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Katie | 45+ Mood Reader

@katiebookcase

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Book Reviews, Recs and Shenanigans
Genre Hopper | ARC | Autoimmune Warrior | Runner 🏋️‍♀️
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2026 📚: 113

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If you have been reading the news lately and are human, you may be really, really angry. I have been struggling not to fall into a complete rage spiral. How many more women need to be attacked before something tangible is done??

Every woman has a story. Every. Single. One. A time where they felt uncomfortable. Where someone crossed a line. Where they questioned the message the outfit they were wearing was sending. When they were forced to laugh to prove they can take a “joke” to stay safe. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I am an angry woman. The feminist rage reader. Because books like the ones I’ve highlighted here make me feel less alone in my anger. They tackle difficult truths. They force the discussion. They shed light on atrocities many people would prefer remain in permanent darkness. They are brave and bold.

We demand better. For our daughters. From our sons. For everyone. There has to be accountability. There has to be action. Let our anger be the fuel for change. Enough is enough.

🔥Drop a rage read recommendation below🔥

#feministrage #ragereads #femalerage #bookrecommendation #feministbooks taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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4 days ago

Reasons to Follow or Unfollow Me

Thanks @run_and_read_2live and @momsreadingera for the tag. I leave the country and a whole new trend comes out. I’m blaming the sightseeing and the time change on my delay.

Anyway, thanks for being here. If you’ve followed me for a bit, you know that I am all over the place reading wise and love to have a good time.

I have been on Booksta for a year and a half and have loved slowly sharing pieces of myself until I grew comfortable letting it all hang out. I’ve been told I’m a lot. Too much. Too quiet. Too loud. That not everything is funny. That I’m too emotional. And you know what? It is all true. And I love it.

Thank you for embracing me with my quirk, flaws and weirdness. If you choose to leave because we don’t jive, that’s cool. I am not for everyone and I’m ok with that. If you stay, we will have the best time.

What’s a reason you follow or unfollow an account? taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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2 months ago

After seeing @elysesepilogues @wolf.pack.readers and @run_and_read_2live highlight their top picks over the last five years, I was curious to check out my own. And I’m happy to say, I still love all of these book. The thing that actually surprised me the most was how many books I read year over year!

2021: My Historical Fiction Era (37 books read)
⚡️Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
⚡️The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
⚡️The Rose Code by Late Quinn
⚡️Know My Name by Chanel Miller
⚡️The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
⚡️The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

2022: My Memoir Era (55 books read)
⭐️The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
⭐️11.22.63 by Stephen King
⭐️The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
⭐️When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
⭐️A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold
⭐️Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

2023: My LitFic Era (102 books read)
🦋Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
🦋The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
🦋Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune
🦋Weyward by Emilia Hart
🦋Don’t Forget To Write by Sara Goodman Confino
🦋We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

2024 My Rage Era (111 books read)
🔥The Change by Kirsten Miller
🔥The Women by Kristin Hannah
🔥The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhorn
🔥James by Percival Everett
🔥Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
🔥The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes

2025 My Political Era (137 books read)
💡So Far Gone by Jess Walter
💡The Lion Women of Tehran by Marian Kamali
💡The Measure by Nikki Erlick
💡Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
💡The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M Graff
💡The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller

Which Katie Era do you identity with most? taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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4 months ago

Meditation ain’t gonna cut it. by @katiebookcase

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13 hours ago

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you @gallerybooks for the ARC copy of this book which is out now. All opinions are my own.

Summary: As a slave to the Ashoran royals, Samira has always known she was expendable. When the vicious Kaldfolk attack the palace, she is ready to die as a decoy for her princess. But she’s captured instead and forced to impersonate the princess and survive brutal trials designed to awaken her divine powers—all under the watch of her dangerously intriguing, shape-shifting captor.

Amunet Khada—now queen of Ashorah—is on the run following the king’s death. With only her guard-with-benefits, Jasim by her side, she must evade treacherous allies while racing to contact her father—the god of the underworld—before her long-promised powers slip beyond reach.

While Amunet embarks on a quest through the wastelands, Samira learns the true reason for the attack and unlocks secrets in her past that could change everything.

Review: I have always been obsessed with Egyptian mythology, so this one spoke to me immediately. I loved the tales and history woven into the high stakes, fantasy narrative.

At its core, this story is about two very different women who are forced to switch places and survive against all odds. The book alternates POVs as the characters navigate parallel storylines. While there was growth from both women, I was more heavily invested in Samira’s journey and the Kaldfolk supporting characters.

I did this as a tandem read and really preferred the duel narration audio for the accents and proper pronunciations. I also did this as a buddy read with my 14 year old nephew before I knew there was one very spicy chapter!! Whoops.

The book is the first in a planned duology so I knew it would end on a cliffhanger. It’s long (448 pages) and I found the pacing to be inconsistent. That said, the last 1/4th of this book really ramped up and convinced me that reading book two is a necessity!

This one for everyone but if you enjoy PG-13 spiced fantasy with Egyptian mythology, you’d enjoy it (3.5).

Are you interested in mythology or folklore?

#bookreview #bookrecommendation #fantasy #romantacy #duology taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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16 hours ago

Oh September. You’ve been rainy, moody and completely unpredictable, much like my mood these days. I love fall. It’s my favorite season. But the state of the world has me all over the place. In my feelings. Raging one minute. Staring blankly at the wall the next.

Reading and engaging has been a little bit of a challenge. I’m having trouble connecting so I feel like I’ve pulled back to give myself some room to breathe. My reading choices were all over the place in terms of genres. I tried to focus on a lot of backlist books this month. And my main criteria was that if you hook me quickly, I’m in.

