Ready for another massive reading roundup?
It's been a really busy start to the year between doing coursework for my gifted certification, the hog show, Alexis's Odyssey competitions, and reading two different books with my classes, so I feel like I haven't read as much as I normally do this time of year. However, so far this year, I have read a total of fifteen books, not counting series re-reads or the books/series that I did not complete.
I've been trying to be more intentional about my posts this year and have not been sharing monthly book lists. Instead, I've been doing extended reviews for my monthly book club picks and sharing seasonal reading lists. I'm sad to say that I've not done a great job of crossing books off of the lists I've shared, especially the Winter Reading List that has been published since early January. I've only read four of those books, three of which are part of this year's One Woman Book Club! I just recently posted a Spring Reading List, which I haven't even started on yet, not even the book club pick for this month.
Here's a look at what I've read since the beginning of the year. This massive reading roundup is full of mostly fantasy/magic books, which is not always the case, but it's definitely been what I've been in the mood for lately. I feel like that's about to run its course, though, as life starts to calm back down and I'm back in the headspace to read deeper books.
Author: Barbara Davis
Barbara Davis has moved quickly into my list of favorite authors. I had really high expectations for my March book club, and she blew them away. I wrote an extended review earlier this month that you can read here. Here's an excerpt:
"There's more to this story than just the murder mystery, though it does dominate the pages as the main plot. All her life, Lizzy has been told that Moon women don't have real relationships. Their responsibility as a Moon woman is to have a daughter and continue the family legacy. It's a "curse" that goes all the way back to the first Moon woman to come to Salem Creek. Lizzy is determined to be the last Moon girl, despite her nearly-impossible-to-fight attraction to Andrew. Of course, she believes she's protecting him from unavoidable heartache and protecting a future daughter from a lifetime of unhappiness, but over the course of the book, with the help of Evvie and Althea's special journal, Lizzy is able to break free from this generational curse."
Even though the magic was subtle, this story was truly magical and one that I wish I could read for the first time again.
Author: Meghan Quinn
Every February, I try to read as many love stories as I possibly can. Rom-coms are always my favorite, and my February book club pick was pretty perfect. You can read my extended review here. In the meantime, here's an excerpt from that post:
"This was a fun read. I enjoy romantic comedies, and this one hit all the right marks. I was not exaggerating at the beginning of this post when I said it had me literally laughing out loud. Lottie is pretty funny, but I would be lying if I didn't said that she's also a bit irrational, childish, and annoying at times. Huxley, meanwhile, acts like a jerk and grade-A alphahole. He eventually chills out, but his attitude, especially toward Lottie, while understandable, is a bit insufferable."
This book had me literally laughing out loud multiple times. It's told in dual point of view by Lottie and Huxley, who are the main characters. It's got a Pretty Woman vibe to it, so if you liked that movie, give this book a shot.
Author: Evie Woods
This was my first One Woman Book Club pick for 2025. I took my time reading this one. I have written an extended review of the book that you can read here. This is an excerpt from that post:
"It is the story of three seemingly-unconnected people and a magical building that is honestly almost a character on its own. Despite the title of the book, there is not a ton of focus on an actual bookshop, although there is a lost manuscript and a lost person. Because there are three main characters, this story is told in triple point of view but only spans two timelines. There are heavy romance themes throughout but it's never the full focus."
Opaline is the main character and arguably my favorite, but Henry and Martha, as well as the bookshop, play an important role that can't be overlooked. I also really appreciated the literary history woven into this story. It was a great book to start the year.
Author: Stuart Turton
This book took me awhile to read. Probably because it had so many characters to keep track of. Thankfully the author had a cast list at the front of the book for me to refer back to when I needed. Otherwise, I would have been so lost. This is a mystery within a mystery with a side of mystery. Aiden Bishop is trapped in Blackheath manor, his soul bouncing from resident to resident as he tries to solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. Each of his 8 hosts are attending a party marking the one-year anniversary of the death of Thomas Hardcastle, each having been present the weekend he was killed. In order to escape Blackheath and return to his own body, Aiden must solve the murder, but he's not the only player. There are two other souls trapped within Blackheath trying to earn their freedom as well, not to mention the insidious footman who's trying to kill his hosts at every turn. There's betrayal and redemption and so many red herrings it's almost unbelievable. If you're a fan of a mystery that will have you guessing up until the last page, this is definitely for you.
Author: K.M. Shea
Chloe is an unidentified supernatural species that can turn into a housecat at will. Since she doesn't fit into any of the factions, she often finds herself on the wrong end of bullying. When an undercover elven king rescues her cat self from her tormentors and decides to keep her as his pet, what could possibly go wrong? I read this series in January, and it was a fun magical read to start the year off with. The characters were so funny, the plot was surprisingly strong, and I was engaged from start to finish.
Desperate Disguise Series (book 1-2)
Author: Tessa Cole
I haven't finished this series -- the third book just came out, and I haven't started reading it yet -- but I love it so much. Sage is completely human. When her brother gets chosen to dedicate what's left of his life to the Black Tower, she knows she has to take his place. But the Tower is no place for a human girl, especially one with the power to see a person's death before it happens. Then, to make matters even more complicated, Sage somehow magically travels to the Fae garden, something she should not be able to do at all since she's human.
Author: Letty Frame
Ellie has no idea she's a witch, so when her childhood friends show up to take her to magic school, she freaks out a bit to learn that she's a witch. As the series develops, we learn that she's not just any witch; she's one of only two soul witches left in existence. Meanwhile, there's a rebellion that's being led by her long-lost father, and we can't forget about her crippling anxiety. I enjoyed the series enough that I finished it, but I don't remember much about it.
Author: M. Sinclair
This is one of my favorite authors, but this is not one of my favorite books by her. It's actually very different from the other books by her that I've read. After a lifetime of neglect from her family, Collette doesn't speak. When she turns 18, she leaves and moves to Willowdale where she meets the Graves brothers. It's an insta-love type of situation, which aren't my favorites. This story is sweet, though, and more of a standard love story. There's not much conflict or really even character development, which is something that I've come to expect from this author.
Mated by Fire series (book 1-2)
Author: Katie May
This is an incomplete series, and book two definitely ended on a cliffhanger. There's not even a placeholder for book three yet, so who knows how long I'll have to wait to find out what happens. Izzy has been in the foster system for most of her life before finally ending up with one that fits. But what she doesn't know is that everyone living under her new roof is part of the supernatural community, and so is she.
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