📖 A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

Quick take: All the stars! I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. This made me laugh out loud throughout the ENTIRE book. My husband even popped his head into the room when I started listening to find out what was going on. 100% recommend listening to the audiobook, but as Colin Jost recommends, buy the book too.

⭐️ 5/5 stars - loved it!

Other Notes:

• The audiobook had me chuckling to myself right from the get go and it just kept going.

• Random tidbit: he didn’t learn to speak until he was 4!

• Self-deprecating, beating the bullies to the punch.

• Absolutely hilarious. Does the limit exist for how many times an adult can poop their pants?! You just might find out while reading this book.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

If you enjoy reading my reviews: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📖 All of Us Monsters by E. Barbee

Quick take: Lovely indie Romantasy debut by an author that I highly recommend checking out! Perfect for fans of no spice but amazing slow burn chemistry. Touches on political tyranny and rebellion and bravery - embracing the good in people even when they’re different than you.

⭐️ 5/5 stars - loved it

• Beautiful author’s dedication

• Tropes: fake engagement, werewolf paranormal, prophecy, journey/quest vibes, slow burn, touch her and die jealousy vibes

• Made me cry ugly tears - it packed an emotional punch

• Book 1 in a new series; ends with a cliff hanger - impatiently waiting for book 2!

• Available in Kindle Unlimited (but the physical book has beautiful illustrations and a fun map inside!)

Proceed with caution ⚠️

• Adopted family, (somewhat mild off-page) domestic abuse

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

I had the opportunity to meet the author on Indie Bookstore Day at a local bookshop in Camas, WA and snagged a beautiful signed copy. One of the many reasons I love living in the PNW is having access to the bookish world and getting to meet authors in person!

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. I received a copy of this book for free but opinions are all my own.

📖 Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Quick take: I absolutely devoured this book - it’s so good and I highly recommend it! It made me giggle out loud and it made me cry ugly tears, so needless to say, this was emotionally engaging and receives a glowing 5 star rating from me.

⭐️ 5/5 loved it!

Other Notes:

• Main character is 89

• Nonlinear timeline - goes in order of oldest to most current, mixed with current

• Emotional & reflective: Made me laugh out loud and it made me 😂 😭

• Good vs bad, authenticity and being your true self

Proceed with caution ⚠️⚠️

• Infidelity, cancer, grief, divorce

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Apologies for sending out the holiday list a bit late, I was off enjoying my birthday yesterday and it was lovely taking some time to myself.

I know I say this every month, but how on earth is it already June?! It’s true what they say, the days are long but the years are short. The first few months flew by but they were filled with tons of fun moments and milestones in our house. As always, there’s tons of fun holidays to celebrate this month.

Bookish-wise I’m looking forward to celebrating Pride month and a few cultural month celebrations as well (Portuguese and Caribbean-American), so I’m hoping to see some great recommendations to continue my efforts of reading more diversely.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

ICYMI - Recent bookish posts:

• The Beauty of Blank Bookshelves

ICYMI - Recent book reviews:

• Review: Maybe a Note Would Help

• Review: The Ordeals

• Review: Dessert Can Save the World

If I’ve encouraged you to purchase a copy of any of the books I’ve read, please consider using my affiliate links to help support my blogging costs and reading habits.

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

June’s holiday lists:

What did you enjoy celebrating in May? What are you most looking forward to in June?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

The juxtaposition of unread books amongst old (and new) favorites on the filled shelves nearby. Stories that were lovingly written, waiting to be picked up, enjoyed, and cherished. Stories that were dreamt up, drawn out, and labored over. Stories that will engage, inspire, and ruin in the best way.

Blank shelves are like a fresh canvas waiting for that first flick of paint.

I love that I can rearrange my shelves and contemplate and plan out where my books will all live. Do I refresh what I already have by arranging my fiction alphabetically by publisher and then alphabetically by author within, do I go classic with alphabetizing by author only, or do I go full whimsical and create a rainbow of spines? The last one is visually stunning but would make it too difficult to find anything. 

