Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.
This week’s topic is:
Halloween Freebie 👻
Prompts:Happy Halloween, folks! 🎃 To celebrate the spooky fest, we’re making today a Halloween freebie! You can check out our blogs for inspiration (Aria and Dini) or write about something else you’re interested in!
Hello, friends! I’m back with another book tag today and it’s one that I saw on Nicole @ Bookwyrm Knit‘s blog earlier this month. It looked like so much fun, and definitely seemed like a challenge, so I thought why not give it a go? The original tag created by BookTuber Tabby was actually a timed challenge but I’m not about putting that pressure on myself because I already know this is going to be tough and it’ll definitely take me longer than 8 minutes to complete (that’s like super human levels of speed for this challenge, haha). 🤣
On that note, let’s get to it! Also, you can find the full list of questions at the bottom of my post.
Do you have a book with deckled edges?
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
I’m not always the biggest fan of deckled edges these days (I used to be slightly obsessed) but I kinda like it with this book, especially my copy which is secondhand and marred by yellow stains, which adds to the vintage feel of the cover. I think it also suits the deckled edge style!
Do you have a book with 3 or more people on the cover?
The Malevolent Seven by Sebastian De Castell
I’m not always the biggest fan of deckled edges these days (I used to be slightly obsessed) but I kinda like it with this book, especially my copy which is secondhand and marred by yellow stains, which adds to the vintage feel of the cover. I think it also suits the deckled edge style!
Do you have a book based on another fictional story?
The Earl That Got Away by Diana Quincy
This is a Persuasion retelling and it’s fabulous! If you love plus-sized, diverse FMCs in historical fiction, all the pining, angst and intense chemistry, and of course, Persuasion retellings, I would definitely recommend it!
Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?
Fan Service by Rosie Danan
I still haven’t read anything by Danan but of course I’m keeping up with her latest releases. I do have a problem, I fear… 🤭
Do you have a book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?
Echoes of the Tide by Emma Hamm
Oof, this was such a tough one to find so I immediately squealed with delight when I came across this title! It’s the third book in Hamm’s sea monster romance and I’m hoping to read it this year (hopefully, lol).
Do you have a Mass Market Paperback book?
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
I bought this book as a physical copy first and got the MMP cos although she was chonky as heck, she was smol and I thought I would’ve liked that. Turns out, it’s not so great for reading, and perhaps even as equally if not even more intimidating to read cos of how thick she is! 🤭
Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
AnnaLinden Weller writes under this pen name. I’ve heard a lot of interesting things about this book/series and it intimidates me a whole lot but I’m also very keen to give it a try!
Do you have a book with a character’s name in the title?
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
I think the reason I haven’t read this yet, other than pure procrastination, is the fact that I want to re-read Hart & Mercy beforehand cos I remember so few of the details. All I remember from book one is how massively I sobbed towards the end. It was great! 😌
Do you have a book with two maps in it?
Jade City by Fonda Lee
Not only does this book have the most incredible world-building, complex characters, and even more intricate relationships, we also get blessed with more than one map! I mean, if you haven’t already been convinced to read this, please do.
Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show?
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
I actually haven’t seen this show but I’ve heard it’s pretty faithful to the book and it’s well adapted? Not sure if I will get around to it but it is on my (extremely) long to-watch list! 🤣
Do you have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else? (Celebrity/athlete/politician/TV personality)
Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz
This is the memoir of Bethany Joy Lenz who plays my favourite character in the epic TV series, One Tree Hill! It’s Haley 😍
Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
I read this so long ago that I can’t remember when and I remember close to nothing about it now, but I did give it 5 stars so… That’s something! I’d love to re-read this one day.
Do you have a poetry book?
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this poetry collection. I have not ready poetry in a very long time but it piqued my interest enough for me to get my hands on a copy!
Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?
The Promise by Damon Galgut
It has The 2021 Book Prize “award stamp” on it! That counts… Right? 🤭
Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?
Friends, I really thought I would get through this being able to answer all the prompts but sadly, I could not find a book for this. I don’t know any authors with the initials DK or even ones with my full full names! 🤭
Do you have a book of short stories?
Blackout by Various Authors
I loved that this was a book of short stories that were all set in the same location, experienced the same situation, and all sort of intertwined at the end. It was cool and such a fun read!
Do you have a book that is between 500-510 pages long?
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
This Illumicrate edition that I have of this book is 506 pages long! It does have a different cover than this though but I couldn’t find a good quality one of it… 🤭
Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This even has two adaptations. The first in Swedish and the other in English, which was also modified to fit a more American context. I’m planning to watch the Swedish one!
