Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
2 August 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, fiction, reading, Sunday Post, The Eye of Leviathan, This Blade of Ours, Weekly wrap up
Today I’m posting my Weekly Wrap Up and I’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Weekly Update
This has been a hectic week and the weather has been lovely. I have been reading but not as much as I would like and I’ve posted a couple of posts this week but not reviews so I need to catch up with that. I’ve finished listening to This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara and also finished reading The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, this one started a little slowly for me but then I found myself unexpectedly hooked (unexpected because I almost set this aside – I’m glad I didn’t). I then picked up The Eye of Leviathan by M. A. Carrick, again this is taking me a little time to get into but I think it’s starting to work its magic. I hope so anyway. I was hoping to finish this before this post but I’m not going to make it.
Next Week’s Reads
Hopefully complete The Eye of Leviathan by M. A. Carrick and then I need to pick up a couple of August books which I’m thinking The Unknown by Riley Sager or A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett – but, you know what the saying is about the best laid plans…
Reviews Posted:
- None this week
Outstanding Reviews
- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
- The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by HG Parry
- The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara
Hoping to see you round the blogosphere this forthcoming week
Monthly Round Up/What’s on My Plate: August
1 August 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: August, Book Reviews, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Fantasy, Monthly Round Up, reading, What's on my Plate
I’m trying to keep on top of these monthly round up posts even if I haven’t made as much progress as I’d like. My reading is still slow at the moment. As I’ve mentioned we’ve been having various trips away and then hosting visits from family and friends so everything has been slightly chaotic. During my last round up I listed nine books that I needed to read for July. I’ve not done as well as I’d like with this but I managed to read five of those books. I still have a couple of reviews outsanding and I’m in the middle of one of the other books.
These were the books I read in July:
- This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara
- Nine Goblins by T Kingfisher
- The Eye of Leviathan by MA Carrick – currently reading
- The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by HG Parry
- The Winter Folk by Jen Julian
What’s On My Plate: August
- The Unknown by Riley Sager
- A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
- Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst
- The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty
- The Two of Us at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
- Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
- They Say A Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
This is a more manageable size list I feel – but, obviously I still have some catching up to do from the past couple of months so we’ll see.
Backlist Book
For the moment I’m not tackling the list I created at the start of the year as I’d like to catch up with my review books from the last few months to get back on track.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt Book Bingo
And the ‘wordy’ version:
Picture Prompt Book Bingo 2026 (text version)
| 1. | 2. A set of weighing scales | 3. | 4. |
| 5. A hot air balloon | 7. | 8. A cooking pot hanging over a campfire | |
| 9. | 10. | 11. | 12. An octopus |
| 13. | 14. A skull and crossbones | 15. A decorative water fountain | 16. A pinch-clip purse |
This month I have no books that fit the prompts – or at least I don’t think so. Here’s the books I ticked off last month:
A plant being repotted – Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons (this really is a perfect fit)
A hand holding some fanned out playing cards – The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru – I’m thinking of the card readings (tarot but playing cards can also be used)
A moth – Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher – gothic horror with insects, maggots and more
A human eye – A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett – this may seem a bit random but Ana, one of the two main characters in this series usually chooses to wear a blindfold in order to help her restrict all the sensory data and improve her thinking
A large, old key – The Children by Melissa Albert – keys, very unusual keys I might add, play a large part in this beautiful book
A Griffin – This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews – there are a few critters in this
A hand holding a threaded needle – The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett a group of women coming together, forming bonds and found family, there is actually literal stitching involved as well but I’m going more for the abstract idea here of the women joining together in times of need
Can’t Wait Wednesday: Deadly Little Lessons by Danielle Valentine
29 July 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Breaking the Spine, Can't wait Wednesday, Danielle Valentine, Deadly Little Lessons, fiction, reading, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is: Deadly Little Lessons by Danielle Valentine. My first book by this author was Delicate Condition – which I loved. Then I read and equally loved The Dead Husband Cookbook followed by Two Sides to Every Murder. I’m loving her books so as you may imagine I’m very happy to see another fantastic sounding book in the not too distant future. Check out the description and cover below:
Luminary is more than just a school. It is a test of moral fiber, strength of will, and human resilience.
Lia Michaels can pick any lock and break into most computer systems. But a life of delinquency has her bouncing between foster homes and juvie. So when she applies to Luminary Prep, a new experimental school created to challenge academic conventions, Lia is surprised by the acceptance letter that follows.
