Welcome to On The Bookshelf, a new monthly (or maybe biweekly…?) post series where I review my recent reads, my TBR, my kindle bookshelf, and my physical bookshelf! This should be a fun way for you to get to know me and my reading habits.

This month has not been the most productive reading month so far. I planned to read 4-5 books in January, but so far, I’ve only finished 2. I don’t want to pressure myself to finish more, as that would take the fun out of reading, but I’m hoping to finish at least one more book before February.

Currently Reading

I bought the eBook for Wishtress a while ago, but I only read a few pages before putting it down. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of praise for this book, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to finish it this time around. I started it yesterday, and so far it’s pretty slow. But I’m going to keep pushing through!

I very much dislike this series, but the cliffhangers are killing me. I’m around 1/3 of the way through this one, but it’s thick, and there’s one POV that I really hate. I’m focusing more on Wishtress right now, but I might switch back. (I’ll probably do a review on this series, so stay tuned!)

Just Finished

Finished 1.22.25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AAHHH THIS BOOK!!! So, so good. At first, it was a little slow, but then it picked up and I couldn’t put it down. Vaeryn and Ezro’s dynamic is just… chef’s kiss 👌🏻. The tension was intense, the ending was heartbreakingly perfect. I can’t wait for the next book!

On My TBR

A Noble Warrior looks so good. I’ve read many great reviews for this one, and I can’t wait to read it. And it’s a fairytale retelling, which I want to read more of. Also, the cover is gorgeous, and I need it on my bookshelf.

I’ve been hearing really good things about The Nightingale Trilogy recently, and it seems like a book that is right up my alley. Hopefully, I’ll get to it in February.

On The Kindle Bookshelf

I saw Dragon’s Kiss advertised on YouTube as a “clean fantasy” book. So I bought it. I started it, but then I got into Matched, so I didn’t make much progress. We’ll see if I’ll get to it.

This one looked good, but I’m a little scared to read something from the lady that brought us The Selection (a scarring series, for me). However, I LOVE the cover, and I will probably try to read it again in February.

On The Physical Bookshelf

Someone told me that Uglies was a nice, clean read, so I snagged it from my local bookstore. The premise isn’t really appealing to me, so I haven’t read more than the first page.

My mother gifted me The Choosing for Christmas, with the comment, “It looks like your writing.” When I flipped to the first page…. it true. Do I have a twin? Holman’s writing style is so similar to mine. The premise is interesting, but the sheer size of the book is currently keeping it on the shelf.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post! 2025 is shaping up to be a very bookish year. Stay tuned for the next installment of On The Bookshelf!

What books are on your TBR? Finish any amazing books lately? Do you have more physical or eBook copies of books?

Have a blessed day!

Cally May Avatar

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7 responses to “On The Bookshelf – 1.23.25”

  1. Hannah Ruth Johnson Avatar

    I’ve been really enjoying Tessa Afshar’s biblical fiction lately, other than one that was a bit inappropriate by my standards. Honestly, I don’t really read eBooks as much as I can avoid it… I’d much rather have a physical copy from the library! I have to read a lot of etexts for school, so that might be why…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Cally May Avatar

      I’ll have to check those out! Do you ever have trouble with biblical fiction books being unbiblical? Or ones that seem to stretch what really happened? Of course, it is fiction, but I don’t want to read anything that may mess with my faith, if that makes sense.

      Bummer that one was inappropriate! What was the title so I can avoid it?

      I totally get that. I don’t really enjoy eBooks, and I only read them if the paperback copy is too expensive, I’m not sure if I’ll like it and therefore I don’t want to commit the bookshelf space to it, or I don’t like the cover 😂 The only reason I got my Kindle is because none of the libraries in my area had the book Vivid, and for some reason, buying the paperback version was not an option for me.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hannah Ruth Johnson Avatar

        Daughter of Rome had a bit more sexual content than I was comfortable with. I get that about biblical fiction, though! It definitely is fictionalized quite a lot to become a novel, however, I think it’s kind of cool to be able to get into the story to that level. Sometimes it does bug me a bit when they mess with the story too much, but mostly I find it very interesting.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Lucia’s Fiction Avatar

    Fun post! January has not been a reading month for me… at all! I’ve read only one full book so far (which I loved!) but I get distracted with rereading my own stories, or even watching movies 😄 Maybe February will be better!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Cally May Avatar

      Thank you! Yeah… I set an impossible goal to read 50 books this year, and I’ve been basically panic-reading lol. What was the book? Rereading is sooooo fun, especially if you wrote it a few years back and just so happen to stumble across it when scrolling through google docs 🤪 Here’s to a productive February!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Lucia’s Fiction Avatar

        ‘Panic-reading’ 😂 Wishing you the best with your goal 📚 Book is Change of Heart by Courtney Walsh. It seems I’m in a CF contemporary book mood with a merge of low and high stakes! Yes rereading was AMAZING and reminded me why I really want to publish it! Cheers 🍻

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  3. On The Bookshelf – 2.21.25 – Cally May Writes Avatar

    […] may have noticed that certain sections from the first installment are missing, and some are added. I think I’ll fluctuate the sections depending on how the […]

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