Down the TBR-hole #26

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Yrsha

It is time for another round of Down the TBR-hole, where I go through the books in my To Be Read shelf on Goodreads and try to decide if I still want to read them (should they stay) or not (should they go?).

Sweethand – N.G. Peltier
This book sounds cute, it could be good if it’s made right. Not available for me at the library or audiobook service, I’ll have to think about if I’m interested enough to buy it.
Verdict: Stays (for now)

The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
This has been recommended to me by several people. I’ll just have to give it a go.
Verdict: Stays

Järnulven (Iron Wolf) – Siri Pettersen
I really liked her other series Odinsbarn so I’d like to give this a go as well.
Verdict: Stays

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It – Elle Cosimano
I like the sound of this story. I’m adding it to my to-borrow shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Golden – Shannon Mayer
A shifter romance where the main character turns into a golden retriever? It’s not available somewhere for me at the library or my audiobook service so I’ll have to look closer into the reviews to see if it’s something I want to spend money on.
Verdict: Stays (for now)

As You Wish – Jackson Pearce
I’m still intrigued and want to see how she resolves this predicament with being in love with a genie.
Verdict: Stays

Bond – Tasha Black
This soundsl ike it could be a fun read but at the moment I can’t see myself prioritizing this one. There seems to be other books buy her on my audiobook service so I might give them a try.
Verdict: Goes

Inheritance – Nora Roberts
This synopsis gives me the same vibe as the Key Trilogy by the same author. I’m adding it to my audiobook shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Not the Witch You Wed – April Asher
Fake-dating, witches and wolf shifters? Yes.
Verdict: Stays

The Fake Mate – Lana Ferguson
I read The Nanny by the same author and I only gave that two stars. Maybe it was the whole setup of that thing that didn’t completely work. So this fake-dating things might work more in my favour? I was sure I was going to remove it but I couldn’t.
Verdict: Stays

The Witch is Back – Sophie H. Morgan
A dog familiar? Please say it can talk! Adding it to my audiobook shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Murtagh – Christoffer Paolini
I really liked the Eragon books when I was younger so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this one as well.
Verdict: Stays

How did it go this time?
Books in the TBR shelf at start: 240
Number of staying books: 11
Number of leaving books: 1
Total amount of leaving books: 65
Number of reserved books at the library: –
Number of books put in to-borrow-shelf: 1
Number of books added to audiobook-account: 2
Current amount of books in my TBR shelf: 255

I’m happily surpised that I find more of these on my audiobook service than I would have hoped, then I can still give them a go without having to buy all of them. Most of the books now are newer books and newer additions to my TBR. It’s starting to show that I’m more selective as to what goes here now.

Have you read any of these that you think I should prioritize?

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Weekly update #98 – the Tetris work is back on track!

Posted on October 10, 2026 by Yrsha

It’s been a while but I’m back working on my Tetris blanket! For the first 50 books of 2025, each book corresponds to a Tetris block (four squares). The shape and colour depends on when the book was published, this was a way for me to broaden my reading a bit.

I laid them all out this morning to take a look at how far I’ve come. I’m blocking some orange squares at the bottom, the whole blocking board got to represent that block. At the bottom right, one purple and one red block is attached together! I’m soon halfway done in amount of squares. 99 made and 101 to go, plus a couple of grey ones to top it off.

I’m currently listening to a book that will turn up in a Down the TBR-hole post next week. I’ve been trying to decide whether I should continue or abandon it but now I’m starting to think I’m a little invested in (the quite small) plot so I might listen to the rest as well.

The other day I started reading The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn for a small challenge I’ve made for myself, the challenge will be explained in a month or so. I haven’t come so far yet that I can really make any thoughts. I think we’re following the main character when she’s really small and we’ve mostly gotten her new stepmother’s not so nice point of view (let’s say she’s not really enjoying her “wife dutys” at night). I hope this doesn’t set the tone for the rest of the book. It’s set around the second world war and I’m hoping that we get some secret agents action further on but I might have gotten the synopsis wrong, we’ll see.

