Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate April/May
4 May 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: April/May, Book Review, book-blog, Books, Monthly recap, reading, Weekly wrap up, What's on my Plate, Wrap Up
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.
Today’s post will be a bit messy. Looking back, and obviously April was a very busy month for me so I did miss a number of posts, I don’t think I posted a monthly wrap up covering March/April. So, I’m also going to post the books I read during March and April. In other news the SPFBO competition is now complete and the winner chosen. There were some great books so if you’re looking for something new check out this post here.
Since my last weekly update I’ve been reading The Devlls by Joe Abercrombie.
Next weeks reads:
Complete The Devils – I won’t say this is a quick read but I am enjoying it. Hopefully I can also pick up The Vengeance by Emma Newman.
My reading for March:
- Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher
- The Vipers by Katy Hays
- A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall – still reading
- A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
- Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
Not as good as I would have liked to be honest.
Reviews posted:
- Wolf of Withervale (Noss Saga #1) by Joaquin Baldwin
- Runelight (The Aenigma Lights Book 1) by JA Andrews
- Gates of Hope by JE Hannaford
- The Humane Society for Creatures and Cryptids by Stephanie A Gillis
- The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori
- The Oathsworn Legacy by KR Gangi
- The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword by Dewey Conway and Bill Adams
- Mushroom Blues by Adrian M Gibson
- By Blood by Salt by JL Odom
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read:
- April
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- Senseless by Ronald Malfi
- Paladins Grace by T Kingfisher
- The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
- Spellbound by Georgia Leighton – DNF
- Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in May:
- The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
- The Vengeance by Emma Newman
- The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
- Vianne by Joanne Harris
- The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell
-
- Version 1.0.0
I’m quite relieved that I managed to keep May’s book requests to a reasonable number as I’m also hoping to fit in some Backlist books
I haven’t started this challenge yet but hoping to read a couple of backlist books this month if I can manage it.
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 | 6. A human skull | 7. A stag | |
| 9. A crab | 10. A sheaf of wheat | 11. An old mechanical typewriter | |
| 15. A stylized sun with a human face | 16. A Roman helmet |
The prompts I’m crossing 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
Monthly/Weekly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate February/March
2 March 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: book-blog, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, currently-reading, February/March, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, Weekly wrap up, What's on my Plate, Wrap Up
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.
Today’s post will be a dual post covering my weekly and monthly wrap up. How are we even in March already – it’s crazy. My February reading has been okay, particularly as it’s a short month. I’m over my cold thankfully and I’ve caught up with quite a few reviews, comments and blog hopping. So feeling quite positive. This month I managed to complete 10 books. I still have a couple of February books to complete – but I did give both a try and for some reason we just weren’t getting on so I’ve put them aside for now. One of the ten was one of my March books and I’ll be reviewing that on Monday (all going well – Once Was Willem).
My Weekly Wrap Up:
Books read:
- Greenteeby by Molly O’Neill
- 1 x SPFBO
- Once Was Willem by MR Carey
Next weeks reads:
- Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher
- The Vipers by Katy Hays
Reviews Posted:
- Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde #3) by Heather Fawcett
- Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
- Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
My Monthly Wrap Up:
Books read:
- Grave Empire by Richard Swan
- Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey – currently reading
- The Crimson Road by AG Slatter
- Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
- Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
- 1 x SPFBO Finalist
- Once Was Willem by MR Carey – review to follow
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in March:
- Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher (already started this one)
- A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
- The Vipers (Salt Water in the US) by Katy Hays
- A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
- Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
- 1 x SPFBO
- 1 x SPFBO
- 1 x March review book
This seems like a possibility – fingers crossed.
You can find the SPFBO finalists here.
I haven’t started this challenge yet as I do need to squeeze in some of the SPFBO finalists.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo. I’ve completed four books so far – my progress update is here.
Total books read so far this year: 17
How did you get on during Feburary? Have you read any of these books yet?
Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate December/January
29 December 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: book-blog, Books, December/January, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, reading-challenges, 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.
In this post I shall be looking at the reading I completed during December and also setting out what I’m hoping to achieve during the first month of 2025. I haven’t managed to complete all my review books but I’ve fit some in and overall, for the entire year, I think I’m approximately 9 or 10 books outstanding – which, I’m not too displeased with – although I was set to keep on track until the last two months, but, the best laid plans, etc. Anyway, I’ve completed my Countdown posts (the last two posts already scheduled) and in the new year, as well as continuing with the Backlist challenge, I shall be starting to read the 9 SPFBO finalists (check them all out here).
Here’s what I read during December :
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry
- Strange Beasts by Susan J Morris
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
- The Queen by Nick Cutter – review to follow soon
- The Coven by Harper L Woods – I’m still reading this but hopefully will complete by New Year.
Here’s what I’m hoping to read in January:
- The House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
- Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
- Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
- Daughter of Chaos by A S Webb
I’m also hoping to make a start on my SPFBO Finalists. You can find them all here.
Plus I still have two books sent to me by authors that I’d also like to pick up:
Land from Bjørn Larssen; and
Drown Deep by Phil Williams
This month I yet again have read no Backlist Books but I’ve managed to read six books from my backlist this year – not as good as I’d hoped but it’s still an improvement and means I’m slowly catching up.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo
This month I’m ticking off the final two prompts. The microscope – I’m using The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso for this one as it has a groundhog feel to the story that makes you feel like each world is really under scrutiny. For the bees I’m using The Queen by Nick Cutter – if you’ve read this you’ll know why. Thank you so much to the Bookforager for running this fun picture prompt.
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2024 (TEXT VERSION)
So far this year I’ve read and (mostly) reviewed a total of 112 books.
How did you get on during December and 2024?
Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate September/October
1 October 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, book-blog, Books, Monthly 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.
