So yeah. I skimped out last week with the weekly wrap-up. I honestly don’t know why really; I was feeling really burnt out on pretty much everything though, so that was probably it. But I’m doing it this week, and hopefully I’ll keep it up more consistently – as in every week like I should be.
My blog posting for the last two weeks was… okay. It could have been better, but I’m not gonna moan about it. It is what it is. I am rather disappointed with my reading however, and not just for the past two weeks either.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!
Wednesday 7/23: Can’t-Wait Wednesday
On Wednesday July 23rd, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. It’s officially a streak!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
On Friday July 25th, I participated in First Line Fridays for the first time in a couple weeks. I’m glad I’m doing it a bit more often again – so far.
First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words. It’s where you guess what book the post is highlighting based on the book’s first words.
Last Saturday, I posted another Bewitching Book Covers for the first time in two months. Wow, and I thought last time’s gap with this post was big.
Anyway, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly known as Majestic Mondays and Tasteful Tuesdays), is when I gush over a book cover that I like as well as analyze it (sometimes). I also typically give the book covers funny rating systems – not the usual blank out of five stars kind of thing.
This past Sunday, I finally did another book review. It was the first time in like a month. Ugh, what am I doing?!
Anyway, it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, the first volume of the fantasy webcomic Aurora by Red of Overly Sarcastic Productions. I’ve thought it was fantastic for awhile, and this physical release only made me continue to love it just as much, if not more. I gave it ★★★★★.
So yeah, the past two weeks have been a little meh in terms of everything for me. I kind of took a week off, so I’m hoping that will help with my productivity and motivation. We’ll see though.
I’m not completely decided on the posts I’m gonna do this week, except for my Most Interesting Looking New Books of August 2025. I also am not fully committed to a specific book (or books) that I’m gonna read this week, but I’m thinking it has a good chance of being the next arc of One Piece. I’m hoping to get in a couple of the novels that I’ve had for a few months but haven’t gotten around to reading yet this month as well, though, as well.
Nothing has really changed outside of the reading and blogging part of my life. We’re still trying to watch what we eat and trying to be more productive.
Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Geez, it’s been forever since I’ve done one of these. Over two months, huh? It’s also been a little bit since I’ve posted in general. I definitely didn’t intend for either of those things to happen, but, oh well. Anyway, let’s get into showing off a Bewitching Book Cover.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.
This week, the book cover that I’m highlighting is A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury. This is a pretty recent release that’s been on my radar for a couple of months.
Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother – even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.
When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.
The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.
Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne… and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.
Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.
Book Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 4 feathers from a monstrous bird
A Mastery of Monsters has one of the simpler book covers of those that I’ve reviewed previously, but I still enjoy it. It isn’t as simple as other covers I’ve highlighted in this post, either. There’s a lot I like about it either way.
I really like how the background is primarily green. Green is one of my favorite colors, so I’m definitely biased on that front, but I also think it complements the rest of the book cover really well. The title font is also really cool looking, and I love the shade of gold chosen for it. Green and gold also normally go together really well too, and the same is true here.
The bird is centered really nicely, and it being pinned with a pair of knives is also interesting. My favorite thing about this part of the cover art, though, is probably the monstrous bird-like shadow behind the bird. I really like the stuff it’s implying, and it just makes the cover look more awesome.
So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read A Mastery of Monsters? If you have, what did you think of it?
Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!
So… yeah… this is late. I don’t have an excuse. It was just a bit of a rough start to the week for me, I guess. At least I can say it’s not Thursday this time? (I hate that I can say that.)
Though last week wasn’t great in the reading books department, it was pretty good for the blog posting department. I finally did more than two posts in a week in July 2025! Yay! Four would’ve been better, but, oh well.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!
Wednesday 7/16: Can’t-Wait Wednesday
Last Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. One more week and it’ll be a streak!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
On Thursday, I posted my Monthly Reading Wrap-Up for June 2025. It was posted later than I’d have liked, but with all the stuff at the beginning of this month, I’m not surprised or too disappointed it took this long. For those who don’t know, monthly wrap-ups are when I go over the books I read over the past month, as well as my stats over on The StoryGraph.
This past Saturday, I participated in Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.
Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was July, and its birthstones is ruby. So the color of the month was red.
So yeah, my blog activity was pretty decent part week, and I’m happy with it. Regarding books and reading them though… yeah that could’ve been better. I dunno what it is about the summer months – I just have more trouble than normal getting into books and stuff.
This week I’m just planning on some of the usual stuff. Like, I’ll participate in or do some of the usual suspects. You know. I also want to try and finish a book and maybe do a review of it before the end of the week. Hopefully.
Last week was cleaning week, so we cleaned the house and stuff. Other than that, it’s pretty much just the same old kind of thing going on. Just watching what we’re eating and taking care of ourselves.
Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Hello and Happy Wednesday everybody! There’s a lot of books coming out lately that I’ve been interested in! Two weeks in a row!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.
This week’s book is:
A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury! 🪶📚
This is one of the books coming out in 2025 that I’m pretty interested in. It has a great title and a great cover, and the book description is also pretty intriguing.
Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother – even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.
When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.
The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.
Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne… and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.
Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.
Are you looking forward to the release of A Mastery of Monsters? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?
As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!
Hey there everybody! Another month, another bunch of new books that are coming out! Yep, it’s The Most Intriguing New Books of July 2025.
This used to be a quarterly post, but I’ve recently decided to do it monthly instead. Also, even though this post is about new releases, it’s primarily focused on fantasy and science fiction, as those are the genres I tend to prefer to read. (Not to say other genres won’t ever appear on these lists – it just isn’t super likely; it’s likely to be a very rare occurrence if it happens at all.)
If you’ve seen this post by me before, you know the drill; I’m only interested in these books – there’s no guarantee that I’m gonna read all of them. There’s not even a guarantee that I’m gonna read even half of them. We shall see. Anyway, let’s get going! This month there are four books that have caught my eye.
RELEASING: July 1st
A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars.
Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that follow, she and the Thief form a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.
Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief’s mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers’ shared history, and the lies she tells herself.
RELEASING: July 15th
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.
Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.
This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.
This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.
Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.
RELEASING: July 29th
Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother—even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.
When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.
The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.
Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.
Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.
RELEASING: July 29th
Fans of the hit webcomic Aurora, will delight in the first series installment in print, which follows a found family of heroes on a journey to save a god from an immortal witch.
The shining city of Vash in the world of Aurora is protected by a great and powerful god of the same name, but even Vash’s incarnation cannot withstand the Collector, an immortal sorceress bent on unmaking the world. Vash’s city is destroyed and his soul abducted, leaving only ruins and the wounded, empty body of his incarnation. When newborn soul Kendal awakens in the body, he is driven to rescue the imprisoned Vash. Now Kendal must grapple with living as a mortal and defeating a force powerful enough to sunder the gods.
Kendal is aided by the friends he makes along the way: Alinua, a volatile elven hermit terrified of her uncontrollable life magic; Erin, the prideful Elemental Magus, master of all six elements, who is burdened with a world-shattering curse; and Falst, a surly beastman trying to find his way in a world that hates him. Together, they will journey through magic and mystery, explore perilous environments, and confront ancient forces. Stars dance beyond the shimmering curtains of Aurora; it is time to draw those curtains back…
With exclusive author commentary and bonus story content, Aurora (Volume 1) has plenty for both fans and new readers to enjoy.
So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in the in July 2025 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?
As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
