My First Book Haul of 2025 & Some Personal Oversharing Yada Yada…

As I always say, reading books and buying books are two different hobbies.

Typically, I read as much as I buy. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m reading owned books; in fact, I’m definitely not, but it’s the spirit of reading that counts, not where the books come from. But for the last year or so, I’ve been reading less and buying more. Like, way more. I was using book purchases for jolts of serotonin, my only source of happiness during the most stressful year of my life.

If life has taught me anything, it’s that shit can always get worse, so I need to maintain a high level of anxiety at all times, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, I am in therapy.

But certainly my response to 2024 could have been way worse. I could have gotten into heavy drugs. Maybe considered alcoholism, but I try to avoid swallowing as a general rule. That’s a weird thing to say, so more on that in a minute.

I guess there’s always a chance I totally lose it in 2025 with the way things are currently shaping up globally.

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💩Mini Review Dump — #NetGalley Edition Part 3: Love Betrayal Murder, This Delicious Death, Dearest, Motherthing, A Fig For All the Devils, Lucy’s Coming For You

Welcome to “Part 3” of NetGalley reviews that are long overdue! Will it be the last part? Will I stay on top of my NetGalley arcs? Who can say?

Oh, I’m supposed to say? Then probably not.

Reviews in this post:

Love Betrayal Murder by Adam Mitzner
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
Dearest by Jacquie Walters
Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
A Fig For All the Devils by CS Fritz
Lucy’s Coming For You by Ashley Beegan

*All books were provided to me in exchange for a review.

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My Top 24 Most Anticipated 2024 New Releases | July to December!

It’s like I always say, “Sorry, I’m late!”

I intended to get this out for the beginning of July, but then my cat died and everything felt terrible for a while. Then my in-laws visited for a month and, you know, I mentally shut down when my routine is threatened. And not to complain, though I love to, it doesn’t help that we went from July 1st to September in like five minutes?? The passage of time is nonsense.

I have been reading, even if I’m not talking about it. And actually focusing on books I already own! So that’s a positive. The physical TBR must have gotten smaller by now? Maybe? The problem is, to read books I own instead of chasing down the shiniest new thing, I obviously have to buy books. Right? Right. This is just basic logic. Math. You can’t argue with math.

So here are my top picks for new releases coming out in the second half of 2024.

You can find my list for the first half of the year here.

Get ready to add to cart, pre-order and plan a bookstore date!

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💩Mini Review Dump — #NetGalley Edition Part 2: Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead, A Killer’s Game, Find Me, Unmissing, The Resting Place

Annnnnnd I’m back with another batch — or dump, as it were — of NetGalley reviews. My ratio is seriously suffering, and I’m starting to feel guilty, so please bear with me while I try to cleanse my book nerd soul.

Reviews in this post:

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander
A Killer’s Game (Daniela Vega, #1) by Isabella Maldonado
Find Me (Inland Empire, #1) by Anne Frasier
Unmissing by Minka Kent
The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

*All books were provided to me in exchange for a review.

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💩Mini Review Dump — #NetGalley Edition Part 1: The Nightmare Man, Dark House, The Summer We Buried, Off the Air, The Redemption of Morgan Bright

It’s really quite hilarious, and also rude, how many NetGalley arcs I’ve read and not reviewed. Or not read at all. But we’re not going to talk about those ones right now…

Reviews in this post:

The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert
Dark House (Detective Lucy Harwin, #1) by Helen Phifer
The Summer We Buried by Jody Gehrman
Off the Air by Christina Estes
The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier

*All books were provided to me in exchange for a review.

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🌈#PrideMonth Book Recs from LGBTQ+ Bookstagrammers!

Happy Pride! Usually, for this most colourful and joyous time of the year, I would put up a list of queer-centred books or queer authors curated to help us all expand our TBRs just a bit more…

But this year I thought, let’s hear it straight (no pun intended) from the gay horse’s mouth (you know what I mean.) So I put out some totally nonsexual feelers to my bookish friends celebrating Pride to get their can’t-fail book recs, and they totally came through in spades. The queerest of spades!

So if you’re looking to add some rainbow colours to your June reading, this is the list for you!

Check them out — the books and the friends — and get that library card or your “add to cart” finger ready!

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Review: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

“That was the way of the world: if you were a woman, then you had a job to do, and that was to pretend to love everyone else walking all over your body, leaving imprints on your face. You were supposed to crave it, to beg for more.”

★★★★

Atria | 2023

Filed Under: “V is for this very surprising turn of events.”

Honestly, what the fuck was this?

But still – 4 stars.

This is one of the most ridiculous thriller novels I’ve ever read. It’s completely over-the-top, just off it’s fucking rocker. The plot read a dozen mainstream thrillers, burped and then said, “Hold my beer.”

And you just have to respect that.

All you ever hear is people complaining about remakes, reboots, how everything is the same and no one has an original thought in their head. Most thrillers and mysteries you read are, in some way, things you’ve read before with a different twist here and there. Then, when we finally get something original and outside the box, and people complain that it’s too weird or unbelievable.