Tag: reading

Memes, Time Travel Thursday

Time Travel Thursday #2

by wren @ wingsandfablesLeave a Comment on Time Travel Thursday #2

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to relive all those bookish memories! Take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what you are reading now!

2025 was a pretty sparse reading year for me as I was pursuing my Master’s Degree, so I’m going to jump back to 2024 for this series.

This time in 2024 I was reading:

Summary: If he had been with me, everything would have been different…

Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable. But then something changed. Or they changed. Now, they do their best to ignore each other.

Autumn has her boyfriend Jamie, and her close-knit group of friends. And Finn has become that boy at school, the one everyone wants to be around.

That still doesn’t stop the way Autumn feels every time she and Finn cross paths, and the growing, nagging thought that maybe things could have been different. Maybe they should be together.

But come August, things will change forever. And as time passes, Autumn will be forced to confront how else life might have been different if they had never parted ways…

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Rating: 2 stars

Currently I am reading:

Summary: Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival?

In the charming mountain town of Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne Austen clings to tradition like cream to a scone. She’s built her life–and her late grandmother’s tearoom, Tea Thyme–around all things delicate china, Jane Austen novels, and the comforting predictability of routine. The only thing threatening her perfectly ordered world? The loud, aggravatingly handsome Brit opening a pub next door.

After his ex-wife broke his heart and his business partner nearly destroyed his career, Finn Dashwood packed up his six-year-old daughter and left England behind. He’s looking for a fresh start, and the last thing he needs is a fussy, tea-obsessed neighbor criticizing his every pint and playlist. It doesn’t matter that she’s ridiculously kind (to everyone else) and that his daughter is utterly fascinated by her. Finn’s heart is not open to being broken again.

But disagreements turn into prank wars and then a competition when a high-profile wedding needs a last-minute caterer. The townsfolk are thrilled–Wisteria hasn’t seen this much excitement since the county fair lost a goat.

When the wedding demands both sweet and savory fare, Daphne and Finn are forced to put down their swords and pick up their serving trays. Between burnt pastries, brewing tempers, trending hashtags (#SipsAndSpats, anyone?), and one very adorable little girl, rivalry soon gives way to reluctant friendship–and maybe something that feels suspiciously like chemistry.

Can a tea shop princess and a pub owner with a past mix their lives as seamlessly as clotted cream and jam . . . or will their differences keep them steeped in rivalry forever?

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Comparison:

I picked up If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin from my library around this time because the collector’s edition of the book was coming out, and I wanted to see if it was something I wanted to snag because it was gorgeous. For me, this reeked of John Green vibes with an attempt at a quirky teen protagonist that really just didn’t work for me. I still sometimes think about how the FMC would wear a tiara to school every single day. Needless to say, this is not something I purchased a physical copy of, and I did not continue the series when the second book dropped.

This year I’m reading A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham. A Brewed Awakening is an adult contemporary romance with nods to Jane Austen and an enemies-to-lovers romance. I’m really enjoying this so far, especially the humor and banter between the MCs. I’ve really turned away from the Young Adult genre in the past year or so simply because my reading tastes have changed. I can still see myself reading upper-YA, but I can’t see myself ever picking up something like If He Had Been With Me in the near future.

Have you read any of these titles? What were you reading this time last year?

Goodreads | Storygraph

Down the TBR Hole, Memes

Down the TBR Hole #2

by wren @ wingsandfables2 Comments on Down the TBR Hole #2

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lost in a Story, but Lia has permitted Jody’s Bookish Haven to adopt it since she is no longer blogging; the only thing changing is you can now link up to your post.

It works like this:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go

I started my Goodreads account in May 2012. As you can guess, I have loads of books on the list that I’m probably no longer interested in reading, as my tastes have naturally changed in the past 14 years.

Beginning Want to Read Shelf: 507 books (I added more after the first post 😬)

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Summary: Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes fifteen-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam’s unhappy household. Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other, their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.

