Category: In Review

June marks one year of my Project TBR Zero, and I have to say that after a whole year, it’s been hard to keep focus and find meaning in this project. Not what I expected to write about since I’ve been so motivated throughout this project. And right on the final stretch. Since I didn’t finish my TBR, this is not the end of the project. But it does mark the end of a year focused on reading the books I own. And it’s also a reflection on how I’m feeling about it, how my reading was affected by it, and how much progress I made. Reading for me is a fun activity, a hobby, a recreation, a pastime, whatever you want to call it. It’s not work or a chore. It’s something I do because I enjoy doing it. And throughout this project, that feeling never changed. It just …

While I’m slowly but steadily getting out of my most recent reading slump, nothing like reviewing a book to remind myself why reading is so great. This time is Under the Heavens by Ruth Fox, a new sci-fi trilogy that came out last year with a lot of whales. Disclaimer: Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for free. All the thoughts and opinions here are my own. Title: Under the Heavens Author: Ruth Fox Series: The Ark Trilogy #1 Publication year: 2022 Length: 11 hours 40 minutes Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, YA Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot Hannah Monksman is a caregiver for a group of whales being transported from Earth to their new home in New Eden. The book starts already on board the ship while Hannah is ending another of her social media live streams to update …

My bookshelves always bothered me for one reason: they are too deep. And lately, with the growth of my book collection, I found myself thinking of putting the books in double rows. Although which books will go in the back? They will be out of sight and hard to reach, so I need to think carefully about which one will be in the back. While scrolling through Pinterest, I saw an ad for a shelf riser for manga collections. And that was the answer I needed all along. A shelf riser, or as I prefer to call it, a shelf shelf is a structure to elevate the books that will be placed on the back row. So, I grabbed a pencil and paper and began to draw. I wanted something simple and cheap. Cardboard. Although for it to sustain such weight, it had to have a structure underneath that could …

Last year, an 88-year-old book took Tiktok by storm. Its newfound fame brought a lot of readers to its web with the promise of the hardest mystery to solve. I was one of them, and I have to say this book is not for readers. Cain’s Jawbone by Torquedama, originally published in 1934 as part of a collection of crossword and other word puzzles, came back to life to ruin brains all over the world. If for some reason you haven’t heard about Cain’s Jawbone, the book tells a murder mystery in 100 pages, but unfortunately, the pages are out of order. The text is printed only on one side of the paper, and the objective is to find the correct order of the pages while discovering the six victims and their respective murderers. Sounds easy enough, right? Except this is no ordinary text. You can read all 100 pages …

In January, I mentioned Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes in my Favourites Books of 2022 and even compared it to The Book of You by Claire Kendal. Both books have some similarities, although they are still different. In approach and theme. So take this as a quick recommendation to read The Book of You if you’ve read and enjoyed Into the Darkest Corner or vice versa. And now, on with the review. Title: Into the Darkest Corner Author: Elizabeth Haynes Publication year: 2007 Length: 13 hours 58 minutes Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Crime Pace: Medium Story focus: Character The main protagonist Cathy lives a life of obsessive-compulsive behaviours. She can’t leave the house without checking every lock multiple times and leaving everything in its precise place. She doesn’t trust anyone. Not since her last relationship, which ended 4 years ago. Until a friendly and handsome new neighbour moves …

I can’t remember how long I wanted to read a CJ Tudor. Since the author blew up with her debut novel, The Chalk Man, I was intrigued. Mystery, thriller, maybe with a little sprinkle of horror, it’s always a good combination for me. And the more gruesome, the better! The book might not have been exactly what I was expecting, but CJ Tudor’s writing is one I want to read again. Title: The Chalk Man Author: CJ Tudor Publication year: 2018 Length: 9 hours 50 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot It was the summer of 1986 when everything changed. One accident on a fair ride begins a succession of events that will change Ed and the whole town. Meanwhile, Ed and his friends start to communicate using chalk stick figures, and what starts as a child’s play quickly takes a turn for the …

This year has been top-notch when it comes to reading. I’m yet to read a book I don’t give 5 stars. One of those honoured is The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Published over a decade ago, this book was a surprise. I didn’t have many expectations to enjoy the story hence the title: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. We are in 2023, and a book about how every group has a fat and ugly friend probably won’t go down easy. I was expecting an early 2000’s ugly duck story. Although, I was wrong. Title: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend Author: Kody Keplinger Series: Hamilton High #1 Publication year: 2010 Length: 7 hours and 30 minutes Genre: Ya, Romance Pace: Fast Story focus: Character Bianca doesn’t want any boy drama in her life. Cynical by nature, she is not looking for a boyfriend, unlike her friends. She prefers staying home instead …

The Dark Matter series by Teri Terry is one of my favourites. I’ve already reviewed the first book on the blog, and as I said there, I had to read the rest. And now here we are. I’ve finished it. I have all my answers, especially to questions I had no idea I had. The best way to describe this series is to imagine an iceberg. Contagion is just the tip, and the story is so much bigger. So much, incredibly bigger. To recap where I left the story – you can read the full review here. A little girl, Callie, has gone missing. Her brother, Kai, is desperately trying to find her. Shay has possibly seen her abduction. While Kai and Shay unite forces to try and find answers for the disappearing, a highly contagious disease breaks out close to home. From here, they go on an unplanned dangerous …

With a movie adaptation coming out, Fredrik Backman is probably a name you are familiar with or at least heard of. The author of A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, Bear Town… I’d heard a lot about Backman before I decided to read one of his books. I thought he wasn’t an author for me. His books always sounded too slow for my enjoyment. I’m a girl who likes action. Give me something fast and plot-driven, and I’m here for it! I don’t know why I decided to have my first introduction to Backman with My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry – apart from being on sale. Yet, I’m so glad I did! Title: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry Author: Fredrik Backman Publication year: 2013 Length: 11 hours Genre: Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Humour Pace: Medium Story focus: Character The story follows an ALMOST …

I’m so excited to finally do an update on Project TBR Zero! I’ve spent the entire month of January counting the days to write this post. I want to look back and see my progress. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here is the first post where I introduced the challenge. My quest is to finish every single book I own. So welcome back to the second quarter update of Project TBR Zero. The Second Quarter October For a quick recap of where my reading was standing in September, I had 81 books in my TBR. As I said at the end of the last post, I was in a reading slump. And I carried that feeling until the new year. It didn’t stop me from reading, but I wasn’t overly excited about what I was reading. Not even a reread of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and …

For the first time, I’m reviewing a book I don’t recommend. I can’t stress this enough. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. This review is purely written to express my feelings and opinions about this book. It is not an incentive for you to pick it up. So don’t read this book. Please don’t read it. Unless you are prepared to deal with the story inside. Title: A Little Life Author: Hanya Yanagihara Publication year: 2015 Length: 32 hours 51 minutes Genre: Literary Fiction Pace: Slow Story focus: Character A Little Life is about a life not so little. We follow a group of friends fresh out of college in New York: Jude, Malcolm, Willem, and JB. The story dives into the private life of each character, the relationship between them, and general life changes. It’s a book about growing up as adults. Although, the story reaches a point where Jude …