#reading wrap ups

[howlsmovinglibrary]

Top Books of 2025

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

My first 5 star book of the year. Reading it was a deeply emotional experience and I felt purged afterwards. A story that balances its tension, horror, and hope really perfectly.

Asunder by Kerstin Hall

My favourite book of the year! Eldritch horror fantasy in which the protagonist gains a new telepathic codependent connection for what quickly turns out to be the worst week of her life.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

I have not been a fan of Harrow in the past so I approached this book with SUCH low expectations. Unfortunately for me, it was so so good. Romantic time travel thriller with Arthuriana as seasoning.

Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale

The people say, "bring back yearning", but they dont realise there's a book already in the world where a pirate assassin man is downbad for his own wife 😔😔 and Catholicism is also there.

Saint Death's Daughter by S.E. Cooney

This was the first recommendation I tried in my attempt to "find" a 5 star book, and it delivered. The prose and pace of this book is unlike any other: its florid and overwritten and self indulgent, but I'm enjoying all the things the author seems to want to revel in, so I really don't mind.

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator

This was my favourite contemporary romance of the year, and the book I devoured quickest! It was an addictive and chemistry filled romance between rival work colleagues at a dating company, with a dash of miscommunication and some excellently written sex.

Honourable Mentions

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

It takes a lot to make someone as vampire-pilled as me find vampires still genuinely scary, but the lore choices made in this revenge quest story reimagines the true horrors of vampire existence.

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

My final book of the year! A fantasy political thriller about a man raised to kill his prophet father. I loved elements of the magic and worldbuilding so much.

Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn

Wonderful coming-of-age story in a fantasy world bordering Faerie. I think if I'd found this earlier in my life, it would've made me worse.

[godzilla-reads]

As it is the last day of October (also it’s Halloween my ghoulish friends) I am putting together my Top 3 Books of the Month!

I finished a total of 21 books this month, bringing my yearly total to 160 books!

My Top 3 Books were…

👻 The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angel Carter

🐺 Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

🍵 The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O’Neill

What were some of your favorite books you read for October?

[ninja-muse]

2, 8, 14, and 18 for the end of year asks? Also sorry if any of those were done already!

2. Did you reread anything? What?

I did! A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire, Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, and The Grey King by Susan Cooper.

8. Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones?

I certainly think I've read more with diversity in mind than I have in past years, and I've definitely read more Canadians, not that that was hard. I've also passed 50,000 pages read, as of today, so that's cool. Still need to finish three more books to hit 150, but I'm confident I'll make it.

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

I'm currently reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar. I hope to have the first two done before I go home for Christmas, and if I don't finish the third by New Year's Eve, that's not a huge deal. My Christmas travelling book is going to be The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick, so I hope to finish that one too.

18. How many books did you buy?

I think only four? I've tried to be good this year. (I've acquired maybe ten or so through other channels, and I'm mostly not counting my ARC stack there, because those are books I'm planning to pass to coworkers once I'm done.)

Thanks for asking!

Ask me things!

[dandelion-network]

January 2020 Wrap Up

This year is starting off pretty well in terms of how many books I’m reading in a month!

What I read:

Ascender Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Illustrator)

Sleepless Vol. 1 by Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca (artist), Alissa Sallah (colorist), Deron Bennett (letterer)

Sleepless Vol. 2 by Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca (artist), Alissa Sallah (colorist)

The Delta Anomaly (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #1) by Rick Barba

Exo (Exo #1) by Fonda Lee

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Lazarus Vol. 1 by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark (artist), Santiago Arcas (Illustrator)

Goldie Vance Vol. 3 by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball (co-writer), Noah Hayes (Illustrator), Sarah Stern (colorist), Brittney Williams (co-creator), Jim Cambell (letterer)

Goldie Vance Vol. 4 by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Elle Power (Illustrator), Sarah Stern

Sunstone Vol. 6 by Stjepan Šejić

Let’s take a look at which goals I completed:

Reduce my physical TBR to zero (0) before the end of the year by any means - Technically I’m on top of this because Exo by Fonda Lee was on my TBR shelf and I’ve DNF-ed a lot of my unread books. Most of them I didn’t read but I held them in my hands and asked “does this potential story spark joy?” and found they didn’t.

