My #fallingforfallswap is on its way. 🍂🍁🍂🍁

#fffswap #fallingforfallswap

@Chrissyreadit @Avanders

Small Favors felt like warm autumn sunshine in the beginning which is an odd way to start a horror novel but I was all for it. Even with the idyllic setting I could feel the tension lurking in the woods. I loved it but then it seemed to drag in the middle. Then the ending disappointed me just a bit. I guessed the big reveal from the moment the character was introduced and the normally astute main character was oblivious.

✅ Sticky Toffee Pudding Tea
✅ Good Book
✅ Giant Blanket
✅ Cloudy Day Bringing In Unseasonably Cool Air

This fall girl‘s heart is happy.

There‘s nothing better than a box of new books. 😍😍😍

Check out what I got in my Aardvark Book Club Box: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/08/21/aardvark-book-club-unboxing/

I think I liked this. Not too certain. It was weird and
unnerving but I think that was the point.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/08/18/the-bog-wife-review/

Well. That was strange. I just finished up The Bog Wife and I‘m going to have to wrap my head around this story before I review it. I don‘t know if I loved it or hated it, but I do know I‘m terribly unsettled. 😂😂😂

I didn‘t know apples could be creepy but Chuck Wendig pulled it off. This is probably one of the most unique horror stories I‘ve ever read. I didn‘t know I needed a spooky farmers market in my life but it worked. But don‘t go into this one thinking it‘s going to be a fast read because it‘s not. It‘s super slow to start, almost slice of life in the beginning, but it builds up to a terrifying conclusion. I totally recommend it for spooky season.

Gotta love book mail 😍

Does anyone else remember what‘s in your bag videos? I used to be obsessed with them. Honestly, I‘m a tad nosey. But anyhow a friend on Instagram tagged me to do my own. So here‘s what‘s in my bookish work bag. You won‘t catch me out it public without a good book. 💁‍♀️

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/08/11/whats-in-my-bookish-work-bag/

If you haven‘t heard Tyler Childers‘ song Bitin‘ List go check out my instagram post. It‘s the soundtrack of my reading year (or entire year if I‘m being honest). But anyhow essentially the books on my biting list are books I just really did not enjoy. I usually try to mostly share positive stuff but sometimes it‘s cathartic to talk about the bad too. So with that being said, what books are on your biting list? 😂

I dnfed two of my most anticipated reads this month and it sort of sent me into a slump.

Full wrap up: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/08/04/july-2025-wrap-up/

What did you read this month?

It was a slow month for me. I read a lot but didn‘t have much progress to show for it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/08/04/july-2025-wrap-up/

I‘m already planning for Halloween. Last year was a dud because I was still in a cast and heavily pregnant. This year I have a happy healthy baby and so much excitement. I need books that help set the Halloween vibe so please share some of your favorites. Mostly looking for horror but I‘m open to anything. Let me know what you‘ve got.

So excited to be participating in the #fallingforfallswap. This is the first one I‘ve been a part of in a minute. I‘m ready for all the fall fun! 🍂🍁🍂🍁

@Avanders @Chrissyreadit

Don‘t mind me. I‘m just over here trying to invoke October in hopes that I can forget about the heat advisory outside. 🥵🥵🥵

Another day. Another dnf. I think I hyped myself up too much for this one and it just didn‘t meet my expectations. It also wasn‘t exactly what I was looking for at the moment. I might give it another try later but I‘m not completely sure.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/07/21/dnf-diaries-the-listeners/

I want to love this book. And I want to love this author. Every synopsis I‘ve ever read from this man is so intriguing but I can‘t connect with his writing to save my life. After 24 pages of this one I thought I‘d lost all of my reading comprehension skills. I also briefly thought I might be having a stroke. But ultimately I think this one just wasn‘t for me.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/07/18/dnf-diaries-the-buffalo-hunter-hunter/

Gothictown was right up my alley. It does require some suspension of belief, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The town was fishy from the start. Honestly, this is a perfect example of if it‘s too good to be true it usually is. I loved everything about this but the ending kept it from being a five star. It felt a bit mundane compared to the rest of the story. But overall I had fun with it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/07/14/gothictown-review/

Memorials is my perfect summer horror. It gave me all the creepy camping/roadtrip vibes I could ask for. Bonus points because it‘s set in Appalachia. As someone born and bred in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains this one hit a little too close to home and it might be a minute before I go out after dark. Seriously though I‘m going to be thinking about this one for a long time. This is easily the best book I‘ve read all year.

