It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #429: Am I Back?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #463: Haunted Farmers Market

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of the Last Half of 2025

There are so many books I am looking forward to reading this year, I just hope my mood decides to cooperate... and soon! 😭 Anyway, here are some of the books I'm excited about that will be released in the last half of 2025.

Top 10 Favorite Books of 2025 (So Far)

Continuing with this year's trend of being late with posts, today I'm talking about my favorite books of the first half of 2025 😂 This was oddly diffcult and easy to do this year because as I've mentioned many times before, I feel like I've had a terrible reading year so I haven't actually read that many full-length novels. I feel like most of these are 4-star reads, which isn't a bad thing, but it does make me sad that I've read so few 5-star reads this year 😢 I'll let you know which books below were 5-stars for me though.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #428: Omg I Read a Book...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #462: Readathon Weekend

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Dewey's Reverse Readathon: July 2025

I don't think I did a readathon AT ALL in 2024. It was honestly probably because I had a pretty good reading year overall. Lol. I tend to do readathons more when I'm struggling, as I have been this year 😆 Unfortunately, every time one of these comes around, without fail, I have something going on 😂 It's crazy! There was one in April that I wanted to do, but I wasn't able to because I was in California on vacation. Well, this readathon starts today and ends tomorrow, and I have a cousin coming into town tomorrow 😂 I'm gonna see if we can do something on Sunday instead. Lol.

2025 Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

Okay, I'm finally here with the Mid-Year Freakout Tag 😅 I know I'm late, but it is what it is 😆 Anyway, a couple years ago I smooshed together the questions from the original tag created by Ely and Chami with the revamped version from Jesse the Reader, and I decided to use that same combo this year. It works for me, so I'm gonna keep them like this for now. Lol.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #427: Summer on Fear Street

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #461: Emotionally Exhausted

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Trying To Get Over A 6-Month Reading Slump: Fear Street Edition

If you have seen any of my Mid-Year Check In posts (this one and this one), you know that my reading this year has not been great. And it's been ALL year! So, I'm gonna try something to get out of the slump... I'm gonna attempt to re-read some short books I know I'll enjoy: Fear Street.

2025 Mid-Year Check In: Reading Stats

So, um, this post was meant to go up last week, and it didn't because I just didn't feel like blogging 😅 Which is shocking because stats is one of my favorite things to look at! So let's look at them now!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #426: OMG I Did It

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #460: There's a Reason for the Late Post, But It's Not a Good One Lol

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

2025 Mid-Year Check In: Reading Challenges

I am honestly afraid to be checking in. This is probably one of the worst reading years I have had. Ideally, I would like to be at the 50% mark, but yeah, I don't think so. Lol. Let's see how bad I'm doing! 😃

Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2025

This was another rough reading month. Though not as bad as last month 😅 This month, I read a total of 4 books, which was about 916 pages. That's about 237 MORE pages than last month! So not too bad, but still pretty bad 😂

• 1 was a full-length novel, and 3 were manga
• 3 were part of a series, and 1 was a standalone
• No series were started or finished this month lol
• All 4 were finished copies
• All 4 were physical books
• All 4 were 4-star reads
• All 4 were traditionally published
• All 4 were by authors I've previously read
• 1 was an adult book, 3 were YA
• 1 was a mystery thriller, and 3 were action

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #425: This is a Safe Bet

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #459: The Stress...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Cells at Work (Vol. 3) by Akane Shimizu

Title: Cells at Work: Vol. 3

Series: Cells at Work #3

Previous books in this series: Cells at Work #1 | Cells at Work #2

Author: Akane Shimizu

Genre: YA, manga, science, action

Publication date: March 2017

Published by: Kodansha Comics

Source: Borrowed from library

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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Strep throat! Hay fever! Influenza! The world is a dangerous place for a red blood cell just trying to get her deliveries finished. Fortunately, she’s not alone... she’s got a whole human body’s worth of cells ready to help out! The mysterious white blood cell, the buff and brash killer T cell, the nerdy neuron, even the cute little platelets — everyone’s got to come together if they want to keep you healthy!

My rating: ★★★★★

In this volume of Cells at Work!, we looked at the circulatory system, the common cold, and acquired immunity. As someone who loves medical science, I love this series and the way it describes things!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #424: This Reading Slump, I Swear...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #458: Disappointment

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Cells at Work (Vol. 2) by Akane Shimizu

Title: Cells at Work: Vol. 2

Series: Cells at Work #2

Previous book in this series: Cells at Work #1

Author: Akane Shimizu

Genre: YA, manga, science, action

Publication date: December 2016

Published by: Kodansha Comics

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Strep throat! Hay fever! Influenza! The world is a dangerous place for a red blood cell just trying to get her deliveries finished. Fortunately, she’s not alone... she’s got a whole human body’s worth of cells ready to help out! The mysterious white blood cell, the buff and brash killer T cell, the nerdy neuron, even the cute little platelets — everyone’s got to come together if they want to keep you healthy!

My rating: ★★★★★

This series is so much fun! I have loved the anime for such a long time, and I am really glad to finally be getting into the manga! I love it! It’s just so cute and informative, and it honestly does a relatively decent job of explaining medical things and making them easy to understand using these anthropomorphic cells.

Review: The Romara Confrontation (Colonial Explorer Corps #5) by Julia Huni

Title: The Romara Confrontation

Series: Colonial Explorer Corps #5

Previous books in this series: The Earth Concurrence (#1) | The Grissom Contention (#2) | The Saha Declination (#3) | The Darenti Paradox (#4)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi

Publication date: April 24th 2025

Published by: IPH Media

Source: eARC from author for review

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Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis: Two civilizations. One planet. No second chances.