In our work book circle (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) we’ve come to Darcy’s letter, we’re going to have a lot to talk about this coming week. Even the ones who’ve been thinking this book was a bit slow agree that there’s a lot going on right now. I’m really feeling like rewatching the 2005 adaptation but I should perhaps wait until we finish the book? I’ve both read and seen it before so there’s no spoilers really…

What are you reading at the moment? And do you have any bookish crafts going on?

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September 2026

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Yrsha

I read 13 things in August; 12 books, 1 short story and 1 middle-grade book.

English: 3
Swedish: 10

Audiobook service: 12
Library: 0
Owned: 1

Physical: 1
Audio: 5
Ebook: 3
Audio + ebook: 4
Physical + ebook: –

Average rating: 3,31

Top rated books this month (listed in reading order):
Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan (4 stars)
Ellie, Engineer: The Next Level – Jackson Pearce (4 stars)
A Long Petal of the Sea – Isabel Allende (4 stars)

I was a little surprised to se that I managed to get in so many books (but very pleased). I read things that have been on my TBR for a very long time, some things that have been in the spotlight recently and some things I just stumbled upon. The last book of the month was a German book; The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, it surprised me in a good way.

What did you read in September?

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Långt bortom havet

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Yrsha

I söndags träffades bokcirkeln och diskuterade vår senaste bok Långt bortom havet. Den här gången var det min tur att föreslå tre böcker som vi sedan röstade om.

Långt bortom havet – Isabel Allende
Originaltitel: Largo pétalo de mar
Engelsk titel: A Long Petal of the Sea

Hisspitch: När Franco kommer till makten är Roser och Victor två av all spanjorer som flyr Spanien. Poeten Pablo Neruda hjälper till att ordna en båt som tar med spanska flyktingar till Chile.

Jag tyckte att det här var en väldigt intressant bok! Det spanska inbördeskriget och militärkuppen i Chile är inte två slag som jag ofta stöter på och inte vetat så mycket om. Det märks att Isabel Allende har gjort gedigen research när hon skrev denna boken.

Jag gillar Allendes sätt att skriva. Det är på ett sätt ganska sakligt, vilket gör att även de hemskare sakerna inte känns så svåra att komma igenom. Det behövs inte alltid att känna allt hemskt som hänt och det passade bra på den här typen av bok där vi får följa två livsöden.

Det passade mig bra att lyssna på den här boken, jag tror att jag kanske hade tyckt att vissa partier var sega om jag läst det med ögonen. Däremot så saknade jag tackordet där Isabel Allende bland annat skrev om den Victor som faktiskt svarade på en massa av hennes frågor. Jag tror att jag måste leta upp det så att jag får knyta ihop säcken. Det var en sektion som jag blev lite besviken över att det inte fanns i boken och sedan upptäckte när vi diskuterade boken att det faktiskt fanns!

Jag gav boken 4 av 5 stjärnor – jag tyckte mycket om den.

Det är sällan vi är så eniga när vi läser en bok som vi var denna gång, alla gav boken 4 stjärnor. Det var som alltid trevliga diskussioner och vi var alla nöjda med valet!

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Down the TBR-hole #25

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Yrsha

It is time for another round of Down the TBR-hole, where I go through the books in my To Be Read shelf on Goodreads and try to decide if I still want to read them (should they stay) or not (should they go?).

Wish Out of Water – Holley Trent
I’m drawn to the aspect of mermaids and marriage of convenience. The reviews that I saw of it don’t praise it very high. I think I want to give it a shot, but maybe an excerpt as a starter to see how I vibe with the writing?
Verdict: Stays

A Secret Princess – Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
This seems to be a mashup of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden; two stories that I really like.
Verdict: Stays

Cinder & Glass – Melissa de la Cruz
This is a retelling of Cinderellla, and also a book that I gifted to a sibling in hopes of lending it when they’re done reading it.
Verdict: Stays