Y‘all. I‘m worried I‘m going to start sounding like a crotchety old lady but I‘ve just hit a streak of books that haven‘t worked for me. And I expected to love With a Vengeance. I‘ve loved every Riley Sager book to date, but this one just didn‘t work for me. There were too many plot holes, unlikable characters, and ridiculous plot twists for me to overlook. ⭐️⭐️

Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/06/23/with-a-vengeance-review/

Happy Summer Solstice! ☀️☀️☀️

It‘s been a minute since I‘ve done an anticipated releases post. Last year, I was in a horrible reading slump, so I wasn‘t interested in new releases. And at the first of this year, I tried to focus on some backlist reads. But now I‘m ready to sink my teeth into some new reads.

What books are you looking forward to this summer?

I‘m having to eat my words on my last post about The Devils. I do understand the divisiveness surrounding it now. And, honestly, I‘m a bit irritated. It was a slow character driven book but it felt like it was building to a big ending. And it tried. But it was the most obvious plot twist and I guessed it from the very beginning. It felt like it was all for nothing. And it could have been about a hundred pages shorter.

Cj left me unattended in a bookstore. Here‘s what I got. 😂

Full haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/06/09/2ndandcharlesbookhaul/

I‘m a little shocked to see how divisive the reviews are on The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. I‘ve noticed that a lot of the people that don‘t like it love The First Law Trilogy. One person said the characters in The Devils felt flat compared to First Law. So if that‘s the case I really need to read that series because so far I‘ve enjoyed The Devils. Granted I‘ve only made it to part three but I can‘t wait to see where it goes.

I wish I had jumped on this series sooner. I dnfed it when it first released and boy did I miss out. I ended up really loving this one. I guess the plus side to giving it another read is it‘s a now a completed series and I could use a little binge. If you need me I‘ll be in Vigrio.

My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/05/28/the-shadow-of-the-gods-review/

Dreaming of reading in bed. Saturday can‘t get here soon enough.

Just did a post about my bookish day off routine over on Wildwood Reads if you‘re interested. Idk what it is about morning routines but I‘m obsessed with watching them, so I thought I‘d make my own

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/04/04/my-bookish-morning-routine-day-off/

Well that wraps up March. It was an awesome reading month from the beginning. What did you read this month? Any new faves?

The Reformatory
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Empire of Silence
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All Systems Red
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I also squeezed in a few audiobooks. You can check out my full wrap up and reviews here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/03/31/march-2025-wrap-up/

Somebody give me a pep talk because this book is a monster. I‘ve heard that it‘s totally worth it though. I‘ve only been able to read a page or two a day so at this rate I‘ll be finished this time next year. 😂

✨Martha Wells fans I need opinions!✨

All Systems Red had one of the most relatable main characters that I‘ve ever read. His desire to procrastinate speaks to my soul. But that‘s where my excitement fell. It wasn‘t bad by any means but the world-building felt a little lacking and I didn‘t have any connection at all to the side characters. But that darn cliffhanger makes me want to continue on, so give me the pros and cons in the comments.

Hi. I would like to report in. I have not disappeared. My life is just in a constant state of chaos.
Empire of Silence was a great read. It was slow to start and the pacing was a little choppy in a few places, but I totally see the hype for this one. I can‘t wait to dive into book two because I need to know if this is a villain origin story or if Hadrian is actually a good guy. I‘m conflicted and have too many feelings.

I should have read The Reformatory sooner. This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish it. It‘s an important message wrapped up in an addictive story. If you haven‘t read it you need to immediately. I don‘t care what your preferred genre is this is an important story that everyone needs to experience at least once.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/03/10/the-reformatory-review/

Where did February go?

Anyhow, here‘s what I read.

Wind and Truth
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kings of the Wyld
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bomber Mafia
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Counting the Cost
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I Am Malala
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What did you read in February?

Rock and Roll meets epic fantasy. What more could you ask for? Kings of the Wyld is a lot. There‘s a lot of humor. A lot of action. And a lot of fantastical monsters. It felt like it was written by a music obsessed D&D player and I mean that in the best way possible. I had a lot of fun reading this it was the palette cleanser I needed after finish Wind and Truth.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/02/19/kings-of-the-wyld-review/

I mentioned the She Reads Truth Bible in my last haul and I got a lot of requests for a review of it. Let me start by saying I am absolutely not qualified to review the Bible. That‘s over my pay grade. 😂

But if you‘re interested in seeing an unboxing of the She Reads Truth Bible head over to the blog. https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/02/17/she-reads-truth-bible-unboxing/

Happy Valentine‘s Day!

