Top Ten Tuesdays #504: Fall Freebie

Posted September 29, 2026 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 2 Comments

Fall Freebie: Cozy Fall Books & Genres Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about all of the autumn-themed books and how this is becoming a more popular genre. It looks like I should’ve saved that post for today because I struggled to think of a fall freebie! I wrote another post in 2025 about some of the cozy fall-time books I’d read if I weren’t in a little slump, along with some of my favorite genres to read in the fall. I thought that would be a fun spin, focusing on the types of books I like to read and how they feel autumnal to me! Mystery/Thrillers and Spookiness There’s something seasonal about a mystery/thriller, though I definitely read them all year! These ones are on my TBR and either have a horror/paranormal spin (perfect for autumn) or just FEEL like fall to me. Witchy or Magical Fall Romance No-brainer to have a witchy/paranormal romances on here too. I had A WITCH’S GUIDE on my post from last year and still haven’t gotten to it but I think Mandanna’s books are great for the fall. I preordered GRIM TIDINGS, which came out mid-September, […]

October TBR

Posted September 28, 2026 / Book Lists, Features, TBR Lists / 0 Comments

My monthly TBR feature here shows my progress based on last month’s TBR, my plans for this month, and anything else I might be thinking about from a reading perspective. Sometimes I feature a little poll at the bottom so you guys can help me figure out a certain title I should read from a group of books. October TBR We’re getting into crunch time for the end of the year and I am absolutely determined to hit my reading goal. I know there will be some solid seasonal reading in November and December, and I have some novellas or shorter books I definitely want to read before the year is over. I hope to get myself really going here for Q4! Review Copies I did a pretty good job with review copies in September so now we have just a few backlist ones to prioritize along with the October release of ENTITIES TO LOVERS. I also swapped in LOVE FELT LIKE THIS because I know it’s now seasonally appropriate – less fall than the previous book and more heading into winter. We’ll see if I get to it in November instead, honestly… Recent Releases & General TBR October is a big month for holiday releases but I don’t plan on reading them this month, most likely. I’ll do my holiday TBR post later this year. I put my October review copies up top so the biggest one I plan to read, of course, is the new ACOTAR […]

Predicting the Books I Read to Finish My Reading Challenge (100)

Posted September 25, 2026 / Book Lists, Features / 0 Comments

It gets to a certain time of year where I’m looking at how many books I have left to read in order to meet my goal and sweat a little bit about how to fit in all the things. I make a lot of TBR posts that you’ve already seen and will continue to see, but this is more of a prediction post – which books do I think will make up the final 32 books I will be reading in order to finish my challenge. I’m going by category – the books I want to read to finish up series, the review copies I have, new and upcoming books, etc. etc. Finishing or Progressing in Series (6) I made a post the other day about some books I hope to read by the end of the year and I put quite a few books within series or entire series I want to finish. If I’m being realistic, I’m committed to finishing the EMMA M. LION books for sure, but only will probably get to one Seaside Cafe Mystery and Inheritance Games book. I also am desperately needing to finally read THE PRISONER’S THRONE this winter! Review Copies (6) I actually did a pretty good job, compared to other years, of (a) staying on top of review copies and (b) not requesting them willy-nilly. There are six books that I definitely want to and need to read before the end of the year, including some seasonal […]

Recent Reads | The Velvet Knife and Dark Matter

Posted September 24, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve been a huge fan of the TRULY DEVIOUS series since the very beginning, reading every single one the minute they release. The ultimate auto-buy series for me. THE VELVET KNIFE is the sixth (and final???) book in this series and follows Stevie has she heads to NYC during the holiday break from school, along with Nate as he tries to hole up and finish his book. Naturally, a mysterious death occurs and Stevie works to find out what happened to one of their temporary neighbors. I absolutely hate that this book felt like a finale! I wanted to read these books for the next 20 years. I don’t want to spoil what made it feel like the end but it honestly feels kind of clear that it is. David has been on thin ice through most of the series and as usual, I don’t love what transpired between them in this book (and how everything ended). Luckily it wasn’t the MAIN focus but still took up too much page space. It was very frustrating to read. The mystery itself was pretty good and involved a cult, which I tend to enjoy. I enjoyed that, like the other books, there’s a historical mystery to solve along with something happening in present day. I think the mystery in the past was pretty easy to solve, which was fine, because the one in current times was a bit more complex. I’m always down for the “NYC during the holiday season” setting but […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #503: Fall TBR

Posted September 22, 2026 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 3 Comments

Fall Release TBR Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. I always focus these TBRs on the upcoming releases for the season, rather than all of the books I plan to read through the season. Here we go! Non-Holiday Review Copies Late September Releases October Releases November Releases

Finishing Up Challenges (2026)

