Thursday, September 25, 2025

Day 4 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Unusual

Arriving at Day 4 of Five Fall Favorites, today we are over the halfway through the week. I'm very tired, because I never get enough sleep when working on big writing projects. Apologies to everyone who has to deal with me IRL, I know my patience is short and my ability to mask my emotions is waning. That off my chest, Welcome! We have come to one of the blogs I am most excited about. Three of these books are ones that I've read this year, so I'm very excited to talk about them.



Landing on Thursday the prompt was to share books that are unusual. Books from genres I don't usually read. At first, I thought that finding five good books would be tricky, because I tend to love one book in a genre and then hunt out every other book like it. After that the book that launched the obsession doesn't feel so unusual. That's why this list doesn't have any contemporary romances, YA mysteries or thrillers. In fact, none of these books are even the same genre as each other, however three are children's books. I don't know what that says about my reading habits. Anyway, here are five of my favorite books from genres I don't usually read.

1. Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

With this first book, I discovered it before it released through a virtual book fair my boss told me about. Through the virtual book fair portal, I discovered many upcoming titles, I even got to read a few excerpts. This book is one I sampled. I read the prologue and first chapter, and I was hooked. Seldom do I read fantasy, but this one was inspired by King Author legend, and King Arthur is one of my favorite books that I read for school.

In Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken, Tamsin was born without magic, but she and her brother who is magical were raised by a magic artifact hunter, a Hollower, until he abandoned them ten years ago. Since then, Tamsin has taken care of her brother, Cabell, trying to find a cure for the monster that lives inside him. Only the monster has gotten stronger. Desperate to keep her little family together, she starts out on her own artifact hunt for a magical item that is fabled to remove any curse. When Tamsin and Cabell are transported to a magical land, they are pulled in Avalon, but the magic is dying, and evil forces are growing stronger.

2. Going Wild by Lisa McMann

This year, my sister challenged me to read, 12 books she's recommended, more about that on this blog. Even though I've been slacking on updating the blog, I am mostly caught up on the reading the books. For each month she gave a choice of two books, this summer listened to this one as an audiobook. Unless it's a title someone recommends, I don't read much middle grade fiction. I read quite a bit of YA (young adult), because that the type of stories I write, and YA as a genre tends to appeal to adults too while middle grade fiction is still very much intended for kids to enjoy. Here is a book that I wish had existed when I was a kid, it would have been my absolute favorite book.

Going Wild by Lisa McMann is about an ordinary twelve-year-old, Charlie Wilde. When her family moves from Chicago, Illinois to Navaro Junction, Arizona, she doesn't like having to go to a new school or making new friends. Then she receives a mysterious package containing a sports watch just in time for soccer season. Only it isn't a normal sports watch and through a series of accidents, she learns that the watch gives the wearer animal inspired superpowers. Danger follows as a mysterious group pursues Charlie and her new friends to acquire the watch and animal powers.

3. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Aside from this book, I've only ever read memoirs for school. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry is one I picked up because of Bookstagram. I did a couple of read-alongs earlier this year. This one was planned by the fabulous @GreenEyedGirl0704, but an emergency the day before the read-along kept her from hosting. Since I'd already gotten the book, I went ahead and kept reading (listening to it as an audiobook). Perry's memoir is both humorous and heartbreaking as he takes readers through the ups and downs of his childhood, his acting career, and his addiction. Because I work at a library that frequently serves people struggling with addiction it was very eye opening. When I was trying to come up with good books that were outside of my normal reading habit this one stood out.

Published less than a year before his death, this 2022 memoir presents comical moments alongside the honest struggles of addiction. Matthew Perry is most well-known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends, but here he shares all from his young life in Canada to years of fame. In detail he shares stories from throughout his life. This memoir gives behind the scenes insight into his time on Friends and his times in rehab. It's filled with funny anecdotes and tragic tales, as Perry shares his time on Friends, his quest for love and his struggles with alcoholism and drug abuse, or as he calls it, the Big Terrible Thing. Obviously, this book talks about substance abuse, I would also warn that there is strong language throughout and some descriptions of his encounters with women.

