I saw this posted on 🌸Budget Tales Book Blog🌸 and thought it would be fun to post about today!
This time last year I was reading
Today I am reading
We all know that mystery and thrillers are my jam, so no shocker that this year and last year I was knee deep in it!
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
I am currently reading The Deceiving Look, the last book in the Shepard & Gray trilogy. It’s gonna be a doozy I can see it a mile away!
I borrowed a physical copy of All The Sinners Bleed because I’ve been wanting to read a S.A. Cosby book and it was sitting on the shelf in my library. I grabbed it and ran!
I am listening to All Good People Here because it was recommended to me. This book seems so-so so far. I’m almost done with this audiobook at the writing up of this post.
Q: How is your summer reading going so far?
Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!
While doing normal things related to books on my computer I came across a YEAR LONG challenge called Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do, aka HRCYED. This is the second year it’s being hosted (hence the 2.0 lol) by Qwordy. It’s all the craze apparently as I know quite a few folks on Instagram who are joining in. It started on July 7, and since I saw it on Aug 6 I thought I would just backlog the few books I read in that timespan and not be that far behind in the challenge.
This challenge is meant to challenge you and your reading, really helping you branch out and read books and authors you normally wouldn’t.
There is also a spreadsheet and since you know I LOVE me a spreadsheet, I was totally game!
My goal for this challenge is to literally read the books I WANT TO READ THIS YEAR AND NEXT and hope they fit into the challenge. I just want to have fun with this one and see how well I am actually do.
Seriously, there is a ton of detailed info on the page listed above, and on her YouTube channel. It’s best to get all the deets there than for me to try to type it all out in this post.
WILL YOU BE JOINING IN FOR HRCYED2.0? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
P.S. I plan to do monthly updates on this challenge (or as close to monthly as I can manage haha!)
Leslie @ Books Are The New Black is hosting this fun, simple challenge, where you just share 5+ book covers the same color as the current month’s birthstone. Don’t forget to link back to Leslie!
August is a Peridot. And my birthday month, woohoo!
Peridot is a weird green color, so finding covers was a little tough!
I have read Home Before Dark, Matched and The Half Blood Prince.
What is the Sunday Salon?
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
I’m enjoying my time off of work this summer. Lots of sitting in the yard reading has been my go to this past week. The weather has been in the high 70s which is perfect for New Jersey.
The only notable thing I did was take my daughter to a concert. We were supposed to go on Thursday. Thursday was a bad storm here and the show was cancelled early in the morning. My husband and I decided to surprise my daughter and take her to the next show (which was in Pennsylvania) so she didn’t miss out on seeing her favorite band in concert. AT THE CONCERT we got Gold Circle tickets through Ticketmaster which means you get to be front area by the stage. There was a group right by the fence and we were right behind them in the middle, it was perfect! The show was amazing of course! THEN two of the band members were hanging around so we went towards them to see if my daughter could say hello to them. Long story short, she was thrown a set list by a crew member while waiting in line, she got a photo with BOTH band members and the lead singer SIGNED her set list. We were literally fan-girl squealing with excitement the rest of the night!
Currently:
I am currently reading The Grave Singer by Victor Methos, book 2 in the Shepard & Gray trilogy. I should be done with it by tomorrow the latest.
I borrowed a physical copy of The Haunting In The Arctic by CJ Cooke. I am into this book and have really gotten a lot of pages read, which is on the rarer side for me when it comes to physical books. I think I should be done with this one by Tuesday the latest.
I am listening to All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. It was recommended by my library for summer reading, and I just haven’t had a huge chance to listen to audiobooks this week. I’ve really focused on being present for my kids as they’ll be off to college in two weeks.
Just Finished:
My reviews are on Storygraph [here] and [here] respectfully.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads this year (and didn’t really keep up with it last year) because I want to support a black woman business owner over a white male billionaire.
Birthstone Book Covers
HRCYED2.0
WWW Wednesday
Sunday Salon #7
Title: Salem’s Fall
Author: Rektok Ross
Format: eBook
Length: 320 pages
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Rating: My review is up on Storygraph
Challenges: COYER, Netgalley/Edelweiss
A hotshot young attorney. An enigmatic billionaire accused of murder. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to play his game—and try not to fall in love with the devil.
The Silence of the Lambs meets Labyrinth in this dangerously addictive blend of twisty psychological thriller, legal suspense, and gothic dark romance—perfect for fans of Verity, Haunting Adeline, and The Housemaid.