Posted September 17, 2026 / Book Challenges, Features / 0 Comments

I always try to lock in around the start of autumn to see where I stand with the reading challenges I signed myself up for. I never really expect to finish them 100%, but I still like to make attempts to get them done. This is a good place for me to see what I have left and how I may get as close as possible to finishing. This is as of September 11th and includes the two books I’m currently reading. Shelf Reflection Challenge 33 out of 45 prompts completed || 73% complete Estimated to complete 10 more, finishing at 96% Two books by the same author (2) | I knew early this year that I would use Abby Jimenez for this prompt. She has a holiday romance (A MARRIED LITTLE CHRISTMAS) coming out soon so I figured I’d read this, months after reading her normal release in Q1. With a title you’d want on your gravestone | This is one where I may just come across it while I’m reading, but LOVE YOU TO DEATH is a great one that I do have on my upcoming TBR. About a historical event not WWII | It occurred to me that these books take place in the 1800s and reference war quite a bit, so I think I may end up putting the next EMMA M. LION book here. Maybe it’s cheating, who cares. Memoir by a person you’ve seen as a villain | I don’t read a lot of memoirs so I’m going […]

Recent Reads | First and Forever and The Cinnamon Spice Inn

Posted September 14, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Lynn Painter is an author where I have so many of her books on my TBR but have only actually read one, prior to this. I feel like her YA books are sweeter and maybe more my speed, because sometimes YA authors writing adult romances (or books in general, like Holly Jackson’s adult debut mystery) can make them feel a little too immature. I saw that she had a football-based book out and grabbed it on a whim, even though the last time I read a book about a sport I like it did not go well. I find myself nitpicking about inaccuracies, but can you blame me? I want realistic books about my favorite sports! Unfortunately I had a similar experience where this book just did not do it for me. I wish I just read my physical copy because the audiobook narrators made it even cringier than it already was. Connor was good enough, but for some reason he swore (fuck/fucking) so often, it drove me crazy, and I am a big fan of swearing! If it’s too much for me, you know it’s way too much. I think Painter tried a little too hard to make Connor seem like the perfect thoughtful dude; it was nice obviously to see all the cute gestures but it was giving too-perfect. Duffy, on the other hand, was too “not like other girls” and it annoyed me so much. “Duffy wouldn’t like flowers” and “she’d think it’s cheesy to go to […]

Books with Fall Vibes (TBR and Read)

Posted September 7, 2026 / Book Lists, Features / 0 Comments

I’ve added a new Goodreads shelf called “fall vibes” when I noticed the recent trend of autumn-themed books. It kind of all started with THE PUMPKIN SPICE CAFE and exploded from there. I thought, now that we’re in September and my fall pumpkin-y decor is officially up, I would share some of the fall/back-to-school books I’ve read and the many that are on my TBR. I also found a cute roundup after writing this post on another blog, so check that one out for more! On My TBR A Season for Falling by O’Shaughnessy // This claims to be a Gilmore Girls-esque fall read, which I appreciate because I like the VIBE of GG but not the show itself lol. This takes place in Connecticut, which is another win for me. The Thoroughbreds by Cunningham/Hilderbrand // I enjoyed THE ACADEMY in a popcorn fiction kind of way. I love rich kids behaving badly so boarding school drama was very much up my alley in book one. The sequel is out this month and I’ve been resisting the urge to read it on my Kindle all summer. I knew it would hit harder in September when school starts (just like the book). Can’t Help Falling in Love by Sullivan // This book wasn’t on my fall shelf until I browsed some Goodreads lists and saw it was already on my TBR. This is very much set in autumn based on the synopsis! A Fall to Remember by Alexander // A small town with a […]

Recent Reads | Book Club Boyfriend and Romantic Hero

Posted September 4, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Jenny Holiday for a while so I was excited to see this premise for her upcoming book. I love books about books, plus this had some Hollywood/movie elements as well. Blair is an ex-child star turned movie producer trying to make a name for herself and Jack is the butthead author who publicly declined her offer to turn his book into a movie. (Jack is a character from INTO THE WOODS, which was fun!) The two strike up an unlikely texting friendship after this and she invites him to work on his next novel from her poolhouse. This was the kind of book that I was rarely in the mood to pick up and read, but I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. If I had a free afternoon I could’ve just read it until I finished. I took a little break in the middle to focus on a new release I was excited about, which didn’t help either. I think the pacing was my biggest issue – Jack was kind of a dickhead through most of the book and didn’t really turn that around right away. I don’t think he ever truly apologized for some of his behavior and the things he said in the media either. It took me a long time to buy into him not being a jerk. I did like the eventual chemistry between the characters. Because the pacing and character work was a little off, it also […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | August 2026

Posted September 2, 2026 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I did a horrible job in August, despite thinking it was going to be a great reading month. I had a plan to read a ton during my week off from work but honestly it just didn’t happen. We traveled multiple days/nights and I spent a lot of time with friends or at various appointments. I had a good month of reading quality-wise but unfortunately now I’m behind quantity-wise lol. I essentially need to read 9+ books each month from here on out to catch up. 6 books in August 6 read • 0 reread • 0 DNF/Hold Formats: 2 full mix, 2 physical/audio, 1 hardcover, 1 egalley/audio Status/source: 2 library, 1 purchased, 1 review copy, 1 owned, 1 book box Age Target: 6 adult Here are all the books I read this month with ratings! Shelf Reflection Challenge: 67% Read with Allison Challenge: 71% Buzzword Reading Challenge: 75% Buzzword Cover Challenge: 67% Breakdown: 4 hardcovers | 4 paperback | 0 ARC | 3 egalleys | 1 ebook | 0 audiobook All review copies were provided for free […]