Oof, I’m so glad it’s the weekend! It’s been a busy week, but this weekend should be a pretty good one for staying in to read, crochet, play video games and recharge.
Books acquired this week
Last week I wrote that I was heading out to bookshops in York over the weekend, and hoping to pick up some spooky-themed reads to fit in with the Haunted Shelf readathon. It was really fun last year, but I didn’t read a lot of seasonal/spooky/creepy books… so I decided to fix that.
I had some success, so here’s a peek at the books I got while in York, mostly at Topping & Company and Portal Bookshop. Of course… they’re not all spooky, because I did find some other books I couldn’t resist.
First up, here are the books going straight on my Haunted Shelf list:
And yep, you do see a sneaky non-fiction about ghosts in there. But wait, there’s more…
All in all, I made really good use of the remaining National Book Token balance I had left, plus my recent payment from selling books to World of Books (that’s my referral link, which would get you an extra £5 on a first trade, by the way).
And finally, I did also get an advance copy in this week, something I’d totally forgotten I’d requested:
Somehow I’ve never got round to reading anything of Wexler’s yet, so hopefully this’ll be the time!
Posts from this week
Here’s the usual roundup, starting with the reviews, including a rare five-star review!
- Fantasy: The Poet Empress, by Shen Tao (5/5 stars, “loved it”)
- Mystery: Tenant for Death, by Cyril Hare (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Non-fiction: Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works, by Helen Pearson (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Non-fiction: A Short History of the World in 50 Lies, by Natasha Tidd (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
- Manga: Cat + Gamer, vol 7, by Wataru Nadatani (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Fantasy romance: The Wife Comes First, vol 4, by Lv Ye Qian He (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
As usual, a quick note to believe me when I say that 2/5 stars is a book that I found “okay”, and 3/5 stars really does mean I liked the book! As usual, as well, most of these reviews are for books I read a while ago: I write the reviews as I go, but hold my posts back a little so I don’t spam you all (given I read more than one book per day when I’m in the right mood), can post plenty of variety in genres etc, and have plenty in the tank for a quieter time.
Aaaand here are the other posts:
- Fantasy with Friends: Worldbuilding
- Top Ten Tuesday: Fall 2026 TBR
- What Are You Reading Wednesday
- Book Blogger Hop: Best Blog Investment
What I’m reading
It’s been a pretty good reading week; I think my deliberate leaning-in to mood reading has been working out well for me. Certainly last weekend I had more than one instance of sitting down and reading a book all in one go, which is always a lovely feeling.
Here are the books I’ve finished this week that I plan to review (less a manga that isn’t worth reviewing here):
Over the weekend, I’m still leaning into mood reading heavily, knowing I’m going to try to do some more directed reading in October for Haunted Shelf. Still, I’d like to finish the classic mystery I’m reading at the moment (Harriet Rutland’s Knock, Murderer, Knock!) and perhaps the third volume of The Villain’s White Halo, since that finishes off the series.
Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.
I love the idea of a spooky-themed reading lineup. I might have to get me a couple of spooky books.
Happy Saturday.
It isn’t totally necessary for the readathon I’m doing, but it does feel apropos, haha. I don’t read a lot of horror, so we’ll see how much of it I do actually get round to!
What a fantastic haul! Black Sheep is my very favorite Rachel Harrison book. I’m also curious to hear your thoughts about There is no Anti Memetics Division. Enjoy!
Someone else had mentioned loving Black Sheep most, so I made sure to grab that one!
There Is No Antimemetics Division gave me such weird dreams/nightmares. It’s an ideas-heavy sci-fi horror, fairly cerebral, but I thought it was really good overall.
Great haul! Happy ready!
Thank you!
They all look good. I can’t read spooky books as I prefer to sleep. The closest I get is Gothic Fiction and even that gives me nightmares
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/09/26/stacking-the-shelves-169/
I’m not usually bothered that much, but I did have a recent read that fuelled nightmares, hahaha. I’ll have to be careful.
That challenge has my name all over it!
Do you have books that have been haunting your shelf for ages? – YES
Taunting you whenever you pass, shaming you when you find yet
another book to add to your already out of control TBR pile? – YES
Jinjer recently posted…Shorty September Crunch Time
Yup, me too… It was really fun last year, so I’m looking forward to it!
I hope you enjoy all your books.
Vicki recently posted…The Sunday Salon: 9/27/26
Thank you!
Looks like a bunch of enjoyable in the queue. I love the purple mansion on Play Nice. Lot’s of 4s and 5s in your recent reads. I agree that mood reading is the way to go. But then I would never try to a classic, and sometimes forcing myself into genres I don’t normally read works out. It’s a dilemma for me.
I just try to balance mood reading with pushing myself a little when I’m in the mood. It really depends on what’s going on for me!
I’m not a huge fan of spooky books, but I do want to get hold of Startup Hell as I love the two books I’ve read by Rozarkis. Your haul is impressive! Have a great week, Nicky:).
I don’t usually read a lot of horror since I’m a wuss, but I did really enjoy Cackle — there was something oddly cosy about it for something that was also creepy at times. So I wonder if there’ll be a similar vibe in some of her other books!
I am sure lots of folks are adding to their scary book shelves right now. I hope you enjoy all those you found.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: Waco-Bound
I think so, haha. I usually don’t lean much into seasonal reading, but it felt apropos, and I’ve wanted to read more of Rachel Harrison’s work for a while.
I love spooky reading month! I read Play Nice last year, and I would like to read more by Harrison!
I don’t usually do much seasonal reading, but sometimes it’s fun to lean into it!
Glad you found some great choices! I have been pretty moody leaning towards mystery in many forms for awhile. When the world is crazy, I go for something that has a solution.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
That’s a good summary of why mysteries appeal to people, I think! It’s one thing I enjoy about Golden Age mysteries, which is what I’ve been most attracted to in the last couple months.
Ghosts of the British Museum sounds intriguing – looking forward to hearing what you think of that one!
Gem @ Gem’s Book Talk recently posted…Book review – This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
I’m looking forward to it! I’m a sceptic about the actual ghosts, but I imagine it’s a fertile place for people having such experiences.
Nice looking assortment of books. All of them are new to me. I tend to avoid the spooky when I read and am currently reading a bunch of review copies that have accumulated on my stack. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
I’m not usually a big one for spooky/horror books, but I couldn’t resist giving these a try.
I really need to check out Rachel Harrison. Hope you have a good week.
Bree @ BibliophileBree recently posted…Review: If Not You by Ellen O’Clover
I’ve enjoyed one of her books before, so I’m hoping I’ll really like these!
Love the additions to your shelves, including the ARC.
Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading!
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out recently posted…It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon
I’m looking forward to digging in!