Category: Reviews

January 2026 Wrap Up

How are we already into February?!

January was a very typical month as far as reading goes. In 2024 I didn’t have any 5-star reads, and the same held true. Maybe I’m just not that great at picking out books at the start of the year, lol. I did a few audio books but most were e-books on my Kobo, the two self-help were audio books from my local library.

The Emily Wilde book was for the Goobers book club, and I didn’t actually get around to my ‘Books out of the Blue’ challenges, but I’m hoping to make up for that this month. I did work on my TBR, which is where A House with Good Bones comes in – but I thought it would be a 5 star read, and it was not. Through no fault of the author, it just wasn’t the book for me (details are posted in my regular reviews). As always these statistics are taken from my profile over on The StoryGraph, which I am using as an alternative to GoodReads.

Still, I’m counting 7 books as a huge win. I have some fantastic reads lined up for February, so maybe that elusive 5 star will be uncovered then. Happy reading!

3/5 Stars: Nobody Wants your Shit, the art of decluttering before you die, by Messie Condo

This was a strange book. Lots of swearing, it was hard to tell if it was because the author wanted to feel more edgy or what. The information presented wasn’t new, but it could act as motivation for the right person. I did not enjoy the way the book worked in absolutes. It talked about decluttering before moving – a lot – and I DO move a lot, but none of their information was relative to any of my moves, and in most cases was just outright incorrect. I think these types of books are difficult because there is no one true method to serve every person in every situation. Still, it passed some time. I borrowed this book from the library because it was available as I was searching, without a wait (and now I see why). Also, curious about the author’s name, is it their real name? Are they making a play on Marie Condo? I don’t get it. It’s odd.

3/5 Stars

2/5 Star Rating: The Primal of Blood and Bone, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This book was horrible. It felt very off compared to the previous 6 books and I didn’t understand why. Cas was behaving like an obsessive abusive boyfriend and not like the lover that I had seen him as in the previous books. I think I am done with this series even if more books come along, because it simply was not for me any more.

2/5 Stars

November 2025 Wrap-Up

November was a pretty good month as far as reading went, and it tends to be that way as we approach the end of the year and I look for ways to relax and ‘get back to my roots’ as it were. I managed to complete 5 books this month, though some were very long reads that I had been working through for quite some time. I will do a more in-depth look at each of these books and they’ll be post dated to the day that I completed them on.

The best read of the month was discovering Witch Hat Atelier. This is a manga, and I dove into it head first – reading a few chapters for the first volume, and then promptly buying a box set of the physical books to begin my new collection. The manga does currently go to volume 13, but I couldn’t find an english box set for the volumes after 6, yet. I hope they release it in the future.

I am having a difficult time getting through Primal of Blood and Bone even though I devoured the first 6 books in the series. I’ll talk about this in depth once I complete the book but it’s taking a back seat right now so I have no idea when that might be. Maybe December, if I give it a push. I’m about half way through it at the time of this post.

I can’t believe we’re almost to the end of 2025! That means new goals starting for 2026, and I’m pretty excited about it.

4/5 Star Review: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

This book by Grady Hendrix came recommended to me by a good friend, and I’m so glad that I decided to pick it up even though it’s not my usual genre of choice. This book was absolutely brutal and graphic – but also well written. I think if people who read it couldn’t relate to the book, they might have a difficult time seeing it as ‘horror’. It was moving in a way that I can’t really put into words, and the author took some obvious pains to learn their subject. It really showed (I know this all sounds quite cryptic, but I don’t want to give away the plot of the book). I did feel that there were some ‘over the top’ moments, but it didn’t feel like it was ‘too much’ considering the subject. It was a fantastic read.

4/5 stars

3/5 Star Review – Strange Houses

This book by Uketsu was a YouTube sensation a few years ago, and a friend suggested I read it, so I did. The translation to English makes it a bit awkward. It was not my favourite genre, but it was interesting to see where it went. I think I was expecting it to be a more interesting story, but I found it pretty tame, with a lot of build up for nothing. The telling of the story was the most interesting part, and then once you knew the details the story lost interest (at least for me). I probably will not read any more of the series though I do really want to read their other book, Strange Pictures.

3/5 stars

5/5 Star Review: Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This was a fantastic read – suggested to me by my best friend. The characters were hilarious, real, and awkward in all of the best ways. The story was surprising, and well written. The book did get negative feedback because it went viral on TikTok, but I really enjoyed reading it and I’m glad it was suggested to me. I will absolutely pick up the rest of the series to read, but it might be some time as there is a huge line of other books to get to!

5/5 Stars

2/5 Star Review: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, by Laurie Gilmore

This book was supposed to be a cozy comfort read, but it was just a bad book with no hooks to keep me interested. I borrowed it from the library on a whim as it was promoted to me (and now I see it everywhere, go figure) and at least it was a fast read, so nothing lost. The characters were bland, the situation unrealistic. I forgot it was on my library list.

2/5 stars

5/5 Star Review: The Last Hour Between Worlds, by Melissa Caruso

I’ve read Melissa Caruso before, and I am familiar with her style even though it was a fantasy series, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this one. Zero regrets. I loved the world building, and the characters. I loved how messed up each echo got the further they fell. It was a unique (to me) setting, with a pretty unique world of Hounds, and Cats. The main character was a new mother, and the God characters were amazing. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series right away, but I will eventually stumble back to it (there’s just so many other books to read right now).

5/5 Stars