Top Books I Want to Read (Once I finish this Godforsaken re-read)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And if you've been following this blog for the last few months (or years- in which case, thanks, that means a lot) you'll know that I've been re-reading the entire Skulduggery Pleasant series, before I get to the eighteenth, and final book of the entire series. 

But, I am four books away from finishing, and am finally starting to think about what I would like to read next. Now, this isn't a definite TBR, I may change my mind in the next month, but these are my top picks at the moment. 

I have selected 6 books that jump out at me the most when looking at my un-read shelf (I have a full shelf- and I can share that in another post if anyone is interested). 

I hope you enjoy. 

(This isn't in any particular order, by the way.)

1. Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne

Me and my partner came across in a random telephone box on the drive home from parkrun one day. Or rather, he did; he then graciously hid it in my hoodie until we got home, and surprised me with it. 

To me, Journey to the Centre of the Earth was never a book that I was motivated to pick up, but knew I was interested in reading when it came into my possession. It's one of those classic adventure stories like The Jungle Book, or Ready Player One, that every reader is (or should be, if they like discovery and sci-fi) universally interested in reading. 

It's extremely short, just 188 pages, and if I'm determined enough, I feel like I could finish inside a weekend. 

Probably won't, but I honestly can't wait to experience the genius writing of Jules Verne, and the world he created in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 

2. Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk

Another book, that I never immediately went "I really want to read that someday!"

I saw it in a book shop, a few months back, and seeing how short a book it was, and intrigued by what the book could offer, I picked it up. 

Genuinely, I really want to see what led to these boys/ men fighting like this. The blurb quotes 'those with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers', so I'm wondering how much of that comes into it. But yeah, never seen the film, don't know anything about anything to do with this book, or the characters. But I'm very much looking forward to finding out, through the book. 

 And then I'll watch the film, and see how different it is. 

3. The Miniaturist (The Miniaturist #1), by Jessie Burton

A book I read back in 2019. A book recommended to me by a Waterstones employee, which I genuinely enjoyed. Thought it was a standalone, and that was the end of it. Walked past a bookshop in Kibworth one day, and say the sequel The House of Fortune, being advertised. 

This was four years ago. Still haven't re-read the first book. 

This is probably the book that's been on my to re-read shelf the longest. 

I don't know why I haven't re-read it yet, as I desperately want to. Who knows, it may invoke some interest in the other half dozen historical fiction novels I have yet to re-read. But what I do know is that the urge to pick this book up has not lessened throughout the years. 

I will get to this, soon after finishing the SP series. 

(There's a tv show for it as well, by the way.)

Here's the plot in bullet points:

• Young woman is wedded off to a welathy merchant, in a secluded part of the country, miles away from anyone she knows and loves. 
• Wealthy merchant is distant, but presents her with an elaborate gift: an exact replica or the house they live in, designed with precision and excellance. 
• The house is to be decorated by an elusive miniaturist, whose creations have a ring of truth about them. 
• As the young woman (Nella) uncovers the truth in her new home, she realises the power the miniaturist holds over them- over the entire household. More than that, she holds their fate in her hands. But does she plan to save... or destroy them?

4. Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book is still in the wrapping. No idea why, but I want it in good condition when I eventually read it. 

I just know I'm going to love this. I love all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books. But this one just feels different. Like it's a step away from the rest. 

I think I've been reading too many Goodreads reviews for this book to be honest. 

If you didn't know, Atmosphere follows Joan Goodwin, a professor of Physics and Astronomy, as she gets her chance to work for NASA, and go up into space for the first time, with a group of other new recruits. 

It's sciency, and sounds very interesting (doesn't help that everyone on Goodreads is raving about it, even a year after it's release). 

5. Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1), by Brigid Kemmerer

Literally saw this advertised for me when I was online one time. Don't know anything about it, other than what the title says, and that was enough to draw me in. When my friend asked for a book choice for Christmas, I give him this as a choice. 