I'm leaning towards organizing my fiction alphabetically by publisher, my nonfiction by genre, and because I enjoy having my up next TBR shelf in rainbow order, I think I'll keep that going as well. Essentially a refresh of the system I had in place that worked until my shelves began overflowing into bookish chaos. But then I think that classic alphabetical by author only would make the most sense. And do I mix in my subscription books form Book of the Month, Allurial, and Aardvark? Do I keep a separate display section for winter holidays and halloween witchy books? Do I keep a display section with sprayed edges? Oh decisions, decisions.

On the flipside of working on creating a beautifully refreshed library, I now have a dozen piles of books waiting to be sold or donated -- to be more precise I have about 26 dozen books now begging to be rehomed. I blame all of this on the need for spring cleaning that recently hit me. I’ve already donated a stack to my local friends of the library but I’ve still got a ridiculous amount of books to get through. (Thinking of doing a Substack share giveaway for a small stack… let me know if you’d be interested!) Although it's given me more work to do, I do appreciate that it pushed me to purge books I know I'll never get around to reading, giving them a new home and a new opportunity to be read and enjoyed.

Q: How do you have your bookshelves organized?

With joy from the stacks

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

If you enjoy reading my reviews please let me know: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

How is it already May?! It’s true what they say, the days are long but the years are short. The first few months flew by but they were filled with tons of fun moments and milestones in our house. As always, there’s tons of fun holidays to celebrate this month.

Bookish-wise I’m looking forward to celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month and celebrating Jewish authors and Jewish joy!

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

ICYMI: Links to recent book reviews:

• Review: Maybe a Note Would Help

• Review: The Ordeals

• Review: Dessert Can Save the World

If I’ve encouraged you to purchase a copy of any of the books I’ve read, please consider using my affiliate links to help support my blogging costs and reading habits.

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

May’s holiday lists:

What did you enjoy celebrating in April? What are you most looking forward to in May?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

I’ve always believed in the power of a handwritten note and was delighted to discover this book. The title and cover alone drew me in and the description made this an auto preorder for me!

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. I received a copy of this book for free but opinions are all my own.

📖 Maybe a Note Would Help by Kristen Tremonti Reiter

✍🏼 Pub Date: 4.28.26 | 165 Pages | Published by SheWritesPress

⭐️ Rating: 5/5

Quick Take: I loved it! I’m feeling so inspired by this book. Part memoir, part note writing guide, full stop inspirational. It’s a must read for anyone looking to make stronger connections with the loved ones in their lives.

Reading this made me reminisce and unlocked old memories; I used to be much better about sending thank you’s and notes to friends and family and I’d really like to get back into that.

So much of this books spoke to my soul and I’m excited to reignite my love of hand-written notes. I’m also planning to get back into journaling, though I think I’ll continue to journal digitally and then print them out into a book. I type almost as fast as I think and I write fairly slow and somewhat messy.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

🤔 Do you enjoy sending/receiving hand-written notes? Who was the last person you wrote a note to and what was the occasion?

🔖 Hand written notes • nonfiction • annotated books

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

How on earth are we already in the second quarter of the year?! The first few months flew by and I can hardly believe it’s already April. As always, there’s tons of fun holidays to celebrate this month. I’ll start with a wrap up of last month’s reading then I’ll get into all the reasons to celebrate this month.

March by the numbers:

• Books Read: 4

• Format: 2 print, 1 ebook, 1 audio

• New to me authors: 2

• Books in a series: 1

• DNF’s: 1

2026 so far (as of the end of March)

• Books Read: 17

• Format: 8 print | 5 ebook | 4 audio

• Fiction: 13 / Nonfiction: 4

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

Finished Reading - March 2026

March was a slower reading month for me but it was a high quality successful month - I loved all the books I read; 3 new 5 stars and one 4.5 read. I’m also more than halfway through a few books, so I imagine April will be a much busier reading month from a finished book perspective. I’m also trying to be more mindful of screen time to have more reading time — I’m laughing at myself while I type up this post on my phone, but hey it’s better than watching tv!