Do you have a graphic novel?
Squire by Nadia Shammas, Sara Alfageeh
I love graphic novels so I had quite a few to choose from! This one is still on my TBR and I’ve heard great things about it. I need to prioritise reading more of my graphic novels, I think!
Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
I know I probably have other books written by 2 or more authors, but Christina Lauren will always be the first that come to mind because of how long I’ve been reading their books. 🤭 That said, this one is still on my TBR!
The Questions:
Do you have a book with deckled edges?
Do you have a book with 3 or more people on the cover?
Do you have a book based on another fictional story?
Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?
Do you have a book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?
Do you have a Mass Market Paperback book?
Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?
Do you have a book with a character’s name in the title?
Do you have a book with 2 maps in it?
Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show?
Do you have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else? (celebrity/athlete/politician/tv personality…)
Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?
Do you have a poetry book?
Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?
Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?
Do you have a book of short stories?
Do you have a book that is between 500-510 pages long?
Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?
Do you have a graphic novel?
Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?
That’s it for this very long but very fun tag! Do you own any of these books?
Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
WORST. JOB. EVER. Kate O’Hara can’t wait until this temp assignment is over. The woman who hired her is a psychotic drama queen, her coworkers are convicts-turned-clerks, and it’s so boring and pointless it makes her skin crawl. Even working with temptation-on-legs CEO Thomas Kestrel won’t sway her — he’s a billionaire with a rep for being ruthless, and as far as she’s concerned, that’s a hard pass. Once she makes enough to pay off her bills, she’s out of this corporate cube farm. Or so she thinks…
WHAT THE HELL? Next thing she knows, she’s accidentally signed over her soul. Literally. And she’s discovered Thomas’s real mission: to kill thirteen bad guys in one year, in order to get his—now his and Kate’s—souls back.
IT’S NOT JUST A JOB. IT’S A MISADVENTURE. From learning to boost the morale of some paper-pushing demons to navigating her way through blood-red tape, Kate has to work closely with her super-hot boss and get her flaky act together, before somebody clocks her out—permanently!
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Gaslighting, cancer, death (recounted, on-page), suicide, blood, violence, attempted murder
TL;DR: Temping Is Hell was a wild paranormal fantasy romcom romp! 🤣 It was definitely a bit bonkers but I mean that in a good way because it was so entertaining and I had a great time reading it! Kate, with her completely unfiltered chaos brain, and Thomas, the billionaire who needs to get his act together, were such an unlikely pairing, but I loved how her chaotic good energy grounded him. The ‘sold-my-soul-to-a-demon’ plot kept me completely engaged and it was fun learning about what happens when you do something like that—it’s not good, that’s for sure! I enjoyed the friendships, the banter, the sarcasm, and the chaos. Overall, this was a fun and humorous read that I would recommend if you’re looking for a paranormal romcom, especially for the spooky season~!
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.
I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday in bed reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Charlotte and I started this buddy read today and I think we were both a bit surprised by the style at the beginning! It’s epistolary (in the form of diary entries), which I love, but it’s the use 19th century English that threw me off at first! It wasn’t at all what I expected. Our main character from the Blackfeet tribe also uses a lot of terminology I’m unfamiliar with, so there was a lot to take in! But I’m getting really into it now (kinda wanna binge it) and it’s honestly making me a lottle angry—not at the book itself but the colonizers in it. 😤 I have a great feeling about this one!
What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.
This week’s topic is:
Recapping Anticipated Releases
Prompts:With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!
A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.
An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister – a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family ‘minders’ assigned to her on set, ‘Maoist struggle session’-inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counselling with ‘Leadership’ were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.
Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill super-fan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered the course of her life.
Written with powerful honesty and dark humour, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity, faith and independence.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Domestic abuse, sexual abuse, possible drugging, mentions of drugging and sexual abuse (character past), gaslighting, manipulation, racism, misogyny, toxic relationships
TL;DR: As someone who was a huge fan of One Tree Hill and whose favourite characters were Haley (and Nathan—Naley 4ever!), I was immediately intrigued when I saw that Lenz had published a book about her “cult” experience. I was shocked by the events that transpired in this and it’s difficult to imagine this was all happening behind-the-scenes as Lenz was on set playing her biggest role to date. It’s a heartbreaking and emotional read! It takes such strength and courage to tell a story like this and I hope that it brought Lenz a measure of peace for her future. I would definitely recommend the audiobook as it’s read by the author and there were several cameos from OTH stars, which was a pleasant surprise!
Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
dinipandareads 