In this post I shall be looking at the reading I completed for September and what I’m hoping to read during October. I hit a bit of a shady patch this month and didn’t quite finish all my planned books – and looking at October, well, I seem to have turned into a raging maniac requesting ALL the books and literally I don’t know what I was thinking. Well, I do. I just wanted them all, they all looked so lovely and they were calling to me. Anyway. This month I have two review books that I’ve not managed to complete but I’m still aiming to pick them up when I have a quieter month (November/December). I have two reviews to catch up with at the moment and then onwards to my October books.
Here’s what I read during September:
- Fortitude’s Prize by Ceril N Domace (SPFBOX)
- The First Assignment by Billy Kramer (SPFBOX)
- River of Crows by NP Thompson (SPFBOX)
- This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C Wells
- So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
- Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
- Touched by Magic by Celine Jeanjean (SPFBOX)
- Smile and Be A Villain by Yves Donlon (SPFBOX)
- Gorse by Sam K Horton
- The Ravening by Daniel Church
- The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier – review to follow
- The Wilding by Ian McDonald – review to follow
This month I had nine review books and five SPFBO books. I have two review books to complete, I started both but put them down temporarily as I don’t think I was in the right headspace. So, twelve books all together.
What I’m hoping to read during October(with links to Goodreads) (although I realise this is a tall order and probably unlikely – but I can roll some books over to November).
- The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
- The Coven by Harper L. Woods
- The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
- Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
- The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
- Run by Blake Crouch
- Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan
- Hear Him Calling by Carly Reagon
- Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
- The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
- Here One Minute by Alex Lake
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry
- The Queen by Nick Cutter
- Magic by Sarah Pinborough
I also have a couple of books sent to me directly by the authors and three potential SPFBOX Semi Finalists. So, realistically, there’s no way I’m going to complete them all. But, in my defence some of these were requests that came in late. Oh, who am I kidding – there are some great books on here so I couldn’t resist. And, just look how lovely they all look:
This month I read no Backlist Books -boo (I am still reading The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie – which is very good but I simply keep forgetting to listen to the audio version).
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo
This month I’m ticking off the ‘clouds’ prompt from my Picture Prompt bingo card.
I’m using Fortitude’s Prize by Ceril N Domace – a story that predominantly takes place in the sky so seems quite appropriate.
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2024 (TEXT VERSION)
| A microscope | A partially unrolled scroll and a pen | ||
| A beehive (with four bees flying around it) |
So far this year I’ve read a total of 94 books.
How did you get on during September?
Sunday Post/Weekly Wrap Up plus Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate August/September
1 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: August/September, blogging, Books Bones & Buffy, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Monthly Wrap Up, Review Books, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up, What's on my Plate
Today I’m combining my Weekly Wrap Up with my Monthly Wrap Up plus What’s on My Plate for September.
Books read this week:
I didn’t manage to fit in as much reading this week but I’m still getting ahead with reviews and comments/blog hopping so I’m relatively happy. I’ve also posted my second batch of cuts for SPFBO which leaves me with five titles to explore further. I think some of my more recent reads have slowed me down a little. This week completed and reviewed The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey. I then picked up one of my September books, The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart – this is good, the writing is excellent, but I am finding it a little slow but I think maybe I needed to fit a quick, light read inbetween.
Next Week’s Reads:
I’ll be continuing primarily with my SPFBO books this week and also hoping to pick up So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison which I’m really looking forward to.
Reviews Posted:
- Storm Child by Michael Robotham
- The Voyage Home by Pat Barker
- The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey
Outstanding Reviews
- The September House by Carissa Orlando
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate August/September
So, below are the books I read in August and what’s on my tbr for September – inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
Here’s what I read during August:
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher
- Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning
- A Poisoner’s Tale by Cathryn Kemp
- Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney
- The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno Garcia
- The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey
- Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
- The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow – DNF
- Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
- The Voyage Home by Pat Barker
This month I read and reviewed all my review books, even a late addition with The Voyage Home (although one of those was a DNF). I’ve also nearly completed the Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie (I was hoping for it to be this month’s Backlist book but I couldn’t quite fit it all in – perhaps I’ll have two books next month).
What I’m hoping to read during September (with links to Goodreads).
- The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
- Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
- This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C Wells
- So Thirsty By Rachel Harrison
- The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
- The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Gorse by Sam K. Horton
- The Ravening by Daniel Church
- The Wilding by Ian McDonald
Hopefully I can squeeze in a backlist title during September.
This month I read no Backlist Books -boo (but I have nearly finished The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie).
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo
This month I’m ticking two books off my Picture Prompt bingo card. The picture with the old Roman coin and the picture of a crown
For the Roman coin I’ve chosen The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno Garcia. This is a story of three different women, two from 1950s era Hollywood and the other Princess Salome, a character straight out of the bible who is being used politically and torn between her own desires and those of her mother. This was a time of Roman rule and in fact one of Salome’s suitors is an ambitious Roman.
For the picture of a simple crown I’ve chosen The Voyage Home by Pat Barker. This is a retelling of Cassandra’s tale (herself a princess and daughter of King Priam) and her arrival in Mycenae as King Agamemnon’s trophy bride.
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2024 (TEXT VERSION)
| A microscope | A partially unrolled scroll and a pen | ||
| A beehive (with four bees flying around it) | Fluffy cumulonimbus clouds |
I must say I don’t know how I’m going to cross the next four books off, I have the time but the bees and the microscope I’m hitting a block with.
So far this year I’ve read a total of 83 books so I’m on track to read my 100 books for a year. Also this year I am only behind with two of my review books. Both are books that I didn’t quite get time to, and when I did pick them up they weren’t quite working their magic – but I’m hoping to return to them soon.
How did you get on during August?
Books and travelling with Lynn 