ICYMI: Links to recent book reviews:

• Review: The Ordeals

• Review: Dessert Can Save the World

If I’ve encouraged you to purchase a copy of any of the books I’ve read, please consider using my affiliate links to help support my blogging costs and reading habits.

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

April’s holiday lists:

What did you enjoy celebrating in March? What are you most looking forward to in April?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

I wasn’t very active here on Substack in March and as I’m drafting up my April holiday post, I realize I never shared the March list. I shared it on Instagram but completely forgot to share it here too. Back-dating and sharing in case anyone likes to print them and place in your agenda the way I do!

February by the numbers:

• Books Read: 5

• Format: 2 print, 2 ebook, 1 audio

• New to me authors: 1

• Books in a series: 2

• DNF’s: none

2026 so far (as of the end of February)

• Books Read: 13

• Format: 5 print | 5 ebook | 3 audio

• Fiction: 9 / Nonfiction: 4

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

Finished Reading - February 2026

ICYMI: Links to recent book reviews:

• Review: The Ordeals

• Review: Dessert Can Save the World

If I’ve encouraged you to purchase a copy of any of the books I’ve read, please consider using my affiliate links to help support my blogging costs and reading habits.

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

March’s holiday lists:

What did you enjoy celebrating in March?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

In case you missed it, Heated Rivalry is EVERYWHERE and people are obsessed with the show and the actors - for good reason, have you seen HudCon?! 🔥😳😍 Important note; the show is based on the Game Changers series and the first book is Game Changer, not Heated Rivalry. I prefer to read a series in order so I’m glad I checked before stating this!

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📱 Game Changer by Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry #1) ✨ ebook unlocked in Everand

⭐️ Rating: 4.5 stars, loved it!

🔗 Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Target | The Storygraph

Quick take: I used my first Everand unlock of the year on the ebook and loved it! I enjoyed it so much that I’m planning to use my monthly Everand unlock on the rest of the series and will eventually plan to buy physical copies if they do special editions or as a special boxed set once the full series is complete.

Read if you like (notes, tropes, & thoughts):

🔥 Super steamy

🔥 MM main character romance

🏒 Sports romance - hockey

🧋 Meet cute involving blueberry smoothies

🌈 Closeted to coming out

💕 Favorite supporting characters: Scott’s teammate Greg Huff, Kip’s best friend Elena

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

Check out my Substack blog for more bookish content, miscellaneous notes, and joyful finds!

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Everyone has a unique story to tell, the threads of what makes you who you are, and there’s someone that wants to know your story. One of the things I’d like to work on is a memoir of sorts to leave for my daughter.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. I received a copy of this book for free but opinions are all my own.

📖 Life After Ambition by Amil Niazi ✨ 207 pages | Hardback copy gifted from Atria

⭐️ Rating: 4.5, Loved it

🔗 Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | Libro.fm | The Storygraph

Quick take: 4.5 loved it. Thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as a mom. Thoughtful, raw, and heartbreaking, yet hopeful and inspiring.

Read if you like (background, notes, & thoughts):

• Coming of age, experiencing racism, domestic violence, infertility struggles,

• Deep and heartbreaking yet also inspiring and humorous.

• Woman of color - Muslim woman that grew up in London and Canada

• Themes and content warning: Poverty, trauma, domestic violence, addiction. Infertility struggles.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📱 Steal My Heart (Rosewood River #1) by Laura Pavlov | 359 pages ✨ ebook available in Kindle Unlimited

⭐️ Rating: 4.5, loved it!

🔗 Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | Target | The Storygraph

Quick take:

4.5 stars, loved it! Pretty darn steamy, not for the faint of heart. Enjoyed the overall story and writing style. First in a 6 book series available in KU that I’m planning to binge my way through!

Read if you like (notes, tropes, & thoughts):

• Small town with cowboy vibes: Rosewood River

• Tropes: workplace romance

• Touches on grief and loss, fear, anxiety attacks, therapy

• Juxtaposition of family dynamics - loving and caring vs wealthy and cold. Big loving family.

