Category: Books 2025

August reads, 2025

MarilkaLeave a comment

Back to work after summer holidays, and free weekends and even though I wrote a fairytale of my own (The Tale of the Twisted Tree), and did a bit of painting (Swan in Snowfall, Watching the World Burn, Hummingbird on Full Moon), I somehow ended up reading 17 books, just shy of 6000 pages. So, quite some reads to cover here, better get started:

  • Glorious Rivals (book 2 of The Grandest Game trilogy), by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – so much expected, only to (obviously) leave me on another cliffhanger in the end 😅 Such delicious suspence! Devious and clever, and now I’ll just have to wait a year for the finale.
  • A Curse of Crows, by Lauren Dedroog – first book of the A Curse of Crows and Serpents duology and I totally, fully enjoyed the book! The surprises, the secrets, the masks and facades, the fragile and sweet relationship between the protagonist and her love interest, but not void of banter and fun. Book 2 coming in the autumn.
  • George Michael: ElĂ€mĂ€kerta (orig. The Life), by Emily Herbert – kinda like a book to read while waiting for an order to arrive 😄 Tragic life, but as a read, the book was mediocre.
  • The Enchanted Greenhouse, by Sarah Beth Durst – back to the world of the Spellshop, connected while not. Took me a while to get into the story, but then it flew and I totally loved it.
  • A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna – so not disappointing! Wonderful, whimsical, heartwarming – a lovestory but also so much more. A story about finding your way Home.
  • The Glimmer Falls trilogy (A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch, A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire), by Sarah Hawley – surprisingly substantial examples of the genre of steamy(ish) romantacy. Mysteries, family issues, and personal growth.
  • The Library at Hellebore, by Cassandra Khaw – uh, I’d rather forget that I read the book. The sole purpose of the book was to showcase gore and disgusting stuff. So much so that I simply grew numb. Thin plot to support the, uh, gore.
  • Koira, joka pelastaa kissoja and Ginny, suurkaupungin enkeli (orig. The Dog Who Rescues Cats, and The Blessing of the Animals), by Philip Gonzales – my palate cleaners after Hellebore, sweet sweet true story that restores one’s faith in humanity. Or doganity. Or both.
  • Regency Secrets, books 1-3 (The Persephone Code, The Elgin Conspiracy, The Wordsworth Key), by Julia Golding – a bit of a Veronica Speedwell meets Robert Langdon but in the Regency era. I loved Dora and Jacob, and can’t hardly wait for book 4 (coming in November).
  • The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, by Roshani Chokshi – a dreamy, ethereal tale with the kind of uglyish undertone as is common for fairytales. Magic is insinuated, but never proven, leaving the reader forever guessing what is “real” and what simply the perception or fancy of the storyteller(s). I loved it.
  • Neverthorn, by Shannon Mayer – some good ole dark academy, book 1 of a duology, and gah I need to wait for a year for book 2! Actually adults (if young), and a proper plot with deception, surprises, and some bits of romance. Oh, and gotta love the frucking potty mouth rune gag!
  • The Baby Dragon Bakery (book 2 of The Baby Dragon Cafe), by A.T. Kureshi – Firends to lovers is not my thing I guess. Too much of this being too scared of ruining things to talk. I mean, I get it, but one pining already is ruining it. So when things start happening, maybe, um, talk? Also, I may be too old for 24yo immaturity (esp. the girl; the guy had shit parents so kinda excused). So, no, I didn’t enjoy this like I did the first book. Maybe book 3 with the enemies to lovers trope is more to my fancies again, I hope, bc I love this baby draggo world.

Aug 11, Every now and then you (or at least I) stumble upon the most bizzarre (I’d like to say disturbing but that would be dishonest and not quite right since I’m not actually DISTURBED at all) thing you’ve read since the previous most bizzarre thing you’ve read since
 you know


Right now that most recent most bizzarre thing is the book I just started: The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw (pic on the left), which is the most bizzare thing since I read Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham (pic on the right) several years ago.

And by bizzarre, I don’t by any means mean bad or not good or not likeable – on the contrary. It’s good to get your mind twisted a bit now and then. So, high expectations for Hellebore – I certainly enjoyed Winterset Hollow!