4. The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio by Hayley LeBlanc

This is a more upbeat beat book written by a young actor. Hayley LeBlanc is a child actor most known for the Brat shows Chicken Girls and Hotel De Loone, but I had no idea who she was when I picked up this book. I was browsing my library's eBook collection when I found this juvenile chapter book mystery trilogy. Likening itself to Nancy Drew and the main character being a young actor, caught my attention. When I read that the author was also a child actor and writer, I decided to give it a try. I've read many other books about characters who are actors, and moments that show the author knows nothing about the film or television always industry keep me from enjoying the story. I knew a young actor would tell it like it is, and she well explains the main character's life on set in a way that is descriptive and easy to understand.

The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio by Hayley LeBlanc, follows Hayley, named after the author, as she plays the main character in the hit family show, Sadie Solves It. Hayley's excited to be back on set for season 2, but strange accidents start happening on set. Any delay to shooting may cause the show to be cancelled and if that happens one of her castmates and best friends will have to move back to Texas. Some blame the accidents on a ghost, but Hayley doesn't believe in ghosts. If she wants to keep Sadie Solves It on air, she and her friends will have to get to the bottom of their haunted studio. It promises a Nancy Drew like mystery and as an avid Nancy Drew fan, I can say it actually delivers. This children's book is so masterfully plotted and penned it could be used to teach writing thrillers to aspiring young writers. One caution, Hayley and her friends play with a Ouija board in one scene, but they don't have a paranormal experience.

5. Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Finally, we have Smile by Raina Telgemeier. To be honest I don't remember how I came to read this one, but I have now read this book twice. It is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel. The bright pictures and cartoon style drawing make this a sweet book, especially for tween girls. I read this as an adult, but I related to this story full of awkward moments, heartfelt friend drama, and teeth problems. I'm not going to lie; it brought back some traumatic memories of undergoing dental surgery and having braces as a tween. Needless to say, the relatability made me wish that I had this book when I was a kid.

Running back to the house after girl scouts, Raina tripped and nearly knocked out her two-front adult teeth. Readers watch her grow up as she shares the years when she had braces, underwent dental surgeries, and even wore a retainer with false teeth. It's a story of a young girl's quest to navigate friend drama, crushes and the dreams of being an artist, as she struggles with her teeth. Although the story revolves around teeth, it's really one about growing up, fitting in, and finding friends who love you for who you are, not how you look.

Conclusion

These book descriptions get progressively longer, and then the final one is short. I wonder why that is. 

Thanks for reading my slightly distracted ramblings today as I talked about the books that I enjoyed in genres I rarely, if ever, read. To fully breakdown the different genres represented, they are YA fantasy (Silver in the Bone), middle grade science fiction (Going Wild), memoir (Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing), juvenile chapter book (The Hayley Mysteries: The Haunted Studio), and juvenile graphic novel (Smile). I would recommend these books for people who don't know much about these genres, but I don't know how they compare to other books in the genres since I don't typically read them.

Tomorrow's theme is Re-Read, I'm not huge into re-reading books, so tomorrow's books are probably some of my all-time favorites.

Have you read any of these? What gets you to read outside of your comfort zone and what great books have you discovered that way? Remember to check out all the other blogs and enter the giveaway below.

Hosted by Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah from Read Another Page!

Check out all the other Fall Favorites of Team Walnut!

Stephanie: Books Less Travelled

Skai: Inspirational Skai

Madisyn: Madi's Musings

Abigail: Read Review Rejoice

Bethany: Vintage Volumes

Kelsey: Kelsey's Notebook

Kate: Once Upon an Ordinary

I love meeting new booklovers! Best way to do that is to follow me Instagram: @Skai_BooksAndBracelets
Read Monday's blog here: Day 1 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Recommended

Don't forget to enter the annual Five Fall Favorites Giveaway! Prizes include books by authors a part of this week's blogging challenge and the grand prize even includes an Amazon gift card.


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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Day 3 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Non-Fiction

Happy Wednesday! It's day three of Five Fall Favorites, and yesterday I added so many new indie titles to my TBR list. We are halfway through this challenge. I remember it flying by last year because all I did was write and go to work that week. This year has been the same. It feels like if I'm not writing, I am working, and if I'm not working, I am writing. I think the first break I've taken since Sunday, was yesterday evening, after work when I taught a piano lesson. How does that tangent relate? One of today's books inspired me to start teaching piano.


