For more information on the books click the title.

• I read 11 books this month
• I DNFd 0 books this month
• Genre: 3 fantasy, 2 contemporary fiction, 2 thriller, 2 romance,1 murder mystery and 1 sci-fi
• Gender of authors: 10 women and 1 man
• Race of authors: 5 white authors, 4 asian authors and 1 black author
• Age range: 6 adult and 5 ya
• Format: 6 paperback, 4 ebook and 1 hardback
• 4.3 stars average rating for the month

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes – Hisashi Kashiwai (3.5 stars)

Another beautiful and delicious installment to this series. This book series really feels like coming home and allowing yourself to get lost in the memories of the past. I enjoyed the shorter nature of these stories and their simplicity. This book is a great one to read when you need a break from the world and the intensity of some books out there. Truly a palette cleanser in book form!

What You Are Looking For is in the Library – Michiko Aoyama (4 stars)

Maybe it’s because I am a bookseller but I just love books about books. This is the perfect book to read when you want something uplifting but not unrealistic. If you want to read a book about hope, second chances and life without feeling like it unobtainable then read this book! There will 100% be one character in this book that you can relate to!

I See Your Face, Turned Away – Rumi Ichinohe (4 stars)

I flew through this volume wholly invested in the characters and the complicated romantic dynamics that exist in this story. I love the blossoming relationships of romance alongside the steadfast relationships of friendship we see with our 4 main characters. I found myself quickly changing the page as we uncovered more and more of Hikari’s true feelings towards her classmate Ohtani and wondered how this would change the group dynamic. I felt a strong bittersweet feeling as I want everyone to be happy but I know this is a story where heartbreak is imminent but I can’t look away. I need to know how this series ends.

Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie (4 stars)

I DNFd this years a go after I tried to read it after watching the Ustinov film and I was too confused. Gave it some time and came back hoping to love it and I did. Definitely way too many characters and slightly too many sub plots but the tension and atmosphere was great.

The Au Pair Affair – Tessa Bailey (4 stars)

Tessa Bailey is just unstoppable at the moment and The Au Pair Affair is evidence of that. Just like Fangirl Down this is a super fun, passionate and exciting romance novel in the world of hockey and penguins! Following characters from the book Fangirl Down we watch the love story of Burgess and Tallulah and this book was just so much fun. The one thing I did want to shout out is that Tessa Bailey’s characterisation is getting better and better with each book she writes and her writing Tallulah’s back story was handled with a lot of care and nuance which I thought was great. I normally associate Bailey as being the Queen of the RomCom but it was great to see her tackle more serious themes in her novels as of late!

The Maid and the Crocodile – Jordan Ifueko (4.5 stars)

Now this is set after the event of the Raybearer series but you do not need to read that series before you read this one to understand what’s happening. The world-building was great, the characters realistic and incredibly likeable, the magic so interesting. The conversations surrounding disability were great and it was great to have it be written realistically and not have toxic positivity surrounding it. The romance was EVERYTHING AND MORE!

Gentlest of Wild Things – Sarah Underwood (4.5 stars)

I had super high expectations going into this due to how much I loved Lies We Sing to the Sea and this book proves that Underwood is not a one book wonder. Smashed it yet again! The plot, the characters, the atmosphere were curated so beautifully in a very unsettling way. I loved the nods to the Eros and Psyche myth. It is so refreshing to see Greek Myth retellings done in this way rather than just making it a carbon copy. Underwood is creating something fresh and exciting without losing the appeal of the original myth.

DallerGut Dream Department Store – Lee Mi-ye (4.5 stars)

The book was just a wonder to read. I lost myself in this vibrant, bustling, and incredibly unique world that blends retail work with fantastical elements. I love how imaginative this realm of dreams is from dreams being treated like movies to Santa Claus being a literal character to the ups and downs of customer service. It was genuinely so much fun to lose myself in this story. The pacing for me moved fast with each chapter being quite short and snappy and focusing on a variety of different characters and scenarios. This book balances humour and fun with heart-felt emotional moments that had me tearing up in the staff room. If you want a short and sweet speculative novel about dreams and how they influence our lives for good. Read this.

Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals – (5/4.5 stars)

Rarely do I read the sequel straight after the first book. Normally I wait a year or so before reading the next one but this book was sooo good that I needed to know how it ended ASAP. Such an intricate plot, characters you love to hate, honestly you might need to draw a family tree. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED!

Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor (5 stars)

Words cannot explain the mastery at work in this book. Back when it first came out it was all over BookTube but it has since become an underrated gem. This is currently in the running for my no.1 place on my Top 20 books of the year!