Everytime I go into the room with all my bookshelves, I see this. I knew squat about it, haven't even read the blurb, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I think, going in blind with this. 

It may not be for me, it may be full of classic fantasy tropes, but so what? I can't wait to read this. 

6. Not Quite Dead Yet, by Holly Jackson 

Twenty-seven-year-old Jet is our protagonist. She has never left town, never done anything extroadinary. She has time, she thinks. Until she is brutally attacked by an unknown enemy and nearly killed. The doctors say she has seven days. Seven days until her brain developes an aneurysm and she dies completely. 

Suddenly she sees everyone as a potential killer. Her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend. The only person looking out for her is her childhood friend, Billy. 

She has seven days until she dies. Seven days to solve her own murder. 

This sounds like one heck of a book. And other people are reading it too, which makes the pull even greater. 

We all know Holly Jackson can write a great murder mystery. She wrote A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, after all. 

And I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one. 

Okay! Those are the top books I'm (currently) planning on reading next, after my big, epic, re-read is finally over! I hope you enjoyed reading about them, and if you're interested in seeing a full unread list, let me know in the comments below (might even do one anyway). 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

10 Year Challenge Book Tag

 Hey guys, this is Abi here! 

Today I will be posting something a little different- something I haven't done in over a year (well done on forgetting the mid year freak-out tag, Abi! Sorry guys, it's too late now). 

And yes, as you can see from the title, it is a book tag- but it's one I haven't done before, so should be interesting. 

This one stood out to me because, well, I realised a couple of months ago that I've been posting on this blog for over ten years now- and I recently hit 1 million views- so it seemed fitting to see how my tastes have changed since I was 18. 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading the only new book tag I've done in well, several years. 

Oops. 

~What was your favourite book in 2016?~

I'm going to twist this a little bit. I'm going to pick my favourite book that I read in 2016. (Although that's still extremely hard, because I read so many good books that year- Six of Crows, Unbecoming, The Book Thief, I'll Give You the Sun, Ready Player One. 

Okay, I'm picking Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. 

Not only is the world building phenomenal, unlike any world I've had the pleasure of visiting, but it's the book that I think the most about today, based on what my current reading tastes are. 

Unbecoming, by Jenny Downham is a close second, due to the generational storyline, the characters, and the subject matter (and the writing), but Ready Player One takes the cake for that year. 

~What is your favourite book in 2026?~

My current favourite for the year (so far of course, cos the year isn't over yet) is definitely... 

Although there weren't a lot of books from this year's list, due to the massive re-read I'm currently working through, it wasn't hard to decide on this one. It may be a bit of a commitment, what with it being 500+ pages, and the first in a 10 book series. 

But getting to follow Claire as she was dropped on her head, with a new baby to care for, no devoted husband, and no home, begin to pick herself up and start to look forward to what life had to offer, was worth the large page count. I think I'll struggle to find a book that matches this in character, storyline, character arc, and addictability. Literally, I could not put this book down when I was reading it, always wanting to find out what happened next. 

~What was your least favourite book in 2016?~

I have a feeling some people aren't going to like my choice for this one... 

Yeah... 

So, I heard a lot of people raving about this book on booktube, Jessethereader at the forefront of it. Then the trailer dropped for the movie, and so I decided to give it a try. 

My God, was it slow. 

So, it was common knowledge that the photos included in the story are real, and Ransom Riggs created a story around these strange photographs. 

And that is true. You can see the story make sense, around these photographs. 

It just felt like he was stretching too far to make the photos make sense within the story. 

The story just dragged for me, because these photos was the base of the story. I remember wishing he hadn't of bothered. 

Maybe I just didn't gel with his writing, or like the characters, or even the story, but I just didn't enjoy it all that much. 

And I haven't reached for another book of his since. 

~What has been your least favourite book in 2026?~

I'm just going to go with Resurrection. Book 10 in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The first book in a new series, where I was waiting for the plot to start unfolding. 

I've said in my Skulduggery Pleasant updates that it wasn't my favourite, and at the moment, I haven't read any books I didn't especially dislike- which is why I'm picking Resurrection. 

~What is a book published in 2016 that you still want to read?~

THIS. 

I've been wanting to read this since I heard about it. Fredrik Backman is a recent auto-buy author for me, and I will not rest until I've read every single book of his. His hauntingly beautiful writing makes for an emotional breakdown whenever I pick up a book, even if it's as small as 70 something pages. He reminds me of Patrick Ness, in the way that he can break your heart into a million pieces with just one, well placed sentence. 

I've heard that Beartown is one of Backman's best works, and I cannot wait to finally get my hands on it. I intend to purchase it with a voucher I've recently accuired. 

~What is a book published in 2026 you want to get to before 2027?~

I do post my anticipated releases every three months, so you can find those posts on my page pandemonium page if you want to know all of them. 

However, the standout book from those is 100% A Soul Full of Shadows, by Derek Landy. Actually can't believe I had to search my anticipated releases before I decided on that one. 

(Hello? Anybody upstairs? It's the whole reason why I've been re-reading Skulduggery Pleasant since bloody March. Dumbass. 

But yeah. Final Skulduggery Pleasant book. Ever. No more after this one. No idea how I'm going to feel after this one. 

~What is a genre you used to read a lot of that you don't read as much of anymore?~

Honestly, no idea. I still read anything and everything. I read middle grade, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, fiction, everything I was reading in 2016, I still read now. 

I haven't read a YA murder mystery in a long while, thinking about it. 

I liked Sara Shephard, with The Lying Game and PLL, I liked Karen M. McManus' books, with all of her murder mystery standalones, and I like Diana Urban books too. 

So if there's a Genre that I've dropped a lot in the past decade, it'll be that one. 

~What is a new Genre you've discovered since 2016?~

Graphic novels, definitely. 

In the last decade, I've started Saga, Heartstopper (recently finished), Paper Girls, Life is Strange, Clementine, Fence,  Skyward and recently started Monster. 

All fantastic series', mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy genre, but I genuinely can't wait to read more in upcoming years. 

~What is a reading or book habit you are hoping to leave behind in this decade?~

Using audiobooks as a crutch when I'm struggling with huge hardbacks/ paperbacks. I've more or less dropped the physical Skulduggery Pleasant books in the past week, because I'm impatient. I'd like to have a whole year of picking audiobooks because I want the audiobook- and don't own the physical. Not becuase I'm bored of reading a book I'm struggling to progress with. 

~What is a new reading goal or habit you want to create in the next decade?~

Start a reading streak. Even if I only read 10 pages some days, I want to say that I managed to read something- every single day. And not because I want to carry the streak on, but because I genuinely want to read. 

Let's see if I can make it happen. 

Okay! That is the 10 year Challenge Book Tag! 

I won't be tagging anybody, because I have no idea who is still blogging at this point, but it's open to anybody that wants to try this tag! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and don't be afraid to post a comment down below! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

Skulduggery Pleasant: Month 4

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back after three weeks, with my next Skulduggery Pleasant update! 

It's been a while since I posted, and even longer since I've updated you all on how I'm doing with this final epic re-read (which is why it was my first priority since my return!)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading these updates, I am aware that they're mostly factual, but I hope everyone likes the change of pacing regardless! 

I hope you enjoy. 

8.5. Armageddon Outta Here

Reading days: 28th May- 3rd June

Pages: 479

Despite this being a collection of short stories, scattered throughout the first nine books, I found them so refreshing to read. They're great because they're short and snappy, and other than a couple of them, you don't need a whole lot of time to knock out one, or two at any given time. 

I honestly don't remember why I was so loath to pick them up when I was re-reading the rest of the series in the past, because I really enjoyed them, a lot. 

10. Resurrection

Reading days: 9th June- 16th June

Pages: 420

Although I love a good re-introduction to a series, Resurrection is a book that I've always struggled with, and this time is no exception. I found myself waiting for the novel to take shape, which I never had a problem with in the first nine books. 

I managed to finish this in a week, somehow, through making time for it, but if there was going to be a book that I fell behind my Goodreads goal on, it would have been this one. 

It was mostly knowing that the books got a lot better after this one that kept me reading it (and forgetting what happened at the ending, and wanting to find out.)

11. Midnight 

Reading days: 16th June- 23rd June

Pages: 418

This is the book where the second series gets interesting. Because of events that happened in Book 9, Valkyrie has kept well away from her family, for their own safety, and also because she feels guilty. In Midnight, Valkyrie has finally begun to forgive herself (still has a long way to go though), and spend time with her parents and little sister, Alice. 

So it's just her bad luck that some people that have a grudge against Valkyrie are watching. Of course they snatch Alice and leave Valkyrie a series a clues to get to her before, you guessed it, midnight. 

Of course she does. 

And at the very end, she figures out why Alice is back to normal, even after being kidnapped for most of the day. 

Which is essentually the plot of the next book.

Fantastic book though. I particularly love reading about sibling relationships, and Auger and Omen's relationship was one of the best parts too. (Actually I love everything to do with Omen, and all the other characters from Corrival Academy, come to think of it.)

12. Bedlam 

Reading days: 23rd June- 2nd July

Pages: 584

Yeah, this one takes a leap in the page count a bit, which is why it took me a little longer to read it. Not to mention I was packing for a holiday a couple of days before. Still a really solid book in the series though. 

You know that thing that I mentioned is the plot for this in Midnight? So basically, Valkyrie found out that because of something she did to Alice in Book 9 (The Dying of the Light), she no longer has a soul. She no longer has any major emotions, nothing traumatic affects her. Which of course makes Valkyrie feel immensely guilty. 

So what does she do? Journey down into the Necropolis, in search of her little sister's lost soul fragments. 

So that part is really good, especially when she finds out that one of her soul fragments is already attached to someone. 

Not to mention, Skulduggery's evil ex and her son are around for a final stand off. 

So there's a lot going on. 

14. Seasons of War 

Reading days: 7th July- 18th July

Pages: 552

I love this one. There's an actual, concrete premise. A select team, including Skulduggery Pleasant, Valkyrie Cain, Tanith Low, Saracen Rue, and Dexter Vex, head out to another dimension to kill one of the most nefarious killers around, Mevolent. 

He's dead in Valkyrie's dimension, but very much alive in another one, and he plans to use a portal to invade their dimension. The team, of course, is sent over to stop, and kill him. 

Like I said before, I love this one. It's seperated into seasons, and each season is more thrilling than the next. Of course, characters die, one of which I still think about every so often, and you have your usual action sequences, and comedic scenes, which never, ever fall flat, even after all this time. 

Seasons of War is definitely one of my favourite books from this six book section. 

14. Dead or Alive

Reading days: 19th July- now

Pages read currently: 146

It's been a slow going with this one so far. After Seasons of War, with it's clear cut premise, it takes a bit of time to establish the plotline, so I've been whittling away at it every so often. I realised today that I already have the audiobook for this, so I'll try to jump between the physical book and the audiobook over the next couple of days, and hopefully I can progress through it quicker. 

This is the penultimate book in this six book series, and I know that it builds to something huge at the end. 

Who knows, maybe I'll finish the entire series next month! This may be the penultimate update guys! 

(Really I hope so.) 

Final calculations: 2120 pages over two months (not great, but getting there). 

Really don't know the average. 

Okay! That is everything I have for you all today! As always, feel free to comment down below, and we can chat about this phenomenal series! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! (Will be posting before the month is out, I promise.)

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx