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Courtney

@backlistblooms

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📚Future librarian
📝 Honest book reviews and recs, reading guides & book hauls
🤩 My favorite books are a combination of when entertainment meets impact

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Fall Reading Guide 2026 🍂

The storms rolled in last night and the weather finally broke in STL, so it’s the perfect time to post my annual fall reading guide.

I usually lean more towards creepy, spooky, gothic, and even cozy books in the fall instead of outright disturbing, gory, or terrifying. If that’s you’re vibe too, this list is for you!

What’s you favorite gothic or spooky book?
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#fallreads #readingguide #booklist #fallbooks #spookyseason by @backlistblooms

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3

15 days ago

I have BIG feelings about book ratings ⬇️

Here is the updated version of how I rate books. As you can see, it’s complicated.

Though I’ve switched over to an emoji system in my Insta reviews, I’m a notoriously tough star rater. I feel very strongly that ratings are subjective and that ratings and reviews are for oneself and for other readers, not authors.

I can only imagine how hard authors work to write a book. However, at least half of the reading experience is a reader’s personal response to that creation. Literature is art and art is inherently subjective.

I will always rate authentically based on my personal response. I will not pad my ratings or round up to the nearest number on review platforms.

I know that’s controversial but it feels authentic for me and helps me discern between the over 100 books I read every year.

How do you feel about rating books? Do you have a personal system for rating?
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#unpopularopinion #bookrating #bookreviewer #bookreviews #reader by @backlistblooms

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2 months ago

I’m leaning into my reading doorways this year!!

Reading doorways are the ways each reader connects with books. They are:

✍️ Language (writing style/structure)
👥 Character
💥 Story (plot)
🏞️ Setting

Thanks to @readingglassespodcast (and of course, Nancy Pearl), I’ve figured out which doorways work best for me: story (plot) and setting. Of course, every book contains multiple doorways but usually, books have a main entry point that is most noticeable.

If you give me a character driven book with no plot or vivid setting, it will likely not work for me. Likewise, I really don’t care much about amazing writing or unique structure. Now can we all see why literary fiction and memoirs are not my jam?

Instead of judging yourself, open your door, and walk through to a more satisfying reading life!

What are your reading doorways?
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#bookstagram #books #bookshelf #bookaddict #bibliophile #bookish #booklover #reader #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #crbookishfriends #nerdybookishfriends #readingdoorways #nancypearl #readingglassespodcast by @backlistblooms

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3 years ago

Spooky season reading 🧙‍♀️

RATING: 👍
LENGTH: 325 pages/11 hrs 32 min
GENRE: Fantasy
READING DOORWAY(S): Character

📖 WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A girl must gain independence and stop her mysterious and dangerous mother before it’s too late in this dark reimagining of The Goose Girl.

❤️ WHAT WORKED: I love Kingfisher and there were elements of A Sorceress Comes to Call that I really enjoyed: the atmosphere, the found family, the mid-life women, the anticipation of the payoff, despite it containing one of my big personal content triggers, which is a feat all on its own.

⚠️ WHAT DIDN’T: However, the ending left me wanting. I needed more explanation of the magic system, the villain’s motivations, and of the daughter’s powers.

➡️ FINAL THOUGHTS: This had so much potential to be great but it didn’t quite come all the way together for me to rate it higher. Still, I’m glad I read it and think it’s a good fall/winter read.

🙏 THANKS TO trusted reader friends @joyinabook and @hollyslitmagic for motivating me to pick this one up.
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#bookreview #reader #fantasybooks #asorceresscomestocall #fallreads by @backlistblooms

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19 hours ago

September reading wrapped 📚

My reading was so much better in September than the last few months. I have whatever the opposite of SAD is because I can feel my soul returning to my body.

My fall reading is in full swing and I am loving it!

What was your favorite book of September?

