I hope you guys had an awesome Thanksgiving! I don‘t know about you but I‘m still stuffed. But it‘s Black Friday so it‘s time to check out those awesome deals. I may or may not have decided to unhaul a few books to make room on my shelf. I added all of these to my PangoBooks shop if you‘re interested in them. I‘m @wildwoodreads there too. So tell me are you a Black Friday shopper?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/11/26/bookish-black-friday-deals/

My reading taste has changed so much this year. I never imagined I would dive into the substantial sci-fi genre. It never caught my interest until I picked up Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. And now there are several sci-fi titles that have caught my interest. And I‘m always looking for more. So if you have any recommendations drop them in the comments.

Sci-fi I want to try: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/11/22/sci-fi-books-that-i-want-to-try/

Hey, guys. So I know I just sort of disappeared last week. My father passed away last Friday and I decided I needed to take some time off to process things. But in true Capricorn fashion it‘s time for me to get back to work. I‘m a workaholic and an overthinker. If I just sit and think I will literally make myself miserable. So it‘s time for a book chat. I‘ve been throwing myself into completing my reading goals. How are you reading goals going?

Y‘all I‘ve been obsessed with audiobooks lately. And to top it off I‘ve been obsessed with nonfiction audiobooks. I don‘t even know who I am anymore. 😂 But seriously. Life has been hectic and audiobooks have saved me. And I‘ve enjoyed every single one that I‘ve picked up. So if you have any audiobook recommendations leave them in the comments.

A few I‘ve been loving: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/11/10/audiobooks-that-ive-been-loving/

Marine Corps Vet Husband: You‘re sick. You need to hydrate.
Me: Caffeinate?
Him: Hydrate
Me: instructions unclear.
Him: Why are you like this?

Happy Sunday, guys. What are you reading today?

The nights are starting to get longer. Here in Alabama our time falls back this weekend. And longer nights mean more time to read. So here are a few long books for long autumn nights.

There‘s nothing more satisfying than the work of finally finishing a long book. It really is like living a lifetime between pages.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/11/05/long-books-for-long-autumn-nights/

I have a very short November tbr. Seriously, this is the only book on my tbr. After I read it I‘m just going to stick with mood reading. I have a lot of books on my shelf that I need to read before the end of the year, so I‘m just going to pick from them. What are you planning to read this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/11/01/a-short-november-tbr/

Happy Halloween, guys! I hope y‘all have enjoyed spooky season as much as I have. Here‘s my quick October wrap up. I read a lot of great books and a couple of new favorites. Did you find a new favorite this month? I hope y‘all have the best Halloween night! And watch out for things that go bump in the night. 👻👻👻

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/31/october-2021-wrap-up/

Last year, I finished off my Halloween reading with The Haunting of Ashburn House. I really loved it so I thought I‘d give another Darcy Coates book a try. So I reached for The Haunting of Blackwood House, but unfortunately this one let me down.

Full, very sarcastic, review here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/30/the-haunting-of-blackwood-house-review/

I never imagined anything would beat out Empire of the Vampire as my favorite book of the year. I can‘t even try to explain how much I loved Cackle. It‘s set in a picturesque town in upstate New York. It really reminded me of Stars Hollow. Actually, this whole book reminded me of Gilmore Girls if it was spooky. But don‘t let the picturesque town and nurturing friendship fool you. This book is pretty intense. There are some gruesome parts.

I have to say I was hesitant to pick up The Woman in Black because so many people compared it to The Haunting of Hill House, which I didn‘t love. But The Woman in Black is really good. Susan Hill‘s writing style is perfect for a horror novel. There was always this foreboding feeling hanging around. And the unexpected ending took if from a four star read to a five star read.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/28/the-woman-in-black-review/

If you‘ve been here a while you know I love a good Stephen King novel. I‘ll go periods of time where that‘s all I read. Here are my top five Stephen King books so far. Let me tell you, narrowing it down to five is not an easy thing to do. But I‘m going to ask you to do it anyhow. 😂Tell me your top five in the comments!

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/27/my-top-5-stephen-king-books/

I included The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in my Halloween Classics post, but I‘ve never actually read it. So I decided it was time to change that. It was shorter than I realized. And I was shocked to find out that Ichabod isn‘t really a likable character. But I definitely know why it‘s a classic. It gave me the creeps.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/26/the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-review/

Last Wednesday, we went on a short day trip to visit a friend of mine that lives in Birmingham. We literally shopped all day and of course I had to stop at a couple of bookstores. Both stores had awesome spooky displays and it worked on me. I wasn‘t planning to buy anything, but here we are. So let‘s do a spooky book haul. I don‘t know a lot about any of these but they all look creepy.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/25/a-spooky-book-haul/

It‘s been years since I‘ve read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. But after reading the Goosebumps Retro Collection I‘ve been craving all of the nostalgic things. I figure I would remember a few of the stories, but I didn‘t. 😅 So it was like reading the whole thing over again. But I still enjoyed it.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/21/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/

I found the cutest Halloween bookmark coloring page on Etsy. I love a good bookish craft. Especially when Halloween is involved. The shop name is Emily Cromwell Designs but there‘s a link to these specific bookmarks here https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/19/a-bookish-halloween-craft/

The last time we went to Second and Charles I found this awesome Goosebumps 25th Anniversary Retro Collection. I had to have it. Plus, it came with this adorable tin and I‘m a sucker for cute packaging. So I have to ask, were you a Goosebumps kids? Did you love any of these? I think Monsterblood is probably my favorite from this collection for sure.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/17/goosebumps-25th-anniversary-retro-collectio...

Do any of you guys use Pangobooks? I‘ve been obsessed with it lately. I try to buy used whenever I get the chance and this app gives you the option to buy from book lovers. It also let‘s you sell your unwanted books too. If you‘re on Pango give me a follow I‘m @ wildwoodreads

We made it to Friday! I‘m so ready to get home and dive into The Woman in Black. I‘m planning my perfect October evening in, complete with pancakes and maple pecan coffee. I‘m going to read until I get tired and then I‘m going to watch a spooky movie. And that sounds like heaven to me. What does your perfect October evening look like?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/15/a-perfect-october-evening/

Empire of the Vampire is easily the best book I‘ve read in 2021. As usual Jay Kristoff knows what I need more than I do. The world is dark and gritty. The vampires are actually scary. And the main character is the most developed character I think I‘ve ever come across. I love his gruff personality, but his motivation is clear and consistent. I‘m obsessed.

Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/14/empire-of-the-vampire-by-jay-kristoff-revie...

I‘m one of those people that appreciates a well developed villain almost more than the main character. Ace Merrill is a perfect example of this. I love to hate him. He‘s not a great person, but I love every minute I get to spend with his character. What about you? Do you have any characters that are technically villains, but you can‘t get enough of them. Come on join the club. 😂

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/11/my-favorite-book-villains/

I‘ve always loved ghost stories. I absolutely eat them up. If it has a ghost involved I‘ll usually give it a read. And since it‘s spooky season I figured now would be a great time to share a few of my favorites. Have you read any of these?

Full post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/06/scary-good-ghost-stories/

Halloween is such a nostalgic holiday for me. And there are certain books that just capture that Halloween feeling perfectly. So I made a cute little graphic to keep in my bullet journal. Some I‘ve read and some I want to read.

If you want a copy of this bullet journal insert you can find it here : https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/05/halloween-classics-printable-reading-journa...

If you decide to use it feel free to tag me! 😊

My bookshelves are ready for spooky season. 🎃🎃🎃

It‘s October and I‘m so excited! I can‘t wait to dive in to my spooky tbr. What are you reading this month?