Aug 16, Update: I’m a bit disappointed. The Library at Hellebore is definitely gory and then some, prolly to the point where it should be disgusting and disturbing – and I’m sure it would be if it was a movie, for the thing is that my brain does not visualize words to a level that would make anything vivid enough to truly bother me.

I find myself more like bored. Kinda like excessive chase or sex scenes bore me. Really, anything that becomes repetitive and goes on too long. The gore upon gore being most of the storyline, paired with complicated interrelational musings(also not something I endure wel), the actual plot seems thin at best, spun for the sole puprpose of offering a stage for the gruesome characters to be gruesome.

Aug 17, So, as a palate cleaner I wanted to read something heartwarming and grounding, which led me to finally reading the two books about Ginny the dog who rescues cats (The Dog Who Rescues Cats, and The Blessing of the Animals, by Philip Gonzales) which I have in Finnish because they used to belong to my grandma. I remember her talking about them and discovered that I actually gave her the other one back in !999, but just hadn’t gotten around to reading them yet. Now I did, and what a wonderful trip that was! Exactly the kind of story I needed, reminding me that there IS love and beauty in this real world âŁïž

July reads, 2025

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July, the summer vacation month. 4 weeks off work, and while I did a whole lot of stuff (we even had a guest for two weeks), I still found more time to read than during work days. So 16 books, a bit shy of 6000 pages. More print than digital (because more time to read during daytime since I read Kindle mostly in bed), a bit more non-fiction than average, a bit more in Finnish than average, multiple first books of a new trilogy/series. A good reading month all in all.

  • HelikopterilÀÀkĂ€ri, by Heini Harve-RytsĂ€lĂ€ – my goddaughter-colleague (whom I don’t know, though have met maybe a few times when we were kids) is a first-responder doctor on a medical helicopter and this is her book about what it’s like. Emotional, wonderful, heart-wreching book. I look at the yellow chopper zooming accross the sky above us multiple times a day with different eyes now, silently wishing “good luck, Heini!” every time it passes, for I know she’s on board that one on her shifts.
  • Enchantra, by Kaylie Smith – book 2 of the Phantasma trilogy, and kinda like more of the same, but not quite. A surprising ending, did not see THAT coming! Enjoyable, dark and sinister read.
  • The Baby Dragon Cafe, by A.T. Kureshi – had to take on something lighter after those previous books and this fisrt book of a magical realism (with dragons 💜) romance series was just the thing. I loved the sweetness of the book! For once people were who they said they were and families were supportive not manipulative, and you know, a hopeful and positive story with HEA.
  • Wishes Most Foul, by Emma MacDonald – dark academy with lots of magic in it. Also begins a series or maybe a trilogy, even though the book comes to a satisfying end and the next book seems to be a fully new mystery related but not dependent. Liked this one a lot.
  • YstĂ€vĂ€nĂ€ jĂ€nis, by Chloe Dalton (orig. Raising Hare) – such a heart-warming true story of Dalton raising and befriending a baby hare without trying to tame it; she strives to maintain the hare’s ability to return to the nature. And how it all changed the way Dalton looks at the world and nature.
  • Servant of Earth, by Sarah Hawley – a fay story, kinda the usual where a young human girl ends up in the fay world one way or another and, well, you know. Needs to strive, conquer and become something more than mere human to survive. Book 1 of a trilogy, left me hanging for sure!
  • The Rushworth Family Plot, by Claudia Gray – book 4 of the Jonathan Darcy & Miss Tilney Austen-inspired mysteries. Very Austeny, witty and enjoyable, and really: will those two ever get each other??
  • Unnatural Magic, by C.M. Waggoner – we have a highly British society in a fully made up world where trolls are at the top of the food chain, and a girl whose magic it too much for the traditional men, but she doesn’t let it stop her. Also, the troll who doesn’t quite fit in, and an army deserter, and the mystery of troll killings. Curious and intriguing, verbally playful and fun.
  • Miksi lakkasimme lukemasta? by Riie HeikkilĂ€ – an academic study about the reasons people (of lower classes) don’t read (so much) anymore, and/or what they DO read. Interesting sociological study, which left me thinking and even questioning some of the study which in my opinion was still a very highlevel bare scratch of the surface, so I wrote a whole blog post about it.
  • The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry, by C.M. Waggoner – loosely connected to Unnatural Magic, as in the love interest of the protagonist is the daughter of the troll and the soldier from the first book. A completely stand-alone mystery, which I actually liked way more than that first book.
  • The Undoing of Violet Claybourne, by Emilie Critchley – a gothicy story of tragedy, manipulation, and the need to fit in, to be accepted. Sinister and full of dark secrets and ruthless schemes, that make for a story that holds you in its grips to the very end. Yes, I enjoyed it very much.
  • Karvaisia kohtaloita, by Mikael Ilves – Ilves was a veterinarian (and actually treated my grandma’s dog too and once gave a full check-up to my stuffed doggo too 😄) who saw so much that he compiled a couple books with stories of pets he treated during his career. Some of them sweet, some of them tragic (the humans!), some of them simply outrageous!
  • Book Lovers, by T.B. Markinson (and Miranda MacLeod) – literary themed story about finding love and yourself. Sweet and cute with a twist or two and a HEA, but somehow the book was constructed in a way that every 20% I was wondering how the book can still go on instead of wrapping up in a chapter or two. So maybe not exactly the most thrilling of books, but nice, to use the bland word intentionally.
  • When the Moon Hatched, by Sarah A. Parker – definitely thrilling, on the other hand. Also begins a trilogy, and left off on a cliffhanger. I have high hopes that I might enjoy the next book(s) even better, since this was one of those cases where I love the book while really not liking the protagonist much; she starts to unravel a bit in the end so maybe she’s less annoying in the next book.
  • Upon a Frosted Star, by M.A. Kuzniar – the cursed woman and the smitten artist. Loosely based on the Swan Lake. I loved the story, the slow unraveling of the history and mystery of the swan lady, but if it had been a print book, I’d have thrown it in the end. Friggin’ ending killed me! And still I went and dowloaded another book by the same author…
  • Ariadne, by Jennifer Saint – a retelling of the story of Ariadne and a bit her sister Phaedra. Of the Minotaur and Theseus, mingled in with Dionysus and a bunch of other Greek mythology. the way the stories weave into each other. Excellent book, ethereal and dreamy while full of godly mischief and tragedy.

July 6, Popping into our local bookstore yesterday I found this book, YstĂ€vĂ€nĂ€ jĂ€nis (orig. Raising Hare) by Chloe Dalton. I have always been a huge fan of rabbits of all kinds; our home is full of them in all different forms (items, that is, not live ones; I’ve a couple live bunnies too, when I was young). Such a lovely book this is 💜🐰 a bit of an interlude between my fantasy-gorging 😄

June reads, 2025

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My June weekends were mostly full of all sorts of things like hosting a birthday (my own, round 50) 🎂, hunting for a fridge (old side-by-side started dying, see A Tale of Two Fridges), shopping with my daughter 💜, and some reno-related stuff I don’t even have the energy to get into. Surprisingly enough, I still seem to have found time to read almost as much as any other month. June reads were a mix of long-awaited sequels and new releases from favorite authors, and some completely new finds.

  • A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, by Sylvie Cathrall – I loved this sequel to A Letter to the Luminous Deep âŁïž The same ethereal ambiance, some twists and turns and a happy ending.
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, by Django Wexler – Sequel to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. Fun and gamey, but a bit more of a serious undertone as life for Davi is not a game anymore. Mysteries are unraveled and yes, this book too has a happy ending.
  • The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner – A superb witchy realism story where past meets present and romance wins.
  • The Haunted Housekeeping series (4 books), by R.A. Muth – Funky, quirky cozy mysteries with just a touch of supernatural and magic. A bit “easy” reading for my liking.
  • Fearless, by Lauren Roberts – book 3 in the Powerless series (the final one), which was, well in line with the other ones, but liked it somewhat better again than the first one. I think Book 2 was my favorite in this trilogy (series – as it has a book 1.5 which I somehow didn’t feel like reading even though I have it).
  • The Resurrectionist, by A. Rae Dunlap – Historical gothy fiction from a time when autopsies were considered sacrilege, but the more advanced though hushed Parisian syle training, ie. hands on and cutting corpses open, was in need of bodies to work on. Also, forbidden gay romance 💜
  • The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, by Evie Woods – magical realism romance, sweet and heartwarming, while quite predictable.
  • Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by V.E. Schwab – Three vampire women, destiny tied together in a way that is not entirely guessable in the beginning. Intriguing travels through centuries, stopping here and there for a bit longer to shed light on the evolution of the characters.
  • Phantasma, by Kaylie Smith – Not quite as enchanting as I expected, not quite as ingenious as I hoped. More like a “everything tries to kill you and you just need to survive (though you’re really not up to the task)” kind of a story than witty and puzzly, like I’d prefer. Quite enjoyable none the less, and now I’m a bit past the half mark on the sequel, Enchantra (which is more of the same while different).
  • Enigma, by RuNyx – I absolutely love RuNyx and her way of weaving these dark romance mysteries. Full of twists and turns and secrets to unravel bit by itty bit, clues to tickle your brain and lead you astray, passion, even obsession (which maybe is not my thing, but I can accept it here). Can’t wait to get more RuNyx!

June 1, Finally, finally reading (well, started already yesterday) A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, by Sylvie Cathrall đŸ€© I loved the first book, A Letter to the Luminous Deep; this sequel is one my most anticipated reads of the year!

June 14, Started the fourth book of The Haunted Housekeeping, by R.A. Muth, series last night. While the books are kinda funny and quirky – enough to keep me reading through them all, especially when they’re not very long – they are a bit simple to my liking. I realize cozy mystery (even with a paranormal/fantasy/magical realism twist) is just not my cuppa. Things are too easygoing, a bit lame and simple. I want some actual suspense, gory bloody gruesomeness and such. Go figure.

May reads, 2025

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Curiously, my 14 books of May amount to one page more than my 14 books of April 😀 Not exactly true as in pages I read, maybe, since the bios of both Edith Piaf and Judy Garland had a whole lot of pages of lists in the end, so not exactly pages to read. May saw the end of the Sookie series, some books I’ve had in my library for years, some new discoveries, and the long-awaited last book in the Nevermoor (Morrigan Crow) series.

  • Reckless, by Lauren Roberts – book 2 in the Powerless series. I finished it on the very day the last book, Fearless, was published, but only got that last week so it will be a June read. Anyway, I liked this one perhaps a bit more than the first book; quite good while not among my favorites
  • Sookie Stackhouse books 10-13, by Charlaine Harris – it was a bit bittersweet to bid farewell to Sookie. She got her happy ending, or at least such was hinted, and I got to move on to other books in Kindle (“got to move on”, you know what I mean, eh?). Had some good times with Sookie!
  • Not Quite the Classics, by Colin Mochrie – one of those books that have patiently been waiting to be read, and now the time came. Loved it! First and last sentence of 12 classics, with a whole new Mochrie-story in between
  • Old Bones, by Preston & Child – another one of those, a find from some radom place some years ago. Digging into the Donner Party, with an evil plan lurking over their heads, it’s a story of archeology and crime investigation. It began with way too many characters introduced each in their own chapters before the action got rolling and I almost gave up. Happy I didn’t, for to the end it was full speed and surprising while not
  • Remedial Magic duology (Remedial Magic and Reluctant Witch), by Melissa Marr – sort of like magical realism except more, since there’s a fully magical realm for witches, in need of saving. Salvation comes in the form of two fabulous ladies (obviously in love), one of whom is the reluctant witch, at least at first
  • Paratiisin kartta, by Anja Snellman – yet another book bought years ago from some random booksale. An older book of one of the most famous Finnish authors, I suppose I was curious about her. I did enjoy her memoir some years ago, but at least this story where a teacher remenishes her journey through 12 years of school with her class (with a side of personal history of the communistic seventies in the Uni) was not my cuppa, exactly. Kinda touching and stuff, but a bit (or a bit more) boring imo
  • Edith Piaf: hymni rakkaudelle, by Jean-Dominique Brierre [book in Finnish]- the biography of the beloved Edith Piaf, whom I was introduced to in school French classes, and while her chanson is not something I listen to, really, she made an impression. Such a tragic while enchanting, small yet huge, lady.
  • Silverborn, by Jessica Townsend – fourth and last book of the YA (or middle grade) Nevermoor series telling the story of Morrigan Crow. Delightful, whimsical, wonderfully entertaining fantasy mystery, with the happy ending suggesting that Morrigan will indeed be quite ok after all!
  • Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis – the first book of the romantacy series Queens of Villainy. Totally fun read, with romance and mystery and misunderstandings, and a happy ending (with a hint of the second book to come (in Jan 2026).
  • Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, by Gerald Clarke – Edith Piaf made me think of Judy Garland, so I segwayed my way to her upon finishing Edith. Another tragic yet fabulous life, another small yet huge lady. I have been a fan of Judy since I first saw her in some MGM musical or another way back when. Not Oz, though. Could’ve been Summerstock.

May 5, I’m a big fan of Whose Line Is It Anyway, that improv show. Some time back, I was looking to see if any of the WLIIA cast would have written a memoir/autobio, but couldn’t find any – I did find this book: Not Quite the Classics by Colin Mochrie, and now I finally got around to reading it.

Twelve classics, twelve short stories inspired by the classic, with the first and last sentences provided by said book. Funny stuff, like reading an improv show. I can basically hear Mochrie’s “voice” as I read the stories!

May 22, As I was finishing the bio of Edith Piaf (by Jean-Dominique Brierre) today, I was also expecting to receive Fearless, finally, thinking I would read that next. However, as I read the last chapters of Piaf, I felt the pull of the Judy Garland bio (by Gerald Clarke) change my mind, so that’s what I started reading. Didn’t get far yet, just through the brief history of her parents and right to the paragraph about her birth where it blew my mind to learn that Baby in Dirty Dancing is really a nod and a bow to Judy Garland, named Frances at birth, but called Baby by her family!

April reads, 2025

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So, 14 books in April. Sort of shortish ones, mostly; been bingeing on the Sookie Stackhouse series (by Charlaine Harris) and the books are mostly somewhere around 280-320 pages. I’m currently reading Sookie #10 (of 13 main books in the series, read 1-8 in April), so soon will be moving on to something different again (which is kinda good since there’s several quite long expected new releases coming up in May). I’ve been LOVING this series, seriously! There’s something about Sookie that makes these in a way gruesome books full of death and violence just so sweet and lovely, funny even. I guess Sookie herself is just so sweet and lovely, in the midst of all the mayhem.

Anyhow, there were other books too, so let’s take a look:

  • Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Aristotle and Dante, book 2), by Benjamin Alire SĂĄenz – such a heartwarmingly wonderful sequel continuing the story of the young lovers in a time when being gay was not really accepted
  • The Lights of Sugarberry Cove, by Heather Webber – turned out to be a lovely story, once we got past all that whining and resentment going on in the family (I mean, it was the foundation but kinda went on for a bit too long; I got tired of it)
  • The Courting of Bristol Keats, by Mary E. Pearson – I really enjoyed this one! Beautifully written story of the crude and brutal fae world at war
  • Three Wild Things and the Truth, by Markus Zusak – A memoir of their life with adopted (rescue – though they don’t call them that) dogs, big and rowdy and violent even. Resonated with my dog experiences a lot (even though ours are small)
  • Powerless, by Lauren Roberts – a bit of a Hunger Games copy, or at least heavily standing on their shoulders. YA, quite good reading, but nothing truly special or something I’d gush about

April 20, Gee, I loved The Courting of Bristol Keats, (Mary E. Pearson)! One of those books that go to show how very different we are in what we like, even inside a genre. I bought the book, actually specifically ordered the special Fairyloot edition since it was available through a bookstore chain in our nook of the woods too, because a) it was beautiful and b) I knew I was gonna love it.

Then I read some reviews in Bookaholics, that were less than promising. People had struggled with it, not getting into the story, it was too slow, whatnot. I almost got discouraged, but decidedly pushed other people’s opinions away, and started reading the book. It had me hooked in three pages. It held me tight for all 541 pages and now I have a book-hangover – AND have to wait for a half a year for the sequel (and hope that I can get it in the same edition without needing to wait extra…). Another top read of the year (they just keep on piling up, don’t they 😂)