Instagram story viewer> @redheaded_bookworm> Posts

Kathleen | Bookstagram

@redheaded_bookworm

5.4K

followers

5681

following

35. | she/her
NYC! 🗽
2026 📖 60

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

💥 September BOTM Box 💥

Happy Tuesday friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their week. I didn't get a chance to post my book boxes from last month, so here I am posting them now :)

I instantly knew I wanted a copy of Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo. She is, hands down, one of my favorite authors, and I really wanted to a BOTM of her new book since it will match the first two books that I have.

Before You Were Anne and If Not You were bonus choices that I really wanted. I have heard nothing but good things about Emiko Jean's suspense novels and I love Ellen O'Clover's work, so I knew I wanted to get both :)

I do have to start reading more of my BOTM books though. The stack is getting out if hand 😅 I did decide to skip October though, so there will be no October BOTM stack!

🌠Have you read any of these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts?
🌠Are you a BOTM subscriber?
🌠If so, what did you choose for September? by @redheaded_bookworm

584

1

5 days ago

💥 Book Review 💥

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A caretaker is urgently needed - three days of work, competitive pay, urgently needed. Macy can't say why the job intrigues her; it just does. After a slew of job interviews and rejections, she inquires about it, considering she needs to pay rent, buy groceries, and a sister to provide for. It shouldn't be too bad; it's only three days of work. What starts out as a peculiar job turns out to be a nightmare. An evil may dwell on the property, and Macy may be the only thing standing between it and the rest of humanity. Follow the rites and everything will be okay, right?

After reading and loving We Used to Live Here, I was so excited to read The Caretaker, but to me, this was just okay. The premise is super intriguing, but the execution wasn't all that great. First of all, Macy is an absolutely inept FMC. She has to follow the rites and, at first, thinks it's an absolute joke, but everything goes out the window real fast when she realizes she messed up - but according to her, she should know better. I just kept rolling my eyes and yelling at the book about how Macy was handling things because she is beyond irritating. Even though OCD is represented here, Macy does not actually have OCD herself, but the inclusion is there in how the rites should be followed, and it's an interesting concept introduced to the story. You don't see what this threat is being done to the outside world besides Macy's point of view in taking care of the house. I wish we had more information about what this entity is and its hand is ending humanity. The concept is intriguing, and I appreciate what Kliewer was trying to do here, but in the end, I did and did not enjoy this book. Either way, I am excited to see what Kliewer comes up with next because I would love to see what else is in that mind of his!

🌠Have you read The Caretaker?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

580

4

11 days ago

💥 September Wrap-Up 💥

Happy Tuesday, friends! I never got around to posting an August wrap-up, so here's my September wrap-up a couple of days late 😅

I read five books in September. My reading has really slowed down this year. Nothing has been catching me as much as I want it to, and life has been so busy that I don't want to read by the time I get home. I have also been taking my time with the books I really enjoy instead of rushing through them. But all of that is okay! You don't have to read 100+ books or rush through them. You're still a reader no matter how fast or slow you read :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia

🌠Have you read any of these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts?
🌠What was your favorite book of September? by @redheaded_bookworm

597

2

12 days ago

💥 Book Review 💥

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While on a camping trip, a group of high schoolers who have vowed to always protect each other discover something in the middle of the forest - a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend climbs up, doesn't come back down, and then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later, the staircase reappears, and the group of friends decides to return to the staircase to find the one who disappeared and to figure out what lies beyond the staircase.

My mind was all over the place when trying to decide what I wanted to rate this. I ended up rating this four stars, but I can absolutely see why people rated this less or why they DNF'd the book. This one is a true horror novel that will make the hair on your arms stand on end and will have you on the edge of your seat. This one isn't just a horror book, but a psychological horror that will get under your skin and make you as uncomfortable as possible. I loved the character development of each character and how eerie their backstories are when they go up the staircase themselves. I also love their friendship and how they truly are there for each other. One main thing I didn't enjoy about this is the repetitiveness of the story. It's kind of given with the source material, so it's understandable, but I wish there was a tad more uniqueness so it wouldn't be as repetitive as it is. I also hated the ending 😅 Wendig truly did us dirty with this one, and in a way, I wish we would get a sequel to this, even though I know we will never get this. Overall, this is a perfect read for the spooky season and a great book for horror fans.

🌠Have you read The Staircase in the Woods?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

595

4

13 days ago

💥 Book Haul 💥

Happy Wednesday, friends! We're halfway through the week, and Friday can't come fast enough.