I received a complimentary e-copy. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for allowing me to read this ARC through NetGalley.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
I am currently reading book 2 of the Shepard & Gray series by Victor Methos. His books are easy to fly through and the stories are great! I am trying to read the whole trilogy this month and being on book 2 this early feels like a win.
The Grave Singer
I borrowed a physical copy of The Haunting In The Arctic from a Facebook group I am in. So far I am enjoying the book! I’m about 100 pages in at this point so this will one should be done by the middle of the month no problem.
I am just starting All Good People Here on Audiobook. My library had it to borrow right away and I’ve been hearing good stuff about it. Plus two of my top narrators are narrating, so it should be a good time!
Q: Any August reading goals you want to accomplish?
Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!
Good morning, readers! While I felt like I had no time to read and then couldn’t find any books to keep my interest towards the end of the month, this may be one of my most successful months of reading, haha!
August I am focusing on eBooks I want to get to. And with moving two children into college dorms in a few weeks, I am not sure how much reading will get done. Again, lol.
If you’re not following me on Storygraph, you should! This is my page. I stopped using Goodreads last year and I do not miss it one bit. I actually forgot it exists, haha!
Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of July:
My daughter was in the game section of the library looking at some D&D books, and that section is right next to the sports section. Growing up I played soccer, and it was literally my entire world until I became pregnant with my son. This book stood out to me on the shelf and on a whim I borrowed it. As of the writing up of this post I have yet to read it.
This was my First Reads choice for the month of July.
I borrowed this one through Prime Reading. It’s a short story that just needed to be a little bit longer to be a really good book!
I requested Forget Me Not mostly because Karissa Vacker is the narrator but Stacy Willingham is a great author, and High Season for the plot.
The premise of this book intrigued me and I ended up requesting it through NetGalley, something I’ve been doing less. The Bone Queen publishes early in 2026.
I read the rest of the NYPD Red series, so when I saw this cover on Edelweiss I requested it, without really reading the synopsis. I was approved rather quickly, which is a shock to me. This book publishes in November of this year.
I signed up to received Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse. In the Facebook group I am apart of it was getting great reviews and I wanted to read it too!
I read a few other Darby Kane books, so when her newest one was available to request through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse I jumped on it!
James Patterson Street Team sent me two books!
Acquired: 18
Total spent this month: $0.00
Total spent this year: $0.00
I absolutely LOVE using my library for all my books and audiobook needs. I do not have a lot of money to blow on a hobby, so I found a good way to support my community, my library and my reading habit! The library has a ton of resources and I always check there first for audiobooks I want to listen to or books I want to read. Libby is my friend and I have multiple library branches hooked up to my account for maximum borrowing.
I am also doing two library challenges for this year, so I thought it’d be fun to post monthly updates about my library stats.
This challenge ran from June 1 through July 31, 2025. The only real rule is to listen to audiobooks using the library (Libby, Hoopla, etc). And to have fun!
I listened to SIX audiobooks with Libby during the challenge time frame.
I am SUCH a library girly!!
What is the Sunday Salon?
The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It’s also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
I’m enjoying my time off of work this summer. Lots of sitting in the yard reading, floating in the pool, and playing cozy video games.
Mostly I am just getting housework done during the day, and getting both kids all situated for heading off to college at the end of August. It will be my son’s Senior year and my daughter’s Freshman year of college. Empty-ish Nest come September!
My daughter had a Rheumatology appointment, her last follow up for awhile as she is doing great!
The kids have a VBS meeting after church today. My kids attended vacation bible school when they were little kids until they aged out at sixth grade, and have been volunteering since seventh grade.
My puppy Rollo is almost one and a half years old, and I’m absolutely loving watching him grow up and play and learn. He’s my baby! I’m trying to figure out more ways to get him to play and be active during the day (I feel he does a lot of laying &/or sleeping). I’ve been taking him for more walks and got him a new toy so we can actively play together. I was half joking to my husband and was like, “Maybe we can get him an agility course for the backyard”.
Currently:
I am currently reading A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L. Peck. Michael Kist raved about the short story last year (at the 9:38 mark) and my library finally had a copy available for me to borrow through Libby.
I borrowed a physical copy of Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence from my library. I wanted to start a shorter fantasy series and after doing some research online, I decided on this one. Plus, I like the cover lol. Also, I am a little confused with the plot thus far, but I am just going with it and I am sure it’ll all explain itself as it goes.
I just started listening to The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. The audiobook I was listening to before this one was NOT holding my interest one freaking bit. I searched for my favorite narrator on Libby and chose a random audiobook that wasn’t too long.
