Tag: reading journal

Monthly Wrap Up | November 2025

November was my birthday month, and my best friend’s birthday month, so it was a fun month! I got to see friends, then family for Thanksgiving and I feel like the month went by FAST. I’m excited that I can read non-arc books right now because I finished all my 2025 arcs. I have already started on January and February ones so I’m excited that I’m ahead of my list.

I read 24 books and posted 18 book reviews in November.

Books I Read – 24 books and 1 – DNF

  1. Atmosphere by. Taylor Jenkins Reid
  2. A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by. Amy De La Force
  3. I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by. Kylie Lee Baker
  4. Something Wicked by. Falon Ballard
  5. Persephone’s Curse by. Katrina Leno
  6. Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by. Katrina Emmel
  7. The Uninvited by. Nancy Banks
  8. The Ordeals by. Rachel Greenlaw
  9. Spark of the Everflame by. Penn Cole
  10. The Housemaid by. Freida McFadden
  11. Dead Fake by. Vincent Ralph
  12. Night Terror by. Vincent Ralph
  13. An Arcane Inheritance by. Kamilah Cole
  14. A Curse of Shadows and Ice by. Catharina Maura
  15. The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by. Elizabeth May
  16. Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy #2) by. Callie Hart
  17. Sword Catcher by. Cassandra Clare
  18. All We Once Had by. Katy Upperman
  19. Drive Me Crazy by. Lizzy Dent
  20. We Have No Gods by. Liza Anderson
  21. The Ragpicker King by. Cassandra Clare
  22. Your Knife, My Heart by. K.M. Moronova
  23. We’ve Hit Turbulence by. Jessica L. Cozzi
  24. The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle

**DNF – Vesselless by. Cortney L. Winn – wasn’t feeling in the mood for this one no matter how I tried. Maybe will come back to it again.

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 18 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: November – Citrine | Topaz

Blog Tours:

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | October 2025

October went by so fast! My kids had Fall Break, my hubby went to Japan, and I held down the fort as usual. The government has been shutdown so my hubby has been working and NOT getting paid – we have savings to pay our mortgage, but it’s kind of scary not knowing when he will get paid again. We shall see how November goes…

Halloween was fun – my kids and hubby dressed up and went trick or treating while I stayed home and passed out candy! I’m hoping all of you had a good October and will have a great November.

I read 17 books and posted 26 book reviews in October.

Books I Read – 17 books and 1 – DNF

  1. Blackthorn by. J.T. Geissinger
  2. Sounds like Love by. Ashley Poston (audiobook)
  3. Julia Song Is Undateable by. Susan Lee (audiobook)
  4. A Curious Kind of Magic by. Mara Rutherford
  5. Middle of the Night by. Riley Sager (audiobook)
  6. Burning Daylight by. Emily McIntire
  7. Coldwire by. Chloe Gong
  8. Fallen City by. Adrienne Young
  9. The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer
  10. The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas
  11. The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber
  12. Ship of Spells by. H. Leighton Dickson
  13. Terror at the Gates by. Scarlett St. Clair
  14. Alchemised by. SenLinYu
  15. The Death-Made Prince by. Lisette Marshall
  16. Tusk Love by. Thea Guanzon (audiobook)
  17. Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie

**DNF – The Nightshade God by. Hannah Whitten – I listened to the audiobook but I was not invested at all and forgot what happened in book two anyway.

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 26 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: October – Opal | Tourmaline

Blog Tours:

BLOG TOUR} Julia Song Is Undateable by. Susan Lee | Book Excerpt

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | September 2025

September was long and I was busy! I was also working on arcs because I had so many for September. I can’t believe we are in the last three months of the year, let’s just get through it, yeah?

I read 25 books and posted 23 book reviews in September.

