Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry

Started: 27.9.26

Finished: 1.10.26

Paperback

Another Christina Henry book that I've really enjoyed! First we meet Celia, who appears to be trapped in some kind of Truman Show fake life while being framed for murder. Then Allie, who is unwittingly dragged along to a cabin in the woods with her friends and has to try to survive the knife-wielding maniac outside. And finally, Maggie, who is thrust into a Hunger Games / Maze Runner style game, which she must complete if she ever wants to see her daughter again. These 'final girls' are not going down without a fight though!

There is a lot of misogyny in the book, but also a focus on strong women and female friendships. The ending was almost really good, until it wasn't. But overall though, it was still a good read.  

September Reading Wrap-Up

Mixed bag, this month

1. At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce

Enjoyed it, but it dragged a bit

2. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

DNF

3. No Exit by Taylor Adams

Really good 'survival in isolated location' story

4. The Mental Load Diaries by Cat Sims

DNF

5. Verity by Colleen Hoover

Not bad, not great

6. The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Enjoyed it, another good 'survival/isolation' story

7. And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

DNF

8. Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Started good, got progressively weirder.

9. The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling

DNF

10. Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie

Another one that started good, got progressively weirder

11. Brother by Ania Ahlborn

DNF

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Started: 24.9.26

DNF: 28.9.26

Kindle

I know I should give it more of a try, but I've got to Chapter 5 and, well, it's upset me. This was a book choice from several months ago and I feel like my tastes (no pun intended, re: the subject matter) are changing all the time. I don't think I want to read something this dark just now.

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. 

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling

Started: 23.9.26

DNF: 26.9.26

Kindle Unlimited

I gave this a try but I wasn't really getting into it. I've since read some reviews and I'm not sure that I would've enjoyed it really, so I'm happy to call it a day.

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'. 

And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

Started: 21.9.26

DNF: 22.9.26

Hardcover

This was just a bit too weird for me, I couldn't get into it. 

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?

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.

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. 

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..."

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.

At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce

Started: 27.8.26

Finished: 12.9.26

Paperback

I enjoyed this book, but even though it was only 351 pages, it seemed to go on forever! When I was about halfway through I remember thinking, "well, surely that's it, there's nothing more to happen now?" and in a way, not much else did happen, it was a bit repetitive. I did like the sisters, and Dina, and the 'familiars'. I thought it was quite an unusual, but fun, angle to have the ghosts visible to everyone. It was difficult to feel any sympathy for Clara, even given her unfortunate upbringing, but her refusal to be anything other than just really annoyed by the ghosts was quite amusing!

August Reading Wrap Up

Definitely hit a bit of a slump in August. I've been doing a lot of housework, decluttering, that kind of thing, which has kept me so busy that I haven't had time to read much. So this is all I've managed:

1. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Funny in places, but overall a bit disappointing.

2. Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes

Quite enjoyed it, sci-fi horror

3. Before And After by Andrew Shanahan

Unusual take on a zombie apocalypse

4. How To Survive A Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

Even though it was a horror story, so really 'anything goes', for some reason I had trouble suspending my disbelief.

5. Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I thought I might've liked this, but I really struggled with all the weird names and it was putting me off straight away! I know that weird names are a given in fantasy novels, but these ones just felt a bit OTT, so I DNF'd quite quickly.

6. When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

I actually read quite a lot of this before I DNF'd it, I'm sure I was well past 100 pages. I wasn't too keen on the switching back and forth between the story and the scientific reports, I think I'd have preferred just Alex's story, though I understand the 'science stuff' filled in a lot of what she didn't know. Other than that, I found some elements to be very repetitive, and I just got to a point where I wasn't really bothered about reading any more.

Slump

I'm in a bit of a reading slump at the moment. We went on holiday at the beginning of August and I only took my Kindle, but I had this idea that I'd get loads of reading done, in between the other things we were doing. In reality, I couldn't decide what book to choose, and then I think I only read one! 

Since I got back, I've decided to leave the Kindle alone and try to get through some more paperbacks. I haven't used my TBR Jar; instead, I'm currently reading in alphabetical order of author surname! Just because! But it's still been a bit hit and miss. 

Part of me wants to force myself to read the books that I'm less excited about, and part of me thinks I should ignore everything else and only focus on the ones that I really want to read, even if they're on my Kindle. It's a dilemma!

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Started: 24.8.26

DNF: 27.8.26

Paperback

A bit repetitive?

Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Started: 22.8.26

DNF: 24.8.26

Paperback

A DNF. Weird names for the sake of having weird names. 

How To Survive A Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

Started: 15.8.26

Finished: 22.8.26

Paperback

Finished it, but didn't really enjoy it.

Before And After by Andrew Shanahan

Started: 6.8.26

Finished: 14.8.26

Kindle

The dog survives!

A morbidly obese man trapped in his fourth floor flat as a zombie apocalypse takes over the world? I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I liked Ben, and Brown was super cute. It was sad in places, funny in others, and surprisingly tender. I think I'm going to add the second one to my TBR.

Dead silence by S. A. Barnes

Started: 3.8.26

Finished: 6.8.26

Kindle

Bit of a sci-fi horror about a long-lost 'cruise liner' spaceship whose weak distress beacon is picked up by a repair crew out on the edge of space. Pretty good actually, definitely a creepy element to what they found when they boarded the ship.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Started: 30.7.26

Finished: 2.8.26

Kindle

Bit disappointed with this one, it wasn't really what I was expecting. Felt a bit too clever and highbrow for me!

July Reading Wrap Up

Well, this will be a quick one!

I don't know where the time has gone this month, but I haven't even touched my TBR choices!

1. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

I'd started this in June, and didn't finish until the 9th July. Really enjoyed it, as expected.

2. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

This wasn't planned, but my son was reading it (a school library book) and as I had my own copy, I thought it would be fun to read together. It was pretty good.

3. Last Argument Of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

I'd started reading this straight after book 2, but broke off for a bit to read the Adam Silvera book, so this one took a bit longer to finish.

And that's it! 

TBR Picks for August... or not

I'm going on holiday soon, and I don't want to take any physical books with me, just my Kindle, so I don't think I'm going to choose any TBR prompts for August. While I'm away I'll just read whatever I feel like, and when I get back I might just carry on with the books that I'd chosen for July.

Last Argument Of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

Started: 9.7.26

Finished: 30.7.26

Kindle Unlimited

Thoroughly enjoyed this in all its gruesome glory! Glokta is one of my all time favourite characters!

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Started: 16.7.26

Finished: 23.7.26

Paperback

Buddy read with my son!!

This wasn't part of the reading plan for this month, but when I found out that my son had chosen this from his school library for his next read, I couldn't resist joining in! His friend has already read it, and is working her way through the others in the series, so I think that's why he picked it for himself.

It's the story of Mateo and Rufus, who both receive a call telling them that they are going to die within the next 24 hours. They are strangers who become friends through a Last Friend app, and they meet up and help each other through their last day alive. Although this sounds (and is) very traumatic, people are getting 'the call' from Death-Cast every day, so it's just kind of accepted. Once you get the call, that's it, your time's up.

Despite the quite sombre theme, this was actually mostly a tender and uplifting tale. Mateo and Rufus were both so sweet in the way they helped each other to really live life to the fullest in the short time they had left, and make peace with their past. And as the story progressed, we met other characters whose lives intertwined in some way with the two friends.

A really thought-provoking story.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Started: 16.6.26

Finished: 9.7.26

Kindle Unlimited

No prompt, just wanted to read it!

It was good to be back with Logen, Glokta and Co! This is book 2 in The First Law Trilogy, and the second Joe Abercrombie book that I've read, and based on these two, I really enjoy his writing! His descriptions - whether it's of people, places, fights, torture (!) - are so vivid, I always feel really immersed in the story. I enjoyed Jezal's redemption arc in this one; in fact I loved the development of several characters. I'm diving straight into book 3, and assuming - and really hoping! - that there is going to be a reunion for Ninefingers and the other Named Men - I can't wait for that!

TBR Picks for July

Once again, I find myself wondering whether to choose any TBR picks for July. I'm currently reading Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, which is the second book in The First Law Trilogy. I really want to go straight into the third one when I've finished it, so that the story is fresh in my mind. 

I've also picked out several other books that I want to read, but they're all on my kindle, which doesn't exactly help with getting through the physical books! Most of them are fantasy series too, which means, if I like them, I'll probably want to read the follow ups straight away.

So, what to do?

Well, I think I might mix things up a bit by choosing both a physical book and a Kindle one for some of the prompts, and I'll read whichever one I feel like, depending on my mood. But I'll start with the definites, and the definitely maybes.

1. Last Argument Of Kings by Joe Abercrombie - As mentioned, I definitely want to read the final book in The First Law Trilogy

2. Oldest book on my list - The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge - from 2nd Dec 2025. I'm not sure if this is actually a children's book though? And the kindle book that I've had the longest is Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang.

 

3. The Institute by Stephen King - I'll give this a try.

4. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I actually read this a few years ago, but it's come up as a book club choice, although it's a 'maybe' at the moment. I'd need to either get a copy from Vinted, or a charity shop, or see if the price drops on Kindle. I'm tempted to read it again though, because I actually have the two other books in the trilogy.

So I think I'll choose six TBR prompts now to take me to 10:

5. TV/Movie Adaptation (AGAIN!) - The Revenant by Michael Punke. This was made into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I've read it before and really enjoyed it, so I hope I still like it the second time around. (Annoyingly, The Institute would've fit this prompt too!). On Kindle, I've got The Martian by Andy Weir, which was made into a film starring Matt Damon.

 

6. Pink Book - The Island Home by Libby Page. My copy looks a bit more pink than the picture. And on Kindle, I had quite a few to choose from, but working from oldest to newest, this was the first one - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

 

7. Country House Setting - The Lost Ones by Anita Frank. "Imposing country mansion..." And on Kindle, Hawthorn by Elaine Thomson. Not sure if this fits the prompt, but there is a house in a remote area, so it's close enough.

 

8. Thriller - A Case Of Mice And Murder by Sally Smith. Well, I decided I'm not really into thrillers any more, mainly of the psychological kind, so this is more of a murder mystery. It's the first in a series though, and I want to see if I like it and whether I'd want to continue with the others. Looks like I do still have some thrillers on my kindle, so I've chosen The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager.

 

9. Flower on the cover - When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. Not sure about this one, but it's apparently 'feminist and funny'. On Kindle, I've got The Night Counsellor by L.K. Pang.

 

10. Food on the cover - A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers. I think this was actually the only option I had. And on Kindle, The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen.

 

I've just remembered that I also finally caved in and bought the hardcover version of House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and thought I might start reading that on the 1st July and see if I can have it finished by the end of the year!

Obviously I'm not going to be able to read all these, but I'm quite excited about this list and I like that I've given myself some extra choices.

 

June Reading Wrap Up

June wasn't a great reading month, I was definitely in a bit of a DNF / changed my mind kind of slump.

1. The Outsider by Stephen King.

The first SK book that I actually quite enjoyed.

2. The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

Interesting and moving.

3. Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh 

A DNF

4. Red Queen by Christina Henry

Not bad, but not as good as Alice.

5. The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke

It was ok, but I'm getting bored of botanical horror.

6. Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

Cringeworthy, love-to-hate main character.

7. The Witches At The End Of The World by Chelsea Iversen

A DNF.

8. There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

Bizarre!

9. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Bleak, sad, depressing. But good writing.

10. A Haunting On The Hill by Elizabeth Hand

A disappointing DNF.

I didn't get around to reading The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell.

A Haunting On The Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Started: 21.6.26

DNF: 28.6.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: ghosts and supernatural

I was looking forward to reading this, but unfortunately I decided to DNF it. I made it to page 212, but by this point I hadn't warmed to any of the characters. They all seemed a bit nasty towards each other, though I realise that that may have been the house affecting them. I found them all quite pretentious too, and the whole storyline of the play was quite boring. I did skip to the end and read the last few chapters, but overall I didn't really feel like this story gave Hill House (as a 'character' in itself) the credit it deserves. The few odd things that had happened up to the point where I stopped - the hares, the tablecloth, the boy in the woods, the magazine - were just that, a bit odd, but not in any way creepy. There were brief mentions of people who had died at Hill House in the past, one of which was clearly Eleanor from the original story, but other than that, no real links to the Shirley Jackson book. I think it might have been more interesting if there had been a link; maybe a descendant of Dr Montague or Luke, or someone researching what had happened to them. 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Started: 16.6.26

Finished: 25.6.26

Kindle

Book club choice

This book gets rave reviews so I feel like there is something wrong with me for not really enjoying it. The writing was good, yes, I definitely felt the stark beauty and the harsh dangers of Alaska. But I just found the whole thing so sad. I mean, I think that was kind of the point, in a story about the effects of war, about domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, illness, grief for lost loved ones. I don't need perfect happy endings all the time, even though this one did end on a slightly more positive note, but it was mostly just really bleak. 

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

Started: 16.6.26

Finished: 18.6.26

Hardcover

TBR prompt: Five word title

I have no idea what I've just read.

The Witches At The End Of The World by Chelsea Iversen

Started: 16.6.26

DNF: 16.6.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Animals on the cover

I only got to page 40, but I was already finding the character of Minna to be quite annoying. I just don't think I was in the mood for female rage and witchy revenge.

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

Started: 14.6.26

Finished: 15.6.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Yellow book

With themes of racism, cultural appropriation, dishonesty and ambition at any cost, this is a heavy book, but also a really fun one, told from the POV of a cringeworthy, 'love-to-hate' character who goes to great lengths to justify her actions. If you've ever had even the tiniest yearning to be a published author, this story may make you reconsider, and it also shines a light on the horrors of social media, whether you're everyone's darling or public enemy No. 1.

The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke

Started: 12.6.26

Finished: 14.6.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Gothic vibes

It took me a while to get into this book, there were a couple of times when I almost DNF'd it. It follows the timelines of two women, Mabel and Pearl, both pregnant but unmarried, which means they are sent to Lichen Hall, a mother and baby home. Here, the expectation is that they will give birth and then their babies will be adopted. Their timelines are only about 6 years apart though, and some of the other characters appeared in both, so I was often very confused about whose story I was reading.

The book demonstrates the social constraints and degrading treatment faced by unmarried pregnant women at the time, and touches on the fear and discrimination felt by the LGBTQIA+ community too. Apparently it's the third book in a trio dealing with nature and motherhood, the first two instalments being The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches, but I believe they're standalone novels.

I didn't find the creepy elements of the story to be particularly scary at all, but I think that's because I'm a bit over the whole 'botanical horror' trope.

Red Queen by Christina Henry

Started: 7.6.26

Finished: 11.6.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Two word title

This is the follow up to Alice, and I've just looked at that picture and it says THE Red Queen. But my book definitely doesn't have a 'THE', so I'm sticking with that.

Anyway, this is once again a very dark reimagining, involving some of the characters from the original stories. I was looking forward to reading this, but if I'm honest, I think I was getting a bit bored with it, which is why it's taken me a while to get through it. It seemed to be dragging quite a bit as though there was a lot of padding just to make it long enough, and it felt a bit all over the place towards the end. Having said that though, I do really like Christina Henry's writing and I've got quite a few of her other books lined up to read.

Small Book Unhaul

I've just DNF'd Let Me Lie, because I'm not really into psychological thrillers any more. I've had a quick look through my books and pulled out a few more, including two that were on my June TBR list! I've also picked out one or two other books from different genres, that I'm going to list on Vinted.

The books I'm parting with are:

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

The Lake by Catherine Cooper

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The Sound Of Silence by Sheila Quigley

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

The Unexpected Joy Of The Ordinary by Catherine Gray

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Just ten books, but it's made a little bit of space on the shelves!

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

Started: 6.6.26

DNF: 7.6.26

Paperback

TBR prompt: Added to list in 2025

I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book. It's about Anna, whose parents committed suicide within a few months of each other, except she's not convinced that it was suicide. I can't say that this particular subject matter appealed to me, so I've decided not to continue.