Restrain from book buying for the year unless I absolutely can’t get the book via the library system - I broke this rule but come on, it was for a good cause. I did buy Mr. Robot: Red Wheelbarrow by Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney after I read the ebook from the library. Near the end of the month, I also purchased Not Free, Not for All by Cheryl Knott. None of my libraries had it in their collections and I felt it was appropriate since I’m in my MLIS program.

Read more nonfiction - Failed lmao. I started 2 nonfiction books but didn’t finish them. But I will in February!

Read more graphic novels and comics - Nailed it! Lazarus was the only reread. I plan on continuing with it.

Read non-American authors - We’ll try again.

Read more translated books - Nope. My GoodReads TBR shelf is full of translated works that will be published this year so I’ll get to this soon enough.

[katiesclassicbooks]

Hi everyone! I’m not able to make community posts on YouTube, but I wanted to let those know who watch my YouTube channel that I will still be making videos! I just haven’t had space yet to film my February wrap up, but I will as soon as I can I promise. Also, March has now come to a close, so now I owe you two wrap ups, which I will hopefully do soon! Just wanted to let you all know that I haven’t stopped making videos. I can’t wait to tell you all about the books I’ve been reading when I’m able to🤓📖📚

~ Katie xx

[howlsmovinglibrary]

May/June Reading Wrap-Up

(Had to skip May being it's own thing, bc all I did that month was read Jaime/Brienne fanfic. like it was 2020 all over again.)

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (5 STARS)

I already understood the hype around this series was well-deserved, but King of Attolia is definitely where I've reached the same level of unhinged. A truly gorgeous book. The commitment to the bit that is finding the most unreliable perspective possible to narrate a book continues - to devastating effect this time, as the reader arrives to the story with more knowledge than the POV character.

Kill the Beast by Serra Swift (3 STARS)

this was a very formulaic retelling of Beauty and the Beast that used the character work to make itself shine without feeling overly predictable. Unfortunately, I found the aesthetic change in the method of storytelling during the ending a little trite, and felt as thought it undermined it's own point. This book is not a romance, but it felt like the book really had to try and make it clear towards the end, with just a couple of slightly um... 'nail on the head' moments (i'm all for friendship being equal to romantic love, but i don't like a virtue signal).

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling (4 STARS)

the wood wife offers a very fun definition of urban fantasy. it is a lovely slowburn book, that builds a sense of place, and of persons in that place, before diving into the meat of the story. it took me a long time to read it, as I picked it up whilst in the wrong mindset, but this is a really clever story. the nuanced take it has on folklore, where it notes similarities across vastly different cultures whilst successfully retaining the specifics of indigenous contexts, would likely explode the average booktok user's brain.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (3.5 STARS)

I loved the story, but not really the method of its telling, if that makes sense?

The writing style of this book is third person present tense, but Jade's voice uses the passive a lot and is often quite convoluted. The passive tense in particular means that revelations get lost and become hard to distinguish in the reams of information the protagonist lists off. I had to open a synopsis on my phone halfway through, to make sure I was actually understanding the story and not just lost :')))

that being said, the story was fire! and Jade's understanding of her place within it captivated me. I'm definitely ready to read the sequels.

Untamed by Anna Cowan (3.5 STARS)

did you like that scene in the other bennett sister where Mary had visible armpit hair? then this is the romance book for you.

this is a regency piece with a bisexual crossdressing male lead and brickshithouse heroine, with some interestingly novel choices (like having the lead previously be her sister's lover). it wasn't perfect - far from it! it keeps character motivations secret for too long to the point where plotpoints don't make sense until you have hindsight. but still! fun and refreshing!

