The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week and Happy Christmas Eve Eve! 🎅

I hope you’ve been good this year and that Santa brings you some nice presents!

A Sunday post on a Saturday because I’ll be doing family stuffs tomorrow! This week has been busy at work trying to get everything done that I wanted to and also finishing off last minute Christmas offerings but we are ready!

I managed to read a couple of books from my tbr this week and also a buddy read of Crescent City to get up to date for when book 3 is released.

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New Arrivals

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

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What I’ve Read

🎧 The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🎧 Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧Crescent City 1 by Sarah J Maas (reread)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!

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You might have missed…..

Blogmas – Books I Didn’t Read in 23
Review – Once Upon a Frosted Star by MA Kuzniar
Blogmas – Beat the Backlist: a close
Blogmas – Best Books of 2023

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What have you read lately?

HAPPY BLOGMAS!

Here we are with the end of the year fast approaching and a time to reflect on the best reads of the year!

We all love books here so wanted to spread the love and post about them!

I did a post halfway through the year which you can see here  and these are the rest of the fabulous books I’ve loved this year (not necessarily released then, I read then!)

I’ve read so many great books this 2nd half of the year but these are the ones that really stood out to me:

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Fall of Wrath and Ruin by JLA
House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A Craig
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Heartsong by TJ Klune

What have been your best books of this year?

BEAT THE BACKLIST CHALLENGE

Happy Blogmas!

I joined in with Novelknight’s 2023 challenge and here we are at the end!

I had 60 backlist books on 31st December 2022, and I knew it would be too much pressure to say I’d read them all, so I said I’d like to read 20.

• By the end of April, I had 30 left on my list,
• By the end of September, I had 18 left on my list,
• At this point, I have 12 left on my list!

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t read all 60! But I did read the 20 I said I would (I actually read 30 in the end)!!

For the rest, I did a huge unhaul, I was ruthless! And it felt so refreshing!

Here’s some that I read in the last quarter:

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Malice by Heather Walter
Penmort Castle by Kristen Ashley
Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin
Happyhead by Josh Silver
Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston
Hollen the Soulless by Denali Day

I’m doing my own challenge for 2024 – you can join HERE

I’ve racked up so many new books I haven’t read in 2023 so it’s ON!!!!

Title: Once Upon a Frosted Star

Author: MA Kuzniar

When the snow falls, she will be free…

The invitations always arrive the same way – without warning, appearing around the city on the first snowfall of the year, simply inscribed with ‘Tonight.’

When struggling artist, Forster, finds an invitation, he’s bewitched by the magic of the evening, swept up in the glamour of this notorious annual party and intrigued as to who is behind them.

Determined to find out more about the mysterious host, Forster discovers an abandoned manor house silent with secrets and a cursed woman who is desparate to be free…

‘Second star to the right and straight on til morning.’

Forster, Marvin and Rose follow those instructions and it’s the start of a tragic love story in this historical fantasy read……

Forster is intrigued by the mysterious host of the annual lavish parties so investigates and this leads him to Odetta. But she has a few secrets……and a curse. I won’t say anymore about the plot though!

The start was very slow, I really only got into it around the halfway mark but I did love the setting, all wintery, and perfect for this time of year and the writing was beautiful and tore at my heart!

I also loved how Detta didn’t really hide anything from Forster and that he was so smitten with her that he’d do anything to help her but, like Marvin and Rose, Forster just fell a bit flat for me and I found them a bit dull.

I did enjoy Midnight in Everwood but think this book was slightly more raw and real.

Happy Blogmas!

I thought it might be fun to look back at my tbr books that were added this year but I didn’t get a chance to read.

I thought I’d done really well at reading books I’d bought this year but I counted 39 books that I haven’t read, bought tears to my eyes!!!

So I have added only 5 here, I won’t bore you with the whole 39!!!!

What about you, have you got a lot of books left over?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week!

This week bought us that much closer to Christmas! I went to the shops and what a mistake that was! It was absolutely packed and I had to drive around the car park 6 times to get a space! Please remind me of this at the same time next year because I’m sure I’ve made that ‘mistake’ before!!!!

This week also saw my Dad’s birthday (we had a lovely meal out!) and also my sons last day at school for Christmas break.

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New Arrivals

Nothing! Woohoo!

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What I’ve Read

🎧 Defiant by Brandon Sanderson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🎧 The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!

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You might have missed…..

Blogmas – Audiobook Challenge (a close)
Unboxing – Fairyloot YA: November
Blogmas – look back at 23, then forward to 24
Unboxing – Fairyloot Adult: November
Blogmas – Series finished in 23

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What have you read lately?

Happy Blogmas!

I think it’s always nice to look back and see that I’ve accomplished something in the year so thought I’d see if I finished any series in 2023!

I finished 12 series and was mostly saved by Rick Riordan!!! I was really hoping for more….maybe next year!!

(Also let’s not talk about how many series that I haven’t finished and also new ones I’ve started this year *incoherent mumbles* )

So here we go……

1) The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare
2) The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
3) Air Awakens by Elise Kova
4) Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee
5) Bonds That Tie by J Bree
6) Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
7) The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
8) Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
9) Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan
10) Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan
11) The Last Binding by Freya Marske
12) Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

How many series did you finish this year?

Fairyloot Adult – November 2023

By the Sword

A body double of a Prince and a magic wielding physician are both drawn into a web of mystery and conspiracies.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Exclusive redesigned cover @merwildandco
Digitally sprayed fore edge @blanca.design
Foiled hardcover @blanca.design
Endpaper art @merwildandco
Digital signature
Bonus content
Ribbon bookmark

Each year I make some reading goals (and normally fail most every year!!!) so now I’m looking back at this year and examining and seeing if I can tweak for 2024!

For 2024 I’m going to read what I want!

I’m a mood reader but am also a yes man!!! I say yes to any book that comes my way so this year I tried to change that and it didn’t really work!! I need to work on requesting arcs for 2024….see below!!!!

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Don’t go mad with arcs!

I say this every year and always succumb to the fomo at least twice a year and the same was true for 23! I immed and ammed whether to take this out as I just don’t improve but decided to leave in, well because, goals!

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Fairyloot and Illumicrate books

Read within 2 months of receiving.

This didn’t go quite to plan for 2023 so am leaving in for 2024 to see if I can actually do it!

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Read tbr

Here we go again, same old, same old….but I had to put it in! I did make a big dent in my tbr this year so want to continue….but all these new releases are so tempting!!!

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Reading Challenges

I do love a reading challenge but because I’m such a mood reader, I can’t name books. This worked well in past years so will carry this on for 24!

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So that’s it.

Too ambitious?What are your reading goals for 2024?