Series by Laura Pavlov

1. Blushing Series (2)

2. Rosewood River Series (6)

3. Magnolia Falls Series (5)

4. Cottonwood Cove Series (5)

5. Honey Mountain Series (5)

6. Willow Springs Series (5)

7. Montgomery Brothers (3)

8. A Love You More Rockstar Romance (3)

9. Shine Design Series (2)

10. The G.D Taylor Series with Willow Aster (5)

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

After watching the second movie and discovering that she had written a nonfiction book, I knew I had to read it. I would’ve loved to have listened to the audio, but I’m so glad I read the physical book because I marked it up left and right.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📖 Simply More by Cynthia Erivo | Hardback purchased B&N

⭐️ Rating: 5 stars - Loved it!

🔗 Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Target | The Storygraph

✍🏼 Quick Take: A beautiful reminder to look for the small joys in your everyday life. I absolutely loved this book and will never stop recommending it. If you’re the type to annotate books, I highly recommend buying a physical copy - my copy has over 35 quotes marked along with a dozen thought-provoking questions.

Read if you like (notes, tropes, & thoughts):

• Dedication: One of sweetest dedication pages ever. I could probably convince you to read this book by this dedication alone.

• Short chapters

• Entertaining insight. Authentic and raw.

• Queer, BIPOC nonfiction

• I love the letter she wrote to her younger self

• I love the way she has thought provoking questions throughout the book that are relevant to the theme or topic of the passage.

• I enjoyed the way the book was laid out and compared to running. I love how she writes about connecting with her body and the world around her while running. I’m not someone that enjoys running but I admire the strength and endurance that it takes.

• Topics: purpose and passion. Being true to yourself and who you are, authenticity. Perseverance.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

January was equal parts quick and slow for me. The state of the U.S. is scary and now more than ever, is a great reminder to embrace the joy in every day life while we can. One positive note is that January was an extremely successful reading month for me, I loved everything I read!

January by the numbers:

• 8 books finished

  • 4 print, 2 ebook, 2 audiobook

  • 4 nonfiction, 3 romance, 1 romantasy

  • 8 loved; 2 new forever favorites

  • 7 new to me authors

  • 2 gifted books from publishers

  • 3 new romance series started

  • 1 romantasy duology started

• DNF’s: none!

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

Finished Reading - January 2026

1. 📖 The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw ✨ Hardback copy purchased from OUABC Box Up All Night Box | 5 stars - Loved it! | Review linked below

2. 🎧 Dessert Can Save the World by Christina Tosi ✨ audiobook purchased from Audible | 5 stars - Loved it! | Review linked below

3. 📖 Simply More by Cynthia Erivo ✨ Hardback purchased from B&N | 5 stars - Loved it! | Review coming soon!

4. 📱 Steal My Heart by Laura Pavlov #1 in the Rosewood River series ✨ ebook available in Kindle Unlimited | 4.5 stars loved it | Review coming soon!

5. 📖 Life After Ambition by Amil Niazi ✨ Hardback gifted from Atria | 4.5 loved it | Review coming soon!

6. 📱 Game Changer by Rachel Reid #1 in the Heated Rivalry series ✨ ebook Unlocked in Everand | 4.5 stars loved it | Review coming soon!

7. 🎧 Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws ✨ Audiobook purchased in LibroFM | 4.5 stars loved it | Review coming soon!

8. 📖 Same by Hannah Rosenberg ✨ Paperback gifted from SMP | 5 stars loved it | Review coming soon!

ICYMI: Links to recent book reviews:

• Review: The Ordeals

• Review: Dessert Can Save the World

If I’ve encouraged you to purchase a copy of any of the books I’ve read, please consider using my affiliate links to help support my blogging costs and reading habits.

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

February’s holiday lists:

What are you most looking forward to in February?

February’s upcoming new releases:

Here’s a list of my most anticipated releases coming out in February - check out the full list here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

What’s at the top of your TBR?