Trade Winds – Christina Courtenay
I don’t remember adding this to my TBR but I really like the sound of this book! I seem to have another book by this author on my audiobook service shelf but this one doesn’t seem to be available. I’m adding this to my to-borrow shelf.
Verdict: Stays

A Thousand Heartbeats – Kiera Cass
I like Cass’s writing and have been meaning to read it for a long time. Added to my audiobook service shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Grave Witch – Kalayna Price
This sounds like a fun book!
Verdict: Stays

Toil & Trouble – short story collection by different authors
Added it to my audiobook shelf.
Verdict: Stays

A Tyranny of Petticoats – another short story collection by different authors
This also sounds like fun!
Verdict: Stays

Fantasysagor – Maria Lindgren
I own this short story collection. I have read some stories from it already and am going to finish it!
Verdict: Stays

Witch or Treats – short story collection by different authors
This is also a short story collection. I’m a bit more hesitant for this one. I assume I added it after being in the mood for short stories and because Danielle Garrett has a short story in this one. I’m going to do some more research of the other authors to see if it’s worth keeping.
Verdict: Stays (for now)

This Wicked Fate – Kalynn Bayron
It’s number two in the series This Poison Heart, I own this book.
Verdict: Stays

Death by Bubble Tea – Jennifer J. Chow
I think I added this one after Booksandlala read it in one of her vlogs. I do like cozy mysteries but there’s so many of them so I’ll probably not go out of my way to get ahold of this one. I was going to remove it but something’s stopping me, I guess it’ll stay for a little while longer.
Verdict: Stays (for now)

How did it go this time?
Books in the TBR shelf at start: 240
Number of staying books: 12
Number of leaving books: –
Total amount of leaving books: 64
Number of reserved books at the library: –
Number of books put in to-borrow-shelf: 1
Number of books added to audiobook-account: 2
Current amount of books in my TBR shelf: 256

In the end, all books stayed this time. Even though we didn’t remove any, the number of books on my TBR shelf has decreased a little since I’ve actually been reading book off it and not added any more since last time. Since this is a digital list and not something that really takes up space, it’s just a fun thing to go through them all. These posts help me get more excited to pick books from these lists and look more closely at books I’ve been previously been interested in reading. And it’s satisfying to see the TBR number change by ticking off the books by reading them.

Do you see anything here that I should prioritise?

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Read your color #3 – the new test

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Yrsha

After we finished our latest book circle book at work we discussed in which colour the book would fit in from Read Your Color. When we were going to double check which colour it would belong to we noticed that the site is re-done and the questions are a bit different (and it’s not as easy to find an overview over the colours anymore). Probably due to the creator’s coming book on the subject.

I was curious and re-did the test and I got a new result: passionate orange (last time, I got red)

I think I identify more with this result than the previous result red.

Of these listed book on the last image, I haven’t read The Way of Kings, Dune and I haven’t yet finished The Priory on the Orange Tree. Otherwise I’ve read all of them. Not all favourites but also pretty good books.

I must admit that when the creator has shared reading suggestions, the orange books have sounded more intriguing than the red ones, the red ones seeming to be all thrillers and not typically what I lean towards.

Current tally* of read books:

ColourRead booksAverage rating
Red12
Blue13
Yellow63,66
Orange12,5
Green0–
Purple0–

The yellow is still in the lead, both in number of books read and in average rating. I still need to read a few more books to get some more data on this; are the suggestions good and which colour is more aligned with my taste?

*The books in this tally is currently only the ones he’s suggested on his website as suggestions, not the ones listed in the test result as “books you’ll love” or “probably have read and loved”.

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Weekly update #97 – new book circle books

Posted on September 23, 2026 by Yrsha

Happy Wednesday!

We have chosen new books in my two book circles! At work, we’re currently reading Pride and Prejudice of Jane Austen. We have very interesting discussions and I’m very tempted to buy an annotated version (one of the others are reading it) and it seems to be very interesting!

At my old university book circle, we’ve chosen the book A Long Petal of the Sea (Långt bortom havet / Largo pétalo de mar) by Isabel Allende. I’m listening to this one at the moment, we’re going to discuss it on Friday. I like Allende’s writing and find the book quite interesting.