#readingwrapup #septemberreads #fiction #reading #superlatives by @backlistblooms

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4 days ago

Fall Library Book Haul Pt 2

Another week, another library haul! It’s my favorite reading season and I’m grabbing ALL the books with no shame.

Any favorites here?

Come back for parts 3 & 4 👻🎃💀
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#librarylove #bookhaul #fallreads #librarybooks #spookyseason by @backlistblooms

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5 days ago

Glad I didn’t DNF this one ✋

RATING: 😀
LENGTH: 300 pages
GENRE: Cozy Fantasy
READING DOORWAY(S): Plot, setting

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF AS A READER:
✅ Sometimes sticking with a book pays off; I really love when an author plays with genre
❌ Straight ahead cozy romance/fantasy is not working well for me right now

Every once in a while a book comes along that makes me glad I didn’t DNF it in the first half. The Book Witch is one of those books.

⚠️ WHAT DIDN’T WORK: Don’t get me wrong, the first half, which follows a book (saving) witch and her fictional detective love interest was a perfectly fine cozy fantasy romance story, but fine is not what I’m looking for in my reading right now. Truthfully, I even checked book reviews to justify a reason to DNF but I couldn’t find any. I kept wondering what book everyone else was reading that had them rating this book over 4 stars.

❤️ WHAT WORKED: Then, when I hit the 60% mark, this cozy fantasy romance very intentionally twisted into a different story, one that had me invested and riveted. At around the 80% mark, I cried. All I can say is that Shaffer has become an expert in capturing how readers feel about the magic of books and stories.

➡️ FINAL THOUGHTS: I’m so glad I finished The Book Witch. It was definitely worth the ride. I just wish we could have gotten there a little bit faster. To other readers, I advise you to settle in, be patient, and enjoy the magic.

🙏 THANKS TO @netgalley and @ballantinebooks for the advanced reader copy. The Book Witch is out now.

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#bookreview #bookrecommendation #netgalley #cozyfantasy #thebookwitch by @backlistblooms

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7 days ago

Spooky TBR 🎃💀📚

Here’s what I pulled from my physical book shelves for my atmospheric September/October reading. I could have easily pulled twice as many. I love this reading season and tend to collect a lot of related books.

Our time has come fellow summer-hating bookworms!

What’s on your fall TBR?
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#fallreading #fallbooks #spookyseason #falltbr #bookstack by @backlistblooms

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10 days ago

Underrated 💎 Alert!

RATING: 😀
LENGTH: 208 pages
GENRE: Literary Speculative Fiction
READING DOORWAY(S): Language

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF AS A READER:
✅ Books with language or word play are definitely for me
❌ The epistolary format can make it harder for me to connect to a story

Wow! This is one of those stories that is so unique and creative, I had to stop sometimes and marvel at what the author was doing.

📖 WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Written through letters between citizens, Ella Minnow Pea tells the story of a town slowly losing its ability to use letters, but not due to any magical force; it’s simply due to the unjustified worship and interpretations of a singular god-like figure by a small political council.

❤️ WHAT WORKED: The story shows the loss of each letter’s impact on society and on the people that live there. The writing reflects the loss of each letter too, narrowing to almost unintelligible jabber at the end.
Written in the early 2000s, this feels like a prescient allegory that both reflects our past and predicted our present.

⚠️ WHAT DIDN’T: Not much, though often I found myself more in my head about the author’s writing abilities and the book’s relationship to our current situation than in my heart, and that did lessen its emotional impact. I would also never call this book compelling or propulsive, so be prepared for a slower, quieter reading experience despite its short length.

➡️ FINAL THOUGHTS: This book is one big mirror that, while difficult to look into, is also an important reflection to see in our current times. Literary readers or readers who love stories about language should give this a try.

