How long has it been since I've made a reading update? A few years, maybe?

My theme for 2026 was returning home, as in to myself. To the things that made me who I am, to who I was before getting re-married and moving to a state that the rest of us would never think to even move to. And for me, reading has played such a huge part of my life. From being one of the only kids in Kindergarten who could read by themselves to working in the library for most of my elementary years (and checking out an insane amount of books), to becoming a well known book blogger before accepting a job to Disney World.

I try to take it more seriously in the Fall since most of my favorite books fall into the genre's that just scream Fall, to me at least. Which is why I made my Annual Halloween Reading Challenge in 2008 and I've tried my best to keep up with it all these years. I actually look forward to this.

I recently finished Wildthorn, which is wild since this was a title I did get for review before it was released and I guess I just forgot about it? Or looked past it? I have no idea, but I was surprised to already see it in my Kindle library. This however, tends to happen a bit.

Wildthorn takes place in the 1900's when women were thrown into asylum's for whatever reason. It's such a cruel and unfair thing. Especially for the main character -- what her family did was beyond fucked up. I'll write my review of it soon, before I forget what pissed me the fuck off about it all. 

I've been diving back into researching various asylums, their lore, what they've turned into after all these years, what their ghost stories are... this is the result of your mom and all your friends and their moms working in an asylum while you were growing up. Literally, at some point my high school best friend along with both her parents AND her brother were all coworkers with my mom. Most of my close friends parents were also coworkers with my mom, including my baby daddy which I had no idea about until about five years ago. It was probably best I never knew, considering... how big of a crush I had on him growing up. The fact that so many people I grew up with also grew up with the stressors of our mom's working at that hospital and we all know the lore and the stories is wild. But also, when you're from a place like that it seems so... normal. Like the people who had parents who worked in other hospitals, it was like "wait what?" and after leaving home it was even more different. Like I'm the only person who had a parent who worked in an asylum lol.

I think culture shocks might be one of my favorite things about moving to so many states and different places. Like seeing just how different other peoples lives are from yours. It's so interesting.

On that note, I started reading A Cure for Dreaming which takes place in sort of the same time frame but doesn't really include an asylum. At least, I haven't came across one in the book yet but the main characters dad is just as fucked up, if not worse. It also amazes me just how long men have been trying to control every aspect of a woman's life as if that's okay or something.

The fact that saying a woman is worth marriage if she's submissive and quiet is insane. Beyond insane. By all means, please, don't marry me if you're upset I won't stfu. You're doing me a favor. Go build a fuckin house somewhere or something. Do something manly with your dumb ass.

I really hope the main character gets the fuck away from her psycho dad and finds the peace she's looking for. I honestly could not image being a woman back then, I'd stir up all kinds of problems. I mean I already stir up problems, esp when it comes to being a feminist, since I was 20. So that's not changing. 

This was a... nice little history trip to take, I guess, before the spooky season lol. Will my random researching of asylums slow down? Fuck no. Partly because I miss finding things to jump down rabbit holes about and because what better thing to read about?!

October's theme is going to be mostly botanical murder mystery because that's sort of my weakness. Give me plants that want to engulf people whole for no other reason than to cause chaos lol!

The air is cooling, the leaves are -- wait, never mind. This is Texas. The air doesn't cool until mid November. And do our leaves even change color?! As much as I love living in hot states, sometimes I miss the smell and the crisp feel of Fall air. In the meantime, I'll just blast the AC in my apartment and pretend it's also cold outside.

Fall in my apartment starts in July, I'm running a bit late this year. Between trying to salvage my mental health, getting ready for Tums to start school and adjusting to Winnie being a total Muffin and skipping her naps, it's been a different kind of busy for me over here.

I started this blog 11 years ago and my life has drastically changed since then. I never thought I'd have kids, for starters. And I never thought I'd be one of those parents who were counting down the days until school started again. But here we are. A lot a lot can happen in ten years.

My life switched up just like how my ex husband decided to switch up on me one day lmao. Craaaazy. Shout out to my cousin Raena who never gave up on the idea that I'd have kids some day despite what I kept saying... girl you got your wish! You'll love Tums, she's literally a smaller me haha!

Fall is the only time I make a TBR, and while it's been a few years since I've actually been active with completing it, I still look forward to making a list of books I probably won't read. It's the little things in life.

This isn't a solid final list but a few titles I am hoping to read this Fall.

House of Salt and Sorrows is one that I put down after coming across a rather creepy scene. I really need to finish it. I want to finish it. It's so intriguing. The Twelve Dancing Princesses was never on my list of favorite fairy tales but I'm finding that I enjoy the retellings more than any other one. 

Into a Wicked World is one I just started and unlike Dorothy Must Die I'm really enjoying this one. I think this was renamed? Or, I don't know. I know I bought the previous version of it. I'm a little confused at what happened with that but they shared the same cover until they didn't.

Once Upon a Broken Heart has been on my TBR for far too long. That's it. That's the reason. Oh and it's a retelling by an author I enjoy.

Gallant is one I started on my last plane ride. I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Cassidy Blake series and would had thought I'd pick up more of V's books but then I gave birth and reading just hasn't really been a thing I have the luxury of doing. This one is just as captivating, I really hope I get around to finishing this one this year!

Belladonna was one I got from OwlCrate a few years ago and I keep planning on picking it up every Fall season but then I don't get around to it. Almost tempted to start this one first just so that doesn't happen this year lol.

The Book of Living Secrets is one I literally just found and picked up today as I was browsing GoodReads lists. It sounds super interesting and the cover was what really caught my attention.

Are there any books you tend to set aside for a certain season or holiday to read them?

Do you have any books you plan to read this week/month?

Again, to see the covers click ⇢ H E R E.

RE - READS

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on. 

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived. 

But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.