I‘m reading Kings of the Wyld today. It doesn‘t exactly fit the Valentine‘s Day vibe but it‘s fun nonetheless.

What are you reading today? And do you have any big plans? We‘re probably just going to hang around the house. I have a two month old and I‘m just getting over bronchitis so I don‘t exactly feel like celebrating. There‘s always next year. 😂😂😂

I finished Wind and Truth last night and I really had to sit and think it over before I made my review. I loved it because this book felt like coming home. I was so excited to read about some of my favorite characters again. However, it could have been edited a little better. There was a lot happening all at once and it probably could have been trimmed down a lot. But overall, I still really enjoyed this.

So I just finished Wind and Truth and now I need time to process what I just read. It really is the end of an era.

But now I need another great read to fight off a book hangover so here‘s my lineup for February.

Hi. I bought too many books. That‘s all. 😅

Have you read any of these? What should I start first?

Full haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/01/30/i-bought-too-many-books-a-haul/

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”
― Dr. Seuss

You‘re going to get tired of seeing Wind and Truth content from me and I do apologize….sort of. This is the most fun I have had with a book in a minute and because of that I‘m savoring it. I know it‘s going to be a long time before we return to this world. I‘m about 449 pages in and I‘m loving it so far. I can‘t wait to see where the story goes.
If you‘ve finished it let me know your thoughts. Also tell me your favorite character. I‘m nosey.

Happy Sunday! I think? Time has no meaning during maternity leave. 😂

What are you reading today? And is it snowing where you are?

I‘m reading Wind and Truth finally. And it‘s not snowing here in Alabama but I‘ve heard there‘s a chance Friday. We will see. We rarely get snow.

December is coming to an end but it‘s still Christmas in my household. I‘m still enjoying my morning tea by the Christmas tree thank you very much. But it is time for my December reading wrap up which literally only consisted of short stories. But hey at least I read something. 🤷‍♀️

Here‘s a list of what I read:

🎄A Christmas Carol
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎄The Chimes
⭐️⭐️

🎄Markheim
⭐️⭐️

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/12/30/december-2024-wrap-up/

Yesterday I talked about my most disappointing reads of 2024 now let‘s talk about my favorite reads of the year. I was in a slump most of the year but I did read a few books that I really enjoyed. And apparently 2024 was the year of horror/thrillers.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/12/29/the-best-books-of-2024/

2024 was a disappointing reading year for me. I read a lot of one star reads and dnfed a lot more. But these were the most disappointing. I had high hopes for all of them but they just didn‘t give me what I wanted.

I can‘t fit my reasoning in the caption so if you want to read my in depth discussion you can check that out here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/12/28/disappointing-books-of-2024/

My maternity leave starts soon and I‘m hoping to have a few days to rest before baby girl‘s arrival. So I‘ve done a little shopping. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

Empire of the Damned was one of my most anticipated sequels but something about it just didn‘t hit right for me. I found myself loosing interest every twenty pages or so. I think this could have been shortened a lot to avoid those dead spaces. But nonetheless I kept reading because I love Gabriel as a character. He‘s so witty. But honestly, I‘m not sure if I will continue this series.

I really loved I, Dracula. The author done a great job at fictionalizing the life of the real Vlad Dracula. I could tell that she put so much work into researching not only his life but also Romanian history. It was a great read for this time of year. I highly recommend it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/11/04/i-dracula/

Just a Rachel Harrison appreciation post. If you‘re still looking for a great Halloween read let me introduce you to a few of my favorites. 🎃🎃🎃

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/29/ranking-rachel-harrison-novels/

I feel super productive with all the reviews I‘ve been posting lately. My spooky season reading has been good to me. The Return was Rachel Harrison‘s debut novel and while it leaned more toward traditional horror than her newer books it was still a great read. Plus, you could see glimpses of her unique writing style peaking through.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/23/the-return-review/

I was expecting a traditional haunted house story and got so much more. I had a great time reading this. Just when I thought I knew the direction it was going it would switch up on me. Plus, I loved the tongue in cheek humor thrown in.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/21/the-september-house-review/