Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate September/October
30 September 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Fantasy, Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up, reading, September/October, 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
I’ve been absent from the blog for the past two weeks for a couple of reasons (nothing to do with reading slumps or being stressed with blogging and reviewing). We’ve had family visiting, I’ve had an issue with my hip replacement which I won’t go into here (but has been stressful) and I’ve started some more language lessons so two of my evenings are now taken up with school and then of course homework!
I’ve been pushing on with my reading though and although I now need to post quite a few reviews in quick succession I’m pleased to be a little ahead with some of my review books.
Since my last weekly wrap up I’ve read:
- Cinder House by Freya Marske
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
- House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
- The Last Witch by CJ Cooke
and I’m now reading Ring the Bells by C. K. McDonnell.
Next Week’s reads
Complete Ring the Bells and then pick up either The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas or Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason.
Reviews Posted:
None in the past week.
Outstanding Reviews
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
- This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara
- No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead
- The Naked Light by Bridget Collilns
- Cinder House by Freya Marske
- The Cold House by AG Slatter
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
- House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
- The Last Witch by CJ Cooke
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in September:
- No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead
- The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
- The Naked Light by Bridget Collilns
- Cinder House by Freya Marske
- The Cold House by AG Slatter
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
- House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
- The Last Witch by CJ Cooke
I’ve had a good reading month with 8 books and a good dent already in my October review books.
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in October:
- Cinder House by Freya Marske (already read)
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (already read)
- The Cold House by A.G. Slatter (already read)
- House of Splinters by Laura Purcell (already read)
- Ring the Bells by CK McDonnell (currently reading)
- The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke (already read)
- The Possession of Alba Dias by Isabel Cañas
- Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
- King Sorrow by Joe Hill
- The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah
- The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow
Lets just be honest – I’m not doing well so far – I need to give my head a big wobble.
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 not ticking off a prompt.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
No. 16 – A Roman helmet – and I’m using This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara.
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: 71
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
7 September 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, fiction, reading, Weekly wrap up, What's on my Plate
Books read this week:
I’ve had a lovely week this week seeing friends and doing a bit more socialising – I was going stir crazy. And my reading is going very well too. I do need to catch up with blog hopping but I’ve made a start and as I can’t bear to think I might miss out on reading about another great book I will be visiting everyone in the next few days. As planned I carried on with my September books and managed to read The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan – which I loved and also No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead which had me totally gripped. I have one further review book for September which I’m about to pick up – The Naked Light by Bridget Collins.
Next Week’s Reads:
Complete The Naked Light by Bridget Collilns and then I can start on some of my October books.
Reviews Posted:
- The Ghosts of Merry Hall by Heather Davey
- No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes
- A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #2)
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 Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan
- No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead
That’s it for me this week, what have you been up to? Any good books to shout out about. Let me know.
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
Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate July/August
3 August 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, July/August, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, Weekly wrap up, 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
The weather has been great, my hip is improving little by little every day and the reading has also been very good. So, in the past week I read The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford which was very good fun, I also read and thoroughly enjoyed Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher. I’m a third into The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine and I’m also a third into Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham so doing quite well with my August review books. I also managed to post three reviews last week so making steady progress with that as well. I’ve not been doing much blog hopping but hoping to catch up with everything over the next few days.
Next Week’s reads
Complete Forget Me Not and The Dead Husband Cookbook and move on to Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson and then maybe The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso. (Which perhaps seems like a lot but I’ve already made a good dent into the first two.
Reviews Posted:
- It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
- My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
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
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in July:
- Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia
- The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
- It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
- My Ex, the AntiChrist by Craig DiLouie
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw – DNF
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford
I’ve had a very good reading month reading 10 books, I completed my July review books and even made a dent in my August reads. I did have a DNF – The Library at Hellebore – which really didn’t work for me.
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in August:
- The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine
- The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford – already read
- Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson
- The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher – already read
- Damned by Genevieve Cogman
- This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May
- Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Lets just be honest – I’m not doing well so far – I need to give my head a wobble.
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 | 16. A Roman helmet |
Today, I’m ticking off another two prompts. No. 3 – an apple on a leafy branch – I’m using Hemlock and Silver for this one by T Kingfisther (if you’ve already read this you’ll know why) and I’m also ticking off No.10 – A Sheaf of Wheat – which I’m using The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst – because those greenhouses are amazing and everything grows there.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
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: 54
Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate June/July
6 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, fiction, June July, Month in review, Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up, reading, TBR, 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
The weather has been glorious and with the summer comes more socialising. That being said my weekly reading the past week has been good. I did indeed finish A Far Better Thing by HG Parry and not only loved it but have already posted my review – a Dickens inspired world with wicked fae. I then picked up Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean which I also absolutely loved. I also finished listening to Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. I struggled with this one for at least two thirds of the read but I confess the final chapters definitely piqued my interest and the ending in particular. I then picked up and practically inhaled The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. A bewitching tale, a mystery and witches that feel almost akin to vampires.
Next Week’s reads
I’m happy to say that I’ve also started two new books, both of which I’m enjoying very much so far. The Enchanted Greenhouse which I’m about a third into and The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig which is my current audio book.
Reviews Posted:
- A Far Better Thing by HG Parry
Outstanding Reviews
- Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
- Paved With Good Intentions by Peter McLean
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read in June:
- The Countdown Killer by Sam Holland
- The Rush by Beth Lewis
- The Bodies by Sam Lloyd
- Swordheart by T Kingfisher
- A Far Better Thing by HG Parry
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
I’ve had a slow reading month for sure and looking back at my last monthly review I had 11 books queued up to read – The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater was unfortunately a DNF. I also picked up and started With A Vengeance by Riley Sager but it wasn’t working it’s magic – which was a surprise as I’ve been really enjoying this author’s work recently. From the rest of the list I’d already picked up and reviewed We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough which was great, the Shield and the Moth by Rachel Gillig I’m now listening to and Paved with Good Intentions by Peter McLean is now complete (I just didn’t manage to fit it into June).
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in July, in fact I’ve already made good progress as I’ve read The Bewitching and started The Enchanted Greenhouse. I’ve carried over The Knight and the Moth and I’m going to try and squeeze in a couple of backlist books if I can:
- Fateless by Julie Kagawa
- The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst – current read
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – read and waiting to be reviewed
- Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan
- It Was Her First House by Cherie Priest
- The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
This month I’m hoping to go back to a couple of books from last October that I really wanted to read but didn’t have the time to fit them in. Let’s see how that goes.
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 | 3. An apple on a leafy branch | 4. An archery target with three arrows in it |
| 5. A very large mechanical telescope | 7. A stag | ||
| 9 |
10. A sheaf of wheat | ||
| 15. A stylized sun with a human face | 16. A Roman helmet |
Today, I’m ticking off another of the prompts. No. 11 – the old mechanical typewriter – I’m using The Bewitching for this one as one of the characters is a writer and is actually gifted a typewriter in the story. The book she writes features prominently in the story so I think it’s a good fit.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
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: 44
