Tag: thriller

Project Library Love: February Visit
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Project Library Love: February Visit

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for a check-in on one of my 2026 reading projects, Library Love! I figured I would share what books I check out each month to try and keep myself accountable. Maybe then I’ll actually read my library loans instead of letting them languish on my desk until my renewals run out 😅 I also reflect on my last month’s stack to see how many I managed to pick up.

So let’s see how January went and what books I’ve picked up in February!

Last Month’s Stack

In January, I ended up checking out four physical books and two audiobooks.

My physical picks were:

  • Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
  • Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
  • Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

My audiobook picks were:

  • His & Hers by Alice Feeney
  • The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

I’m happy to report that, out of the six I checked out, I’ve read five of them! I’m pretty proud of myself for that one, haha. The only one I didn’t get to so far is Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, but I’m going to be cracking that one open soon! Especially since it’s due back at the beginning of March…

Of the books I managed to read, my favorite was definitely one of my audio reads, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Stephen Graham Jones is quickly cementing himself as one of my favorite authors and I will be buying myself a copy ASAP. A close second is Hidden Figures, which I just finished reading today and absolutely loved. I haven’t been this enamored of a non-fiction book for awhile! That being said, none of the books I checked out were less than three stars, so my January library stack kinda started this project out with a bang.

Continue reading “Project Library Love: February Visit” →
Book Review: The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent
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Book Review: The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent

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Title: The Things We Do to Our Friends
Author: Heather Darwent
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Thriller/Dark Academia
Age Group: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Content/Trigger Warnings: Toxic friendships and codependency, violence, physical abuse, sexual assault, sexual violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, torture, attempted murder, child abuse, mental illness and psychopathy themes
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Goodreads::Storygraph

Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history—the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the secrets of her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town?

When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she’s destined to become friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel, shrewd Ava, and pragmatic Imogen. She is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it’s already too late—because they’ve taken the plunge. They’re so close to attaining everything they want, and there’s no going back.

Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and ambition with an original and sinister edge, The Things We Do to Our Friends is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have and those who covet, between the desire to truly belong and the danger of being truly known.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent” →
WWW Wednesday: February 4th, 2026
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WWW Wednesday: February 4th, 2026

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly: I’m really getting into this one now that it’s my main physical read! The author’s writing is really sucking me into the story of these “Black Computers” that worked to help our nation’s space race. It also makes me boil with rage to read about all the injustices they were facing even though they were just as good as (if not better) than their white counterparts. Like, I know that, was a thing (and is still a thing), so you would think I’d be used to it, but the rage still comes, heh. I suppose that is the author doing her job well!
  • The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent: Oh my god, I am so BORED. It’s just a bunch of rich people (and one wanna-be) being unhinged and I don’t caaaaare. I’ve just arrived at part two after a plot point finally decided to make an entrance, so I’m hoping things pick up from here. Please…
  • The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 edited by Rebecca Roanhorse: I’ve read the first two stories in this collection and I’m happy to report that I loved both of them! This is a good omen for how I’m going to enjoy the rest of this anthology. Fingers crossed that they continue to be stellar.
Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: February 4th, 2026” →
Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers Featuring Pretty/Unique Typography
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Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers Featuring Pretty/Unique Typography

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish back in June 2010. It is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and, as is stated on the blog, it was “born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.”

Hello, reader!

I’m a sucker for a pretty cover. I have picked up many books simply because I thought the cover was beautiful. But I have to admit, I don’t often pay that much attention to the typography. That’s why I’m excited to participate in today’s Top Ten Tuesday! We’re looking for book covers with pretty/cool/unique typography and I’ve decided to go through my “read” shelf on Goodreads to see what I can find.

Keep reading to see which ones I picked out!

Books With Pretty/Unique Typography

  • Small Spaces by Katherine Arden: I love the typography on this one. A typography that blends into the overall image on the cover will always make me pay attention. I just think it looks so cohesive and lovely.
  • Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell: Again, the typography is working really well with the cover image, though more so in color as opposed to positioning/font. It’s visually appealing to me in a way that captures my attention.
  • White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson: This is like a blend of the first two where the typography uses both font and a bit of blending to really incorporate into the cover image. I like that the letters kind of fade into the background at points.
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: Now this one I chose because I just think the typography is pretty 🥹 I can’t even pinpoint why I love it so much, but I do!
  • Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury: The font on this one is pretty straightforward and bland, but I love the way that it interacts with the rest of the cover image. Just *chef’s kiss*
Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers Featuring Pretty/Unique Typography” →
February 2026 TBR
monthly tbr

February 2026 TBR

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Hello, reader!

If you’ve been around the blog awhile, you probably know that I’m not typically a big monthly TBR person. That’s because, at heart, I am and will always be a mood reader. There’s something about setting a TBR that makes my mood reader brain immediately wants to read something else, lol. The thing is, though, that I’m also extremely indecisive. I have so many options for books (over 300 unread books on my TBR… and that’s just the physical ones 🫠) so when I let my mood dictate my read, I stand staring at my bookshelf for ages and can’t make a decision!

So I’m gonna do a little experiment! I’m going to try setting up monthly TBRs in 2026 but they are not going to be strict TBRs. I suppose that makes them more of “monthly hopefuls”, but I’m still going to call them TBRs. Hopefully this will work much better for my weird little brain, haha.

With that being said, let me share with you my February TBR!

