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’m spending the rest of my Sunday night in bed reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I feel like Hobb’s books are classics in the fantasy genre. I’ve been seeing a lot of people talking about The Realm of the Elderlings series lately, so yesterday, as I was languishing in bed, I decided to pick this up on a whim. I can’t say it was love at first sight, but at one point I suddenly realised that whenever I put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. It’s giving me slow burn “big feelings” feels—if you know what I mean—and I’m both excited and terrified to be starting this journey! 👀
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:
Bookish Etiquette
Suggested by: Laurie @ Laurie Is Reading Prompts: There’s always a lot of bookish discourse ongoing on social media. People talk about selling ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), tagging authors and publishers in reviews, only posting positive reviews— we’ve seen it all! Do you think there’s something such as “bookish etiquette”? Why or why not? What do you think are some dos and don’ts as readers and/or reviewers? Do you agree with all the discourse, or do you stay far away from all the drama?
I was looking for something to post tonight instead of another review and since today is Turkey Day I thought I’d come back to do the Thanksgiving Book Tag but this time for my 2025 reads!
Happy Turkey Day to everyone who is doing something today—I hope you enjoy spending time with your families and that you eat a lot of delicious food! 🦃
I started this series at the beginning of the year and these characters have grown on me immensely. Whenever I read these books, I feel like they are family and that I’m there experiencing everything with them. The characters in this book have come to mean so much to me—I love them so much! 💜
2) Fallen Leaves: A book that fell flat (didn’t meet your expectations)
There was (and still is) so much hype around this book that my expectations had really skyrocketed. While there were bits I enjoyed a lot—especially Caz, the sassy sentient spider plant—there was so much that didn’t get explored in the way it deserved. The magic, the romance, the townsfolk… I just wished it had more than what we got!
3) Thanksgiving Dinner: A book you want to read every year during this season
For this, I’ve chosen a very heartwarming and cosy story that just makes you want to snuggle up in bed with fluffy pillows and your worn in doona. 🥰 It also ends on a Turkey Day!
This had been on my TBR for years and I even had an Owlcrate special edition of it. I’m so glad that I loved this one when I finally picked it up! It’s a dark story but also somehow comforting.
5) Ham: A book that made your eyes glaze over (boring)
This should’ve been a DNF but I am nothing if not stubborn and I persevered (but at a cost?)! There were a number of disappointing reads for me this year, but this one was probably one of the top disappointments. For a retelling that had such a great story to work with and a unique spin it could’ve put on it, this was woefully and painfully boring.
6) Dinner Rolls: A book that melted your heart and made you feel warm
I’m no furry, but this book could’ve made me one, LOL! No, but seriously, this book was so delightfully heartwarming! With the amazing art and a wonderful storyline, I had such a fabulous time reading this and it’s definitely one of my favourites this year. Friends, it is so good!! 🥹
Oof, this was surprisingly difficult? Who knew I read so few books with white covers?!
This had been on my TBR for ages and it was a fairly fast-paced read and I do remember enjoying it! This family was so messy and while I’m not always a fan, I liked their story. It was so real!
8) Gravy: A book you’re not totally sure why you love, but you do
Hmm… This was another tough prompt that I was unsure about but I ended up going for this because… Well, there was a lot that (technically) should’ve annoyed me and did annoy me in the first book (which is why I didn’t enjoy it much), but I ended up finding okay here? I guess there was something about Genevieve’s story that just felt… More appealing to me? I don’t know. I’m not sure why I loved this but I did have a great time with it! 😂
Okay, so this isn’t a dessert book, however, it’s very sweet like one? Plus, our FMC is a pixie who owns a sweet shop in this monster town! This whole series is sweet and super sexy time with great found-family vibes.
Bonus: Black Friday – Top 5 books on your “I want to buy them” list
I mean, it’s so hard to choose five because there are definitely more than five I want to get but… Yeah, let’s go with these!
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher, The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia, My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, The Butcher’s Daughter by David Demchuk & Corinne Leigh Clark
And that’s all from me, folks! I won’t tag anyone but if you want to do the tag, feel free to grab it and link back so I can see your answers! 😃
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:
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Death (of a secondary character, off-page, recounted), cancer (of a secondary character, off-page, recounted), grief, loss, childhood abandonment, substance abuse/addiction (of a secondary character, brief mentions), animal captivity
TL;DR: I knew this was a well-loved novel, but I didn’t know what to expect from it other than the fact that there’s a sentient octopus, and a woman who’s still trying to come to terms with the tragic and unexplained death of her teenage son three decades ago. I wasn’t expecting to fly through these pages, but it was compulsively readable, and I was keen to see how the storylines intersected. Van Pelt did not disappoint! Tova, Cameron and especially Marcellus were great characters, and the other members of the Sowell Bay community that we meet along the way were equally entertaining (and so cheeky)—especially Ethan and the Knit Wits! This was a wonderfully written and heartfelt reflection about loss, grief, love, connection, and above all, family in all its forms.
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’ve spent the majority of my Sunday with Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I picked this up on a whim last night when I couldn’t decide what to read and it’s… not at all what I remembered it to be! 😂 First of all, how on earth did I read this when I was still in like Year 6 or something? While the cover and the memory of reading this always makes it one of my first picks when people ask about “books that remind you of your childhood”, it’s certainly not surprising that I don’t remember anything about it. I’m certain most of it would’ve probably gone over my head! I also had no recollection of this being so sexual? But yeah, wow, it’s very much so. LOL!
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:
End-of-Year Reading Goals
Prompts: What books do you want to read before the end of the year? Are there any new releases you’re still looking forward to? What goals did you set at the beginning of the year? Have you changed or added to those goals?
You, With A View Publisher: Berkley Pub Date: 6 July 2023 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (5 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.
Noelle Shepard is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.
Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.
It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.
⚠️CONTENT WARNINGS FROM THE AUTHOR
-Death of MC’s grandmother, which is off page in the past, of natural causes in her 80s. No terminal illness involved.
-Grief is experienced, discussed, and described by the MC throughout the text.
-There are brief discussions of a strained parent/child relationship between the LI and his father. There is plenty of healthy family dynamic representation with the MC’s family.
-Given the overall themes of the book, I feel it’s also important to mention that everyone’s parents are alive and well in the book and remain so. This is true for everyone in the book.
-Open door sex scenes.
TL;DR: You, With A View is a fun road trip romance that’s written so much heart. It’s more than just a romance between two people who have a long history of rivalry, it’s a story about coping with grief and loss, as well as accepting love. Noelle and Theo are realistic characters who are going through it, but over the trip, they come to accept change, believe in themselves, and learn that sometimes, it takes a while to find the right path for you, and that’s OK. I loved them so much, not to mention Paul and Noelle’s family too! Also, Joyce knows how to write sexual tension and chemistry so well because the slow-burn build up to the steamy scenes was chefs kiss! I adored Noelle and Theo’s banter and how satisfying it felt to see them together. 😍
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 