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (2 STARS)

unfortunately, this simply was not for me. the race references and the specifics of their gendered dynamic, whilst firmly a part of their time (as in, the 90s, when this book was written) just weren't really the kind of things I find sexy. which I can't really hold against it, but it did really undermine my interest in either character or their romance.

I liked the bit where she shot him. but more in the sense that that should've been where the story ended :')))

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (5 STARS)

I loved this book so much that I finished it on a train on 5hrs sleep whilst hungover, fighting dizziness from the heat. I just had to know what happened next. This is a definite favourite for the year - full review here!

reading wrap ups: jan | feb | mar | april

books read in 2026: 23

[howlsmovinglibrary]

July Reading Wrap-Up

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (3 STARS)

I really struggle to see this series as anything other than "awesome concept, middling execution". The plotting and pacing were tighter than the first novel, but the characters that had charmed me before fell flat here, for some reason.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (3 STARS)

This was my first Jackson book, that I read for a queer horror book club! I loved the writing on a sentence-by-sentence level, and felt like the Gothic atmosphere built to a perfect crescendo in the final image of the two sisters in the ruined house. However, felt like the story was lacking something overall - I ended up enjoying the book club discussion more than the book itself.

The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty (4.5 STARS)

I was really pleasantly surprised by this one! I enjoyed the first book in this series as something that was just fun and a little silly, but it sets this instalment up to hit the ground running - we're in an adventure story, we're looking for Transgressions, we know our protagonist - go.

I think Chakraborty's writing will always captivate me, but the writing of the mystery in this - where Amina Al-Sirafi finds herself shipwrecked on a magical island, that clearly has something very unsettling and wrong with it, but a slow build to pinning down exactly what - was what kept me reading. A perfect mix of mythic imagery and fey glamour.

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (3.5 STARS)

I picked this up on a whim as it was due back to the library soon, and was surprised by how readable it was. I couldn't put it down! Although the action was slow, the character work, the writing style, and the way the mystery built was pretty fast paced, and the questions continually being thrown up made me want to keep reading - the stakes felt very high.

I feel like this is a 'gothic' novel with more of a thriller pace, and loved the way the supernatural was mixed with historical atrocity and mundane, human horror. The ending was little hit and miss? But still ultimately satisfying!

reading wrap ups: jan | feb | mar | april | may/june

books read in 2026: 27

[howlsmovinglibrary]

February Reading Wrap-Up

I chose to read majority romance books for February, in honour of Valentine's day!

Kat Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgiss (4 STARS)

This is a really fun Regency Fantasy middle grade book, perfect for people who are in the mood for something whimsical after Bridgerton. Kat is a really compelling protagonist, who acts 'headstrong' but in ways that are both totally understandable but occasionally have fun, realistic consequences. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Fan Service by Rosie Danan (4 STARS)

Celebrity/fan romance except the fan hates the celebrity's guts and... the celebrity is a werewolf. I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but the dynamic between the love interests was really fun. I may never be a werewolf girlie, but I now appreciate their beliefs from a distance.

Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey (3 STARS)

A totally fine Cinderella retelling that did a fun twist by making the father the antagonist rather than the step-mother. I really think this book undercut its own premise by not making the childhood friend the love interest.

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian (3 STARS)

This was a fun Regency romance with a touch of class consciousness. Occasionally, that class consciousness veered into a slight preaching/virtue signalling, but otherwise it was a very interesting and fun story. Also a big fan of non-penetrative sex and its negotiation being one of the major plotpoints for the pairing - haven't seen that in a romance novel in recent memory.

The Ministry of Time by Kalianne Bradley (4.5 STARS)

This was a reread, and my opinion of the book actually went up as this time I got to spend more time with it and appreciate the work a lot more! I think it combines some really fun elements of the 'fan fiction' that readers recognised/dismissed at time of release, with a deep postcolonial critique that I've noticed more this time round, in light of the UK's quiet and now LOUD descent into fascism, through compliance with hostile government forces.

all I'm saying is, if this is a self-insert RPF fic, then it's also one where Y/N is the villain. nobody is doing it like her.

reading wrap ups: jan

books read in 2026: 6