Published 4th of February 2026

Welp January is done and dusted and boy was it a long feeling one. Wow I read 12 books overall some I started last month and others were done in less than three days, I think all but one were ARCs/ALCs I got through Netgallery UK and Booksprout. Wolf Moon Antler Moon by A.C Wise a novelette I heard about by following @motherhorror on Instagram. My stand outs for the month were The Governess By Louisa Penhale which is a gothic thriller that gave me hand that rocks the cradle vibes, How To be A Saint By Kate Sidley a witty and hilarious look at the process for becoming a saint as well as telling us about certain saints and what types of saints they fit, I also enjoyed the audiobook Dickie and Babe which is about the trial of Leopold and Loeb and is done as multi cast dramatization of the trial with a narrator for context. I also enjoyed Wicked Innocents by S.H. Livernois which was like a mix of X Files and supernatural as it follows two sisters who investigate paranormal cases this one featuring a young girl who claims her family has been possessed. I rated six a 5.0, three a 4.75 and two a 4.0 and one I gave a 3.75. January was a tough month I feel and I hope February will be better and going to try to keep a steady reading pace.

How to Be a Saint By Kate SidleyNon Fiction/Humour Audiobook Five stars⭐

This was a great gothic thriller that gives off hand that rocks the cradle vibes but Victorian style. But Florence Marchwood is not after revenge on the Spencer family because of past event like Rebecca De Moray's character in that movie, no Florence who we learn is not her real name feels she had been guided by god to Branleigh Park and the Spencer family to be their governess, she also has darker intentions. We soon watch as Florence's influence takes over the household,the children seemed to fall under her fall and the lord also is entranced by her. Lady Georgina senses this and is unnerved by it feeling her place threatened by this seemingly angelic governess. Soon their are deaths that seems to have reasonable explanations but may be more sinister as soon a battle for the household between Florence and Georgina begins and will end in flames. We learn more of Florence's motives and how she ended up at Branleigh Park and how far she'll go to get what she wants. The ending gives a twist that could open up the potential for a sequel but that's just my opinion

The Film You Are About To See By Haley Newlin 

December and 2025 is over and I was able to finish the month and Year with 10 books and the month was really mystery and thriller heavy with one horror novella that I squeezed on the 31st.I rated at least 7 a five with three being a 4.75 though I am seriously rethinking my rating of The Rush to a 5 as it was such a good read and it was just being nitpicky about the length of the audiobook. My suprise like was 1979 by Val McDermid as I heard of her work but wasn't sure I would vibe with it but it was a great listen and makes me what to read more by her. I also liked A Cyclist's Guide to Crime and Crossings I was able to read thanks to KU it was a fun cozy mystery with a travel guide protagonist, now the last book I read in December was The Film You Are About To See by Haley Newlin was one I had heard about through book tube/gram and it is a nostalgic horror novella set at the time of the heyday of drive ins and William Castle's movies, I gave it a 4.75 but that is because of the length and the ending being a little bit bittersweet to me. My hope for January is to read maybe some more horror and get through some ARCs, generally read more books in 2026. Hopefully this is year better than last year🤞🏻.

Additional notes, warning may get spoilery.

Thanks to Netgallery and Kristen Bird for this ARC.

Well November is over and now it December and the festive period. I only read around 8 books, three I rated a 5 and the lowest rating was a 3. The stand out were Sick Houses by Leila Taylor a non fiction book I listened to as a audiobook about how horror genre in film, TV and literature uses the architecture and the ideology of the home against our preconceived notions. Another one I enjoyed even though I rated it a 4.75 was a Bigger Fish by Daniel Kay a Canadian mystery comedic caper. I hope to end the year with some good reads maybe something scary to go along with the cozy.

Destination New York by Ann Shepphird

Sorry thought I posted this.

So October is over and I read a good bit finishing 16 books, Did read some more horror/thriller books but still did mystery of the cozy variety, I listened to the first two Aurora Teagarden books and found them to be delightful but I've read some of  Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books so I'm a fan of her work and also interested in her Lily Bard mystery series. Books that I loved and would  recommend are The Devil Takes The blues by Ariel Slick which is a southern gothic that gave me sinners vibes, The Dog Ladies Detectives by Julie Titterington also her Dog,Cat and Ghost if your a fan of cozies with animals be it of the regular with a multi generational mood or a supernatural vibe. Now I rated Lusus Naturae a 4.75 but that was cause of bit that I was peeved by, but it was still a good, scary and bloody read. As it was October and Halloween was coming up I listened to some classic horror stories to get in the mood, I've heard of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman but never read it so found it a great if a bit disturbing listen of a woman descent into madness while on a forced bed rest cure. Then I listened to The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe  which I know of but my experience of it was the Simpsons treehouse of horror so I guess it was due a more serious listen of it, I also ended the month by listening to the classic tale of the Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to really get my Halloween vibes going. Also recommend Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum it was a great short horror story. I hope my November is a great reading month as October was.