My favorite read of the month was The Knave and the Moon. It was one of my most anticipated releases this year and it didn’t disappoint. I do wonder if my mood impacted my ratings this month as I had no 5⭐️ and many 3.5⭐️ on books I really enjoyed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Knave and the Mood 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Between Chapters (ARC) 📖🎧
A Resistance of Witches 🎧
Morfram, Dark Lord Reformed (ARC)📖🎧
Saint Delilah (ARC) 📖🎧
The Extra 🎧
The Other 🎧
Stay on the Line 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Hollywood, Ending 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Escape! 🎧
The Shrouded Queen 📖🎧
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls 📖🎧
Salt Water 📖🎧
The Boatman 🎧

What is your most anticipated October read? Or your favorite book of September?

September reads • September books • September wrap up • arcs • alc • audiobooks • book recommendations • monthly wrap up • fiction • thrillers • TBR • Coming soon • September book releases • by @katiebookcase

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2 days ago

Thank you @hayespages for an amazing evening! I was grateful to have been invited to Susy’s Literary Salon celebrating @zibbyowens new book Between Chapters! It was such a fun and interesting discussion in a beautiful, intimate setting.

Told with unflinching honesty, humor and warmth, Between Chapters is a collection of personal essays detailing life, motherhood, grief, marriage, divorce and everything in between. I finished the book last week and really enjoyed hearing Zibby talk not only about the book but also her podcast, her process and everything in between.

It was a wonderful evening! I mean check out those cookies 😍

Have you been to any book events recently? Who would you love to meet in person? by @katiebookcase

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3 days ago

Any day now… by @katiebookcase

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6 days ago

The mood swings are real

#funny #humor #bookreels #perimenopause #moodswings taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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8 days ago

I literally watch no TV. But I never miss a season of Dancing With The Stars! I love the stories, the journey and of course, the dancing. I’ve already told my husband we are taking dance lessons when we retire.

As I was watching this week, I started thinking about how each dance has its own identity, flow and characteristics - pretty much a distinct personality. And it felt like there were a lot of parallels between the dance styles and books. So here are my perfect pairings!

Do you watch DWTS? If so, who are you rooting for?

If not, recommend a book for a dance style below ⬇️

#booksandballroom #dancingwiththestars #perfectpairing #bookrecommendations taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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8 days ago

Welcome to the newly created ‘Ber Backlist Challenge! This was invented by me, born from my severe burnout and perimenopausal mood swings.

I’ve been struggling to follow a schedule for weeks. I feel overwhelmed and stressed by ARC deadlines. And each month that passes, I’m staring longingly at the books I wanted to read but haven’t gotten to yet.

This month, I didn’t make a list of ARC deadlines. I am so grateful for the ARCs I am fortunate to receive and absolutely plan to reading them. But I also want to be fair to these authors and their incredible work and talent. And if I’m not in the right headspace, I don’t want that to effect my enjoyment (and rating!) of the book.

In September, I made a conscious decision to look at my personal backlist and to prioritize books that have been sitting for way too long. And it has totally reenergized me! And I want to keep it going!

So (using my best Jerry Maguire voice), who’s coming with me? For the remainder of the ‘Ber months, I plan to make sure I mix more of my backlist books in with my ARCs. And to hold myself accountable, I created this list of some of my most anticipated!

Want in? This is a very low maintenance challenge. Even adding one book a month you’ve been trying to get to makes a difference. Go 50/50. Whatever works for you.

Tag me in your posts! Use #berbacklist. And if there is enough interest, I’m happy to create a group and a tracking sheet! If not, the cheese is cool with standing alone.

What is a book that has been on your backlist for way too long?

#berbacklist #berbacklistchallenge #backlistbooks taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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9 days ago

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @zibbypublishing for the ARC and @librofm for the ALC of this book which is out today! All opinions are my own.

Summary: A heartfelt and humorous essay collection detailing the author’s decade-long reinvention from an Upper East Side stay-at-home mother of four to a divorced and remarried author, publisher, podcaster, and bookstore owner.

Review: I picked this up one afternoon while I was particularly cranky and having trouble getting into any book. I was sucked in immediately by Zibby’s candor, humor and relatability. Within 10 minutes, I was smiling and nodding along. I was hooked.

The book is told in vignette style “peeks” into everyday life. Some small moments, some large. But each imbibed with love, loss, humor, emotion and life lessons.

Yes, there are way too many school emails, random themed spirit days and classroom events. And the chapter on having “the talk” with her kids had me in stitches because the reaction and questions were the exact same experience I had with mine.

Her writing style is conversational. I felt like I was meeting up with an old friend over dinner to catch up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. She hits on a lot of timely topics around what it’s like to be a midlife woman, working mother and in a happy marriage. She doesn’t shy away from difficult topics or feelings. It’s raw, honest and powerful.

It’s a short book (216 pages) that I devoured in one day. I read it tandem and loved the audio. Zibby narrates and you can feel her emotions as she tells you her stories. It was charming to hear her laugh as she relieved certain stories with her children. It was powerful to hear her tears as she talked about her late stepfather. Audio is the way to go here.

Highly recommend for a quick, impactful and relatable read about being an overwhelmed midlife woman embracing the change and challenges that come with each new chapter (4.0).

What was a pivotal “small moment” in your life?

#bookreview #bookrecommendation #betweenchapters #nonfiction taken in BOOKSTA by @katiebookcase

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10 days ago