Weekly recap Sep 26 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

A Raven of the Rainforest - MG fun with birds

Bad Words - Adult fun with bitter enemies

Tales from the Territory - Short fun with gnomes. No, wait...

The Little Shop of Gentle Magics Cosy fun with tea

This week, I read

Gracie - Joy and grief in 1930s Ireland

The Discworld Bestiary - Absolutely beautiful and surprisingly educational!

I also DNF'd two books that just weren't suiting me

Coming up 

Tis the season...for reading all my downloaded books before downloading anything new.

TBR check in:

My TBR is sitting at 35 as publishers start to wind down for Christmas. My queue is at 10 but some of those are for a theme week in December so I won't be reading them just yet! For the first time in a while Contemporary Fiction has (just) overtaken Fantasy at 10 to 9, with Horror, Mystery, Sci Fi and Romance bringing up the rear.

Weekly recap - 19 Sep 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

The Strangers - the hardest to define book you'll read all year

Board Games & Broomsticks - the cosiest book about magical board games you'll read all year

The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide - the most referential book you'll read all year

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts - the highest theoretical stakes and the lowest story stakes you'll read all year

This week, I read

The Little Shop of Gentle Magics - the most tea in a blurb and least tea in a story you'll read all year

Sunderworld Vols 1 and 2 - the coolest magic hidden in LA book - well, you know.

Coming up 

Some very beautiful hardbacks and some very interesting paperbacks.

Weekly recap - Sep 13 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Lights, Camera, Mayhem! - Middle grade fun in historical Dublin

Georgie - an intensely personal story set in Wales

Until the Last Light Goes Out - mind bending horror with walls that move

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel - classic closed circle mystery with the grand dame of murder (solving, not commiting)

This week, I read

The Strangers - part biopic, part spec fic, all its own thing

A Raven of the Rainforest - animal fiction from one of the best

Tales from the Territory - short stories set in the world of Legends and Lattes

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts - am I allowed to hope I end up here?

Coming up 

Ireland, Scotland, Alternate LA and Outer Space. Probably not in that order.

Weekly recap - Aug 29 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

All the Hidden Places - short horror and spec fic stories

Twig's Traveling Tomes The cosiest of cosy fiction

Dive Bar at the End of the Road - A horror story you think you know, but you really don't

Bluebird - Irish teens study ballet in Russia in the 90s

Consistency? What's that?

This week, I read

Twig's Traveling Tomes - yeah I'm developing a bad habit of reading right before posting

Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead - Zombies from a point of view you've never seen before

Night of Madness - reality show goes bad. Don't they all?

10 Things I Hate about Zombies - romcomzom

Lights, Camera, Mayhem! - Dublin kids accidentally solve crimes while making movies

Coming up 

I've got my weeks a bit mixed up so it could be anything!

TBR check

I have seven books downloaded and waiting to read, and forty more on the maybe list. Fantasy is still the highest number, but contemporary is catching up, and horror is trailing because I cleared several this week. The furthest out publication date is next May - I know! I couldn't believe it either! I think publishers are stretching the gap between ARCing and publishing.

Weekly recap - Aug 23 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

The Two of Us at the End of the World - hope core apocalypse. This is a DNF review due to my difficulties with a writing choice by the author, but I highly recommend the story.

Rise - claustrophobic terror on a mothballed spaceship

The Pumpkin Bride - the most autumny autumn that ever autumned

The Book was Better - a completely subjective look at books better than their movies, and vice versa

This week, I read

The Book was Better - see above

Dive Bar at the End of the Road - still deciding how I feel about the ending

When Life Gives you Corpses - another great story with a minor formatting thing that just bugged me (no pun on the giant praying mantis there)

The Best Christmas Ever - should have been completely stressful. Was somehow lovely and gentle.

Coming up 

It's all about zombies and other dead things this week.

Weekly recap - 16 Aug 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed - redemption that sticks

Daggerbound - grumpy immortal sword spirit meets marshmallow scholar (that's a scholar who is a marshmallow, not someone who studies marshmallows. Is that a job? I want it.)

A Fellowship of Cats and Curses - or Curses and Cats, I keep getting it backwards

A Fellowship of Academics and Arts - the currently-final Adenashire book

This week, I read

Rise - space horror

The Pumpkin Bride - autumn cosy

All the Hidden Places - short stories

Coming up 

There is an actual gap in my schedule. Don't scare it.