Lieutenant Serenity “Siti” Kassis has trained her whole life for first contact missions, but nothing prepares her for this—arriving at a promising new world only to find it already inhabited by an advanced, spacefaring civilization. As acting commander, it’s her call whether to push forward or back away. One wrong move could spark a conflict neither side can afford.

On Lunesco, Quinn Templeton is expecting a quiet lunch with an old friend when the planetary defense system flags an unidentified ship in orbit. Since the revolution, she’s learned to negotiate, but first contact with an unknown species? That’s a whole new challenge.

Siti and Quinn could navigate mistrust, politics, and the weight of history to build something neither of their people expected—a future together. But they have to meet first. And something--or someone--is trying to keep them apart.

The Romara Confrontation is book 5 in the Colonial Explorer Corps, and follows Siti, Joss, and Derek Lee as they meet the heroes of the Krimson Empire. If you haven't read either series, I recommend you start with book 1 of the CEC series. If you're short on time, you can jump in at book 4. This book can be read without reading Krimson Empire first. (But I hope you'll read it, too!)

My rating: ★★★★★

I have been looking forward to reading this book since the author talked about writing a crossover between the Colonial Explorer Corps series and the Krimson Empire series. And it met all the expectations I had for this book. It was so good!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #423: Something Spooky

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #457: Library Fun

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

2025 Summer Library Program

One thing I look forward to every summer is our library's Summer Program. I've been participating in it for like 6 years now, I think? I'm always terrible at it, but I find it fun nonetheless. Lol. This year, the program goes from June 6th to August 15th.

Review: Cells at Work (Vol. 1) by Akane Shimizu

Title: Cells at Work: Vol. 1

Series: Cells at Work #1

Author: Akane Shimizu

Genre: YA, manga, science, action

Publication date: November 2016

Published by: Kodansha Comics

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: A BLOOD-PUMPING JOB

Strep throat! Hay fever! Influenza! The world is a dangerous place for a red blood cell just trying to get her deliveries finished. Fortunately, she's not alone... she's got a whole human body's worth of cells ready to help out! The mysterious white blood cell, the buff and brash killer T cell, the nerdy neuron, even the cute little platelets—everyone's got to come together if they want to keep you healthy!

My rating: ★★★★★

It has been a minute since I last read a manga, but I was very excited to read this one because I loved the anime when I watched it a couple years back. And the manga was just as good!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #422: I'll Get To It...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #456: reMarkable

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #421: Spooky Books

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #455: Bittersweet Meeting

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2025

This was my worst reading month yet 😬 Read 3 books, which was a total of 679 pages... 1144 pages less than the previous month 🫣 Which is particularly funny because last month was my best reading month 🫠😂

• 2 were full-length novels (1 a re-read) and 1 manga
• 2 were part of a series, and 1 was a standalone
• I caught up on 1 series
• All 3 were finished copies
• All 3 were physical books
• 1 was a 4.5 stars, 1 was 4 stars, and 1 was 3 stars
• All 3 were traditionally published
• 1 was by a new-to-me author, and 2 were by authors I've previously read
• 1 was an adult book, 2 were YA
• 2 were horror, 1 was action

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #420: Mood Reading Strikes Again

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #454: In Limbo

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #419: Omg The Prom Queen!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #453: The Struggle is Real

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #418: Some Fun, Short Books

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #452: Finally Some Good News!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #417: What I Read While on Vacation

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #451: Back From a Much Needed Vacation

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2025

I was hoping that April would be the month where I would start posting more... anyway, that didn't happen 😂 And I did miss the last couple of days because I was out of town visiting family, soo (I had a blast! I will probably talk a little bit more about it in my next Sunday Post). Anyway, in April I read 5 books again (that's been 5 books every month so far this year 😂). But this month it was 1823 pages, which is about 600 pages more than the previous month, AND also the month where I read the most, so that's progress!

• 4 were full-length novels, and 1 novella
• 2 were part of a series, and 3 were standalones
• I started 1 series, caught up on another, and finished 0 😅
• 3 were finished copies, and 2 were ARCs
• 1 was a physical book, 1 ebook, and 1 was a physical/audio combo
• 1 was a 5-star read, 1 4.5 stars, 1 4 stars, 1 3.5 stars, and 1 3 stars
• 4 were traditionally published, 1 was indie published
• 3 were by a new-to-me author, and 2 were by authors I've previously read
• All 5 were adult books
• 4 were sci-fi, 1 was horror

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #416: I Love Crossovers

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #450: A Mini Vacation

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #415: Some Sci-fi, Some Horror, Some Sci-fi Horror

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #449: I Thought I Was Getting a Break...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Title: Cold Eternity

Author: S.A. Barnes

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, horror

Publication date: April 8th 2025

Published by: Tor Nightfire

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago...

The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts," ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld’s three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents.

It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from...

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have really enjoyed the novels by S.A. Barnes. They aren’t quite 5-star reads for me, but they are definitely enjoyable and deliver on both the sci-fi and horror aspects! Plus, the mystery in this book was intriguing and I enjoyed trying to unravel it! And two pages into this book and I was already loving the premise of it as well! Halley has had it rough and accepts a shady job as a caretaker/security on this sort-of abandoned spaceship. And I say sort of because this ship holds a bunch of cryogenically frozen bodies.