On My Radar | May 2025

May is looking like a great publishing month and as always, there's plenty I've got my eye on. My Name is Emilia del Valle, Disco Witches of Fire Island, My Friends, The Names and Aftertaste are ones I'm particularly excited for. 

WWW Wednesday | 09/04/2025

 

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I read Viper's Dream by Jake Lamar within a few hours on Sunday and really enjoyed it. Surprising considering this was a random library pick and I wasn't too sure if I was even going to read it before returning it but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This was a dark, gritty crime novel set in the world of jazz that explores the life of a black gangster during the 30s-60s era and I thought it was very well written. 

What are you currently reading?

I'm about 25% in to Confessions by Catherine Airey which is told across three timelines/generations of women in one family in New York and Ireland. I'm loving this one, I love Airey's writing and the plot is extremely interesting as well. It's the book I'm reaching for the most at the moment.

I also just started The Burial Plot by Elizabeth McNeal which is set in Victorian London about a woman who pretends to be a lady's maid and end up working for a mysterious, wealthy family. I'm only 50 pages in but it's very good so far and I'm excited for the plot to kick in. I also need to finish it before Saturday when my books are being returned to the library! 

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm trying to read more backlist titles that have been sitting on my shelf for years so The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder is next up on my TBR. I got this when I was a teenager and firmly in my YA contemporary era but it's still one that sounds interesting plus it's also on my 25 in 25 list that I'm slacking on. 

Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

 

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!     

March 2025 Reading Wrap Up

I didn't get round to posting a February wrap up but I'm happy to say I've had a fairly average reading year so far and am 11 books ahead of my reading goal. I enjoyed everything that I read this month with nothing getting lower than a 3.5. I finished a popular YA trilogy (minus the prequels), read a backlist book that I've had on my shelf for 10+ years and dived into a bunch of 2025 new releases. Here's my thoughts on everything...

On My Radar | April 2025

As always, there's far too many books releasing this month but here's a roundup of the ones that caught my eye! Love & Other Paradoxes, The Amalfi Curse, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, The Staircase in the Woods and The Road to Tender Hearts are going on the priority TBR! 

Top Ten Tuesday | To All the Books I DNF'd

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

Books I Never Finished. It's extremely rare that I DNF books. I'm pretty good at figuring out my reading tastes and whether I'm going to enjoy a book or not from it's description alone. However some books do slip through the cracks and, for whatever reason, I'm just not vibing with it. 

Sunday Post | 23/03/2025

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.  

WWW Wednesday | 04/02/2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished Pick the Lock by A.S. King last night and I'm not totally sure I liked it all that much. I settled on a 2.5 rating cause I initially liked the whole metaphor for domestic abuse that the author was going for but the more I read the more it was just too confusing. The random opera snippets didn't do anything for me and then there was the whole rat thing?? Dunno but I would like to still try more stuff from this author.

What are you currently reading?

I'm just about to start Rouge by Mona Awad as I'm writing this so I don't have anything to report. I grabbed this at the library cause I've wanted to try this author for a while.

What do you think you'll read next?

I want to finally finish The Hunger Games trilogy this month so Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is next on my list. 

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!  

Top Ten Tuesday | 2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To. I tend to be fairly late to the game with new releases anyway, I seem to always prioritise backlist titles over newer ones but since having access to loads of library books through Libby since last year, I've actually managed to get to loads of titles I was excited about in 2024. The majority of this list is special editions I got through subscription boxes plus some pre-orders that I just haven't found the time to get to.