Just Finished:
I was not ready for the heaviness of this story, but it was such a good one. Jennifer Hillier is a great author! I gave this four stars on Storygraph.
I also finish this one. My review will be posted on the blog in two weeks.
If you’d like to be friends with me on Storygraph, this is my profile page.
I stopped using Goodreads this year (and didn’t really keep up with it last year) because I want to support a black woman business owner over a white male billionaire.
Library Love Audiobook Challenge of 2025
Library Stats and Savings For July 2025
Books Acquired In July 2025
Monthly Wrap Up: July 2025
Fasten your seatbelts! Murder At 30,000 Feet by @susanwalterauthor is gonna be a fantastic ride!
132 Souls. One Killer. Zero Escape.
Under the cover of turbulence, a killer strikes. With nowhere to land and nowhere to hide, who will save the passengers from this nightmare at 30,000 feet?
It’s a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 with nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can’t wait to return to their beloved home.
But sweet anticipation turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered, with only a bewildered air marshal to solve the crime. He soon realizes that several passengers are harboring dark secrets, but the identity of the murderer eludes him. There’s only one certainty: the killer is on the plane.
Thousands of feet above the earth with thunderstorms closing in, the danger outside is as grave as the mounting threat within. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?
Passion, betrayal, and murder collide in this high-stakes, locked-room mystery. A must-read for fans of T. J. Newman and Jeneva Rose.
This book publishes on February 17, 2026
Add it to your Goodreads shelf
Everyone at @thrillerbookloversthepulse is pumped to share this cover reveal!
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.
The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
I am currently reading Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross, a NetGalley ARC, on my Kindle paperwhite. Trying to get that ratio up this summer!
I borrowed a physical copy of Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence from my library. I wanted to start a shorter fantasy series and after doing some research online, I decided on this one. Plus, I like the cover lol.
I am gonna be listening to The Girl In The Creek by Wendy N. Wagner starting today. This is a new to me author and I chose this audiobook from Macmillan’s Influencer program. This month I’ve been in my horror era so I am just rolling with it!
Q: How is your summer reading going so far?
Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!
Title: Kill Your Darlings
Author: Peter Swanson
Format: Hardcover Book
Length: 272 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Challenges:
Review: This may be the DULLEST book I’ve ever read in my entire life. I forced myself through this entire book!
The concept of the story being told backwards was intriguing and this is why I wanted to read the book. The whole middle of the book was so slow and seemed to not have any meaning to the plot.
I’m normally a Peter Swanson fan, and this one did not hit!
I received a hardcover copy in the mail for free from HarperCollins.
Title: Things We Do In The Dark
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Narrator: Carla Vega
Format: Audiobook
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: July 19, 2022
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I literally have no words on how great this book was. Dark and tragic! Jennifer Hillier is a great author and I need to read more of her books!
PLEASE CHECK THOSE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING/LISTENING TO THIS BOOK
I borrowed this audiobook from Libby.
Title: My Lovely Wife
Author: Samantha Downing
Narrator: David Pittu
Format: Audiobook
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: March 26, 2019
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I like that the book is told from the husband’s point of view. It made the whole ending part of the plot great! The kids were on my nerves, but that’s probably because they were teenagers lol.
Overall, great debut book from Samantha Downing!
I borrowed this audiobook from Libby.
Title: Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Author: Cassandra Khaw
Narrator: Suehyla El-Attar
Format: Audiobook
Length: 2 hours 32 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: This book definitely gave creepy vibes, but I thought it was entirely too short. Everything in the plot felt rushed.
I borrowed this audiobook from Libby.
Title: We Used To Live Here
Author: Marcus Kliewer
Narrator: Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Corey Brill
Format: Audiobook
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I wanted to like this book more, but most of it felt repetitive and could of been shorter. I felt my mind wandering a couple of times. The end was what I thought was going on, so this gets an average rating from me.
I did like both of the narrators.
I borrowed this audiobook from Libby.
Title: Falling For Them
Author: Calista Jayne
Format: eBook
Length: 250 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Publication Date: May 17, 2022
Challenges: COYER, Thrifty Thursday
Review: I am looking for more MFM trope books, so when I find one I scoop it up. I found this one through the free section on Bookbub a few years ago. The backstory on these characters was not doing it for me, and I skimmed most of the book just to see how it all ended. It ended on a cliffhanger, but I will not be continuing the series.
I found this book for free through Bookbub’s free ebook tab.
