Heyo! Welcome back to another installment of the On The Bookshelf series, where I recap all things bookish!

First, I want to briefly mention that I have a Goodreads account now! I’m still in the process of figuring it out, but you can check there for more up-to-date stats.

May has been busy, no doubt, but I was still able to finish two books, both of which were really fun. I’ve also come up with a more systematic approach to tackling my TBR… basically just reading my unread physical books in the order they appear on my bookshelf 😅

Anywho, on with the recap!

Currently Reading

Spoiler Alert- I finished Caraval recently, and (another spoiler alert) I LOVED IT. So naturally I had to order Legendary, the next book in the series. Caraval‘s epilogue had a cliffhanger, but the rest of the plot tied up nicely, so I think it could be read as a standalone. However, I really enjoyed Garber’s writing, so re-entering the world of Scarlett and Donatella was a no-brainer. So far, it’s pretty good, with a few questionable parts.

I was scrolling Goodreads when I stumbled across Regency & Regicide by J. J. Fischer. The premise is absolutely delightful! Here’s a bit of the blurb:

“When aspiring young novelist Miss Diana Crewe falls asleep on her manuscript in early nineteenth century England, the last thing she expects is to wake in the middle of the world she’s created…a world in which, she’s horrified to discover, she’s both venerated as a goddess and decried as a villain.“

A book with an author as a main character! Say no more! I instantly added it to my TBR.

Fast forward to yesterday, when I was sitting in the break room on my lunch and scrolling through my photos on my phone since I have recently gotten rid of my social media. With nothing else to do, I figured reading a book would be more productive than meaningless scrolling. After checking my TBR, I immediately scrambled over to Amazon to purchase this book. Thankfully, I had recently been gifted a gift card!

So far this book is lovely. The writing is BEAUTIFUL! The dedication really says it all:

“For anyone who ever wished that Jane Austen’s books had a few sword fights and carriage chases…”

Recently Finished

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I put off reading this book for so long. I saw it on nearly every “Clean Booktok Books” posts out there, I looked it up on Common Sense Media dozens of times, and yet I always labeled it as something I wouldn’t like. That is, until my coworkers teamed up on me and convinced me to read it.

And OH MY GOODNESS WHY DID I WAIT??? This is a masterpiece of a book. I could not stop reading, all the plot twists were extremely unexpected, and the writing flowed from one thing to the next perfectly. The characters were mostly great, with the exception of the love interest, who was a jerk (but I do generally dislike most love interests in Booktok books– I would much prefer a sunshiny sweet guy over a morally gray one 🤪).

Would you like a review for this book? I was thinking about doing a review of the full series… but let me know what you would like to see!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After finishing Caraval, I was in the mood for something lighter (okay, okay…. maybe I needed something to read to pass the time it took for Legendary to deliver), and Borrow My Heart was next on the list.

I was a little skeptical at first, and it was pretty slow at the start. I guess going from a fast-paced action-packed fantasy to a summery rom-com was a poor choice haha. But the story picked up a few chapters in and it ended up being a very sweet story. It made me laugh out loud and almost cry, and the characters were so fun and entertaining.

My only issue is the ending (hence the four stars). I don’t know how to explain it without spoiling it… but the ending was very unsatisfying. Maybe I’ll write a post about it.

On My TBR

Okay, okay… I know I’ve said I’d read Eragon so many times, but this time I’m serious. As I said before, I’m trying to read all my physical books before getting any new ones, and Eragon is next on the bookshelf (fun fact- my bookshelf is organized by color, so I’ve read all my red, orange, and yellow books that I own and I’m now onto the blues).

The thing that’s holding me back with this one is the sheer number of pages (497) and how TINY the print is. Plus, the prologue was confusing– which is making me nervous for the rest of the book. But it will be read! And hopefully soon!

Assuming I enjoy Legendary, Finale should be next on the list. I like to read my series’ all at once, so I don’t forget anything that happened. And since the world of Caraval is really complex, I want to make sure I remember all the little details.

On My Physical Bookshelf

As a part of a promotional deal that Amazon was running, I was able to snag Better Than The Movies for half price! This book has been on my TBR for a while, and my friends keep recommending it, so obviously I have to read it. It’s currently sitting on my desk since there’s no room for it in the bookshelf.

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Conclusion

Gosh, I just love books!

I’ve also been looking into annotating… but it seems so tiring! Do you annotate? If so, what’s your system? Do you recommend?

Have you read any of the books mentioned in this post? What are you currently reading? Any new books on your TBR? Any book recs for me?

Have a blessed day!!