With state-of-the-art technology, fancy cafeteria food, and a campus that looks like a painting come to life, Luminary seems to be the break Lia needs. That is, if she can excel in class and be one of only five students who will be allowed to graduate.
But classes at Luminary are . . . odd. And dangerous. There is a death-trap obstacle course in Physics, a Chemistry exam with explosives, and guillotines in Political Science. As students keep vanishing, one by one, Lia starts to wonder if it’s not that five students will graduate—but that only five will survive.
Expected publication: September 2026
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
26 July 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, fiction, reading, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up
Today I’m posting my Weekly Wrap Up and I’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Weekly Update
We had a lovely trip away, the wedding we went to was such good fun and it was great to catch up with so many people all in one go. The weather is warm again and it seems that wild fires are plaguing many countries. I hope everyone keeps safe. I have managed to post a few reviews recently so nearly caught up, especially as my reading hasn’t been particularly quick with all the recent travelling and socialising. Since my last update I finished The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by HG Parry. This wasn’t particularly a quick read but if you love the tales of King Arthur and his roundtable and fancy a new take on the myth then this could be right up your ally. As usual Parry’s writing is exquisite. I’m still listening to This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara – tbh I’m not loving this as much as the first book but I feel like I should press on now and try to finish it. I’m currently reading The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia which is intriguing, I’m about 40% of the way in, but it’s not my favourite of hers so far – but we’ll see.
Next Week’s Reads
Hopefully complete This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara and The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and then maybe I can fit in one more july book before the month ends which hopefully will be The Eye of Leviathan by M. A. Carrick.
Reviews Posted:
- A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett
- The Tinder Box by MR Carey
- Nine Goblins by T Kingfisher
- The Winter Folk by Jen Julian
Outstanding Reviews
- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
- The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by HG Parry.
Hoping to see you round the blogosphere this forthcoming week
The 2026 Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag
25 July 2026
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Best Books, Best Sequel, Book Review, Book tag, book-blog, Books, Books you need to finish by the end of 2026, Favourite Characters, Most Anticipated Books, reading, The 2026 Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag
I’ve seen this tag a lot just recently and wanted to take part – this is my first year and I’m a little late as July is almost over but here goes. The tag has been running for quite a few years and was created by Ely @ Earl Grey Books and Chami @ Read Like Wildfire.
Best Book I’ve Read So Far This Year:
The Children by Melissa Albert
Best Sequel I’ve Read So Far This Year:
A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is a great series that started with The Tainted Cup, if you haven’t read this yet I highly recommend it, particularly if you like fantasy and mystery combined.
New Release I Haven’t Read But Want To:
The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty I have a copy of this but I’m a little behind – I need to pick it up soon as I absolutely loved The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi.
Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2026:
Ooh, this is a tricky one because there are a lot of good books coming out soon. I’ve had to go for more than one but I have restrained myself to three:
Biggest Disappointment:
I don’t tend to have a lot of books that are disappointments to be honest because if I’m not enjoying it then I stop reading and I don’t love reviewing books I haven’t finished (which isn’t a judgement on others simply a personal thing). But, I did try a book earlier in the year called Loving a Vampire is Total Chaos by Aura Hayes and this book really didn’t work for me so I had to set it aside, but don’t take that to heart as it does seem to have a lot of reviews and a very decent rating so I think it was probably a case of wrong mood.
Biggest Surprise:
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews – I’ve read this author partnership before and really like their style so to say it was a surprise sounds a bit off – it’s more that I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the story itself. As it happens I absolutely loved this – way more than I ever expected. And I highly recommend it.
Favorite New Author:
This has to be Antonia Hodgson for the Raven Scholar. An excellent read that I still need to post my review for – spoiler alert – this one is highly recommended too.
New Favorite Character:
Anne of Brittany, from the The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden. She is a fantastic character to read. This is a fascinating story beautifully combining history and speculative fiction and with absolutely lush writing.
A Book That Made Me Cry:
Well, it didn’t exactly make me cry but it is quite an emotional read and I think I needed to be in the right head space before I started. As it happens I really enjoyed We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune.
A Book That Made Me Happy:
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett). This is a fantastic book, I absolutely loved it. It made me tense and, yes, it did make me happy.
Books I Need to Read By the End of the Year:
Yes, I have gone for more than one because I have so much excitement right now for so many books. Obviously I won’t repeat the three above but here are a few that I can’t wait to pick up:
Books and travelling with Lynn 