Books I Read – 25 books:

  1. The Austen Affair by. Madeline Bell
  2. Hekate: The Witch by. Nikita Gill
  3. Fevered Star by. Rebecca Roanhorse (audiobook)
  4. Katabasis by. R.F. Kuang
  5. You Make it Feel Like Christmas by. Sophie Sullivan
  6. Thief of Night by. Holly Black
  7. We Who Will Die by. Stacia Clark
  8. And the River Drags Her Down by. Jihyun Yun
  9. Starchaser by. R.M. Gray
  10. Great Big Beautiful Life by. Emily Henry (audiobook)
  11. Moth Dark by. Kika Hatzpoulou
  12. Heartsick by. Kristina Forest
  13. The Scammer by. Tiffany D. Jackson
  14. Yours for the Season by. Emily Stone
  15. My Favorite Holidate by. Lauren Blakely
  16. The Crimson Throne by. Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
  17. Bitten by. Jordan Stephanie Gray (audiobook)
  18. To Cage a Wild Bird by. Brooke Fast
  19. Spellcaster by. Jaymin Eve (audiobook)
  20. With Thoughts of Jason by. Caleb A. Mertz
  21. Traitor Wolf by. Leia Stone
  22. Red City by. Marie Lu
  23. I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by. Ann Liang
  24. Eldritch by. Keri Lake
  25. For No Mortal Creature by. Keshe Chow

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 23 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: September – Sapphire

Blog Tours:

BLOG TOUR} The Dating Prohibition by. Taj McCoy | Book Excerpt

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | August 2025

August was a long month that went by quickly because my kids went back to school. So we are back in the school routine again! I did read a lot, apparently I had a lot of arcs for September to get through. I have 3 more arcs for September to finish!

I read 26 books and posted 20 book reviews in August.

Books I Read – 26 books:

  1. Endless Anger by. Sav R. Miller
  2. What Fury Brings by. Tricial Llevenseller
  3. The Robin on the Oak Throne by. K.A. Linde
  4. Witch of the Wolves by. Kaylee Archer
  5. Blood Moon by. Britney S. Lewis (audiobook)
  6. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus by. Amelie Wen Zhao
  7. The Dating Prohibition by. Taj McCoy
  8. The Dead of Summer by. Ryan La Sala
  9. Heir of Storms by. Lauryn Hamilton Murray
  10. Dream of the Shadows by. Logan Karlie (audiobook)
  11. Well Fell Apart by. E. Lockhart
  12. The Nightblood Prince by. Molly X. Chang
  13. Witch You Would by. Lia Amador
  14. Girl, Goddess, Queen by. Bea Fitzgerald
  15. Broken Souls and Bones by. LJ Andrews
  16. Sweet Heat by. Bolu Babaloa
  17. The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk by. Carissa Broadbent
  18. A Scar in the Bone by. Sophie Jordan
  19. Coffin Moon by. Keith Rosson
  20. Wild Reverence by. Rebecca Ross
  21. A Forbidden Alchemy by. Stacey McEwan
  22. A Steeping of Blood by. Hafsah Faizal
  23. The Executioners Three by. Susan Dennard
  24. Charlie Quinn Lets Go by. Jamie Varon
  25. The Weaver Bride by. Lydia Gregovic
  26. While the Dark Remains by. Joanna Ruth Meyer (audiobook)

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 20 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

  • Version 1.0.0

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

Girl, Goddess, Queen by. Bea Fitzgerald | ARC Review

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: August – Peridot

Blog Tours:

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | July 2025

July was an interesting month! I went to Las Vegas with my hubby and we saw Lady Gaga in concert. We also got our house painted which made me feel trapped at home for a few days – you would think it help me read more but it didn’t. We even had a tsunami warning scare – nothing significant happen but the anxiety of that day was not fun at all. So now at the end of this month, I just feel kind of exhausted! I’m kind of ready for summer to be over and fall to be here, if only for cooler weather. It’s been HOT.

I read 12 books and posted 22 book reviews in July.