The Book Club Reads

There are three online book clubs that I participate in on a semi-regular basis: the Weirdo Book Club, the Always Fully Booked (AFB) Book Club, and the Literally Dead Book Club. There are months where I’m not interested in the book picked, of course, but in February I’m intrigued by all three. Hopefully I can squeeze them all in!

  • Weirdo Book Club
    • I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
    • I have seen this book talked about all over the place, so I’m happy to jump on-board the book club read. It sounds weird and intriguing, which kind of makes it perfect for Weirdo Book Club!
  • AFB Book Club
    • One by One by Ruth Ware
    • I’m not gonna lie, Ruth Ware had a bit of a falling out after I started reading her backlist because I enjoyed The Turn of the Key so much. I just haven’t liked any of the other books I’ve read from her as much as that one! I’m happy to give her another chance, though… perhaps this will be the one to blow me away.
  • Literally Dead Book Club
    • How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
    • I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to read this one, but then it popped up as an add-on through Book of the Month and it found its way into my box somehow 😂 This is why my physical TBR is ridiculous, y’all! Still, this does sound intriguing and this will help me read my BotM book the same month I got it!
Continue reading “February 2026 TBR” →
WWW Wednesday: January 28th, 2026
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WWW Wednesday: January 28th, 2026

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel: I finally picked the audiobook back up and the action/drama has certainly ramped up! These two doomed idiots are keeping me on the edge of my seat. I don’t know if I was just feeling anxious and that’s why I couldn’t handle the angst, but now I’m back on board, haha.
  • Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman: It feels so good to be back in Carl’s world! I mean… Carl’s world is just getting increasingly more dire, but I’m having a good time 😂 Can I just say, I love a main character that is both strong and clever. Carl certainly fits the bill! It’s a treat watching him think up these half-baked plans that are truly creative. I’m eager to dive back into this one!
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly: I quite literally just started this book today (as in, I just got through the prologue) so I don’t have a lot a thoughts about it yet. I’m enjoying the author’s tone, though. Tone is so important to me when it comes to non-fiction. If it reads like a textbook, I’m going to bored the entire time, even if the information is fascinating. Give me a narrative non-fiction any day.
Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: January 28th, 2026” →
Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors From 2025
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Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors From 2025

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish back in June 2010. It is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and, as is stated on the blog, it was “born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.”

Hello, reader!

Though 2025 was a bit all over the place, I did read some incredible books last year. I also read quite a few new-to-me authors that I’m eager to read more from in 2026. So today’s Top Ten Tuesday theme, 2025 Bookish Discoveries, gives me the perfect opportunity to share them with you! Quite a few of these are authors that have been around for ages, but I finally picked them up in 2025. Some of them are debut authors that captured my imagination with their first novel. All of them make me want to read more!

Now, let’s get to the list.

2025 New-To-Me Authors

Kylie Lee Baker
B.K. Borison
Costanza Casati
Delilah S. Dawson
Tananarive Due

Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors From 2025” →
26 Books in 2026 Challenge
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26 Books in 2026 Challenge

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Hello, reader!

We’re not gonna talk about how badly I bombed my 25 in 2025 reading challenge🤐 Last year, my reading felt kind of all over the place. I had some great reads, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely wandered far from my goals for the year, haha.

I think part of the issue was I put some rigid rules on which books I put on my 2025 list. I was trying to have a good mix of genres and put a lot of books that have been languishing on my shelves for forever. The problem is, and this is something I’m still coming to terms with, I am very much a mood reader. So putting a book that I wasn’t necessarily excited about but fit my criteria meant I never felt particularly motivated to pick up books from the 25 in 2025 pile.

So for my 26 in 2026 challenge, I decided there were only two rules I would have while making my list:

  • I could only choose books published before 2026.
  • I could only choose books that I own, either physically or electronically.

That way, I could browse my owned books and pick books that, to borrow a phrase, sparked joy😂 The hope is that my interest in these books will make me more eager to pick them up and actually read them throughout the year. Wish me luck, y’all!

Continue reading “26 Books in 2026 Challenge” →
Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
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Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

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Title: The Villa
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Murder, child death, infidelity, drug/alcohol abuse, graphic violence, sexual content, gaslighting, and chronic illness
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads::Storygraph

The bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs returns with a brilliant new gothic suspense set at an Italian villa with a dark history.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album—and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred—and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge—and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle—the birthplace of Frankenstein—The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins” →
WWW Wednesday: January 7th, 2026
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WWW Wednesday: January 7th, 2026

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman: I’m reading this as part of a buddy read on Instagram where we’re trying to read the whole series (at least what is out so far!) in 2026. Of course, long before the buddy read was even mentioned, I had seen this book everywhere. I’ve not dipped my toes too far into the LitRPG genre, but I feel like it’s something I could really love. So far, this has been a fun, fast-paced read and I’m excited to read more!
  • Supermarket by Bobby Hall: I’m trying to get back into reading e-books again, so I decided to try and tackle my Kindle library. This is the oldest book on my Kindle TBR and it sounded weird. Now that I’m about a third of the way into it, I can confirm it is weird, haha. I’m still trying to decide if it’s the kind of weird I like or no.
  • The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones: My library hold for this audiobook finally came in and I’m so glad it did! This audiobook is fantastic so far! I’m loving the story of revenge and grief. The narrators area absolutely killing it, too. Am I feeling a five star?? It’s early days, but I’m getting that vibe!
Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: January 7th, 2026” →