Currently Reading:

As a mood reader, I tend to have a ton of books open at once - usually a bunch of nonfiction and a handful of fiction. Here’s what I’ve got open at the moment:

1. 📖 Be Yourself at Work ✨ Hardback purchased from B&N

2. 📖 All about love by bell hooks ✨ Sprayed edge hardback gifted from William Morrow

3. 📖 Finding my way by Malala Yousafzai ✨ Hardback gifted from Atria

4. 📖 The Plan by Kendra Adachi ✨ Hardback purchased from retailer

Currently reading from subscription services

1. 📱The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi ✨ ebook unlocked in Everand

2. 📱 For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino ✨ ebook available in KU

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out all the books I’ve read so far in 2026 here: TheJoyfulBookBlogger on Amazon

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

🎧 Dessert can save the World by Christina Tosi | 5 hr 17 min pub by Harmony - purchased in audible 2 for 1 sale in 2024

⭐️ 5 stars, loved it!

🔗 Amazon | B&N | Bookshop | LibroFM | Storygraph

✍🏼 Super Quick Take: Loved it, great listen!

Read if you like (notes, tropes, & thoughts):

• Themes: Celebration, care, and joy

• Care packages

• When you have everything you need, you can find joy in creating joy in others. This book made me smile left and right. Heartwarming and sweet.

• I love the milkshake moments!

• Loved the entire epilogue - I may need to buy a physical copy to have this on hand.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

I love the annual reading challenge poster and champagne flute and I love that they pivoted away from the messy new years streamer and went with a gold bell instead. The wrapped gifts in the box itself were just okay, thankfully the pretty hardback edition and fantastic story made up for it.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📖 The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw | 368 pages ✨ OUABC hardback special NYE edition

⭐️ Rating: 5 stars, loved it!

🔗 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Storygraph

✍🏼 Quick Take: I loved this book and am excited for the next one! Great world-building, interesting characters, had me on edge wanting to know what would happen next. Would make a fantastic movie!

Convincing you to read this book by the author’s dedication alone: To all those feeling powerless, who need to find themselves again.

Read if you like (notes, tropes, & thoughts):

✨ Romantasy, magic wielding, alchemy, werewolves, vampires

🔥 Slow burn, great chemistry, and steamy

💕 Rivals to friends / Rivals to lovers - Sophia and Alden

📓 College / Academy - Killmarth college for magic wielders

Themes and content/trigger warnings:

⚠️ Violence, death, loss of a loved one, off-page references to physical and mental abuse

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Goodness me, how quickly the end of the year is approaching. How are there only a few days left in the year?! We’re in that weird pocket of time that occurs between Christmas and New Year’s, where it’s difficult to tell what day it is. Many have time off work until next week, while others are still juggling work and trying to enjoy the last days of the holiday season. Whatever your week looks like, I’m wishing you special moments filled with joy.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

ICYMI: Links to recent popular posts:

• Chapters of Joy with Shanna Hatfield

• Chapters of Joy with Marisa Churchill

• Chapters of Joy with Julie Olivia

• Little Shops of Joy with Epilogue Book Co

• Little Shops of Joy with Novelly Yours

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this post brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

January’s holiday lists:

January is almost here and it’s going to be filled with some wonderful reasons to celebrate; it’s still prime time for fireplace season, soup season, and taking time to reflect and start to plan for the year ahead. It’s also filled with fun literary holidays to celebrate - such as Winnie the Pooh’s 100th Birthday on the 18th!

What are you looking forward to in January?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out my favorite finds on my Shop My affiliate page: books from B&N, books from Book of the Month, audiobooks from Librofm, and fun finds from Etsy, Wayfair, Michael’s, Nordstrom, Marshall’s, Sur La Table, and World Market

⭐️ Quick Take: Sophie Kinsella will always have a special place in my heart because I grew up loving the shopaholic series! Together with that series she’s written over 20 novels.

This story was heart-wrenching and brought me to tears. It was so raw and personal and I deeply appreciate that she shared this with the world.

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.