Books I Read – 12 books:

  1. Before I Let Go by. Kennedy Ryan
  2. A Theory of Dreaming by. Ava Reid
  3. Wrath of Dragons by. Olivia Rose Darling
  4. Once A Villain by. Vanessa Len
  5. The Night Prince by. Lauren Palphreyman
  6. Metal Singer by. Rachel Schneider
  7. The Wolf King by. Lauren Palphreyman
  8. Soul of Shadow by. Emma Noyes
  9. A Land So Wide by. Erin A. Craig
  10. Direbound by. Sable Sorensen
  11. The Bewitching by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  12. Game On by. Ki Stephens

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 22 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: July – Ruby

Blog Tours:

Let’s Talk Bookish:

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Book Hype | 7/11/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Reading Beyond Books | 7/18/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  The Elusive 5-star Read | 7/25/25

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | June 2025

I went on a much needed vacation in June. I went to South Korea for one week and it was exactly what I needed, mentally and physically (I got a lot of walking in lol)! I even took a break from reading and it felt good to take a break from that too. So I read less books this month, it actually matches what I used to read, which is a good 13-15 books a month.

I read 14 books and posted 15 book reviews in June.

I am going on a weekend vacation in 3 weeks with my husband to Las Vegas. We’re going to see Lady Gaga!

Books I Read – 14 books:

  1. On Wings of Blood by. Briar Boleyn
  2. The Bond That Burns by. Briar Boleyn
  3. Where the Library Hides by. Isabel Ibañez (audiobook)
  4. Spell to Wake the Dead by. Nicole Lesperance (arc)
  5. A Magic Deep & Drowning by. Hester Fox (arc)
  6. Enigma by. RuNyx
  7. Summer in the City by. Alex Aster
  8. You Between the Lines by. Katie Naymon (audiobook)
  9. House of Hearts by. Skyla Arndt (arc)
  10. Warrior Princess Assassin by. Brigid Kemmerer
  11. Of Flame and Fury by. Mikayla Bridge
  12. The Knight and the Moth by. Rachel Gillig
  13. The Homemade God by. Rachel Joyce
  14. Tricks of Fortune by. Lina Chern

Reviews I Posted On My Blog: 15 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: June – Alexandrite/Moonstone/Pearl

Blog Tours:

Let’s Talk Bookish:

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Pride Month Book Recs! | 6/6/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Traveling for Literature | 6/13/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  All About Audiobooks | 6/20/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Mid-Year Check-In | 6/27/25

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | May 2025

May was a busy month as usual! There are always so many end of school things to do in May, tests, school events, doctor appointments, etc…and I got through it. YAY!

I read 25 books and posted 14 book reviews in May.

I don’t have my journaling video ready to publish yet so I’m not including it in this monthly wrap up. But I’ll post it sometime later in the month when I have time!

Books I Read – 25 books:

  1. The Love Haters by. Katherine Center (arc)
  2. Embrace the Serpent by. Sunya Mara (arc)
  3. Nightshade by. Autumn Woods
  4. King of Envy by. Ana Huang
  5. Silver Elite by. Dani Francis
  6. A Forgery of Fate by. Elizabeth Lim (arc)
  7. Shield of Sparrows by. Devney Perry
  8. His Mortal Demise by. Vanessa Le
  9. Tenderly, I Am Devoured by. Lyndall Clipstone (arc)
  10. Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson (arc)
  11. Well, Actually by. Mazey Eddings (arc)
  12. Predatory Natures by. Amy Goldsmith (arc)
  13. Pigeon-Blood Red by. Ed Duncan
  14. Maid for Each Other by. Lynn Painter (arc)
  15. Enchantra by. Kaylie Smith
  16. For the Record by. Emma Lord (arc)
  17. Love Unmasked by. Becky Dean (arc)
  18. Give Me a Reason by. Jayci Lee (arc)
  19. Bound in Inked Flame by. Ava Larksen
  20. Thorn Season by. Kiera Azar (arc)
  21. The Jasad Crown by. Sara Hashem (arc)
  22. Arcana Academy by. Elise Kova (arc)
  23. Fallen Court: Filthy Rich Fae by. Geneva Lee
  24. Mayra by. Nicky Gonzalez (arc)
  25. Love at Full Tilt by. Jenny L. Howe (arc)

Reviews I Posted: 14 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: May – Emerald

Blog Tours:

BLOG TOUR} A Campus of Fire by. Patrick O’Dowd | Book Excerpt

Let’s Talk Bookish:

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Bookish Fandoms | 5/2/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Motivation to Read | 5/9/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  What is one book that everyone else seemed to love except you? | 5/16/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Literary Palette Cleansers | 5/23/25

Other:

How was your month?

