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Ave’s Bookshelf

@avesbookshelf

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Avery Branum on Goodreads and Fable📱
2026 Reading Goal: 84/100📖
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9 Books for October!!!🎃👻🖤

From my fall hopefuls post at the beginning of the month, I was able to get 5 read, plus 1 purchased at the local Grown Up Book Fair I attended!!! I had so much fun reading several books I’ve had on my shelves for months just waiting for spooky season👻
Thoughts on my reads:
1. Love Felt Like This: I picked this up at the book fair after having no idea it had come out. I had been wishing I could read something like If It Makes You Happy, so finding out Julie Olivia had released another romance made me so excited! I actually liked this one more than I liked IIMYH, and the plot felt so unique! I’m not sure this one would’ve been on my radar if I hadn’t caught her name on the cover when headed to check out, but I’m SO glad I did!! p.s. this book also comes with good content warnings if there are topics/scene you prefer to skip!
2. The Heartbreak Hotel - I borrowed this book from my mom and included it in my fall hopefuls, but never felt drawn to pick it up. So when my bestie texted and said “I started the audiobook from your bookstagram and you’re going to love this” I had to get it going immediately! Such a perfect cozy romance!
3. The Book Witch - I was curious how I would feel about this book after reading Astral Library last month, and I was shocked how even with a similar premise the books read so different. I love Rainy March and wish I could read about her over and over again!
4.Forget Me Not - Stacy Willingham is my number one thriller recommendation always!! This was her only book I hadn’t read, despite having bought a signed copy back in February, and October felt like the perfect time to dive in! This one definitely exceeded my expectations and Stacy continues to get it!! If you haven’t read her thrillers, PLEASE DO!!
5. Irregular Witches - This was on my shelf for literally a year because I believed it deserved to be read in October!! I think it was definitely a palate cleanser in the middle of my month, and I understand why so many love this cozy read!
6. Dead Romantics - My magical realism comfort author! This didn’t become my new favorite AP novel, but I still enjoyed spending time in a spooky cute story written by her! by @avesbookshelf

i get to read a new american girl book🥹🫶📚

When I first saw a new Samantha book was coming out, i thought it was fake until I found it on Goodreads😅 When I saw a new local bookstore opened 40 minutes from me and they had it in stock, it felt like the perfect Saturday mission! There are no words for how excited I am to dive back in with a character who played part in my love of reading and history🥹 But this means now I need legacy novels with everyone pls.

At the bookstore I also picked up Iron Flame to continue the Fourth Wing series (forever indebted to my husband’s friend for convincing me to read it) and the first book in the Ghosted series that I’m planning to read in December🫶

#americangirl #samanthathenextchapter #fionadavis #independentbookstore #bookhaul by @avesbookshelf

evenings recently🍁🌙☕️

finished the very secret society of irregular witches today after buying it in October… of 2025. I’m so glad I finally got around to it and it put me in the perfect spirit for fall!🎃

#fallreads #fallbooks #octoberbooks #fantasybooks #magicalrealism by @avesbookshelf

September Reads📚🫶✨

I read TEN books this month!!! My average for this year had been about 8 a month, so I was so excited to get a few extra books in there (especially with a couple of them being over 400 pages)! Here’s a few thoughts about each book:
1. Picking Daisies - Still thinking about this book. I thought it was talked about a lot, now I feel like it’s not talked about enough🌼
2. Fourth Wing - I avoided reading this for over a year until Sunday night when someone literally sat it in front of me and left. I finally picked it up and had it finished within 27 hours. INCREDIBLE…. and I think I like it better than any of the other fantasy series I’ve tried and failed to get through, so maybe I’ll actually get through this one?
3. Phoebe - I found so many different parts of this story relatable. Such a fun read (and so happy for Brooke)
4.The Astral Library - Wasn’t expecting to love this one as much as I did! I think it’ll be really interesting reading this one close to The Book Witch, which I plan to read in October.
5.Maine Characters - This book felt long but I still wanted more about the characters?
6. The Romance Revival - Not what I was expecting from CL but absolutely not complaining! Was a fun read between heavier books.
7. Summer We Ran - Picked this up mainly to finish my Goodreads challenge, but actually really enjoyed it! I liked how you could see hints of the present day characters through the discussions they were having in flashbacks.
8.Verity - Wanted to read before seeing the movie! I didn’t love it as much as I wanted too, but I think it was just bc it left me feeling generally unsettled😅
9.Outlander - liked, but didn’t love! There were parts of this that were hard to get through, and there were parts that were way to easy to skip over. If you’re interested, check trigger warnings!
10.Reel - Just wasn’t for me! I did enjoy my first Kennedy Ryan read though!

