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!
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! 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
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: 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: Good Neighbors
Author: Chad Zunker
Narrator: Amara Jasper
Format: Audiobook
Length: 1 hours 4 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: June 2, 2025
Challenges: Audiobook, Virtual Mount
Review: I have read Chad Zunker before and enjoyed his books. This one felt like it needed to be just a little bit longer for the twist to really hit. Felt like you could see it coming a mile away and that’s no fun.
I borrowed this audiobook from Prime Reading.
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 want to get to so many books this summer that I am overwhelming myself. I need to slow down, and not worry about the future- just enjoy the books I am currently reading.
The last eBook I read was Falling For Them by Calista Jayne. This book was sitting on my Kindle for a few years, so I quickly blew through it. Not a fan. Will not continue the series. At the writing up of this post, I will have just started reading Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell. I plan to read The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards next. My current and next eBooks are complimentary of Edelweiss.
The last audiobook I listened to was Good Neighbors by Chad Zunker. I am a fan of his books… although this short story I found through Prime Reading was just alright. It could of been a little bit longer and it would of been better. I am now listening to We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. I requested it through my library and have been on the waiting list for months. It was finally my turn to borrow it. I am halfway through it right now and it’s holding my interest. The next audiobook I plan to listen to is King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby- I was sent an audiobook widget from Macmillan. I keep hearing amazing things about this book on TikTok and I wanna listen to what all the hype is about!
I am trying to read more physical books, and this summer I want to get quite a few in (doubt it’s happening at this point). I am about to finish French Kiss by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo. I am currently, slowly, getting through Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson. I’ve heard good things about the book, but it’s pacing is too slow for me. I am pushing through it and hope to be done with it by next week. I plan to reread Sail by James Patterson next. It’s been YEARS since I read it (and don’t remember the plot one bit) but this book has been calling me to reread it so I am gonna this summer.
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: Don’t Believe It
Author: Charlie Donlea
Narrator: Nina Alvamar
Format: Audiobook
Length: 10 hours 31 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Challenges: Audiobook, Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Read For The Stars, Virtual Mount
Review: Not my favorite Charlie Donlea book, but it was good all the same. A lot of legal and medical jargon so I sort of did tune those parts out. I figured that Grace did not kill her boyfriend, but I did not guess who actually killed him. And I did not care for the ending.
I borrowed this audiobook from Libby.
Title: Stranded
Author: Sarah Goodwin
Format: eBook
Length: 398 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Publication Date: September 16, 2021
Challenges: Beat The Backlist, COYER, Library Love, Virtual Mount
Review: I flew through this book. The premise of people stranded on an island for a reality TV show, and not everyone making it off the island, sucked me in. I did not see where the story was going, and I did not guess any of the twists. This book was recommended to me and I am so glad I read it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thriller books.
I borrowed this book on Libby.
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 June:
Two First Reads choices for June, and I used a gift card to get the latest book in the Zodiac Queen series.
I was sent a widget on King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. It will be my first listen in July! And my first S.A. Cosby book too!
I requested The Locked Ward and Girl In The Creek and was sent the ALC’s just the other day.
When I went to visit my parents in North Carolina, I always go to the local used bookstore called Pauper’s Books & More. They let you turn in gently used books for store credit, and with that credit I got the three books pictured above.
Acquired: 15
Total spent this month: $0.00
Total spent this year: $0.00
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?
My summer reading was ON FIRE at the beginning of the month, and pretty much TANKED for the rest of June!
The last eBook I read was When We Were Friends by Jane Green. I am trying to get through some of my First Reads backlog. You can check out my Storygraph review here. At the writing up of this post, I started reading Stranded by Sarah Goodwin, a book I borrowed from my library on Libby. It was recommended to me by a friend and it’s holding my interest right from the get-go. I plan to read Sun Burned by Katherine Wood next. The bright summer cover screams July to me lol. And I am also trying to get my NetGalley ratio up higher. (I am so close to 80% woohoo!)
The last audiobook I listened to was Angels & Demons, but I ended up DNFing it. I wanted to reread the series in anticipation of the newest book in the series coming out in the fall, but with the crazyness of life in June I just put the book aside and moved on. Now at the writing up of this post I got about thirty minutes in to Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea. This one was also recommended to me by a friend, and since Donlea books always hit I borrowed it from my library! The next audiobook I plan to listen to is King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby- I was sent an audiobook widget from Macmillan. I keep hearing amazing things about this book on TikTok and I wanna listen to what all the hype is about!
I am trying to read more physical books, and this summer I want to get quite a few in. The last physical book I read was back in March lol (The House Hunt by C.M. Ewan)! I started Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson and made good progress into the story the other day. It should be finished by the end of the month. I plan to reread Sail by James Patterson next. It’s been YEARS since I read it (and don’t remember the plot one bit) but this book has been calling me to reread it so I am gonna this summer.
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!
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.
Wednesday was Graduation Day!
Thursday was my last day of work till September!
Friday was all about getting the house and yard ready for the graduation party!
Saturday was the graduation party!
Sunday was my day to recooperate from all the excitement of the week!
Currently:
I started Kill Your Darlings last week, then with everything going on it just sat on my nightstand collecting dust lol. It’s definitely being a priority this week!
I borrowed an ecopy of Lifeguard by James Patterson & Andrew Gross from the library. I am also not that far into it. This is a reread from when it came out years ago.
I am listening to Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, and also annotating a traveling hardcover book copy at the same time. This is a reread from when it came out years ago (and in anticipation for the newest book in the series coming out in September).
Just Finished:
This story has definite And Then There Were None vibes (and even a very small Clue (the movie) reference early on), so while it absolutely started off slow… it got more interesting once the characters were being killed off. I guessed the murderer incorrectly, and did not see any of the twist coming. I like how each character had a different personality and it felt like a real writing retreat (minus the murders lol).
I enjoyed each narrator and am glad they gave each characters chapter their own narrator. It helped keep the story flowing.
Note: I gave this one 3.5 on Storygraph, but marked it as 4 stars on NetGalley because they do not use half stars.
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.