Today's theme should be self-explanatory. If you are familiar with book genres you probably know what it means, but with the number of times every week, that I am asked to explain what "Non-Fiction" is, I thought it could be good to begin with a definition. According to Dictionary.com, Nonfiction is a noun that refers to, "the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and essay (fiction and poetry and drama)." So, non-fiction is a broad term, for narrative prose books. I typically explain nonfiction as books about facts and juxtapose it to fiction books as being made-up stories. Although, that doesn't really account for books that are theories and opinion. It helps most people follow along. Today, I use that broad definition to my advantage when picking the books for today's list. These books are on wildly different topics. Before I give everything away, let's get started.

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Outside of the Bible, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is the definitive book on how to have relations with people. It's an older book, published in 1936 but it's principles and advice still ring true today. Written in a conversational style and filled with lots of interesting stories, it's a book that I go back to when I need a reminder that how you treat people matters. Additionally, the tips are so practical that they apply not only business relationships, but every relationship including family, friends and romantic relationships.

2. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

I highly, highly recommend, this book. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz is just as entertaining as insightful. Voss is a former FBI negotiator, and this book is filled with the stories of how he became an FBI negotiator and his time negotiating for the FBI oversees and on American soil. He once even served as a negotiator during a bank robbery hostage situation in New York. That's just one of the exciting stories. Voss and Raz connect negotiation principles to applications beyond law enforcement and business to everyday interactions. This book is practical and informative for everyone.

3. The Coffee Break Screenwriter: Writing Your Script Ten Minutes at a Time by Pilar Alessandra

While I love to write stories, I struggle to create outlines. This book is my go-to help for outlining stories. It is a screenwriting book with busy writers in mind. Covering the difference types of screenplays, it breaks down how to outline each one. I have also found that the movie outline works well for short stories and novels. Conveniently breaking outlining down into ten-minutes a day steps, this book cleverly gamifies the process making it fun. A favorite pass-time of mine is to pull out this book and set a timer spend 10-minutes outlining my next story. Originally, I discovered The Coffee Break Screenwriter: Writing Your Script Ten Minutes at a time by Pilar Alessandra at my local library, but I loved it so much, that I had to buy it.

4. The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good with Money by Chelsea Fegan

I read The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good with Money by Chelsea Fegan back in 2019, shortly after I had graduated from college when the job market wasn't hiring. I had a part-time job so, I wanted to learn about finances to see if I could make a budget that would allow me to move out of parents' house. I was in the middle of that process, when the 2020 pandemic stuck and I didn't end up following through on that plan, but that's doesn't make this book any less valuble. This book is filled with colorful illustrations and written to be both informative and accessible. Fegan breaks down finance and budgets plainly, and she supplements with tips from other financial advisors, offering budget options for every income. The one thing I took away and applied was that the easiest way to supplement limited income is with side hustle jobs. Out of that I started making friendship bracelets again and teaching piano.

5.  Empowering ADHD Organization and Cleaning: Stop Drowning in Overwhelm: The 28-Day Workbook for a Clutter-Free Home, Clear Mind and Productive Life by Estelle Rose

For the final book of Non-Fiction titles, Empowering ADHD Organization and Cleaning: Stop Drowning in Overwhelm: The 28-Day Workbook for a Clutter-Free Home, Clear Mind and Productive Life by Estelle Rose is an organizing book with neurodivergence at its center. While I'm not diagnosed as such, I've been using some of the tips and found them to be helpful, when I can remember to use them. Rose advocates for working with your mind and motivation to keep cleaning and organizing manageable. She makes a good case for organizing and cleaning as a form of self-care and gives a prescription for even the messiest people to get clean. Expertly explaining why traditional organizing methods often fails for people with ADHD, she encourages progress and persistence over perfection. If organizing is a struggle, this one is well worth reading.

Conclusion

These are five of my favorite non-fiction titles. Each of these books covers a different topic, but they are all entertaining and insightful. I have found the advice very helpful and use much of it regularly. I don't read much nonfiction. Usually, it takes a good recommendation on a subject that I would like to know more about for me to finish one. My mom suggested two of the titles on this list. However, I am always keeping my eyes open for good books on writing, editing or publishing. Please send me good recommendations. I am trying to read and re-write a 300+ page first draft, and I am drowning in that overwhelm.

Tomorrow's theme was probably the hardest one to choose books for, I have a hard time reading anything Unusual or out of my normal genres, but I have been pushing myself lately and have discovered some new favorite reads. Happy reading!

Hosted by Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah from Read Another Page!

Check out all the other Fall Favorites of Team Walnut!

Stephanie: Books Less Travelled

Skai: Inspirational Skai

Madisyn: Madi's Musings

Abigail: Read Review Rejoice

Bethany: Vintage Volumes

Kelsey: Kelsey's Notebook

Kate: Once Upon an Ordinary

I love meeting new booklovers! Best way to do that is to follow me on Instagram: @Skai_BooksAndBracelets
Read Monday's blog here: Day 1 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Recommended

Don't forget to enter the annual Five Fall Favorites Giveaway! Prizes include books by authors a part of this week's blogging challenge and the grand prize even includes an Amazon gift card.


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Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Day 2 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Need Sequel

 

Welcome back to another day of Five Fall Favorites! I enjoyed reading everyone's posts from day one. I've added some new titles to my ever-growing TBR list. As I was reading the other blogs I felt like I did a bit of a weak job introducing the different section of this blog. Namely, I could have done a better job letting people know about the important links at the bottom. So, here is a fuller explanation. 

After the Five Fall Favorite book recommendations, you will find links to our hosts' pages. Kate has a full list of all the bloggers and Rebekah has the link to the Giveaway. I think she will also have the links to all the free books and short stories that bloggers are gifting on Saturday, so stay turned for those. Following that, you will find links to all of Team Walnut's blogs for easy reading access. Below that is a link to my Instagram. It's the best place to keep up with what I am reading and reviewing. You will also find my other blogs for this year. Lastly, and most importantly, is a link to the big giveaway that Five Fall Favorites does every year. This year the Raffelcopter giveaway asks that you complete simple tasks, like signing up for a newsletter or leaving a comment for entries. So please, do lots of engagement and get more entries. Now on to today's blog.



Have you ever finished a book and still wanted more? Today I decided to tackle one of the alternate themes. (Sorry I have such a difficult relationship with Indie books and authors. I didn't want to hurt anyone by including them or not including them in a favorites list.) I am sharing five books that when I finished them, I said, "I Need a Sequel." All of these are fiction book that have a similar topic in common, but the stories and age levels are wildly different. I also have different reasons for why they could have a good sequel or even a prequel. Below includes even a few fan theories about what I think would or should happen.


1. How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez

How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez is a hilarious rom-com book. When overachiever and obsessive planner, pre-med student, Astrid learns that her flaky, dorky boyfriend who spends way too much time in the bathroom is actually the superhero who saved her life in high school, her life is turned upside down. On top of homework, internships, and part-time jobs, she now has to take survival training for the romantic partners of superheroes. This book is about facing one's fears and asking for help.

So, this book really needs a sequel, but actually I want it to be a prequel. In this book Astrid is the star, with the narration only ever following her. At the beginning of the book Astrid is already dating Max, the superhero. However, there are so many moments where the story alludes to them reconnecting the previous year and some subplot where Max's roommate turned out to be a supervillain. We got a few past scenes from Astrid's perspective, but I want the full story of them falling in love and Max's roommate drama. I need a story told from Max's perspective, I would call it, "How to Date a Civilian (And Keep Your Identity Secret,)" and it would end with the inciting action of the first book when Astrid learns his secret identity. I've probably thought way too long about this.

2. Break the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell

Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell is an incredible slow burn thriller. Jessica Jones has been a victim, a monster, an Avenger, and now she's just a New York, private eye. Life has come full circle for her when a socialite and therapist mother comes into her office. The mother asks Jessica to investigate her teenagers returning brainwashed after a summer visit to their father's English countryside manner. Ever since Jessica was kidnapped, mind controlled, and forced to use her superhuman abilities to serve the whims of an evil man, she has struggled with her place in the world and if she can still be a hero. If someone else is doing the same thing to other teenagers, Jessica has to stop it.

Jessica Jones is a character from Marvel comics and has her own TV series, but when I read this book, I didn't know anything about her. Still Jewell and Jones have won my heart before the end. At the end of this story, I was so proud of the small steps Jessica took to becoming her own person. When it was over there was still so much more for her to do and being a character from Marvel Comics there are also so many more villains she could face. Marvel Crime has scheduled a sequel in Spring of next year starring Daredevil and written by another author, but I want more Jessica Jones written by Lisa Jewell.

3. Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Chosen Ones is my personal favorite Veronica Roth book. Because I had read her Divergent series as a teenager, when she released her first adult novel, shortly after I had graduated from college it felt like one of my favorite authors had grown up with me. This story felt very right for a former YA author. Sloan, as a teenager, was one of six prophesized to vanquish dark, magical forces, but there was a great cost. Now thirty years old, she still pays it every day in the form of PTSD. Even taking medicine, she still has nightmares and sleepwalks through the apartment she shares with her teenage crush turned long-term boyfriend. With the danger gone, she still stuck reliving it. Then the danger returns, and Sloan and her old friends are pulled into another world where the evil wasn't defeated.

As an avid YA reader branching out into contemporary adult novels for the first time, this was the perfect read for me. It had the former YA reader appeal but was definitely all grown up. I would caution readers this book is dark, magical, with adult language, violence, and "romantic" relationships. However, I loved Sloan and the "Dark One" we meet in the other world. I could imagine them going on other adventures and getting into more trouble together. For that reason, I would love to see this book get a sequel or possibly a movie.

4. Spider-Man's Bad Connection by Preeti Chhibber

Following the events of the previous book, Spider-Man's Bad Connection by Preeti Chhibber picks up with Peter happily dating his best friend, MJ Waston, he's glad he can finally share his other life with someone. MJ is excited and eager to help, but when a new superpowered villain begins opening interdimensional portals and robbing banks in broad daylight, Peter's afraid that MJ could be in danger. Their friendship in this book went to much deeper than young romance, and the action and drama made for a fun middle grade superhero story.

Here's the problem Spider-Man's Bad Connection actually is the sequel to Spider-Man's Social Delima by the same author, however, it ended on a cliffhanger that promised an even more exciting story to end this trilogy of Spider-Man novels, but for whatever reason (I haven't been able to find the actual reason) the final book was cancelled. It was building to an epic conclusion which I was guessing would involve the symbiote, Venom's home world, but I'll never know. If you can't tell by now, I love superhero stories and am always wanting more.

5. Has Anyone Seens Jessica Jenkins by Liz Kessler

The final book, you guessed it, is another superhero story. Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler is a completely original middle grade superhero novel. Jessica Jenkins' life was perfectly ordinary until the day she stared disappearing in Geography. Anyone who has ever felt invisible can relate, just not literally. Soon she makes new friends with other supernatural abilities. However, just Jessica begins to see the benefits of her new abilities one of her new friends is kidnapped and she will have to face real danger to help.

When I read this book a few years ago with my sister, I loved the potential of these young heroes. They quickly banded together before the novel was over, but it wrapped up a little too fast for my taste, but it also left me wanting more adventures from this young super team. There was room to explore each character more and dig deeper into the origins of their powers. This is one, I should try to read again soon.

Conclusion

Wow! Two days down and four to go. We are already one-third of the way through. Writing down some of these potential sequel ideas has made me want to write a full fan novel, giving these books the sequels they deserve. If you dig through the various older stories on my blog, you'll find I have multiple superheroes of my own, and frankly many half-finished stories. Many of them could also use a sequel to properly continue or wrap-up their stories.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to check out my blog. We'll continue this journey together tomorrow with Non-Fiction titles. Let me tell you, I found such a wide verity of quality non-fiction, there is something for everyone. Please come back tomorrow for an eclectic selection of non-fiction titles.

Hosted by Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah from Read Another Page!

Check out all the other Fall Favorites of Team Walnut!

Stephanie: Books Less Travelled

Skai: Inspirational Skai

Madisyn: Madi's Musings

Abigail: Read Review Rejoice

Bethany: Vintage Volumes

Kelsey: Kelsey's Notebook

Kate: Once Upon an Ordinary

I love meeting new booklovers! Best way to do that is to follow me Instagram: @Skai_BooksAndBracelets
Read Monday's blog here: Day 1 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Recommended

Don't forget to enter the annual Five Fall Favorites Giveaway! Prizes include books by authors a part of this week's blogging challenge and the grand prize even includes an Amazon gift card.



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Monday, September 22, 2025

Day 1 | Five Fall Favorites 2025: Recommended

Welcome to Inspirational Skai. In case you are new here, I thought I should give a little background. I started this blog thirteen years ago to share my fictional stories. I've taken a few breaks over the years, but late last year I came back to it. In the past few years, I started reviewing books on Instagram and thought changing this blog into one about books would be a natural extension of that. I also discovered Five Fall Favorites on Instagram from Once Upon an Ordinary. Last year was my first time doing the Five Fall Favorites it was six days of grueling blogging, and since I like punishing myself, I decided to do it again. 😉 Although this year, I have been working on this since August, and all of my prep work will make this year go smoother, I hope. We'll have to wait and see.

This year's Five Fall Favorites kicks off with a theme that makes me really glad I did this challenge last year. If I hadn't done it last year, I wouldn't have anything to talk about today. Our first theme is Books I've Recommended. To get started I went back to last year's blogs and picked Five Favorites. I limited myself to one title per day of last year's challenge. You may notice I skipped Wednesday, Day 3. That was intentional. It was a very heavy topic, with a theme of "Peace." I shared books that brought me peace. If you're curious, you can find that blog and the rest of 2024's blogs under "2024: September" on the sidebar. For today's blog I talked briefly about what I like about each book, but I also wanted to share updates on the books/authors/series. A sort of update on last year's blogs. So, without further ado, here are Five Fall Favorites, that I've Already Recommended for Five Fall Favorites. 

1. Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Kicking today's list off is Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen. I recommended this one last year for Day 1's theme, "Love" on Monday of last year's challenge. This is one of my favorite romances. Loveboat, Taipei is a messy love triangle where the main character, Ever attracts the attention of both a rich, artistic, playboy and a strong, silent, football player. However, it isn't really about the love triangle. It's about a young woman discovering herself and navigating honoring her parents and family history.

Since Loveboat, Taipei, Hing Wen has written four other novels. Two sequels, Loveboat, Reunion which follows Ever's friends Sophie and Xavier as they mend their relationships with their families and each other, and Loveboat Forever which follows Ever's younger sister, Pearl now sixteen years old and following in her sister's footsteps to Chein Tan. Pearl is a pianist and the whole story is focused on music and chronic pain interfering with playing music. Two things that I have personal experience with. Additionally, the first book was made into a direct-to-streaming movie, Love in Taipei. I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't as good as the book. Hing Wen has also written two other novels, one of which came out last week on September 16th, 2025.


2. The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

On the second day of last year's Five Fall Favorites, the theme was "Joy." I choose to share books where the ending wasn't necessarily the expected ending, but actually what the character needs. They are also endings that teach readers about themselves.  The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak at the surface is a romance about a normal girl who loves photography and meets a superstar boyband singer. While underneath, it's about growing up and letting go of trying to control everything.

Before writing The Heartbreakers, Novak wrote My Life with the Walter Boys which is now an Amazon show. She published three books initially, My Life with the Walter Boys, The Heartbreakers, and the sequel Paper Hearts. she started on Watt Pad, and those three titles were published with Watt Pad Press. In the past couple years those have been re-released, and she has written a sequel, My Return to the Walter Boys. Her next title is book three in The Heartbreakers series, Heartstrings. It releases next month, on October 7th, 2025. I'm currently reading a digital ARC. I will share a review on Instagram when I am done.

3. Scorpia, Alex Rider book 5 by Anthony Horowitz

This is one of my favorite series. On Thursday of last year to match the theme of "Patience," I shared my favorite books of my favorite book series. I discovered Alex Rider when I was twelve years old, after watching the movie starring Alex Pettyfer. Alex Rider is about a fourteen-year-old schoolboy who becomes a spy after his uncle's mysterious death. As a twelve-year-old girl, I had a major crush. When the story picks in book five, Scorpia Alex has recent discovered some disconcerting things about his parents' death, and he heads to Italy to find the truth.

I read somewhere that Horowitz had written several other novels, including children's books with little success before Alex Rider. Since his TV screen writing career was doing well enough, he was going to quit writing books. Then Alex Rider: Stormbreaker became a successful young adult book. It inspired a movie, more recently a TV series, and is now a fourteen-book series. Additionally, since then he's written James Bond and Sherlock Holmes books for their estates and has a couple of successful adult mystery series. It seems to me like it's a good thing he didn't quit witting.

4. Perfect World, Vol. 1 by Rie Aruga

Because the theme for Friday last year was "Kindness" I decided to share books about characters who show incredible kindness. I absolutely loved Perfect World, Vol. 1 by Rie Aruga. Tsugumi and Itsuki face both the challenges of disability and stigma when they begin a relationship. Tsugumi is so kind and gentle with Itsuki. In volume one of this Japanese manga, they reconnect. As they rediscover each other, they see how life and changed them, but also how life's problems haven't changed them. Book one is very exciting as, Itsuki is hospitalized by complications of his disability. Successive volumes, follow a variety of different storylines that explore different elements of spinal cord injuries as well as other types of disabilities. Most fascinating part was reading about the cultural differences of how disability is treated in another country.

Of this twelve-volume series, I have read the first seven. I'm a little over halfway finished and I have a love-hate relationship with it. All stories are built upon complications, but the complications of this story cause it to take detours away from main characters as they have other experiences and even other relationships. Tsugumi and Itsuki are challenged and sometimes grew as characters, but they also sometimes regress as characters. From volume four to volume six, there was a lot of character regression, and when the story started following some of the side characters more than the main characters, I started to lose interest. Where I left off at volume seven, it seemed the story may finally be getting back to the main characters, but I haven't read any more yet.

5. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maeher

Finishing up last year's Five Fall Favorites, I shared my favorites reads of 2024. The final book of this post is the same as my final book of last year's blogging challenge. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maeher is a cozy romantasy adult novel. I would caution readers that it is an adult novel with adult language, adult topics and a humorous relationship with death and gore. Evie Sage is hilarious as a messy, chaotic personal assistant of a fairytale villain. She is both relatable and yet larger than life. Her boss is both a malevolent outlaw and swoon worthy gentleman. I don't often read romantasy comedies, but this titles definitely makes me wish there were more.

I recently watched an interview with the author where she talked about her series from its origins as a TikTok skit to multi-book bestselling series. There are now three books in this series, and Maeher shared that she isn't done yet. The other two titles are Apprentice to the Villain and Accomplice to the Villain. Another thing that was discussed is other potential titles to this series; she implied that Evie would be getting more promotions and maybe even other jobs. Maeher shared fan theories and suggested titles, A few memorable ones were "A Wife to the Villain" and "Acetaminophen to the Villain." I would like to propose the title "Assassin to the Villain" but I would only want to read that if she were at odd with the Villain. 

Conclusion

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited to be back for another year of fall book blogging! I've got my TBR list ready and cannot wait to check out all of the other book recommendations. Today's blog was a trip down memory lane, revisiting last year's blogs and previous books I've read and shared. Full disclosure, for tomorrow's blog I have swapped the regular theme with one of the alternatives, so please come back tomorrow to read the sequel to today's blog. 

I would like to thank Kate and Rebekah for hosting and coordinating all the bloggers. Links to their sites as well as to all the other bloggers on Team Walnut are down below. This year they had so many bloggers that they decided it would be more manageable to break us up into teams. GO TEAM WALNUT!

Hosted by Kate from Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah from Read Another Page!

Check out all the other Fall Favorites of Team Walnut!

Stephanie: Books Less Travelled

Skai: Inspirational Skai

Madisyn: Madi's Musings

Abigail: Read Review Rejoice

Bethany: Vintage Volumes

Kelsey: Kelsey's Notebook

Kate: Once Upon an Ordinary

I love meeting new booklovers! Best way to do that is to follow me on Instagram: @Skai_BooksAndBracelets

Don't forget to enter the annual Five Fall Favorites Giveaway! Prizes include books by authors a part of this week's blogging challenge and the grand prize even includes an Amazon gift card.



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Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Love Your Library August (July 29-August 25) Hosted by Bookish Beck

This month's library reading was significantly less than in July or even in June. Earlier this month, I took a week off from work and went on vacation. But I don't like to take library books on vacation; it's too easy to lose or damage a book while traveling. I spent four days in Boston, Massachusetts seeing the sights. It was my first time on the east coast, and it was certainly a change from the desert where I live. The weather was cooler and much more humid, but I found it nice that it actually cooled off in the evening. Alright, enough about the weather on my trip, let's get started on my library reading from August.

READ

  • Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley - This novel is based on the mid-2010s show, Grimm, a dark horror-mystery where fairytale creatures are real and deadly. I discovered this show a couple of years ago on The CW app. As my watching came to the end of the series, I wanted more. I found this book in my library's eBook collection. Unfortunately, it reads worse than a fan fiction. I would believe it, if this author never watched an episode. In this book, these characters read like cliche stereotypes, rather than their complex interesting characters they are in the show. The pacing was slow and had many subplots that didn't flow well into one story. ★★☆☆☆ Read on Libby
  • Searching for Peace by Jessica Ashley - I was looking for more clean romance novels when I discovered this faith-based action romance. Elijah is veteran with a lot of scars from his time in the service. After leaving the military, he moves to a small town to work for his former commander's private security company. While Andie is a fashion designer in the big city returning to her small hometown for her grandmother's funeral. Although after her grandmother's house in ransacked and her mother is killed, Elijah and Andie have to set aside their differences to figure out who is behind these crimes and stay alive. This book had a fantastic premise, but the writing was subpar, and the audiobook narrators were hard to follow.  ★★★☆☆ Listened to on Hoopla
  • Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 12 by Sorata Akiduki - In Volume 12, Shirayuki and Zen have come a long way from being strangers in the forest. Shirayuki is now a court herbalist and living at the castle. While Zen is taking on more princely duties. The announcement of Zen's older brother's coronation brings new challenges for them. One of the biggest challenges is Shirayuki will have to play host to the prince that she had once fled to avoid becoming his concubine. There were so many sweet moments between Zen and Shirayuki. It wasn't a five-star read because my favorite stories in this series are about Shirayuki practicing medicine, and this volume didn't have much of that. ★★★★☆ IG Reel

Currently Reading

  • Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table by Nilah Magruder
  • Accomplice to the Villian by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  • A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
  • Spider-Man: The Secret of the Sinister Six by Adam-Troy Castro IG Reel
  • Climbing Rejection Mountain: An Actor's Path to Success, Stability, and Self-Esteem by Nick Wyman, Michael X. Martin
  • Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
  • The Grim Reader: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Putting Your Characters in Peril by Miffie Seideman

Checked Out, To Be Read

  • Grace Notes by Karen Comer IG Reel
  • This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
  • Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson
  • Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
  • The Beginner's Guide to Procreate by Roché Woodworth
  • Slow Burn Summer: A Novel by Josie Silver
  • The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter
  • Epic Baby Names for Girls: Fierce and Fisty Heroines, from Ancient Myths to Future Legends by Melanie Mannarino
  • Emotional Confidence: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Emotions with Science and Scripture by Alicia Michellle

In The Reservation Queue

  • Power Rangers: Force of Chaos by Diana Ma
  • Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein Rebs Recs

On Hold, To Be Picked Up

None at this time.

Returned Unread

  • The Met Gala: Iconic Moments of Fashion from the World's Most Exclusive Event - I checked this one out because it was photobook of formalwear. My sister loves fashion, especially fancy dresses. I thought she would enjoy it.
  • Real Simple: Magazine May - Occasionally, I like to look at this magazine because I enjoy looking at pictures of nicely organized homes, however whenever I check the prices on the items advertised inside, I realize that it is too rich for me.
  • Vocal Warm-Ups by Elaine Schmidt - When I was looking for some vocal excises to use for when I warm up before singing, I checked this one out.
  • Sing! Vocal Warm-Ups for All Styles by Paul Knight - Ditto as the title above.
  • The Love Interest by Helen Comerford - I was playing around with my library's new online catalogue when I found this one. They switched to a different online system a few months ago and as I was going through it, I found this new superhero romance. It looked cute, but I didn't get the chance to read it before I had to return it.
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - I had to return this one when it was overdue. I have since checked it out again.
After so much reading in June and July, in August I only finished three titles from my library. One in each reading mode, I finished one audiobook, one physical book, and one eBook. The genres were also a verity, one a horror based on a TV show, the second, a clean Christan romance, and the final title, a fairytale retelling manga. This month's finished titles may be few, but if the currently reading list is any indication I should be able to finish more books soon.


While I was traveling, I took a break from Instagram, but I wrote a few book reviews while I was on my trip. One of the reviews I wrote was a long overdue advance readers copy review, for a juvenile graphic novel, Miraculous Chibi, Vol. 1: Pizza Pursuit and Other Cat Tales by Josh Trujillo and Carrie Harris. Since I always share a fiction story and still haven't posted anything new, here is the second part of Fairy Troubled. I really wish I had done a better job of proofreading way back when, but now it feels too late to fix it. Maybe if I decide to publish it elsewhere. 

Lastly, I have announcement! I will be participating in Five Fall Favorites again! It's hosted by Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebecca Morris I'm already busy preparing for a week of obsessive blogging. Come back from September 22-27 to follow all of my bookish ramblings. I will be sharing some recent reads as well as some childhood favorites. 

#LoveYourLibrary


Thank you again, Rebecca for coming up with this blog challenge and I have enjoyed making it a semi regular part of my writing life. Check out her blog Bookish Beck
I love making Bookish Friends! Follow me on Instagram Skai_BooksAndBracelets
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