Monthly Wrap Up | April 2025

Another month has passed, another month I was loading up on books to escape reality. Can you believe April is done? I cannot. I read 20 books in April. And posted 14 book reviews on my blog.

Here’s my monthly reading journaling video:

What I Posted: 14 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: April – Diamond

Blog Tours:

BLOG TOUR} Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan | Book Excerpt

Let’s Talk Bookish:

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Reading Relatability | 4/4/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Do You Buy Books with Intention? | 4/11/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Favourite Bookish Accessories | 4/18/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Do Blog Tours Build Community? | 4/25/25

Top Ten Tuesday:

Books With “Fool” in the Title | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 4/1/25

Books with Springy Covers | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 4/8/25

Books That Surprised Me | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 4/22/25

Books with the Word “Night” in the Title | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 4/29/25

Top 5 Tuesday:

Top 5 Tuesday | Top 5 anticipated reads for Q2 2025 | 4/1/25

Top 5 Tuesday | Top 5 books set in America | 4/8/25

Top 5 Tuesday | Top 5 books set in Europe | 4/15/25

Top 5 Tuesday | Top 5 books set in Asia | 4/22/25

Top 5 Tuesday | Top 5 books set in Africa, Australia and New Zealand | 4/29/25

Other:

How was your month?

Reading Journal – February 2025 Wrap-Up

Since I’m playing catch up on this reading journal of mine, here is my February wrap-up before March ends.

Continuing on this youtube journey of mine…I went back to the editing app I used when I used to help my son make his gaming videos. And wow, it was so much easier for me, I don’t know why I deviated! I also wanted to make the video shorter and I think I achieved that so yay for me.

Check it out here:

Now I’ve been already filling up my March entries into the journal. There is one spot in the journal where it lists the books you read in a month that I already know I’ll not have enough space for 🤔. It’s definitely a ME problem haha because the space contains lines for 15 books. And I do usually read 15 or less books a month which is why I thought this journal was perfect for me, but March was crazy and I actually listened to 2 audiobook! Who am I? I don’t even recognize myself sometimes when I get through an audiobook! 😅

I actually have borrowed some books in March but I’m trying to push it so I can read it the last week of March and finish in the first week of April before they expire. We’ll see if my plan works. 😬

Anyway thanks for watching my video! I appreciate it!

Reading Journal 2025

This year I decided I wanted to use a reading journal to keep my tracking and I bought something simple on Amazon, something affordable but the more I used it and saw other reading journals on Tiktok (yes I am highly influenced LOL), I started to shop around for a different one.

I figured it’s still March and I have time to start a new journal. That means I was have to be willing to transfer my info from my first journal to the new one but I thought it was worth it. I found THIS:

This beauty is from The Book Sisters. I saw it on TikTok and then I went to their Etsy shop because my mother-in-law had gifted me an Etsy gift card for Christmas. It’s a beauty and made so well. Anyway, I wanted to show it off so I finally made my first youtube video! 😅. First video for myself – I’ve only helped my kids make gaming videos (that’s kind of stopped now) but I thought I could do one for this journal.

Check it out here:

Just an FYI – I hate speaking in a video. I always hated public speaking, so if I sound awkward and nervous in the video – don’t mind me! I’m such a newb (as my kids would say)..an amateur for sure! 😅 I think it would be fun to do a video each month of my journaling and monthly recap. I’ll post one more video this month- the February recap – then I’ll be caught up. I’m thinking of adding some other bookish content? 🤔

But we’ll see how much work I want to do making video content – it’s hard work! The filming, the editing…but I did find it fun!

Anyway let me know what you think and if you do any reading journals. I’ve seen some of you post your journals and I love them!

One of my more ambitious journaling goals would be to do one of those reading journals from scratch – they are so artistic! I felt like I used to be so artistic in my youth (almost did a double major in art!) and I just lost it as I got older (went to work, got married, had kids) and it would be so nice to find that part of myself again. 💜 I just don’t know if I have the motivation to keep up with it though and also narrowing down ideas on what to put it in would drive me a bit bonkers. I guess having a theme would work but I’m just rambling off ideas now. Maybe I’ll do it for 2026!