#bookreview #bookrecs #monthlytbr #bookrecommendations #falltbr by @avesbookshelf

slowly but surely feeling like 🍂🍁🧡🎃🥧 by @avesbookshelf

What I Bought at a Grown Up Book Fair📚🛍️🤩

When I saw my go to bookstore (@capebookrack ) was stocking a Grown Ups Book Fair with tons of local vendors in a super cool downtown venue, I had to make sure I was there!!! It was so fun getting to see everyone check out and chat over books and pick out their reads! Here’s what I went home with:
1. A trophy copy of All the Dangerous Things: This has consistently been one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, mystery/thriller reads over the last two years. I read it on kindle unlimited while I had it for the three months after buying my kindle, and this was the one book I always wished I had a physical copy of. When I saw it, I knew I had to bring it home!!!
2. Emma M. Lion Volume 1: When I saw these books, I immediately rushed to see if they had Volume 1. I’ve been having such FOMO over this series and I’m so excited to dive in! Somebody else had already grabbed the only copy of Volume 2, or else I probably would’ve gotten the first 5😂
3. Love Felt Like This: This book was not on my radar at all, but I came to a halt as soon as I saw Julie Olivia’s name on a book. I LOVED reading If It Makes You Happy last fall, and have been wishing I could read something similar… problem solved.
4. Exit Party: This caught my eye as I was getting ready to check out. I recently saw it on a Goodreads list and like the sound of the premise, but haven’t really heard anyone talk about it. Can’t wait to discover a new science fiction read!
5. Magnetic Book Mark: “I’m Like if a Girl was an Old Man”. This cracked me up and I found it relatable, couldn’t leave without it🤷🏻‍♀️

#bookhaul #bookrecs #fallreads #emmamlion #missouribookstagrammer by @avesbookshelf

I COMPLETED A GOODREADS SEASONAL CHALLENGE🤩📚🫶 (and here are the books that helped me do it)!!!!

Since I started using Goodreads, I always loved to see the categories and book lists that went along with the Seasonal Challenges. I’ve browsed around 6 of them, but by the end of every season I had only completed 5-7 of the accomplishments. Last December, I decided one of my goals of 2026 would be completing at least one seasonal challenge. When I had completed 5 books halfway to the deadline, and I already had books from almost all the categories left, I realized this was my time to shine🤩 I was able to complete all 11 accomplishments with 4 days to spare! The last few weeks of trying to complete the challenge have been so fun, I might try and do it for the next season too!

#goodreads #goodreadschallenge #summerchallenge #summerreads #readinggoals by @avesbookshelf

fall hopefuls!!!🍁🎃☕️🍂🥧🏈

so excited to dive into these books over the next couple months!! I am still trying to complete the goodreads seasonal challenge for summer, but boy oh boy are these books calling my name!!

(swipe to see my fave reading buddies looking for a sneak peek in what we’ll be reading soon📚🐾)

#fallreads #falltbr #dogsofbookstagram #verity #cozyreads by @avesbookshelf

August book rankings✨✨✨

It was truly such a good reading month!!! I can’t wait to jump into my September TBR📖

#bookrecs #bookranking #bookrating #tbr #septemberreads by @avesbookshelf

saturday reading✨📚🫶

I’ve always thought the premise of outlander sounded so interesting, and before I tried the TV show, I wanted to check out the book! Plus, it’ll help me complete the Goodreads seasonal challenge, which was one of my goals for 2026! My edition is over 800 pages and I need to have it (and 2 other books) completed my September 15… wish me luck!🥰

#reading #outlander #goodreadschallenge #bookshelf #bookrecs by @avesbookshelf

watch my personal library grow over a year✨📚

It seems I’m always *slipping* to a bookstore… but I’m not mad about it. So proud of all the books I’ve read, borrowed, and loved! Here’s a breakdown of my shelves:

Top Row: B&N Classics Collection, The Great Gatsby Collection, and other Classics!
L 2nd Shelf: Fantasy
L 3rd-5th Shelf: Romance
R 2nd and 3rd Shelf: General-Historical-Science Fiction
R 4th and 5th Shelf: Mystery and Thrillers

I LOVE when people have their shelves arranged by color, book cover type, etc….. but the classic organization system keeps my heart happy (and organized!)🥰

#bookshopping #bookshelf #bookshelforganization #myreads #bookrecs by @avesbookshelf

another how many pages i read at the bowling alley!!!🎳

Loving this book so much, and was so glad to have a few hours to focus on it while the husband bowled! I’ve been reading enough at his leagues, tournaments and practices thst a few friendly faces always check in to see what I’m reading each week.

This one took me a minute to get into, but now that I’m past the halfway mark, I don’t know if I can put it down!🩵

#thecalamityclub #reading #summertbr #hobbies #bowlingwags by @avesbookshelf