📖 ✨Review: What Does It Feel Like? A Novel By Sophie Kinsella✨ 129 pages

⭐️ 5 stars, forever favorite

Read if you like…

💖 Book of the Month picks

💖 Short quick read (129 pages)

💖 Emotional, raw, and deeply personal

Themes

💭 Cancer, illness, grief

Annotated quotes and thoughts

I made so many annotations and highlights - this book is a great reminder that grief and loss is something many are not prepared for. It was also a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of reviewing documents and making plans to have things settled and prepared for when you leave the world, because you never know when your time will be up.

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

✨ “My advice is to write the book you would like to read yourself… Write what you know and do it convincingly… Write the truth about life.”

✨Quote on having multiple children: ‘The work is multiplied, the worry is multiplied, the joy is multiplied, the love is multiplied.’

✨ “You have incurable cancer, my beautiful Eve. But you keep forgetting and I have to keep reminding you and these are the hardest moments of my life.”

✨ ‘It’s quite a full-time job, this being-I’ll business.’

✨ ‘Maybe pre-grief is a better term.’

✨ Quote on grief in relation to children: ‘Realistic yet optimistic and full of hope, which is basically how Eve feels when she’s not racked with guilt… Now she looks around at her beloved children’s faces, wondering if they’re OK, hoping that they’re resilient, wondering as she does approximately every five minutes how much longer she has on this earth and feeling — yet again — an overpowering guilt.’

✨ ‘I may never see you grow up, my beautiful girl, and I can’t bear it.’

✨ ‘I cycle through denial, despair, shock, grief, and then sometimes ridiculous happiness. I appreciate small pleasures so much more than I did, but then along comes the brutal knowledge again. Sometimes I contemplate dying and leaving my family and I can’t bear it. I wait until the house is empty, then cry ugly sobs, inconsolable, loud, keening and wailing, punching the bed with ineffectual, powerless fists…’

✨ ‘The way to get though radiotherapy: pretend your are at a fancy spa.’

✨ ‘All the way through, tell yourself that this treatment will flood your brain with healing and vanish any remaining cancerous debris. Manifest it to be true. Will it to be true. Make it to be true.’

✨ “Cancer is a buzzkill, what Roth the pills and the chemo and the dying.”

✨ ‘Ev laughs, because “luckily” is their family watch word. Tack it on to any gloomy sentence, and you can turn things around.’

✨ ‘She wants to tail and shout and hit thins. And she feels —yet again— consumed by guilt that she has been the cause of so much distress. She knows this cancer is not her fault— it’s just bad luck. But what she has learned is that you can feel guilty for having had bad luck.’

✨ ‘It warms her, to think of herself as part of a community, even if it’s not a community she would have chosen to join.’

✨ ‘And right at that moment, this is her only aim in life, the only happy ending she wants. Just to keep going.’

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. I received a copy of this book for free but opinions are all my own.

📖 Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate by Marisa Churchill | 396 pages by Page Street YA | Paperback arc gifted from the author and publisher

⭐️ 4.5 stars, loved it!

The background / tropes / read if you enjoy:

😍 Sweet dedication page

🪄 Spells and magic

📜 Chapter titles

🐾 kitties! Secret and sauce, how cute

💕 Coming of age, magical culinary boarding school

🏆 Includes a competition

😋 tons of yummy food references. Magical food too! Motivation muffins. Concentration cream donuts. Lol at the fruity mentos and caching a frog. Transparent pie. Peanut butter and banana (cute reference for their pairing)

📚 Huge library filled with over 100k, many cookbooks

✨ storage cellars full of magical ingredients!

A paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If my writing brings you joy, I’d appreciate you supporting my work!

Favorite Quotes:

✨ Sometimes the ally you need is someone you’d least expect.

✨Real cooking is about intuition. You have to feel your way through the dish.

✨It has all felt disappointing, like biting into a steak cupcake.

✨Rumors are like shadows, they’re not easy to shake off.

If you enjoy reading my reviews, there are a few ways to show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade (or gift) a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Goodness me, how quickly the end of the year is approaching. I can hardly believe we’re in December with only a few weeks left in the year!

Fall is my favorite and November was filled with everyday magical moments in our house. Some top highlights of the month were two visits to the zoo, lots of pie and homemade food, and we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. It was so nice to have a date night with a yummy dinner, followed by a performance of Miracle on 34th Street (our first live theatre event in years)!

We changed it up this year and did Thanksgiving at home for just the three of us; proud moment, everything was made from scratch except the stuffing!! 95% of the food was made by my husband and the kiddo and I were his sous chefs. It was also a busy month getting ready for the holidays; we got the majority of our holiday gift shopping done, decorated the house for the holidays, put up our gorgeous tree, and designed and ordered holiday photo cards to send out to friends and family.

November is always an interesting juxtaposition of the beauty of the leaves changing colors to falling and leaving the trees bare because winter is coming. Winter doesn’t officially start for three weeks but because of the holidays, it’s basically winter now. I may be a Fall loving girlie but I’m a sweater weather gal and love being cozy at home with the fire going, so winter is great too. I should also mention, our cats are both very happy that it’s fireplace season!

In case you missed it: last month I started up two weekly blog series; an ongoing weekly series called Chapters of Joy and a limited seasonal series called Little Shops of Joy. It’s been such a fun way to bring you unique bookish content and I hope you’ve been loving the interviews! Stay tuned for more weekly content.

ICYMI: Links to last month’s interviews:

• Chapters of Joy with Shanna Hatfield

• Chapters of Joy with Marisa Churchill

• Chapters of Joy with Julie Olivia

• Little Shops of Joy with Epilogue Book Co

• Little Shops of Joy with Novelly Yours

At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links. Many of the books featured on my blog are received as gifted copies from publishers, all opinions shared are my own.

November Reading Wrap-Up

This was a busy reading month for me; I finished 6 books and am currently reading quite a few!

Finished Reading

1. 📱 Good Girls Don’t by Mara Wilson ✨ ebook Included in Everand Unlimited | It was okay

2. 📖 Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson ✨ OUABC box | loved it!

3. 📖 The Crimson Throne by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis ✨ OUABC Box | loved it!

4. 🎧 Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood ✨ Audible purchased 2 for 1 | it was okay

5. 📖 Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate by Marisa Churchill ✨ Gifted paperback arc | loved it!

6. 📖 Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc ✨ Purchased at B&N | loved it!

Currently Reading

• 📖 The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi ✨Hardback purchased | enjoying it

• 📖 Fall at Once by Nora Everly ✨ purchased at an indie bookstore | loving it!

• 🎧 Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick ✨ Audio included in Audible | enjoying it

• 📱 The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi ✨ ebook unlocked in Everand | enjoying it

• 📖 Same: poems by Hannah Rosenberg ✨ paperback gifted from publisher | loving it!

• 📖 Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai ✨ hardback gifted from publisher | loving it!

• 📱 Tiny Humans Big Emotions ✨ KU | enjoying it

• 📖 All About Love by Bell Hooks ✨ sprayed edge hardback gifted from publisher | enjoying it

Friendly reminder that a paid subscription costs less than a latte once a month. If this weekly column brings you joy, I appreciate you supporting my work!

December’s holiday lists:

December is here and it’s going to be filled with some my favorite things; it’s prime time for fireplace season, soup season, and taking time to reflect and start to plan for the coming year. It’s also filled with tons of literary holidays to celebrate!

What are you looking forward to this month?

If you enjoy reading my posts, show your support & let me know you enjoy my work: leave me a comment below, upgrade or gift a paid subscription, or screenshot & share your favorite bits on your Instagram stories and tag me! @TheJoyfulBookBlogger

With joy from the stacks

Check out my favorite finds on my Shop My affiliate page: books from B&N, books from Book of the Month, audiobooks from Librofm, and fun finds from Etsy, Wayfair, Michael’s, Nordstrom, Marshall’s, Sur La Table, and World Market