I also fell down a list hole again.

I just realised that I can access a lot of magazines across the world through my library and then I was thinking of something Booksandlala said in one of her videos, planning to read books from a magazine ten years apart.

I’ve so far looked into the 2026 issues of Cosmopolitan (UK) and Elle (UK) to see which books are mentioned. I’ve limited it to the fiction books because it’s typically what I’m interested in reading. I picked out the books in the pictures, mentioned in interviews and if there was an adaptation talked about, I added it if it was mentioned based on novel or named the author of the book. So, for example if they just talked about Bridgerton but not mentioned that it was based on books or wrote Julia Quinn, I didn’t add it to the list.

For Cosmopolitan, I had access to two issues; 12 books were mentioned, I had previously read four and had of one them on my interested-to-read-radar since before. My average rating of the read books is 3,5 out of 5 stars.

For Elle (UK), I had access to three issues; 27 books were mentioned, I had previously read two and had two on my radar. My average rating of the read books is 3.

Do I want to tick them all off? No, but it’s a fun way to browse for books! there are a couple of books that I want to look more closely at to see if I want to read them. And of course there is a little challenge waiting in the back of my head where I want to find the magazine that is most in line with my reading taste. I’m not interested in fashion or beauty tips that are the main topics of these magazines but I thought we would get a different set of mentioned books here than from literary critics in other magazines.

The books were mostly different, both magazines mentioned Yesteryear, a book by Caro Claire Burke that I recently read.

I was pleasantly surprised that they had so many books mentioned because when I tried to do the same in a Swedish women’s magazine that I found at the library, I think they mentioned one or two books in two issues. Quite disappointing. I don’t know if Cosmopolitan and Elle do Swedish issues as well, and if the contents is different or just translated, it would be interesting to compare the books if they are different. For this I think I’ll have to travel to the biggest library in down to get a chance to figure it out.

What are you currently reading? And where do you find new books to read?

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4 x romance mini reviews

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Yrsha

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde is the second book in the Windy City series but it can be read independently from the other books since it has different characters. I did with this book as I did with the first one, stopped reading it for a couple of month at the third act breakup, before coming back. Not sure why, perhaps because it also were quite long and I knew what was coming? I don’t remember much of it now since it was a while since I read it but I enjoyed it and have reserved the next one from the library as well.

Married to the Alien by Ursa Dax is the first book in the series Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides. This book is a part of the cowboy romance quest that I entered on Pagebound and when it showed up on my audiobook service, I gave it a try. It is a bit silly and I don’t think we’re supposed to take it too seriously. It was a fun read but it didn’t stick so long in my mind. Cowboy romances read for this challenge this far: 2

Love, Life and the List is a young adult love story. I love Kasie West’s writing and stories. This warmed my heart got the highest rating, 5 out of 5 stars.

I’ve been seeing The Deal by Elle Kennedy mentioned a lot, and lastly I saw someone mention a TV adaptation. When it was time to pick my next read, I chose the Swedish translation (Spelet). I liked the banter and that the main character did her own thing as well (music). The main characters were a bit stereotypical, a little minus for that. The background stories for the main characters were a bit heavier than I expected. I think I’ll read the next one in the series as well, I just need to read something more in between first. After seeing the trailer for the TV series, I’m not sure I want to watch it – maybe I’ll stick to the book.

Have you read any love stories lately?

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Down the TBR-hole #24

Posted on September 20, 2026 by Yrsha

It is time for another round of Down the TBR-hole, where I go through the books in my To Be Read shelf on Goodreads and try to decide if I still want to read them (should they stay) or not (should they go?).

It’s funny because I usually take screenshots of my Goodread’s shelf a bunch at a time so that they align nicely and I get my 12 books at a time. This time around when I was going to take these images, they were off by three books so in preparation of this post, I had to read three things to get the image right. It also came with the bonus that the number of books on the shelf decreased a little since the last post, win-win I’d say!

