Month: May 2025

June TBR

Posted May 30, 2025 / Book Lists, Features, TBR Lists / 1 Comment

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. June TBR We’re back in business, folks! I killed it in May, reading way more books than usual with 12. I don’t know what it was but I was just in the mood to read a lot more and actually dedicated some time to it. I got through a few review copies and managed to read ahead a little too. Here’s what’s cooking for June! Review Copies I did an okay job on egalleys in May and also prioritized reading a later-summer book or two to get ahead. I have MAINE CHARACTERS, THE THRASHERS, and IT’S A LOVE STORY carrying over from May. As for June and beyond, I plan to read LOVE AT FIRST SIGHTING for a future blog tour, NIGHT WATCHER, and ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND PICKLEBALL. Preorders & New Releases I was really thinking I’d read NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE AT THIS WEDDING immediately when it released but I got sidetracked trying to plan for all the format/genre balancing I was doing in May. I plan to read it immediately as my physical read for June, I think. There are some exciting new […]

Summer TBR and Bucket List – 2025

Posted May 28, 2025 / Book Lists, Features, Goals & Planning, Personal / Information / Etc., TBR Lists / 3 Comments

I used to write these all the time and was inspired to go for it again, so here we are with a somewhat similar post! I really am hoping to read some good seasonal stories this year since I’ve been inspired lately. We have a super busy summer on deck overall, but let’s bring on the beach reads! Summery Books I’m currently reading both ONE GOLDEN SUMMER (preordered) and DEAD OF SUMMER (review copy). They’re shaping up to be good summery reads with completely different vibes! I’m a Cape Cod kid at heart (spent a week or two there every summer as a kid) but SANDWICH passed me by last year! I requested it from the library so hopefully it comes in at some point this summer lol. I also forgot I have a cozy mystery called MURDER ON CAPE COD that I should try to read this summer. Similarly, I’m a big coastal Maine girl as well – I have a review copy of MAINE CHARACTERS to definitely read soon. As for other summery books I own or have egalleys of, I have a review copy of IT’S A LOVE STORY that should be an amazing seasonal read. I’ve been researching more random summer books and my friend started reading UNTIL NEXT SUMMER – I’ve been wanting to read this author and think I may start with this book instead of her 2025 release since this is more summer/beachy-focused. I also wanted to read JACKPOT SUMMER last […]

Recent Reads | The Fury and What Happens in Amsterdam

Posted May 22, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

Unlike everyone else on the planet, I actually haven’t read THE SILENT PATIENT yet. It didn’t stop me from grabbing THE FURY in my BOTM over a year ago though – classic Lauren. I thought the premise sounded pretty good without carrying all the hype of his other book. The story is narrated by one of the characters – Elliot – and breaks the fourth wall a lot, along with a stream of consciousness kind of narrative voice. He and his famous friends (Lana and her husband Jason and son Leo, plus their friend Kate) head to Lana’s private Greek island for a little R&R. The story kind of “unravels” from there when one of them is murdered. The setup and format of the storytelling was interesting, but the idea was better than the execution. I think the structure of the book was meant to create tension but really it ended up being boring. I don’t feel like I can say more about how he narrated it without directly spoiling, but it was basically like “oh I told you all this now let’s go back in time to talk more about what happened first” or “I actually left a few things out that you may find important now, so here’s more details.” I can understand why the format was like this – it’s almost like the author knew he wanted to make a very basic mystery more interested by using this kind of storytelling and then figured out what the […]

Recent Reads | A Proposal to Die For and The Missing Half

Posted May 16, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

I requested this book on a whim to try to get into other mystery authors – it seemed cozy and I loved the premise of a proposal planner going to a fancy spa/resort. Unfortunately this book didn’t really work for me! Jess used to be a wedding planner but after some drama and burnout, she decides to create a new venture in the proposal planning space. She links up with rich dudes who want to spend money on an over-the-top proposal and Jess handles all the logistics. When a frenemy from high school wants to redo her fiance’s proposal, she insists Jess help them and he’ll pay anything to make it happen. Jess needs the money and agrees – they head to a resort to work on the planning… and a dead body or two make an appearance. My biggest issue with this book is that it felt very disjointed – the way the characters interacted with each other and the scenes progressed felt so weird and underdeveloped. It’s very hard to explain but I was glad to see from other reviews that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. The plot wasn’t the issue but the way the author wrote the dialogue, character relationships, and overall scene structure was just very hard to read and sometimes confusing. The romance was the most underdeveloped part; I didn’t believe any of it or see any progression for them throughout the book. All of a sudden they were kissing after a few […]

Recent Reads | Insignificant Others and The Measure

Posted May 14, 2025 / Book Reviews, Recent Reads / 0 Comments

My reading slump is slowly getting busted by really addicting, fun reads! This was no exception. It’s been a long time since I was this engaged in a book/romance where I just wanted to keep reading. I added this to my TBR completely on a whim when I saw it involved my favorite topic – parallel/time loop/Groundhog Day kind of things, then requested both formats on Libby. When Lena and her boyfriend break up instead of getting engaged, she heads back to visit her aunt off the coast of Seattle, falling asleep in her guest house. When she wakes up, she’s in Paris with a man claiming to be her husband. The next day, the same thing – new city, new husband. She recognizes all of these men from casual encounters at parties or on a train or from high school so she quickly realizes that this is a taste of what her life would be like if she had taken a different path or gone out on that date she declined. I would say that this is a bit more on the literary side because the romance part is honestly kind of minimal despite what the plot may suggest. There wasn’t enough time to get to know each man or feel much chemistry, though some days were better than others. She learned a lesson from each dude and then moved on the next morning to the next person, trying to find a way back to her life. The moral […]

Reading Life, Habits, and Format Updates

Posted May 9, 2025 / Discussions, Features / 0 Comments

I’m constantly trying to figure out the best way to get my reading done and share the wealth across all of my various platforms and devices. I’ve talked a lot about how I plan my reading and TBRs (and occasionally throw that out the window), as well as the different reading devices I have (primarily Kindle and Boox Palma) and subscriptions I use (Everand, Spotify, etc.). I thought I’d update some of my general reading preferences, book buying habits, reading and listening formats, and more. Reading Formats – When & Why Audiobooks everywhere Audiobooks are my favorite and I do supplement the VAST majority of my reading with them. Spotify’s audiobooks have made this work sooo seamlessly and I’m truly obsessed with the fact that I can access almost any book there and listen to bits and pieces of it. 15 hours is plenty of listening time for me when I only use them in addition to whatever I’m reading physically or digitally. I always check Everand, Libby, and Hoopla for audiobooks though – listening on one of those services/apps is my priority since those don’t count hours like Spotify. Kindle Oasis for egalleys and already-purchased ebooks Like many people, I’m not interested in supporting Amazon any more than I have to. I’ll get into that a little more when I talk about my Boox Palma. I have a Kindle Oasis that I am obsessed with (sorry to my neglected Paperwhite) but I won’t be buying new ebooks from Amazon. […]

Recent Reads | Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales and The Business Trip

Posted May 7, 2025 / Book Reviews, Review Roundup / 0 Comments

Unfortunately I don’t know if this was a victim of my reading slump or if I just didn’t love it as much as the other two, but it took me a LONG time to read this. I started in early March right after it came out and ended up putting it on hold for nearly a month while I finished up some other things. I began it again in earnest in early April and didn’t finish until the last day of the month, when I was DETERMINED to get it done. I think if I had just sat down and actually read it I would have enjoyed it more. In my brain this is still a five-star series if that counts for anything. The story follows Emily and Wendell as they try to fix the curse on his kingdom. I love the two of them plus Shadow and other characters. The pacing of the story was a little off and felt like staccato events happening on and off with some fluff in between. I never felt the real danger or adventure that I felt in the other two books. I can see this being the final installment but am also a little disappointed by the ending if it actually IS the last book. This series is the epitome of cozy fantasy with a litttttle more action. I was debating what thriller to read when I remembered a friend told me how addicting this one was, and I really needed something to […]

Anticipated Upcoming Releases for the Summer

Posted May 5, 2025 / Book Lists, Features / 1 Comment

I know there will be plenty more TBRs for the year and seasonal posts but there are just so many good books coming in the upcoming months that I decided to share some of my most anticipated ones for this summer! Hopefully you can add some to your list. May 6th May 13th May 20th & 27th June 3rd & 10th June 17th June 24th & July 1st July 15th & July 22nd July 29th August 5th August 12th August 26th

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | April 2025

Posted May 2, 2025 / 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. My reading slump unfortunately continued into April! Good lord. Instead of forcing myself to read random short things or cookbooks, I just let it happen. My reading calendar is a staggered mess because I didn’t even read a book every single day. My goal for May is to actually pick up a book – even for a few pages or driving with an audiobook – every day. 5 books in April 5 read • 0 reread • 0 DNF Formats: 5 mixed format Status/source: 2 library, 2 preordered, 1 review Age Target: 5 adult Here are all the books I read this month with ratings! 25 in 25: 30% 52 Book Club: 44% Buzzword Reading Challenge: 50% Buzzword Cover Challenge: 67% Breakdown: 5 hardcovers | 1 paperback | 4 egalleys | 2 ebooks | 0 audiobooks All review copies were provided for free in exchange for an honest review. Physical Books From Aardvark: Any Trope But You by Lavine, The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption by Bennett Preordered/release event: Great Big Beautiful Life by Henry, Tell Me […]

May TBR

Posted May 1, 2025 / 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. May TBR Reading my summary here from the April TBR post was depressing. I wanted to get back to reading more than 8-9 books a month and instead I read half of that. Genuinely so sad. My reading slump continues. I know my life is going to get crazier over the next few months so I should be nice to be myself but I hope I can get back to reading more. Review Copies A couple of holdovers from last month that I didn’t get to thanks to my slump – THE SEVEN O’CLOCK CLUB and A PROPOSAL TO DIE FOR. The rest of these come out in the month of May so I really hope to get on track with my egalleys. I’ve honestly done better in 2025 than other years but April/May being huge release months combined with me not reading much… not a recipe for success. Preorders & New Releases I’ve preordered THE MISSING HALF and ONE GOLDEN SUMMER and those arrive within the next week or two. I plan to buy NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE AT THIS WEDDING on or near release day […]