Kat's Reading Log

[katsreadinglog]

I can't get to a book club due to my job so I'm using tumblr as an excuse to write my thoughts and feelings on books I'm reading. It's not gonna be perfect or professional, but if I don't get my thoughts down, I think I'll explode!

[katsreadinglog]

Reading The Hobbit has allowed me to cross off the square for A book you are part way through. I have been picking up and putting down and starting all over again with this damn book! So I'm so happy that I've finally been able to get through it properly and complete it once and for all and you know what? It was actually really good. I gave The Hobbit a rating of 4 stars. Plus finishing The Hobbit marks my 30th book I have read this year!

I know only have 4 squares left to do! And I'm in no hurry to finish it off.

[katsreadinglog]

It's been a moment but I have completed another square off my board!! Childhood Classic has been crossed off!

I've not really been reading books for my Book Bingo lately but that's fine. I've got 5.5 months to complete 5 more squares. So if anything I'm ahead of schedule.

For this sqaure I used the first Goosebump books. I'd never actually read any growing up but I knew many friends who did. So I thought it was a good excuse to finally get round to reading it. Plus it took like 1.5 hours to read. Which was a plus! I rated Welcome to Dead House a 3 star.

[katsreadinglog]

Midway Book Wrap Up. I knew how many books I've read so far this year but actually seeing them laid out like that before me just really emphasise how many that is!

As of July 2026 I have read 26 books. Which is incredible for me. I know I've mentioned it before but reading was always a struggle for me with my dyslexia growing up. So knowing that I've worked so hard and come along way where I can pick up anything and everything makes me so proud of myself.

It would be crazy if I read another 24 books and got to 50 but no matter how many books I read I will always love reading. I could be 1 book or 100 books. It does not matter. As long as I'm reading something it will always be a win, and that includes fanfiction too!! I just love reading!

Current reads: Shift by Hugh Howey, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova and American Rapture by CJ Leede.

Next reads: I have No Mouth and I Must Screem by Harlan Ellison, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie.

P.S. I'm still working on my Book Bingo. I'm just not reading anything for it at the moment!!

[katsreadinglog]

I haven't used all the books I have read this year for my bingo board. I have two books that I read that do not fit in any of the sqaures or are just repeats of squares I've already done. Those books are;

- Ring by Kōji Suzuki. Which I rated 3.75 stars.

- The Tenant by Frieda McFadden. Which I rated. 2.5 stars.

I am getting close to finishing my Bingo Board. Well most of it as one sqaure cannot be attempted until October. My plans for the remaining squares are this.

For "Has A Cat on the Cover" I will just use the next Dungeon Crawler Carl book I read as Donut (cat) is always on the book cover.

For "A childhood classic" I either have two options. Option 1 is a read Suzanne Collins prequels. As it doesn't say the childhood classic had to be a book, didn't say it couldn't be an author. Option 2 is re-reading Ashes by Isla J.Bick. I read that book when I was 12-ish and never finished the series. Would be good to go back and finally complete it.

For "Title beginning with Y" I'm going to read You Weren't Meant to be Born by Andrew Joseph White.

For "Add 3 Favs to Storygrapb Shelf" I'm going to wait until near the end of the year and put my favourite 3 books on there.

For "Read 3 books in October" that one is fairly self explanatory! Just not sure what I'll read, just whatever will take my fancy.

And finally for "Book You're Part Way through" I have many books I've started and not finished. So I'll just have to see which one picks my fancy. But at the moment I want to do How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. I've been stopping and starting that book for months now!

Hopefully I can keep at it and be done in no time! Wish me luck!

[katsreadinglog]

Just finished reading The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This was recommended to me by my friend B, the same B that set me my Bingo Board. So it just seems fitting to use that book for the square "Recommended by a friend". The Naturals were okay. I rated it 3.5 stars. It was a fun lighthearted thriller.