Just a little book haul of books I bought over the summer :) Yes, I was supposed to post this months ago, but here we are 😅 Life has gotten a bit in the way of posting. By the time I get home, I much rather bed rot than try to type up a post for the next day. Work has been kicking my ass, and I am counting down the days until my vacation in mid-October!

The books:
💫Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
💫Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver
💫Twisted Love by Ana Huang
💫The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
💫The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
💫Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe
💫The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
💫Breakout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
💫Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
💫You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings
💫Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers
💫The Sea Hides It's Dead by Megan Bontrager
💫The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
💫Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen

🌠Have you read any of these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

581

4

18 days ago

💥 Book Review 💥

Suffer a Witch by Joy McCullough

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for the gifted copy.

Suffer a Witch is a memoir in-verse about sexual abuse, survival, and sisterhood. McCullough grew up in the church as a pastor's daughter. But her time in the church was forever altered when a new youth pastor joined the church and groomed and sexually assaulted Joy. McCullough recalls the abuse, the aftermath, and her life today as she seeks healing and justice.

What a time to be writing this review, when in this book she highlights seeking justice in a country that rewards men for sexual abuse and still insists that women will say anything these day which is exactly what is happening right now. McCollough doesn't hold back and is clear and precise when it comes to her abuse. She explains what happened in detail, how she was silenced, and how she was affected then and how it affected her later in life.

People ask why victims don't come forward right away. This book is one of the many examples of why. She told family, she filed reports, she emailed future employees of the abuser, and nothing was done. The man who abused her is somehow still working with kids, and no matter how much proof was put forward, many dismissed her.

This book is made to make you feel uncomfortable and disgusted. You feel the anger McCullough puts through these pages, and you feel angry right beside her. At the same time, it feels powerful and moving because she turns her suffering into a testament of survival. Throughout the book, McCullough writes letters to other women of history who were falsely accused and misunderstood, who were burned as witches, bullied into confessing, those punished for being raped.

Overall, this is powerful, gut-punching read, and it's so important in this day and age. I hope the man who abused her sees this book everywhere he turns and is haunted for life. by @redheaded_bookworm

575

4

19 days ago

💥 ARCS of Book Con 💥

Was BookCon back in April? Yeah, it was, but I have been so behind on posting EVERYTHING, so here we are, posting about things that happened five months ago. This is why I can't be a proper bookstagram and make this a job 😅

I have so many thoughts and opinions about BookCon, but it was a crazy but fun experience, and if I can do it all over again, I would because of the amazing authors who made the con.

I have a few posts about the con itself, but I decided to start with the ARCS I picked up from different publishers. The ARC drops were absolutely wild, and I decided not to go as crazy as I do during NYCC, but still grateful I was able to get some of my most anticipated drops of the con!

The books:
💫The Pools by E. Lockhart
💫Top Heavy by Rhonda DeChambeau (Not an ARC, just a free book that I was able to pick up on the show floor)
💫Young World by Soman Chainani
💫Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel

Thank you to all the amazing publishers who dealt with the crazy crowds and got us through the weekend. Y'all were champs 💪👏

🌠Have you read any of these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

614

2

a month ago

💥 Book Review 💥

Lights! Camera! Frendo! by Adam Cesare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sabrina Alvarez is a nobody until she is cast in the movie that is based on the Kettle Springs Massacre as Quinn Maybrook, the badass final girl of the story. As soon as Sabrina gets to Kettle Springs, she feels like something is off. Kettle Springs is decimated, the director is out of control, there is a spate of deaths, and the movie is being made to glorify it all. Something bad is brewing, but this time it will all be on film.

I did not know I needed a fourth book in this series until it was announced. The ending of book three of the series was absolutely wild, and I think about it A LOT. This book, though, doesn't pick up where book three leaves off, but it was exciting to get a new look into Kettle Springs. Even though the book introduces new characters, we are reunited with Cole and Rust from the first three books, and it was fun to see their relationship continue. The tensions are now high in Kettle Springs as you can feel how everyone has dealt with the fallout of everything from the first three books. The plot can feel like you're rereading the same book, but Cesare knows how to make a fourth book feel fresh, especially with those crazy kills found throughout the story. It still blows my mind that these books are in the YA section, given how gory these books are. The epilogue of this book blew my mind, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we somehow get book five. Overall, this is a fun installment in a beloved horror series. Thank you so much to Harper Teen for my gifted copy!