Weekly recap - 9 Aug 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Tendrils - 80s cartoon has actual lasting effects

Sunny Days - the story of Sesame Street and its stablemates

There and Back Again - Lord of the Rings films in the words of the cast and crew

I am the Night - the Caped Crusader's life as a cartoon

This week, I read

A Fellowship of Curses and Cats/A Fellowship of Academics and Arts - the last two Adenashire books

The Two of Us at the End of the World - the last few humans reckon with what's left of the world

Yeah, I was a bit back and forth there, wasn't I?

Coming up 

Mixing horror with cozy. Corror? Hozy!

Weekly recap - 2 Aug 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Gingerbread Bones - survival horror becomes fairytale horror

A Reader's Guide to Terry Pratchett - from the great man's earliest beginnings to 1999

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree - the gay Sherlock Holmes we always deserved

How to find a Nameless Fae - middle aged heroine is competent, film at eleven

This week, I read

There and Back Again - the history of the best films ever

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed - sounds like a Tumblr prompt, is actually really good

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree - yeah, I got a bit close to posting date there

Daggerbound - Angry immortal sword spirit meets marshmallow scholar

It was cosies and fun this week!

Coming up 

Cosy, romance and heartfelt, what else could you ask for?

TBR check in 

Because I've been on holiday, my TBR is at 38 (it'll probably shoot back up when I go back to work next week!) Fantasy is still the biggest, but comtemp, romcom, sci fi and horror are all hanging in there, and I expect horror to grow a little over the next month!

Weekly recap - 26 Jul 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Just as long as we're Together - classic teen story that still hits today

Here's to you, Rachel Robinson - the companion to the above

and then we screamed - teen anger is visceral 

The Imagitorium - Sarah Beth Durst's new triumph

This week, I read

Gingerbread Bones - a teen horror with a great fairytale link

Tendrils - the follow up to the story based on an 80s cartoon

How to Find a Nameless Fae - fantasy with a great fairytale link

I am the Night - a close look at the creation of the animated Batman show

Sunny Days - a look at Sesame Street and its contemporaries

Apparently I just wanted to read things based on other things this week

Coming up 

It's back to cosy fantasy while I'm on my holiday!

Weekly recap - 19th July 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Natural Selection - boy vs bear has never been so literal

Dead Teenager Movie - horror that's aware of its own tropes

You Only Live Twice - romance that's genuinely different

Alex, by Proxy - a difficult read, but worth it

This week, I read

and then we screamed - Holly Bourne being angry as only Holly Bourne can

The Imagitorium - I can't even talk about this yet

A Reader's Guide to Terry Pratchett - a look at the first half of his career, from schoolboy writings to halfway through the Disc

Coming up 

It'll depend on whether Edelweiss approves me, but I'm hoping for a media themed week!

Weekly recap 12th Jul 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Moss'd in Space - Firefly vibes, botany based tech

Where Lost Girls Go - is it a cult? Is it not a cult?

Unsilent Heart - Death takes a vacation. Or, more accurately, dies.

Not with a Bang - family struggles with issues during apocalypse

This week, I read

Dead Teenager Movie - teen dances on the edge of meta awareness

 Alex, by Proxy - a Munchasen's victim attempts to understand why

just as long as we're together AND Here's to You, Rachel Robinson - reissues of Judy Blume's classics

Coming up 

Teen angst, cosy fantasy and mystery.

Weekly recap - 5 July 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Ukrainian Spiritual Traditions - a beautiful mix of recipes, stories and beliefs

It's for your own Good - survival thriller with teens

If we Survive the Night - zombie survival with teens

Highlander - the novel of the original 80s movie. So eighties.

The Quickening - if you're a Highlander fan, you know why this one is here

Labyrinth Illustrated Novelisation - a sneaky addition I absolutely had to get in as soon as possible!

This week, I read

Not with a Bang - family drama in the middle of an implausible apocalypse

Natural Selection - teen girls chose the bear over the boys

Labyrinth - see above

Coming up 

It's all teen adventure for the next while!

TBR check in 

I'm feeling a bit ambitious, with 50 titles on my TBR! Fantasy is still far and away my busiest category, but there's a good mix below that with horror, mystery, romance and sci fi all showing up.

Weekly recap - 28 June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

It's a Spellshop reread to celebrate receiving the new ARC!

The Spellshop - Kiela and Caz begin this series

The Enchanted Greenhouse - Terlu gets her focus 

The Sea of Charms - Marin sails in for her story

The Magical Cheese Emporium - Eloren finds her passion again

And for a while, I really thought each title would have one more word than the one before...sigh.

This week, I read

Moss'd in Space - it's pitched as Firefly-like. I'm only human.

Where Lost Girls Go - it's Kody Keplinger. I'm only human.

Unsilent Heart - it's about Death dying. I'm only human.

Coming up 

Things might slow down a bit because I'm not very well, but I have a backlog of reviews, so you'll still have plenty to read!

Weekly recap 21 Jun 26

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

The Little House that Needed a Witch - a gorgeous picture book

Cursed Ever After - Curses, magic and an awful lot of snark

The Princess Diaries Graphic Novel - A new version of the story we all know

Princess (Apparently) - Rags to riches in the Caribbean

This week, I read

It's for your own Good - teen thriller

If we Survive the Night - zombies and teens in care

Highlander - yes, the awesome movie

The Quickening - laws meant to protect babies go too far

Apparently I wanted All The Kinds Of Survival this week. Also, I deliberately put two of these together, and if you know which two and why you get an internet cookie. 🍪

Coming up 

Sci fi? Teen games? There's a mix this time.

Weekly recap 14th June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. The weather's getting a bit better here.

This week, I read

The Summer my Wishes came true - tween magic and friendships

The Inheritance - terrifying thriller

50 True Stories that will Scare you to Death - real life stories that will leave you gasping

If Books Could Kill - meta fun with genre conventions

This week, I read

It's a Spellshop reread because - drumroll please - I got an ARC of the fourth book! Look out for the reviews coming up soon.

Coming up 

It's a mix of genres and a pun that makes me laugh every time.

Weekly recap 7th June 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. It's been wet and miserable here, hope it's better where you are!

This week I read

The Reimagining of Thornwood House - patience, found family and a house that's gone walkabout

No one Leaves the Manor - terror and mystery in a decadent manor

All we Have Left - romance and paperwork after the apocalypse

Five Total Strangers - claustrophobic driving through a snowstorm with a killer

This week, I read

The Summer My Wishes came True - magic powers fix all tween problems, right?

If Books Could Kill - meta fun with genres

My brain absolutely refused to settle on a Thing this week, which is perfectly fine. Completely fine. Not frustrating at all.

Coming up 

Oh, it's a fun reread! I'm so excited for this.

My Maybe List is currently sitting at 47 books. That's about average for me! My quest to read every cosy fantasy novel published continues, with 19 Fantasy books on the list. There's also 8 Contemporaries, 7 Horror — Halloween is coming, y'all! — 5 Mysteries, 4 Sci Fi, 2 Non-Fiction and 2 Romance.

So yes, we can clearly see where my reading heart lies. Ironically, it isn't in Romance.

Weekly recap, 31st May 2026

Welcome to the weekly recap! It's been very warm here this week, perfect for reading snowy books.

This week I posted

The Thing about Giants - breaking assumptions and making friends

Being Aro - you mean romance isn't the be all and end all?

The Tiny Magic Bookshop - the magic of books and found family

The Someday Garden - grief, gardening and a goose named Damnit

This week I read

Five Total Strangers - claustrophobic danger in the snow

The Inheritance - growing terror in an inherited house

Clearly I just wanted to scare myself before spending the weekend alone in a strange house.

Coming up

Tween wish fulfillment and meta commentary on genres!

Weekly recap - 24 May 2026

Happy Sunday! Welcome to the weekly recap. Missed a post, or curious about what's coming up? It's all right here.

This week, I posted

The Heirs - murder and mystery with five extraordinary siblings

The Blue Book of Nebo - language and belonging in post apocalyptic Wales

Just Another Dead Boy - romance and fate in a luxury resort

Really Rubie - tween drama and friendship at summer camp

This week, I read 

The Little House that needed a Witch - picture book about longing and belonging

Princess Diaries Graphic Novel - our favourite princess is back!

Princess (Apparently) - our new favourite princess is Caribbean!

Cursed Ever After - fantasy in a world where belief is more important than any spell

You Only Live Twice - a Muslim romance

Apparently this week I was all about how people see themselves and what happens when that's challenged

Coming up: For only the second time since beginning blogging, I have nothing due immediately! Would you read something long to clear it off the list or a few short things to gain some space?

Weekly recap 17th May 2026

Welcome to the weekly recap! 

This week, I posted:

The Last Dragon House - adventure and found family with only some light scorching occasionally

Forlorn Harbor - YA horror, Twilight Zone style. What's your ironic punishment?

A Flood of Memories - floods both literal and metaphorical in Malaysia

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous - Stardew in real life, or sort of real

This week, I read:

The Someday Garden: Magic and mystery in a garden in Maine, where all the spooky things ever happen

A Flood of Memories - yep, cutting it very tight there

The Blue Book of Nebo - language and memory in post apocalypse Wales

All we have left - cosy apocalypse.

Apparently this week I was all about the memories we keep when everything else falls away.

Coming up:

It's all about princesses next week! 

What have you been reading?