[katsreadinglog]

Another sqaure down and sadly it's probably the worst book I've read this year. I have just finished Fair Play by Louise Hegarty. I rated it 2.5 stars. However, it has been used as the square for "Waterstones Top Pick". It was their Thriller of the Month. Which is interesting that this book is considered a thriller, I would personally consider it a disappointment.

I have 7 sqaures left to complete. So close to completing it. Hopefully the next books I read are an improvement.

[katsreadinglog]

Another square has been completed. Itch! By Gemma Amor has been used to fill the sqaure of Main Character is an Outcast. Some people may not count Josie as an Outcast but I do. She is isolated and feels seperate from her family and the other locals. She's just left an abusive toxic relationship and she is trying to find her place in her hometown where she never truly felt like she belonged in the first place. I rated Itch! 5 stars and I think it's probably the best book I've read so far this year.

(I will say that Itch! deals with some intense topics so please read the trigger warnings before you read the book)

[katsreadinglog]

I went a bit mad yesterday and finished Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata and both started and finished Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix yesterday. I rated Vanishing World 3 stars and Horrorstör 4. Vanishing World has been the last book needed for the "Read 3 books off you tbr" so that square is now completed, and Horrorstör has been used for the "a book seen on tiktok". So two more squares completed!

[katsreadinglog]

Doing a quick update om Bingo Board. I finished two books to add. I finished Hell House by Richard Matheson. I rated it 4.5 stars and have used it for the 2nd book on "Read 3 books off your TBR" so only need one more book to complete that square. I also finished Book 5 in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, The Butcher's Masquerade. It rated that book 5 stars! That book will go to the "pick me up" square. Nothing brings me more joy than reading a DCC book!

Only got 10 and a bit sqaure left to do! Slowly but surely getting there.

[katsreadinglog]

This has nothing to do with my book bingo. I just thought this was stupid and funny 😂.

[katsreadinglog]

Well... didn't expect to start and then finish Strange Buildings in one sitting. I only just finished Conclave. I think because of the format of Uketsu's books it better to read them in one sitting. Either way, I rated Strange Buildings 4 stars and it will mark off my newly rising author square. I would consider Uketsu newly rising, at least in the UK space. Plus my friend B who set the Bingo challenge agreed so I'm taking it as a win!

As a quick recap that's 12 squares that have been completed and one sqaure that is ⅓ of the way done. So not too bad considering we've only just gotten into March!

[katsreadinglog]

Conclave has been consumed and was a lot better than expected. Highly recommend to those that are interested in the election of the Pope, and you definitely don't have to be religious to enjoy the book. I rated Conclave 4 stars.

Conclave will also be used to mark off the square on my bingo card for "books my mum would have liked". Truth be told any book could fit that square but my Mum grew up a Christian and Conclave just seems like a book mum would have liked.

[katsreadinglog]

I completed a book buddy read with my friend D today. We read The Great Gatsby together. D had already read it before but I was going in blind. Fair to say I enjoyed the book but found Gatsby to be irritating and a simp 😅. I always enjoy reading a book with a friend. This also means another square off my bingo board. Attempt a buddy read. And I've also completed ⅓ of the square that says Read 3 books off your TBR. I read The Midnight Feast. That book was okay. It felt very dated due to it's constant referral to things like Fyre Festival, influencers and tiktok. I rated The Great Gatsby a 3.5 and The Midnight Feat at a 3.

[katsreadinglog]

The square newly released book has been crossed off. That's 8 books read this year and 9 squares completed! 15 squares left to tick off!

I read Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and rated it 3.75 stars.

[katsreadinglog]

Another square has been knocked off. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. This can mark off the square for Horror based elements. I rated Witchcraft for Wayward Girls 4 stars.

[katsreadinglog]

Two more square marked off the Bingo Board. I read Agatha Christie Cat Among the Pigeons for the less than 200 pages square and then I just finished reading The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington. That was for the sqaure to read a book with an orange cover. It's half orange on the front and all orange on the back so I'm counting it!

I rated The Shadow of What Was Lost at 4.75 stars and Cat Among the Pigeons at 3.5 stars.