Monday, 28 September 2026
Brother by Ania Ahlborn
Sunday, 27 September 2026
Episode Thirteen by Craig diLouie
Started: 22.9.26
Finished: 27/9/26
Paperback
An epistolary 'found-footage' style account of a ghost hunting reality TV crew's visit to a haunted house. I think epistolary can work really well when it's letters or written accounts (although having people still write journal entries in the dark or in the middle of life and death situations felt very clunky!). But I'm not convinced things like transcripts of video footage work as well. This was ok, but it got very weird and 'cosmic horror' at the end, not in a good way.
Saturday, 26 September 2026
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
Started: 13.9.26
Finished: 23.9.26
Paperback then Kindle
At almost 900 pages the paperback is a chonker, so I gave in and bought the Kindle edition instead.
This book started off well, although my biggest gripe with it is that I just don't think 7 year olds are that eloquent and articulate. Not just in what they say, but how they think. This is an issue I have with most books involving kids. Anyway, it was giving Stranger Things vibes, with the kids and the 'imaginary side', but it just got weirder and weirder, and from about the 75% mark I was skipping chunks of it because I just wanted to get to the end. And when it did I just felt 'meh'.
Tuesday, 22 September 2026
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Started: 18.9.26
Finished: 22.9.26
Kindle Unlimited
Really enjoyed this! It was sometimes a bit confusing because there were a couple of different timelines going on, and one where the 'when' wasn't obvious at first, but overall it was a great thriller.
I really enjoyed the murder mystery aspect, I don't think I'd have minded if the whole book was just set in that timeline.
I even shed a few tears at the end, and I hardly ever cry at books these days, so that is a good thing, I guess?
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Started: 14.9.26
Finished: 20.9.26
Paperback
This is essentially a book about a woman reading a book. She's supposed to be writing a book too, but she's a bit busy falling for another woman's husband. And reading.
I've seen that Verity (this book) gets a lot of hate. It kept me reading to the end, because I wanted to know what the twist was, but it was touch and go. Although they were part of the 'plot within the plot' there were some pretty horrible scenes involving child abuse where I seriously considered DNF-ing it.
Overall, not bad, but not great.
Friday, 18 September 2026
The Mental Load Diaries by Cat Sims
Started: 8.9.26
DNF: 18.9.26
Kindle
I used to follow Cat Sims on Instagram, so this was on my radar for a while. I've read a few chapters and got the gist of it, but to be honest, reading about someone else's mental load is kind of just adding to my own! So I don't think I want to finish this.
Thursday, 17 September 2026
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Started: 12.9.26
Finished: 17.9.26
Kindle Unlimited
This was really good, it had me gripped all the way through. I do enjoy the 'survival in remote location' trope, and that's exactly what this book was. I don't usually spot the twists and turns in thrillers, but there were a few occasions where I wanted to give the main character a shake and say "don't do that!" I'm sure that was the point though, it was definitely the kind of book that makes you think, what would I do in this situation? And as that famous thriller line goes, once I'd read those last couple of pages, I "let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding..."
Sunday, 13 September 2026
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Started: 12.9.26
DNF: 13.9.26
Paperback
Only read to about page 28, but I just wasn't getting into this. Once I'd decided to DNF I read some reviews, and it sounds like I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway.