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.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

Started: 4.6.26

Finished: 6.6.26

Paperback

Oldest book on list (from 30.11.25)

A dual timeline story about three keepers who mysteriously vanished from their lighthouse in December 1972. We learn about life in the tower light, and how each man is affected by the remoteness and the claustrophobic living conditions, but the story is also told from the points of view of the women they left behind, as they are interviewed by an author 20 years later seeking to understand what became of the men. An interesting and moving story.

The Outsider by Stephen King

Started: 31.5.26

Finished: 4.6.26

Paperback

At last, a Stephen King book that I've actually enjoyed and finished! At 475 pages it's by no means one of his chunkiest ones, but it's still taken me quite a while to get through; it possibly dragged in places and could've been a bit shorter.

It starts out as a pretty straightforward crime thriller, but soon takes a turn into the weird when the main suspect appears to have been in two places at the same time. I really couldn't guess how this was going to work out; in the end, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

I didn't realise that this book featured a recurring character from an earlier trilogy. There were a few references to the events in those books, probably not enough to spoil them for me (if and when I ever get around to reading them), but it was still a little frustrating.

May Reading Wrap Up

May's TBR list wasn't the most successful, so I veered away from it a bit, still with mixed results (7 DNFs)

1. The Examiner by Janice Hallett 

Pretty good, very similar to The Appeal

2. Mrs England by Stacey Halls

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

3. Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

I liked the mystery around the hares

4. All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

Great story, if a little bleak

5. Carrie by Stephen King

Telekinetic female revenge

6. Box 88 by Charles Cumming

Spy thriller - DNF

7. In The Woods by Tana French

Thriller - DNF

8. The House On Cold Hill by Peter James

Haunted house, but still a DNF

9. Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio

DNF

10. We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Mostly brilliant, quite creepy

11. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Vampires, so a DNF

12. The White Road by Sarah Lotz

Spelunking and climbing Everest - terror at either extreme, really good

13. Abandon by Blake Crouch

Abandoned town called Abandon - very creepy

14. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

Baseball fan lost in the woods - meh

15. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Beautiful, magical, fever dream!

16. Pet Semetary by Stephen King

DNF

17. Gerald's Game by Stephen King 

Not even a DNF, just decided I didn't want to read this at all. I don't think my Stephen King challenge is going to be very successful...

18. Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez

Cute romance

19. Revival by Stephen King

Another DNF

TBR Picks for June

I wasn't sure whether to skip the TBR prompts for a bit, or maybe just pull them one at a time as I finish each book, rather than choosing them all at the beginning of the month. But it's just so much fun! So what the heck, here we go for the month of June:

First of all, the oldest book on my list is The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex, from the 30th November 2025.

I don't know what Stephen King book(s) I'll read yet, now that I'm just picking them at random, but I'll try and fit at least one in.

1. Added to list in 2025 - Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh. I think this prompt probably meant "if it's been on the list for ages and you haven't bought it yet, now's your chance!" but I've just decided to choose the next 'oldest' book on the list, which I've had from the 2nd December 2025.

2. Animal on the cover - The Witches At The End Of The World by Chelsea Iversen. This was harder to choose than I thought it would be, but since this book came up in a previous month, and I didn't get around to reading it, I'm going to try again. There are hares on the cover.

3. House on the cover - The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas. I had quite a few, but I've kind of been avoiding some of my thriller books, so I chose this one.

4. Gothic vibes - The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke. Gothic vibes is almost every book I own!! But as I sorted through them, this was the first one I saw with the word 'gothic' on the cover, so that decided it for me.

5. Buy something new - hmm, I'm really trying not to buy any more books at the moment, so I'm going to choose another prompt. Ghosts/Supernatural - A Haunting On The Hill by Elizabeth Hand. Again, this prompt covers quite a lot of my books! This is a follow up to The Haunting Of Hill House, officially approved by Shirley Jackson's estate.

6. Yellow book - Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang. The previous book is yellow, and this is the only other yellow book I have left!

7. Cover I don't like - The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell. I bought a proof copy of this from Vinted, and the cover is mostly plain black (slightly patterned), so it's not so much that I don't like it, it's just a bit boring. (Doesn't look like this image-->)

8. Five word title - There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm. Looking forward to this, though I'm not expecting to understand any of it...

9. Two word title - Red Queen by Christina Henry. Hopefully I can still remember most of what happened in Alice...

10. Authors name includes initials - The Other People by C. J. Tudor. I've already got CJ Cooke, RF Kuang and qntm in this list!! 

So that's it for June. Excited for some of these!

P.S. I've just remembered that I might also need to read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah for a book club, but I've got that on Kindle, so I don't know if I'll bother...

Revival by Stephen King

Started: 30.5.26

DNF: 31.5.26

Paperback

Why am I doing this to myself? I knew before I started this challenge that I didn't really like Stephen King novels, based on the few I'd read. Another DNF. He's just too... wordy... 

Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez

Started: 28.5.26

Finished: 30.5.26

Paperback

When I was in my early teens I read about a gazillion Mills and Boon and Silhouette Special Editions. I didn't have Microsoft Excel back then, but I kept a list on paper of every book I had. They had symbols on the spine, like squares, triangles, circles, diamonds - I didn't know what they meant, but I logged them too, just in case I ever figured out the system. 

So it's safe to say that I've read my fair share of romance novels. I'm not really into that genre any more, but I'd seen so many good reviews about this book that I wanted to try it, and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. Really cute story with likeable characters, but some quite heavy themes running through it, which I think were dealt with respectfully. It even made me well up a bit in places! I didn't realise till I'd finished it that it's book 3 of 3, but I don't think I missed anything having not read the first two in the series, so presumably they can all be read as stand-alones. I did really enjoy the writing style, so I've added the authors other books to my wish list.