Let’s Talk Bookish:  Recapping Anticipated Reads | 10/24/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.


This week’s topic is:

October 24: Recapping Anticipated Reads

Prompts: With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!

**********

With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down?

I think yes – most of the my anticipated reads met my expectations except maybe Onyx Storm. I might borrow the audiobook though just to see if it can change my mind about it. 😅

Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected?

Yes, so many books were surprisingly so enjoyable this year and I’m grateful for Netgalley for helping find books I wouldn’t have been aware of at all.

Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on?

Only a few more anticipated reads for me left in 2025!

October Topics:

October 3: Authors Branching Out (Melanie @ Melanie’s Book Blog)

Prompts: How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point? If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)? What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?


October 10: TBR Roulette

Prompts: What makes you keep a book on your TBR? Find a random number generator, put in the number of books on your TBR and roll 5 times! Note down the book each number corresponds to on your list (or just pick 5 books at random off your TBR) and tell us: what made you add the book to your shelf—was it a cover add? Does it have your favourite tropes? How long has it been on your TBR? If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?


October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?


October 24: Recapping Anticipated Reads

Prompts: With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!


October 31: Halloween Freebie! 👻

Prompts: Happy Halloween, folks! 🎃 To celebrate the spooky fest, we’re making today a Halloween freebie! You can check out our blogs for inspiration (Aria and Dinior write about something else you’re interested in!


WWW Wednesday | 10/22/25

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

My kiddo caught a cold, and I had to catch up on sleep because for 2 nights in a row I read past midnight lol. I don’t even know why, I just couldn’t sleep? 🤷🏻‍♀️. At least I got a lot of reading done – hopefully I don’t catch my daughter’s cold. She was home with me the past two days but she went to school today.

What are you currently reading?

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young – 31%

The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber – 5%

The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle – 9%

Alchemised by. SenLinYu – just got this on Libby and I’m a bit intimidated by the length of the book, not because I can’t read a long book. But there is a lot of hype with this book and I hope I like it.

Vesselless by. Cortney L. Winn – 2%, actually saw this book on Allurial (a book box subscription), and was curious about it. I didn’t buy it but it’s on Kindle Unlimited so I’m trying it out. – 2%


What have you just finished reading?

Terror of the Gates by. Scarlett St. Clair ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ship of Spells by. H. Leighton Dickson ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


What are you going to read next?

Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by. Kylie Lee Baker

Something Wicked by. Falon Ballard

Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by. Katrina Emmel

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by. Amy De La Force

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 10/19/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Back to school and it went quick except it’s been harder to wake up in the morning because it’s dark still.

+ Nothing else new this week – government is still shut down so I guess my hubby isn’t getting a paycheck on Friday. It sucks!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished


Currently Reading:

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young

The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle

The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Oh, the Horror | 10/17/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.


This week’s topic is:

October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?

**********

Do you read horror?

Yes! I actually had a Stephen King phase in high school, until one of the books really scared me and I couldn’t sleep at night. 😂 As an adult I like to read horror here and there, mostly around spooky season!

What do you think of when you hear the word horror?

Blood, paranormal, murders….gore….creepy.

Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?

Yes a lot of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Cañas! Love their books!

October Topics:

October 3: Authors Branching Out (Melanie @ Melanie’s Book Blog)

Prompts: How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point? If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)? What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?


October 10: TBR Roulette

Prompts: What makes you keep a book on your TBR? Find a random number generator, put in the number of books on your TBR and roll 5 times! Note down the book each number corresponds to on your list (or just pick 5 books at random off your TBR) and tell us: what made you add the book to your shelf—was it a cover add? Does it have your favourite tropes? How long has it been on your TBR? If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?


October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?


October 24: Recapping Anticipated Reads

Prompts: With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!


October 31: Halloween Freebie! 👻

Prompts: Happy Halloween, folks! 🎃 To celebrate the spooky fest, we’re making today a Halloween freebie! You can check out our blogs for inspiration (Aria and Dinior write about something else you’re interested in!


WWW Wednesday | 10/15/25

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Fall break is over and now we are looking forward to all the holidays coming up in November and December!

I just looked at my NetGalley list and I finished my October arcs and I only have a few for November – almost done. And I only have 6 more December arcs to read. 😭 I feel like I can see the LIGHT again lol. 😂. I promise I am NOT doing this to myself next year…I will have an arc limit each month. 10 arcs are my limit….(hoping I can stick to that!)…

What are you currently reading?

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas – 31%

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young – 2%

The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer – 1%

The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber – 3%


What have you just finished reading?

Middle of the Night by. Riley Sager ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Sounds Like Love by. Ashley Poston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Burning Daylight by. Emily McIntire ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Curious Kind of Magic by. Mara Rutherford ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Coldwire by. Chloe Gong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


What are you going to read next?

Mirrored Heaves by. Rebecca Roanhorse

Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by. Kylie Lee Baker

Something Wicked by. Falon Ballard

Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by. Katrina Emmel

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 10/12/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ We had a very chill week – we had some rainy and humid weather but we didn’t do much for fall break. Not like we have the money to spend since the government is shutdown, so glad my hubby got partial pay but still…would love the govt to open by the next pay day since we have a mortgage to pay and all. 🙄.

+ I did put out some Halloween decorations – I’m so lazy that I’m more of a solar decoration kinda person. If it is powered by the sun and has lights, I’m using that to decorate my house. 😅 I don’t want to deal with extension cords and all that. I also bought the candy I’m passing out for Halloween night – I didn’t get any chocolates, it’s too expensive, so I stuck with sour patch kids and nerds kind of candy.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished


Currently Reading:

Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas

Burning Daylight by. Emily McIntire

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young

Coldwire by. Chloe Gong

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Baseball – I don’t usually watch it but Phillies were playing and they lost.
  • Football – Eagles played twice this week and LOST. I was so over sports this week. 😅

Albums I listened to:

  • Cardi B – Am I the Drama? – still…Check Please is my new favorite song, it was Errtime, but Check Please is so good.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube

Let’s Talk Bookish:  TBR Roulette | 10/10/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.


This week’s topic is:

October 10: TBR Roulette

Prompts: What makes you keep a book on your TBR? Find a random number generator, put in the number of books on your TBR and roll 5 times! Note down the book each number corresponds to on your list (or just pick 5 books at random off your TBR) and tell us: what made you add the book to your shelf—was it a cover add? Does it have your favourite tropes? How long has it been on your TBR? If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?

**********

What makes you keep a book on your TBR?

I have no clue! lol My TBR is not something that is organized, or something I check – though maybe I should but I think it gets so overwhelming to know all the books I want to read and haven’t gotten to! So the books just stay there, unless I do a whole motivated look at my “want to read” Goodreads list. Thing is – that list isn’t exactly accurate either, there are so many books I want to read that I haven’t noted down in Goodreads.

If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?

I’m not going to do the number generator prompt but I’ll answer this question – if a book has been on my TBR for a long time, usually I don’t want to read it. But maybe because I have too many arcs to read and no time to really reach far back into my TBR list.

October Topics:

October 3: Authors Branching Out (Melanie @ Melanie’s Book Blog)

Prompts: How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point? If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)? What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?


October 10: TBR Roulette

Prompts: What makes you keep a book on your TBR? Find a random number generator, put in the number of books on your TBR and roll 5 times! Note down the book each number corresponds to on your list (or just pick 5 books at random off your TBR) and tell us: what made you add the book to your shelf—was it a cover add? Does it have your favourite tropes? How long has it been on your TBR? If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?


October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?


October 24: Recapping Anticipated Reads

Prompts: With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!


October 31: Halloween Freebie! 👻

Prompts: Happy Halloween, folks! 🎃 To celebrate the spooky fest, we’re making today a Halloween freebie! You can check out our blogs for inspiration (Aria and Dinior write about something else you’re interested in!


WWW Wednesday | 10/8/25

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

The kids are on fall break and we don’t have plans but just to chill this week. So I’m trying to get some reading done.

What are you currently reading?

Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie – chapter 3

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas – 1%

Sounds Like Love by. Ashley Poston – audiobook – 15%

A Curious Kind of Magic by. Mara Rutherford – 5%

Middle of the Night by. Riley Sager – audiobook – 29%


What have you just finished reading?

Blackthorn by. J.T. Geissinger – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Julia Song is Undateable by. Susan Lee – audiobook – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


What are you going to read next?

Mirrored Heaves by. Rebecca Roanhorse

Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan

The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young

Burning Daylight by. Emily McIntire

What are YOU reading right now?

Top 5 Anticipated Reads for Q4 2025 | Top 5 Tuesday | 10/7/25

Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and now being hosted at Meeghan reads.

This Week’s Topic is:

Top 5 Anticipated Reads for Q4 2025

Book two in the Fae & Alchemy series.

Brimstone by. Callie Hart

Duty. Blood. Honour. Power.

Saeris Fane doesn’t want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court’s lips, but now that she’s been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she’s discovering that a queen’s life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders.

Her ward – and her brother – need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . .

‘Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.’

Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again.

A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.

********

The second book in The City of Fantome series!

The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle

The path of destiny burns with love, magic, and betrayal in this second book in the City of Fantome enemies-to-lovers romantasy series perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Caraval.

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…

*********

Seven Deadly Thorns by. Amber Hamilton

In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death.

Even the students at Vandenberghe Academy aren’t spared. When Viola Sinclair’s deadly shadow magic is discovered, the queen gives her assassin a new assignment and a new cursed seven-thorned rose on his arm for the seven days he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he doesn’t, he will be the one to die.

The assassin is Roze Roquelart–entitled prince, arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. And he’s willing to spare her life–and fake their engagement–to get it.

Forced to work together, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction. Will they give in to their deepest desires, even if it means destroying Aragoa–and risking both their lives?

HER WORST ENEMY. HIS ONLY CHANCE.

***********

The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien’s great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

*********

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young

In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate’s daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods.

Luca Matius has one purpose—to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city’s Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.

Maris Casoeria was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel’s inner workings, and she knows what her future holds—a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives.

As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power. But when an execution forces Luca to become the symbol of rebellion, he and Maris are thrown onto opposite sides of a holy war. As their fates diverge, they learn they are at the center of a story the gods are writing. And even if they can find their way back to each other, there may be nothing left.


Weekly Wrap Up | 10/5/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ My hubby took a very last minute trip to Osaka, Japan, where he is looking to buy a small house. We aren’t moving, but he likes knowing we can have a place when we visit there. He comes back home today but I loved the pictures he sent, I hope we can go next year or something (never mind, next year is busy lol)…maybe 2027?

+ My hubby is also furloughed during this govt. shutdown so who knows how long it will go on – sucks. I’m trying to stay be cheerful for my kids, you know it’s October, it’s the holidays but damn am I always worried. I hate this timeline in the USA and all around the world. It’s bad. BAD.

+ This week my kids are on fall break! They are so happy about that.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished


Currently Reading:

Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie

Julia Song Is Undateable by. Susan Lee (audiobook)

Blackthorn by. J.T. Geissinger

Sounds Like Love by. Ashley Poston (audiobook)

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • House of Guinness (Netflix) – it’s so good! I love the complicated family bonds and all the drama. I hope there is a season 2!
  • Football

Albums I listened to:

  • Cardi B – Am I the Drama? – on repeat, daily – it pumps me up! This is just my MOOD lately.
  • Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl – first listen? I had high expectations for an energetic album…I think I was expecting something like 1989 because of Max Martin – but I know, I know it’s a different album, different times, she’s older, she’s happy now. I wanted the “showgirl” part 😅. Like big and bright but it was slower beats than I was expecting. I like The Fate of Ophelia, Opalite (reminds me of the song, Be My Little Baby by the Ronettes – oh oh oh ohhhhh!) and Ruin the Friendship so far. Second listen? Same songs I like and honestly all the other songs, I can’t listen through. Is it the writing? I like the beats but the lyrics…It’s not hitting. 😟 It’s okay, not my favorite album of hers.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube