I want to go on a rant, but I won’t, being that I have read 12 books so far, and I had a tough time adding them to Goodreads, let alone adding them to my Excel Sheet, but now my emails aren’t overflowing. I’m doing a book tag in the hopes of giving myself time to do all the things I need and want to do. The creator is Jan Agaton, and I linked the 2025 version since that’s the latest available. So let’s get this show on the road.
What was the last (& first, if you remember) book you read last year?
I think I remember, but I’m checking anyway. No, I was wrong, it was Tell Me Where She’s Buried by Patrick Logan and now that I see the cover, I remember it. The last one was Open Tabs: Some stories can’t be closed until every page is read by Isha Surti, which was more complex than I’d thought.
What is your first read this year?
Goodreads Blurb:
After a summer grounded from technology, Bayleigh is back home and rebuilding her relationship with her mother. Her boyfriend Jace keeps his promise and stays in Texas, where he works at a local motocross track.
Knowing her relationship with Jace is something special and not like all the guys before him, Bayleigh is determined to keep their love strong, despite his notorious fame in the motocross world and the dozens of girls throwing themselves at him in his new job.
I loved the first book I read in the Summer Unplugged when I read it years ago but this one not so much
Share 3 of your reading goals this year.
I’m keeping last year’s goals since I still need to work on them.
- Participate in fewer readathons (this one I said last year, but didn’t do it.)
- Don’t force myself to read when I’m not in the mood
- Be okay with my book reviews being shorter
Share 3 of your most anticipated titles.
Goodreads Blurb:
Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.
One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.
Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person’s date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.
Goodreads Blurb:
It’s 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family’s past, including why she left Land’s End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.
From Jubi in 1917, whose attempt to pass for white ends when she gives birth to Ruby; to Ruby’s fiery lust for Sampson in 1934 that leads to a baby of her own; to the night in 1980 that changed Nadia’s future forever, the Dupree women carry the weight of their heritage. Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom.
Goodreads Blurb:
Georgia Rose is not going on the hit reality dating show Love Shack to find love. She’s there to write a killer exposé on the producers, which will guarantee the journalism job of her dreams. But when Georgia’s unforgettable one-night stand from the year before, country singer Rhett Auburn, steps into the Malibu mansion as the season’s new host, all of her carefully crafted plans unravel.
Caught up in the drama of backstabbing contestants, producer blackmail, and death-defying dates, Georgia must keep her identity—and history with Rhett—a secret. Despite the lies between them, it isn’t long before Georgia and Rhett’s heated behind-the-scenes moments start to feel more genuine than the romance Georgia’s faking for the cameras. But with her assignment unfinished and the executive producer on her tail, a second chance with Rhett could be her riskiest move of all.
Which goals did you reach/not reach last year?
I read way more 2025 releases than I thought I would
Are there new releases you’ve heard of that you have no desire to read?
Goodreads Blurb:
Her words used to set the page on fire. But a viral backlash over her latest film adaptation forced Petra Rose to take a hiatus, resulting in missed deadlines and an overdue mortgage. Branded a fraud and fame-hungry opportunist, she learned the hard way what happens when the internet turns on you. And she’s been uninspired to write ever since.
Now, with her next suspense novel outlined and savings nearly gone, she retreats to a secluded lakeside cabin, hoping to find inspiration. It’s Petra’s last-ditch attempt to save her career—and herself.
Then he shows up.
Detective Nathaniel Saint arrives with disturbing news, his presence igniting a creativity in her she thought long since burned out. Petra’s words return in a rush, and her fictional cop character begins to mirror the very real cop who’s becoming her muse.
Their “research” sessions blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Each glance, every touch pulls Petra deeper into a world she thought she’d never lose herself in again. She’s never felt more alive. But inspiration this powerful comes at a cost.
When Saint starts taking his role in her career a little too seriously, Petra’s forced to confront the chaos she created. But doing so could cost her more than the reputation she’s been trying to salvage. The reputation the world wrote for her—the reputation only she can reclaim.
What are some reading habits you want to change this year, if any?
Having the freedom to read whatever I’m in the mood for, without thinking about what others will think of me.
Are there any adaptations you’re excited about?
No, not really.
Favourite bookish memory of last year?
None are coming to mind right now.
Carryovers from last year that you still plan on finishing?
Goodreads Blurb:
Val Monroe came to a frozen Minnesota lake to prepare for the ghost who haunts her—the woman who vanished three years ago. Instead, she finds Jamie a recovering alcoholic fighting for sobriety and her daughter’s forgiveness. Two women running from their pasts discover that standing still is the hardest thing they’ve ever done. As Val helps Jamie rebuild what addiction destroyed, she must confront her own addiction to being needed. With only weeks before facing the woman she’s spent three years mourning, Val learns that sometimes the bravest act isn’t moving forward—it’s finally learning to stay.
Tagging:
Mybookworld24 