🙏 THANKS TO the @currentlyreadingpodcast ‘s IPL and @booktenderswv for the recommendation. I’m not sure I ever would have found this little gem otherwise.
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#bookreview #bookrecommendation #reader #literaryfiction #ellaminnowpea by @backlistblooms

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12 days ago

If there are no fans of RF Kuang left, I’m 💀

RATING: 😀 (4.25)
LENGTH: 279 pages
GENRE: Literary fiction
READING DOORWAY(S): Character

Ahhh. Reading RF Kuang feels like coming home now, regardless of the actual story. She has a very specific way of writing that scratches some itch in my brain. I know it drives other people mad.

📖 WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In Taipei Story, the FMC is studying abroad at an intensive Chinese language program in Taiwan and we see that experience through her eyes.

I thought this book was going to be about a college student reconnecting with her grandfather and her subsequent grief at his loss, but it was not. Or, not in the way I expected. The story is about what that missed connection represents; how we miss out on experiences while we’re waiting for a more perfect time or a more perfect version of ourselves, which never happens.

❤️ WHAT WORKED: Simply put, I love reading Kuang’s view of the world and this character-focused story highlighted that. The plot is really not the point here; this story focuses on the FMC’s intense internal journey in an unfamiliar place.

As with all of Kuang’s books, it also weaves in many other elements. In this case, Chinese diaspora, the realities of travel/tourism, the nuances of linguistics and language, complicated familial relationships, academia, friendship, and a bit of Taiwanese history and politics, to name a few.

⚠️ WHAT DIDN’T: Though there was never a time I felt the booked dragged, the youthful naivity and passivity of the FMC was a tiny bit irksome. Readers who have no tolerance for characters who aren’t assertive or won’t take action, will likely be VERY bothered here.

➡️ FINAL THOUGHTS: Look, if you know you don’t like Kuang’s sensibility, don’t bother with this one.

If you love character-driven stories, complicated FMCs who spend a lot of time thinking about everything, and unromanticized travel logs, give this a try.

🙏 THANKS TO @lizisreading_ for a great review. Her positive thoughts among the haters reignited my excitement.
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#bookreview #bookrecommendation #reader #literaryfiction #taipeistory by @backlistblooms

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19 days ago

My fall reading is ready to begin 🎃

This the first of several library hauls I’ll come home with during my favorite season. I like a mix of everything: creepy, cozy, dark, mysterious, and a splash of slash.

Don’t worry, I have 3x as many from my physical shelves to choose from too. I am truly blessed.

Happy fall reading friends!
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#fallvibes #fallreads #libraryhaul #fallbooks #reader by @backlistblooms

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21 days ago

Finally a win! I’m officially out of my summer reading slump. ♥️

RATING: 😀 (4.25)
LENGTH: 321 pages
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
READING DOORWAY(S): Character

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF AS A READER:
✅ Stories about characters grappling with messy humanness are hitting hard right now
❌ White saviorism

What a beautiful family story about the complicated nature of people, relationships, love, and family.

📖 WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The Burning Side is billed to be about Leo and April, who are on the brink of divorce when their house burns down. While that’s true, it’s also about how their past experiences and their families have shaped them, and not in some nebulous way. They move in with April’s parents, Deb and Billy, after the fire and we get their whole story too, which is also full of hardship and joy.

❤️ WHAT WORKED: I love books about the messy reality of being a human in a world full of other messy humans and this book captured that well. Was it a touch emotionally manipulative? Yes. Did I mind? Not at all.

⚠️ WHAT DIDN’T: Unfortunately, the only thing holding this back for me was the undercurrent of white saviorism in the story. I wish someone had advised the author to flip the script or take those elements out completely. Without that, I think this would have been a 5 star read for me.

➡️ FINAL THOUGHTS: This book was full of equal parts beauty and joy, but also devastating heartbreak, just like real life. Read if you’re a fan of family stories, complicated characters trying their best, and realistic, satisfying endings.

*Big TWs on this one though.

🙏 THANKS TO @sarahsbookshelves and @wacoreads for this great recommendation.
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#bookreview #bookrecommendation #reader #fiction #theburningside by @backlistblooms

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25 days ago