Full tbr post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/01/spooky-october-2021-tbr/

Apparently I didn‘t read a lot of physical books this month. I went to take my pictures and I didn‘t have anything to take a picture of. The only physical book I completed was The Last Wish. Everything else was e-book or audio. I didn‘t complete anything that I just really loved, but I started Empire of the Vampire this month. I really think it could be a new favorite.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/09/30/september-2021-wrap-up/

It‘s Fall!!!! And it‘s actually under 80 here today and I‘m living for this weather! 😍😍 There‘s literally no better time to talk about fall releases than right now. Empire of the Vampire was my most anticipated but I‘m really looking forward to Cytonic also. What fall book release are you looking forward to?

Full anticipated releases list: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/09/22/fall-2021-anticipated-book-releases/

One of my most anticipated books of the year was Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. Back in January he posted on Instagram about a Waterstones special edition that was available the day after my birthday. So it was meant to be. I was so happy to be able to order it before it sold out. It‘s finally in and I‘m super excited!

Check out my unboxing: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/09/15/the-empire-of-the-vampire-waterstones-editi...

I‘m not usually a fan of short story collections, but I was hoping The Last Wish would change my mind. But it didn‘t. I just didn‘t get the world building or character development that I wanted. I like fully fleshed out worlds and this felt lacking. But I‘m giving it the benefit of the doubt since it‘s the first book. Hopefully things develop later in the series.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/09/08/the-last-wish-by-andrzej-sapkowski-review/

Happy Labor Day, guys! How are we here already? This year has flown by. Today I started thinking about the books that I need to finish before 2022 and somehow I ended up with a list of Sanderson books. So here they are. What books do you need to finish before the end of the year?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/09/06/books-i-need-to-finish-before-2022/

What are you guys reading in September? These are the books that I‘m hoping to get to. I‘ve got to catch up on my Goodreads challenge this month also. I can‘t believe the end of the year is so close.

Full tbr: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/08/31/september-2021-tbr/

August Wrap Up. I read a lot but I didn‘t complete many books. The Eye of the World is a beast and it took me a minute to get through. Then I read Survive the Night to give my brain a break from heavy epic fantasy.

Full wrap up: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/08/31/august-2021-wrap-up/

I took Survive the Night camping with me last weekend because Riley Sager has never let me down. But, ya‘ll, he scared me this time. I was a hundred pages in thinking I don‘t like this. I thought I was going to be stuck in the woods with a bad book, but he turned it around.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/08/30/survive-the-night-by-riley-sager-review/

Guys, The Eye of the World was everything I hoped for. It had such a woodsy, rustic feel that I just adored. One thing I want to mention is Jordan was a fan of his descriptions, so that might be a turn off, depending on your taste. I have fallen in love with this world and the characters and I can‘t wait to get to the next book.

Check out my full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/08/01/august-2021-tbr/

What was the first fantasy book you ever read? Mine was A Game of Thrones.Seriously. At the time I picked it up I didn‘t even like fantasy. Talk about culture shock. I didn‘t understand half of what I was reading. Again, I didn‘t like fantasy yet. So I put it down. But then I picked it back up and it stuck. I‘ve been a fantasy reader ever since.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/08/06/my-fantasy-reading-journey/

So I‘m continuing my binge reading of Brandon Sanderson with The Well of Ascension. As always, I‘m super impressed with the Cosmere and I might just be a bit obsessed. I did feel it suffered from second book syndrome in the first half, but completely turned around at the end. I mean, wow, that ending was mind blowing. Overall, I loved The Well of Ascension.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/07/26/the-well-of-ascension-by-brandon-sanderson-...

I‘m reading The Mistborn Trilogy and I‘m loving the friendships in it. They just make my heart happy. So I started thinking about all of the other friendships that I‘ve loved throughout the years. Here are a few books that have great friendships.

What book besties are your favorites?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/07/16/book-besties-that-i-love/

Let‘s talk about my July tbr. I only own two of the books that I‘ve listed. Obviously, my top priority is Well of Ascension, but I hope to get to a couple of others as well. Plus, I need to read a book set in an island, so if you have any recommendations let me know in the comments.

Tbr post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/07/01/july-2021-tbr/

I can‘t believe that it‘s already time to talk about my mid year wrap up. It got here so quick. But I love doing them. I will say I haven‘t read a ton of books that stood out this year, but I think that‘s going to change in the next half. I also haven‘t read a ton of bad books. So it‘s kind of a middle of the road year for me so far. What about you? How‘s your reading year going?

Full Post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/30/mid-year-wrap-up/

I‘ve been interested in starting Brandon Sanderson‘s Cosmere after loving Skyward. I heard Mistborn was the perfect place to start, so I did. And I‘m glad I did. It was definitely slow to start, but wow that ending. I‘m obsessed.

My last unhaul didn‘t even make a dent in the amount of books on my shelf. So I decided to do another one. This one is going way back to books I bought years ago. I‘ve really been enjoying unhauls. This probably won‘t be the last of them. I really want me shelves to be filled with books that I love. And there is no point to hold on to books that I don‘t.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/16/another-book-unhaul/

I wanted to get my hands on The Maidens as soon as I read the synopsis. It was just as good as I hoped it would be. This book is literally addictive. I highly recommend it if you love dark academia. It has a heavy focus on Greek tragedy that adds a great depth to a rather straightforward murder mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/14/the-maidens-by-alex-michaelides-review/

I‘m so excited to do a @bookofthemonth unboxing today! Their choices were awesome this month. Plus, I‘m doing a little micro haul. I only bought one book so I really can‘t even call it a mini haul lol.
🌲QOTD: What Book of the Month book did you choose this month? 🌲

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/11/book-of-the-month-unboxing-micro-haul/

#bookofthemonth #bookofthemonthunboxing #book #microhaul #bookhaul #bookstoread #bookcommunity

We all have them. Those books on our shelf that we want to read, but they intimidate us just a little. There could be lots of reasons why. The length, subject matter, or writing style could be what‘s keeping us away. Well today, I‘m going to share a few of the intimidating books on my tbr. What books are intimidating you right now?

Hayden Jon Marshall gave me everything I want in a crime fiction series. The crime is believable and well thought out, and I was able to connect with the character. I‘m definitely going to follow this series closely. I think it‘s going to be a hit with crime fiction lovers.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/04/hayden-jon-marshall-review/

I hope y‘all had an awesome Memorial Day! We spent the day with our family and it was great! I didn‘t get to post my May Wrap Up yesterday, so I just combined it with my short June TBR.

🌲What was your favorite May read? And what are you reading in June?🌲

Full post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/06/01/may-2021-wrap-up-june-2021-tbr/

With Memorial Day coming up I‘ve been looking for a quick read that I could devour in a day. I love spending a summer day stuck between the pages of a book. What would you guys recommend?

Here are a few of my mine.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/05/26/summer-reads-that-youll-devour-in-a-day/

I read The Star-Touched Queen to complete the May prompt for The Uncorked Librarian Challenge. I might have cheated a little because the prompt was to read a book set in India. I loved the premise of the story, but the character development and plot felt a little flat. I didn‘t hate my time reading it, but it doesn‘t feel memorable.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/05/24/the-star-touched-queen-by-roshani-chokshi/

I‘m getting caught up on my reviews and it feels great! Today on Wildwood Reads I‘m reviewing Blood and Silver. It was a fun, fast paced western historical fiction. There were a few parts that felt rush, but overall I enjoyed it. It‘s definitely a heart warming story.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/05/21/blood-and-silver-by-vali-benson-review/

I was so excited to read A Deadly Education when it first released. The synopsis sounded like so much fun. I still really love the setting and premise, but I couldn‘t stand the main character. I‘m so sad that this one didn‘t work out for me.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/05/19/a-deadly-education-by-naomi-novik-review/