signature dark twists and intoxicating writing. I have my fingers and toes crossed for more fairytale reimaginings in the not so distant future.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars.