🌠Have you read the Clown in a Cornfield series?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

547

11

a month ago

💥 August Aardvark Box 💥

August was a crazy month for both BOTM and Aardvark. It was the first time I wished we could choose more than three books in our boxes, except that's probably better for my bank account 😅

The books:
💫Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt - I chose this one because it will now match my copy of Left of Forever, which is by the same author. I'm excited to read this series :)
💫A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett - Chose this one because I have the first two books as Aardvark editions and wanted to match. Also very excited to read this series!
💫The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Happy reading :)

🌠Have you read these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts?
🌠Are you an Aardvark subscriber?
🌠If so, what did you choose for your August box? by @redheaded_bookworm

594

4

a month ago

💥 Book Review 💥

The Unknown by Riley Sager ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In 1926, five women disappeared from an island in Vermont, and now, 100 years later, the same thing is happening again. New Avalon isn't your ordinary island; it was a commune for spiritual mediums until they vanished. There are many theories about what happened to these women, but a diary entry suggests it was a séance gone wrong. In the present day, Marin and her castmates are beginning to realize that something is not right with New Avalon when they start to hear weird noises in the middle of the night and mysterious symbols are left behind by previous occupants. After a sudden health emergency leaves Marin and her castmates stranded on the island, the disappearances start up again. Marin begins to read the diary that was left behind to figure out what really happened on the island and to find the key to stop it from happening again.

To me, Riley Sager is so back. I was not a fan of his last two novels, so I was actually pretty nervous to read this one, but for me, this feels like he goes back to his roots with a spooky ghost story novel. It was filled with everything that I love about Sager novels: dual POV's, atmospheric setting, supernatural elements, the tension you feel while reading his novels, and the gripping twists and turns. His twists are, at times, completely unpredictable, and I did not guess a single one. I truly did not see where the ending was going and was surprised when it was revealed. It wasn't my favorite ending of his, but that doesn't lessen my feelings of how much I loved this book. Overall, I had so much fun reading this one. The execution of the book is done right. has a creepy atmosphere and is very binge-worthy. Sager truly makes me remember why I love the thriller genre, and I already can't wait to read his new novel!

🌠Have you read The Unknown?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts?
🌠Are you a fan of Riley Sager?
🌠If so, what is your favorite book of his? by @redheaded_bookworm

593

8

a month ago

💥 July Aardvark Box 💥

Happy Wednesday, friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Aardvark never misses with their choices and July was no exception. Thank god there is a limit of how many books you can choose because I sure can go for the whole lot and then some.

The new Chuck Tingle was my main choice, because, of course. I absolutely love his horror novels, and Fabulous Bodies was pretty damn cool, too.

Booksta truly got me on "Die For Me". I've seen it around a few times, and the synopsis of the book reeled me in. I also want to give Paul Tremblay another chance. I read one other book by him and was not a fan, but this gives off Blade Runner vibes and I love those movies.

I'll show you my August choices soon, but I also can't wait for the September books to drop!

🌠Have you read these books?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts?
🌠If you are an Aardvark subscriber, what did you choose for July? by @redheaded_bookworm

632

7

2 months ago

💥 Book Review 💥

Molka by Monika Kim ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our FMC, Dahye, finds herself in a whirlwind romance with Hyukjoon, an heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune. But then shocking revelations come to light: Dahye and Hyukjoon have been caught on a spy cam, and the video is all over the internet. Hyukjoon flees the country to deal with his own problems; Dahye is stuck dealing with her own ramifications, and demons from her childhood begin to surface. Amid the chaos, she catches the attention of Junyoung, a nerdy IT guy at work who has been harboring his own secrets; he has been the one spying on women at work, and Dahye unknowingly becomes the sole target of his obsession. When the facts come out surrounding the invasion of her privacy, Dahye's pain turns to rage, and she will not stop until the men who have hurt her have paid.

Yes, this book is a horror novel, but it also tackles the horrors women deal with in real life, and that's the main reason why I love this book so much. The title, Molka, in Korean, refers to spy cameras that are installed to record people without their consent. Kim talks about the real-world epidemic of these spy cameras and how they are treated as a societal norm rather than the true crime it truly is. The book also faces head-on the absolute horrors women have to deal with on a daily basis at the hands of men. This work is fiction, but it has elements of real-world horror, such as misogyny, sexual violence, voyeurism, violence, death, suicide, and self-harm, and Kim handles all these themes with care. Dahye has been wronged on so many levels, but her female rage screams, "men ain't shit." The book itself made me squirm a lot more than I thought, but it's supposed to make you uncomfortable. Some parts of the story were just okay, and it was a bit of a jumbled mess, but I ate this book up, and I definitely have to read Kim's debut novel soon.

🌠Have you read Molka?
🌠If so, what are your thoughts? by @redheaded_bookworm

615

11

2 months ago