A short DITL vlog, plus a chatty, sit down update about life, editing, and my current works in progress.
The time has come for a proper sit down chat about life, writing, and the current state of my novels.
The first half of features a day in the life vlog and the second half is a lengthy, chatty writing update.
Timestamps available on YouTube.
I have (once again) been remiss in my updates… or, simply put, I couldn’t bother to post lol. I’m not sure if this will change in the future—part of me isn’t really interested in book blogging anymore and that’s ok. We all move on. Still, I like to keep a record for myself, and to inspire you all to pick up a title you might’ve missed.
My interests lie heavily in the romance genre and it’s the only thing keeping me sane lately.
In no particular order, here are the best books I read in 2023 (based on feels and vibes alone). These are my 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰 reads.
You can browse the full list of books I read in 2023 on my LibraryThing shelf.
Once again, I didn’t mean to take 5 months to post a reading update, but here we are. Some of these are briefer than others because I failed to write my notes as I read, but the ratings are as arbitrarily cakey as ever.
I Didn’t Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt by Madeleine Dore
Ironically, I set this one aside for a month or so because I couldn’t do the thing… I’m almost done and it’s been a great read so far and a solid reminder to let go of what isn’t serving.
The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today, vol. 1 by 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
If you’re looking for a sweet, slice-of-life manga about a somewhat hopeless mess of a 20-something and her human-sized cat, this is the one for you. Randomly picked it based on the title and it became an insta-fave. It’s only 5 volumes long, so worth a read if you’re looking for a short manga series.
Sweat and Soap, vol. 1-6 by Kintetsu Yamada 🍰🍰🍰🍰
One of my coworkers recommended this series after I mentioned that I like the more adult romance manga. It’s the story of a girl who suffers from excess sweating and a perfume expert who is captivated by her scent. Shenanigans ensue. It’s 11 volumes long, so I’m working my way through it.
Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai 🍰🍰🍰
I had mixed feelings about this one at first. Thought about DNF-ing at first, but I was stuck at the Dr.’s office and it was on my Kindle so I kept going and am happy I did. I prefer Alisha Rai’s earlier books (pre illustrated cover era), but this was a fun change and I enjoyed the heist element.
Rowankind by Jacey Bedford 🍰🍰🍰
I started reading this one in December 2021 and I kept setting it aside, distracted by new books and library holds, until I considered DNF-ing it. But I persisted and here we are. Book 2 is the strongest in the series IMHO, but if you’re into alternate British history with a fantasy element, and want to read something that isn’t set in Medieval England, give it a try.
The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
Britta and Wes were just what I needed to get out of a reading slump. Jess Owens mentioned this book in one of her reading vlogs and I was curious so I ordered it from the library and set my other books aside. It was perfect. A sweet but spicy slow burn romance between a writer embarking on a body positivity-inspired wellness journey and the CEO/fitness coach who takes her on as his client. You can feel the tension rolling off the page as they fall for each other.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰 and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert 🍰🍰🍰🍰
Lumping these two together because I binged them one after the other. Why only books 1 and 3? Because I read book 2 when it came out and had these on my TBR for-ever! Talia Hibbert can do no wrong. She gets the humor just right and hits all the marks with the romance. I loved Chloe and could relate to her struggles with chronic pain and really enjoyed Eve’s journey of discovery.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
Is Ali Hazelwood my new fave? Yes. Yes, she is. Tropey and familiar, but just what I needed when I was going through a rough time and desperately wanted something light and fluffy. I also love the side characters that Ali Hazelwood creates. They’re just a fleshed out as the mains and it makes for a good side plot.
A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn 🍰🍰🍰
YES! After DNF-ing the last installment, I’m happy to find that this one reignited my love for the mix of mystery and sexual tension that Deanna Raybourn does best. However, I kind of wish I read the book, rather than listened to the audio because the narrator’s rendition of male voices really messed with the one in my head. I’m not sure I would’ve gotten behind Stoker if the narrator’s rendition had been my first experience of the character.
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren 🍰🍰🍰
I did it. I finally found the Christina Lauren series that checks my box. I don’t know if it’s a reflection of the current trends in romance publishing or a sign of my penchant for high heat reads, but I’ve never been able to get into any of the other books I’ve tried by Christina Lauren. This being their first published series, I can finally see why they got so popular within the romance reader community. Boss billionaire romance isn’t my usual trope, but this one does it for me.
Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
This. This is the one that ticks all my boxes. If I had to recommend just one in this series, this would be it. Genuinely spicy with well-developed characters.
Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren 🍰🍰🍰
Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. I’m not into the “I knew her as a kid” trope, so this one didn’t quite land for me.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
I was ambivalent about this one for a while, but I finally gave in to the hype and have 0 regrets! This was just the fun sort of campy romance I think of when I think of true RomCom, with the perfect amount of angst to balance it out. So glad I gave it a try.
The Christmas One Night Stand by L. Steele
Got about a third of the way through this one but the plot dragged a bit and too much was tied to other couples in what I figure was an earlier part of the series or a related, sister series. 🤷♀️ I lost interest in the story.
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
I DNF-ed her second book and now her third. I think it’s safe to say Helen Hoang’s series isn’t for me.
Chase Wilde Comes Home by Jennifer Ryan
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My last reading update was posted in March and then life kind of ran away from me… I’m making no promises, but I’d like to do better this year. For the sake of closure, here is a very brief, purely subject list of my favorite reads, re-reads, and disappointments of 2022.
You’ll notice that my reading trended towards fantasy romance and romance for the most part. This list does not include non-fiction that I reviewed or read for work, but those happened too.
🎧 indicates audiobook
some titles are linked to my original review
These are my 5 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰 reads. The reads that got me out of a funk. The books that made me want to stay up late. The ones I purchased in print and added to the permanent collection…
❌ indicates DNF
Apparently, I never got around to posting January’s books amid all the new year excitement (and health drama), so here they are along with February’s reads.
Lore by Alexandra Bracken – Of course, all my holds came in at the same time… Loving this urban fantasy take on a Greek-mythology inspired Olympic murder fest. Basically, every 7 years the remaining gods battle it out, but the stakes are higher than ever.
The Art of Flaneuring: How to Wander with Intention and Discover a Better Life by Erika Owen – I’ve been reading this book on and off for the last year. It’s not fault of the book, it’s actually quite enjoyable, I’m just not in the frame of mind to read a book about exploring your city on foot when I can’t explore my city…
The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas – I never care about spoilers, but when I saw that this was the latest book on Heaving Bosoms, I paused and picked up my Kindle. I LOVED this book. St. Vincent is my surly hero. It hit all the marks for me–enemies to lovers, alpha hero who wants to make you comfortable, mildly high stakes. Just a win on all counts.
Naughty Brits by Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, Louisa Edwards, Tessa Gratton, and Sierra Simone – I really enjoyed these stories, particularly Tessa Graton’s, but I couldn’t finish Sierra Simone’s. It hit a few too many hard limits for me and I couldn’t get behind the story. Especially loved the way the novellas evoked various parts of Britain and the British Museum. Really makes me want to put London at the top of my list after the pandemic (I visited in 2005 and have been meaning to go back since).
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo – This book made me mad in the best way possible. Highly recommend! The opening is a little quirky, but so powerful by the time you get to the end. I can’t stop recommending it.
American Girl, Molly Collection by Valerie Tripp – Molly and Felicity are the two original AG’s I never got around to reading. I was feeling the need for a WWII story to remind me that the world has survived some pretty grim times… Is it just me or is Molly a little mean? There’s the usual didactic element to each volume, but Molly is a bit of a spoiled bully, something I didn’t get from the other girls in the original collection. Am I just being nostalgic?
Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi – I love starting the year with a self-improvement title. This came out during the wave of books about culturally inspired habits for happy lives… think Hygge and Lagom. Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy that encourages a balanced state of mind. It’s a quick, educational little book with lots of insight into the Japanese way of life.
Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole – this is the one that Sarah Maclean calls “Torture Island”. There’s definitely torture, not that this series is particularly light in general. I still enjoyed it. The reincarnation plot makes for some interesting stakes on top of the paranormal hunter/vivisection subplot.
None!
Well, not strictly true but the one book I DNFed ended up being number insert double digit here in a series and completely impenetrable, so I returned it to the library.
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