With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women’s endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move people to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a portrait of a wounded country and a story of family and friendship, of an unforgiving time, an unlikely bond, and an indestructible love.

Comments: This is one of those books that I feel is considered a modern-day classic that everyone must read.

Decision: Keep

2. At Legend’s End (The Teacup Novellas #4) by Diane Moody

Summary: When her best friend prayed for God to “blow your socks off,” Olivia Thomas had no idea that prayer would be answered only a few hours later. Stunned by such an unexpected gift from someone she’d helped years ago, Olivia suddenly finds herself with unlimited possibilities. She packs her bags and heads to Caden Cove, a tiny coastal town in Maine, where she hopes to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Little does she know her reservation at the Captain MacVicar Inn has put her in the path of a historic legend.

Trevor Bass owns Caden Cove’s only bookstore and dabbles in real estate. All the locals know the grouchy bookseller is an avowed bachelor, which explains their utter shock when he invites a “tourist” to visit their book club. The mere hint of romance sends the town into a frenzy wondering if the object of Trevor’s affections could be the next victim of the legend’s curse. Will history repeat itself once more in Caden Cove?

Comments: I started this novella series way back in 2013 because the first book was available on Nook for free. I read the first three novellas by 2014, but never continued the series. I loved the first novella because it was a spin on Jane Austen’s Emma, but the series devolved into focusing entirely on original characters. This might be something I’ll return to in the future if I want a super quick read, but at this point, I have lost interest mostly.

Decision: Remove

3. A Christmas Peril (The Teacup Novellas #5) by Diane Moody

Summary: Lucy Alexander’s Teacup Novellas were inspired by a collection of vintage teacups her Aunt Lucille bequeathed to her. She’s excited about writing the next book in the series, a Christmas tale loosely based on her aunt and uncle’s love story set in the 1940s. But when a hostage situation lands Lucy’s boyfriend in the hospital, she sets her work aside to keep a bedside vigil with Mark. As the long hours of waiting stretch on, Lucy starts to read her beloved aunt’s handwritten diary. Shocked to discover a frightening story so eerily similar to the one she’s living, Lucy longs to find hope and encouragement in the pages of Lucille’s diary.

December 1944 – “The most wonderful things seem to happen when you least expect them,” writes Lucille Alexander after a serendipitous meeting with Gary Reynolds, a handsome lieutenant home on leave from the war in Europe. The two are inseparable in the five precious days he has left before heading back overseas just weeks before Christmas. On their last morning together, Lucille accompanies Gary to the train station, already dreading the long separation ahead. But that would be the least of her worries after her brave lieutenant rushes to help an elderly woman in distress.

Lucy finds a strange solace in her namesake’s ink-stained journal. Though seventy years have passed between them, would their stories have the same ending?

Comments: This one sounds a lot more interesting to me than the previous novella in the same series. However, it’s not something I see myself picking up any time soon.

Decision: Remove

4. United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6) by Ally Carter

Summary: Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

Comments: I have a TERRIBLE habit of not continuing series after I’ve read everything that is available when I start it. Typically, it’s because I’m fearful I won’t remember enough to truly enjoy the new installment. So I create this plan that I’m going to reread previous books before starting the new one, which never happens because there’s always something new and exciting out. At some point, I will either read some quick summaries on the previous books or I will do a reread of the series, but I have to finish Cammie’s story eventually.

Decision: Keep

5. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Whistle Stop, AL #1) by Fannie Flagg

Summary: Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who is telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women, the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, offering good coffee, southern barbecue, and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present will never be quite the same again.

Comments: I’ve seen the film and have always wanted to read the novel that inspired it. I really enjoy listening to the audiobooks of films I’ve already seen, so I will probably pick this up from my library soon for my work commutes.

Decision: Keep

Ending Want to Read Shelf: 505 books

Goodreads | Storygraph

Down the TBR Hole, Memes

Down the TBR Hole #1

by wren @ wingsandfablesLeave a Comment on Down the TBR Hole #1

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lost in a Story, but Lia has permitted Jody’s Bookish Haven to adopt it since she is no longer blogging; the only thing changing is you can now link up to your post.

It works like this:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go

I started my Goodreads account in May 2012. As you can guess, I have loads of books on the list that I’m probably no longer interested in reading, as my tastes have naturally changed in the past 14 years.

Beginning Want to Read Shelf: 502 books

1. Austenland by Shannon Hale

Summary: Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen—or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Comments: This has mixed reviews, with many readers surprisingly preferring the movie adaptation over the book. Regardless, I’m an Austen fan, so this is an easy decision to make.

Decision: Keep

2. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Summary: From its sharply satiric opening sentence, Mansfield Park deals with money and marriage, and how strongly they affect each other. Shy, fragile Fanny Price is the consummate “poor relation.” Sent to live with her wealthy uncle Thomas, she clashes with his spoiled, selfish daughters and falls in love with his son. Their lives are further complicated by the arrival of a pair of witty, sophisticated Londoners, whose flair for flirtation collides with the quiet, conservative country ways of Mansfield Park.

Written several years after the early manuscripts that eventually became Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park retains Austen’s familiar compassion and humor but offers a far more complex exploration of moral choices and their emotional consequences.

Comments: I read this book as a teenager, but placed it back on my Want to Read shelf because I felt that I didn’t remember enough of the story to rate it when I started my Goodreads account.

Decision: Keep

3. Crossing on the Paris by Dana Gynther

Downton Abbey meets Titanic in this sweeping historical novel about three women of different generations and classes, whose lives intersect on a majestic ocean liner traveling from Paris to New York in the wake of World War I.

The year is 1921. Three women set out on the impressive Paris ocean liner on a journey from Paris to New York. Julie Vernet is a young French woman from a working class family who has just gotten her first job as a crew worker on the ship. Escaping her small town and the memory of war, she longs for adventure on the high seas…
Constance Stone is a young American wife and mother who has traveled to Paris to rescue her bohemian sister, Faith, who steadfastly refuses to return to America and settle down. Constance returns home to New York, having failed at the duty her father asked of her…
Vera Sinclair, a rich, ex-patriate American is leaving France after thirty-one years to live out her remaining time home in America. Over the course of the transatlantic voyage, she reflects on her colorful life and looks forward to a quiet retirement. While each of these women come from different walks of life, their paths cross while at sea in a series of chance encounters. The powerful impact these disparate lives have on one another make for a magnificent and unforgettable read.

Comments: I put this on my TBR because of its billing as “Downton Abbey meets Titanic,” both of which I enjoyed. However, this has pretty low reviews and is no longer available in my library’s e-book collection (which is surprising, since my local library’s e-book system is one of the largest in the U.S., so I’m almost always able to find any book I want, no matter how obscure).

Decision: Remove

4. Zia (Island of the Blue Dolphins #2) by Scott O’Dell

In this sequel to the beloved Newbery Medal-winning classic Island of the Blue Dolphins, readers can learn what happened to Karana after she left the island.

For years, Zia has dreamt of going to the Island of the Blue Dolphins to find her aunt Karana, her dead mother’s sister who was left alone on the island nearly twenty years earlier. It’s the reason Zia came to the Santa Barbara Mission in the first place. The reason she braves the treacherous ocean waters again and again to rescue Karana. But every time she tries, she fails.

Finally, Zia’s aunt is brought to her. Finally, her greatest dream has come true. But sometimes the reality is not nearly as sweet as the dream.

Zia tells those facts so far as they are known from the point of view of a girl who has her own story to tell.

Comments: I really enjoyed Island of the Blue Dolphins when I first read it during my survivalist interest era in elementary school (think Hatchet series, etc., for other books I was obsessed with during that time). This is no longer available through my local library, but it is available on KU, and is under 200 pages.

Decision: Keep

5. Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Summary: Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod? PERCY JACKSON provides an insider’s view with plenty of ‘tude in this illustrated collection.

A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, “Can we do this anonymously? Because I don’t need the Olympians mad at me again.” But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.

So begins Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic—and sarcastic asides—to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who’s who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. “If you like lots of lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that.”

Comments: Like many other readers, I had a Percy Jackson obsession era. This seems like a fun, easy read, and I already own a copy.

Decision: Keep

Ending Want to Read Shelf: 501 books

Not the most successful, but this was helpful to remind myself of the oldest books on my TBR and mentally note that I have a few shorter ones on the list that I can pop in between longer reads and finally knock them out.

Do we share any books on my oldest TBR list? Are there any on this list you would’ve wiped instead of keep?

Goodreads | Storygraph

Memes, Time Travel Thursday

Time Travel Thursday #1

by wren @ wingsandfablesLeave a Comment on Time Travel Thursday #1

It’s Time Travel Thursday! Hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog, this is where you get to relive all those bookish memories! Take a look back at what you were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what you are reading now!

2025 was a pretty sparse reading year for me as I was pursuing my Master’s Degree, so I’m going to jump back to 2024 for this series.

This time in 2024 I was reading:

Summary: Friends becoming something much more in this hilarious romantic comedy from author Ann Marie Walker. A whirlwind trip to Ireland is supposed to end with a suitcase full of wool sweaters and souvenir pint glasses—not a husband you only just met!

After one-too-many whiskeys, fledgling screenwriter Cara Kennedy takes a page out of someone else’s script when she gets caught up in the Irish tradition of women proposing on Leap Day. She thought she might have dreamt everything until she woke the next morning with a hot guy in her bed and a tin foil ring on her finger. Her flight is in four hours, her clothes are all over the room, and she has the most important meeting of her career in exactly two days—and on top of everything else, her husband has a dog who thinks Cara is a perfect surrogate mother, despite the fact that she has never been much of an animal lover…

Deciding to work things out stateside, Finn and her new fur baby accompany her to LA, where Finn spends his days going on auditions and his nights charming his new bride, leaving Cara to wonder whether this is real love, or if Finn is another aspiring actor just after her Hollywood connections? With limited time on his tourist visa, will Finn be able to convince Cara that she’s the right girl for him, or will time run out on their Hollywood ending?

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Rating: 1 star

Currently I am reading:

Summary: She’s running from London’s marriage mart. He’s running out of time to save his estate. Neither planned on falling in love—but their hearts have other plans.

American heiress Calliope Hart is thrust into London’s high society against her will, all because her mother is determined to marry her off to an aristocrat. Despite being named “the debutante of the season” back in New York, Calliope wants nothing more than to avoid becoming another pawn in the social game.

Edward Chase, the Earl of Hayward, is on the brink of financial ruin. To save his estate, he must marry, and Calliope Hart is his last hope. When he boldly declares his intentions, she swiftly rejects him, making it clear she has no interest in marrying for convenience. Undeterred, Edward offers a deal: He will escort Calliope to all the best sights of London that she’s been dying to see if she agrees to visit his estate and consider what they could accomplish together.

What begins as a business arrangement soon sparks something much more complicated—an undeniable chemistry neither can ignore. But as their hearts begin to soften, both must confront their fears: Can Calliope trust Edward with her heart, and can Edward truly win her love when she’s convinced he only wants her fortune?

Genre: Adult Historical Romance (Edwardian Era)

Summary: When a mystery writer mysteriously dies on a cruise filled with rabid fans, his protégé (and personal assistant) teams up with a rugged cowboy and fellow writer to crack the case. One part Only Murders in the Building, one part Book Lovers, and a whole lot of laughs, Without a Clue will keep readers guessing and swooning until the very end.

If there’s one thing Penelope Mae Dupont prizes most, it’s her composure–her ability to stay calm in the face of stress. It’s a vital trait in her job as a personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven–seven celebrated authors from different genres who have supported each other through thick and thin–her famed composure is in danger of sailing away. One boat, hundreds of devoted readers, and seven Big Personalities. What could possibly go wrong?

Disaster strikes when, on the second day of the cruise, Hugh is found murdered. And, in the face of gross incompetence by the on-board security force, Pip realizes she’ll need to be the one to discover who did it. With the ship stranded in the middle of the Atlantic and no help on the horizon, it’s up to her to unravel the mystery. Along with her friend Nash–a dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about. As Pip’s composure starts to sink faster than a leaky dinghy, Nash becomes her anchor in a storm of clues and red herrings.

With Nash at her side, Penelope dives into the murky depths of the mystery, navigating treacherous waters filled with unexpected twists and turns. No one, not even a desperately hopeful mystery sleuth named Pip, could anticipate the wild ride ahead. Whether she likes it or not, she is on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and maybe, just maybe, she’ll find love along the way.

In this laugh-out-loud funny Clue-meets-Emily-Henry rom-com, Penelope Mae Dupont is about to find out that in the world of mystery and romance, you have to risk going overboard to find the truth.

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance + Cozy Mystery

Comparison:

My love of romance continues through the years. I meant to pick up Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker around St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 since the book takes place in Ireland, but ended up reading it later than I planned. This is an adult contemporary romance that I expected to take a spin on the 2010 film Leap Year, starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, but it did not deliver. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fond of the characters or the pacing, and felt the writing was a bit too cringey at times.

This year I’m reading two books at once, A Deal with a Debutante by Chelsea Bobulski and Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson. A Deal with a Debutante is an adult historical romance set in the Edwardian era (1908). Without a Clue is a cozy mystery with a romance angle added in. Pretty different genres compared to 2024, and I’m enjoying these two books far more than their predecessor. If Without a Clue sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend picking up the audiobook version of it. The narrator has done an amazing job bringing the characters to life and has captured the humor laced throughout the storyline.

Have you read any of these titles? What were you reading this time last year?

Goodreads | Storygraph

Memes, Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday: Books Set in Places on My Bucket List

by wren @ wingsandfables5 Comments on Top 10 Tuesday: Books Set in Places on My Bucket List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s topic is Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List (submitted by Rachel @ Sunny Side).

1. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA

Words Composed of Sea and Sky by Erica George (5 stars)

2. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (5 stars)

3. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh (TBR)

4. Forks, Washington, USA

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (3 stars)

5. Prince Edward Island, Canada

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5 stars)

6. Scotland, United Kingdom

Outlander by Diane Gabaldon (5 stars)

7. England, United Kingdom

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (5 stars)

8. Egypt

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez (3 stars)

9. Seoul, South Korea

XOXO by Axie Oh (TBR)

10. Belgium

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (TBR)

Do we share any bucket list destinations? Let me know in the comments below. Happy reading!

Goodreads | Storygraph

Discussions, Let's Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Boyfriend Qualifications

by wren @ wingsandfables9 Comments on Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Boyfriend Qualifications

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic is Qualifications for a Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend.

I always see LTB posts on my dash every week and always enjoy reading everyone’s thoughts on the weekly topics but I’ve yet to be organized enough to participate. This week I’ve finally managed to be able to write my thoughts down on a topic so I’m really excited to be able to join. April’s topics look amazing and I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts!

Do you have any book boyfriends/girlfriends?

Yes! Isn’t one of the best parts of reading books falling in love with a character? It always amazes me when I take a step back to look at a book objectively just how much work some authors put into creating their characters. You can tell how much thought and backstory they’ve poured into them even if it doesn’t always make it onto the page. They often spawn fanfiction even because readers love the characters so much and want to continue their stories in some way or place them in an alternate setting and explore their reactions to it. Some of my favorite book boyfriends are:

Continue reading “Let’s Talk Bookish: Book Boyfriend Qualifications” →