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 […]

September TBR

Posted August 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. September TBR I definitely did not have a good reading month in August, which is annoying as hell because September is always a bad reading month too. I was hoping to stay on track and read a ton during my week off from work, but unfortunately I ended up with less time to read than expected. I went away for the weekend with friends and it took me like an entire week to read a book I could’ve read in a few sittings if I started it at a different time. Nevertheless, we’ll persist! Review Copies Unfortunately this list is the same as last month with the exception of the one book I managed to read (and adding in the last one to replace it)! (EDIT: I finished ROMANTIC HERO in August after this post!) A few of these are literally some of my most anticipated 2026 releases (the final three in particular) so I do really hope to read all of them this month. September – aka my birthday month – should be the very best reading month! September Releases The good news is that even though there […]

Recent Reads | How to Solve Your Own Murder and The Secrets We Hide

Posted August 26, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I’ve owned this book for a year or two and thought it sounded like a unique twist on a murder mystery. I don’t think I fully understood that this was more someone else trying to solve a murder of someone else who had a fortune determine how they’d die; I think I was originally thinking it’d be more like Holly Jackson’s latest (which had a great premise but terrible execution for me). Annie is summoned to her Great Aunt Frances’s country estate where she learns that she was killed. In order for her will to be executed and assets divided, Annie and others need to figure out who killed her and why. I liked this but it took me a really long time to settle into the story, which wasn’t great because I started it at the last minute for book club lol. For some reason it felt like an actual historical mystery so it kept taking me out of the story when I couldn’t really place the timeline. My book club wasn’t really a fan of it, as the story was repetitive (especially how many times she said “Great Aunt Frances”) and the characters were overall pretty unlikeable. I thought it was definitely interesting enough to hold my attention and I’m intrigued enough to read additional books in the series. WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE was one of my favorite books of last year, maybe not rating-wise (I think it was a 4.5 star too) but just from how […]

Recent Reads | The Chowder House Murder and The Unknown

Posted August 20, 2026 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I saw this book at the library and grabbed it on a whim – a cozy mystery centered around a chowder house set in Coastal Maine? Perfect for me. I almost returned it without reading it like I unfortunately do with a lot of library books, but I decided to just push myself to actually read it… and I’m really glad I did! I think this is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series that I will definitely be continuing. I obviously loved the Maine and chowder restaurant. The mystery itself was interesting too! I didn’t put all the pieces together but did feel like I was coming to the same conclusions along with the characters. There was a fun multi-generational element here with the grandma, mom, and daughter, along with the sons of the grandma character (brothers or uncles for the other two obviously). I found some repetition in spots that could’ve used more editing. For example, on one page it said something about Tom being handsome and charming, “not to mention a real looker,” as if that isn’t the same thing has handsome? And in one paragraph one of the villains says something like “you think you’re real smart, don’t you?” and two seconds later “you think you’re real clever, don’t you?” My other main issue with the book is that there were a ton of characters. I know this is meant to set up some red herrings while also laying groundwork for future characters in […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #502: Series

Posted August 18, 2026 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 0 Comments

Book Series I Want to Catch Up On 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. The answer to this is “too many” because I am pretty bad at continuing series unless I’m incredibly obsessed. Even when I really enjoy a book, I struggle to finish it off for whatever reason.

Authors I Need New Books From

Posted August 17, 2026 / Book Lists, Features / 0 Comments

This was a Top Ten Tuesday topic a while ago but I got sad about a few authors that passed away, like Huntley Fitzpatrick and Sophie Kinsella, and couldn’t decide if it felt “right” to include that. I was browsing last week around Goodreads and was reminded of a few authors I am really waiting for new book announcements from, so I decided to finally write this post! I would have included Lucy Keating (I’ve been missing her books!) but she just announced her adult debut, and I’m pumped. Megan Goldin | Read 4 of 5 books | Last book: 2023 Whereeee is the next Megan Goldin book!? I feel like she had a great (and popular!) run of thrillers, and her latest release was a widely read sequel that was featured in BOTM. I’m really hoping she’s been writing and is waiting for a new deal? It hasn’t been THAT long but I’m still eager to at least know if she has a new book coming out at some point… TJ Newman | Read 3 of 3 books | Last book: 2024 Another one from the not-so-distant past, only two years ago, but Newman had three books come out across three years and they were all bangers. I believe they were widely read too, so I don’t think it’s due to lack of publisher interest. I have wondered though how she’ll keep up with the “airplane thriller” theme she’s used. One book involved a hijacking, another involved a plane […]