How to Catch a Queen – Alyssa Cole
A couple (5!) years ago, I read A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole, I really liked it. And I’ve been meaning to read more from her ever since.
Verdict: Stays

A Proper Charade – Esther Hatch
This does sound like a fun read. I’ll keep it.
Verdict: Stays

Vattenfolkets land – Eric Lejonhufvud
This was recommended to me by a friend, I have every intention of reading it! Added it to my to-borrow shelf.
Verdict: Stays

The Princess Trials – Cordelia K. Castel
This book sounds a bit like a The Selection meets The Hunger Games. I’m intrigues but it’s not available anywhere, except as an expensive audiobook. I need to think about if I think it’s worth it.
Verdict: Stays

A Duke by Default – Alyssa Cole
This is the next book in the series Reluctant Royals, where the first is the previously mentioned A Princess in Theory. I want to read this as well!
Verdict: Stays

The Gilded Ones – Namina Forna
I own this book, it was gifted to me from a sibling.
Verdict: Stays

Accidentally Engaged – Farah Heron
A fake engangement and sour dough baking, sounds like something for me! It looks like it’s a bit hard to get ahold of though…
Verdict: Stays

Aofie’s Quest – Angela J Ford
I might have added this book mostly because of the bow on the cover. I’m a little torn. Is she just living with centaurs at the beginning of the book or is she one as well? This is also a book that seems very hard to get ahold of. Wait, it looks like it might have changed name to Princess of Blood and Blade and I could actually get ahold of this one. I guess I’ll figure this one out.
Verdict: Stays

Pride and Premeditation – Tirzah Price
I have a soft spot for retellings of Pride and Prejudice, I want to give this one a shot but it feels like it could be quite far from the original? I added it to my audiobook service shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Warrior of the Wild – Tricia Levenseller
This sounds fun! Saved to my audiobook service shelf.
Verdict: Stays

Isn’t it Bromantic? – Lyssa Kay Adams
Do I have to read these in order? I think this one sounds fun, if I don’t have to read them in order I’m insterested!
Verdict: Stays

The First Human Rider – Ramy Vance, Michael Anderle
I think I’ve read something by Anderle before and I wasn’t super impressed. If this had been on my audiobook service, I think I would have given it a shot because we’re talking about dragons. But it isn’t so I’m going to remove it. There’re so many other books by Anderle there so I can try something else and see if I like the writing better.
Verdict: Goes

How did it go this time?
Books in the TBR shelf at start: 240
Number of staying books: 11
Number of leaving books: 1
Total amount of leaving books: 64
Number of reserved books at the library: –
Number of books put in to-borrow-shelf: 1
Number of books added to audiobook-account: 2
Current amount of books in my TBR shelf: 258

I was thinking that we’ve arrived at a place where all of the remaining books are going to be keepers but we’re apparently not there just yet!

Of these books, I’m most eager to read the Alyssa Cole ones at the moment. Maybe I’ll have to do something about that.

Are there any of these you recommend I pick up?

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Ellie, Engineer: The Next Level

Posted on September 19, 2026 by Yrsha

When I was going to write my next Down the TBR-hole post, I needed to clear of three things from my TBR to get the “correct” screenshot. It all made sense in my head, don’t worry about it. I found that a couple of them were a bit shorter reads, this one was one of the things. This is book number two in a series about a girl who likes to invent and build things.

Ellie Engineer: The Next Level – Jackson Pearce
Original publication year: 2018
Series: Ellie, Engineer #2
First book in the series: Ellie, Engineer

Elevator pitch: After a test run of an invention goes wrong, Ellie needs to help an elderly neighbour out as a punishment (and learning experience?).

I really like these books about Ellie. She is very creative and imaginative and likes to build stuff. In this book we touch on the subjects of for example using other’s things without asking, assuming things about gender and age, and thinking from someone else’s perspective.

Pearce writes in a clever way where the serious and funny meet. It is easy to think from both Ellie’s and Ellie’s parents’ perspective. This is a series that I think works well to read together with a child and have good discussions around.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 starts – I really liked it!

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