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Lindsay N

@riverside.reads

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🇨🇦 Happily devouring books by the Grand River
Especially
❤ Sci-fi + fantasy + romcoms
📚 Full-time bookseller
🎨 Journaling my reading experience

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The other week my friend mentioned she got a copy of Rebel Witch from the library. I dropped everything and joined her in a buddy read. But first, I quickly reread Heartless Hunter as my memory is trash. Boy oh boy, what fun. I loooooooved texting back and forth with our observations, questions and predictions. The whole experience was 5 🌟. Did I love love Rebel Witch? Um, yes and no. Im convinced that their relationship will not be one for the ages- unless they both get therapy and learn to stop lying. I will however 💯 be picking up the next books Kristen is putting out because I do need more of this world and long for their character development.

Do you reread books? This is the 2nd book I've reread this past month (The Knight and the Moth).. and Im thinking about picking up other favourites too for pure comfort:

● Mistborn trilogy
Or
● Shepherd King duology
Or
● Fourth Wing (im holding back on Threshing Day bc I KNOW it will absolutely cause me to go down the FW IF OS track)
Or
● The scholomance trilogy

Should I do it? Which one? All of them? TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

I also could be persuaded to reread Throne of Glass. 😅

#reread #crimsonmoth #2026reads #fantasy by @riverside.reads

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8 days ago

My most surprising read of 2026: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett.

I had zero plans to pick this up. Then, after hand selling it to five billion customers and hearing that one person had read it, then immediately re-read it, I was curious to know if I'd like it.

Friends- I more than liked it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Calamity Club is a story of women finding agency and fighting against a system designed to make their lives small. These characters are bold, full of life and no longer content to toe the line.

If you're looking for a book that transports you to a specific time and place (1930s Mississippi), that will make you both laugh & cry, with some of the most memorable characters around, pick up a copy. Then get your friend a copy too, because you'll need to talk about it desperately. Trust me.

Comparible titles: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes and Thus Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

#2026reads #fiction #thecalamityclub #historicalfiction by @riverside.reads

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21 days ago

Current read: DEFY THE DUSK by Danielle L Jensen. Book one in the Sundering Duet.

Out Nov 3, 2026.

On pg 150/655

What is better than spending a morning curled up on the deck while reading a captivating story? Nothing.

Defy the Dusk is grisly in the most perfect way. Think post-apocalyptic Mad Max/Snowpiercer + magic. Our fmc broke the world apart with her magic as a child, and now is trying to heal it... all while captured by her enemy (or is he???). That's a very simple breakdown of a book that is lush with world building and potential for greatness. As always, Jensen's writing is excellent and I wish I could just pause time to sit here an read until it's finished.

What are you reading right now?

#2026reads #defythedusk #fantasy by @riverside.reads

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22 days ago

YOU GUYS I READ A BOOK THAT WAS NEITHER ROMANCE NOR A FANTASY!!!
(OK but it does have elements of magical realism which is a nice middle ground)

🌟🌟🌟🌟

"At thirty-two, Aubrey Lamb is stumbling into adulthood. An underpaid gig worker in Washington, DC, she's grieving the recent loss of her father and the end of a serious relationship. When Aubrey learns that she has inherited a shared stake in a sizable Tennessee farm from her father, she sees an opportunity to get out of the city—and to erase a mounting pile of debt...

...The Great Wherever is at once grand and intimate; it explores the ways we learn to define ourselves through and against our family, how we carry on after loss, and how the past lives on in all of us."

The twist? The story is told by 4 ghosts, Aubrey’s ancestors. Linked to the farm itself, they watch her arrival and track with her as she learns about family history and decides what to do with her inheritance.
Readers get to witness Aubrey’s journey while also learning the rich history of the Tennessee farm and how it was passed down through generations.

What I enjoyed:
- hearing the story through Aubrey's ancestors (the ghosts) and learning about the rich family history
- I didnt always like or understand Aubrey's choices, but I was always rooting for her
- the writing style hooked me from the first page. So much so that I will automatically pick up whatever Sanders writes in the future.

On the other hand, the ending felt a tad flat. It resolved quickly and in a way that left me slightly unsatisfied... and yet... was true to Aubrey’s character?

Have you read anything lately that is outside your norm?

#thegreatwherever #fiction #2026reads #summerreading by @riverside.reads

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2 months ago

What I read at the Lakehouse (in reading order):

1- When You Loved Me - 3.75🌟
I have never read this author before and while it wasn't my fave (boooo miscommunication trope!), Im really glad I read it as it was a perfect summery, melodramatic type story meant to be enjoyed with the sun on your face and water at your side.

2- The Best Worst Thing - 3.75 🌟
Tropesick will be in my top 10 romances this year so I dived into Lauren's first book and boy oh boy was it messy (in its relationships). I typically avoid storylines with cheating as a major plot point, so I held a lot of discomfort with that... BUT you can see how Lauren's writing got stronger with Tropesick and I love seeing that type of progress.

3 - Leave and Come Back - 4🌟
Third book of the trip featuring a Golden Retriver mmc. Did i know that when I hauled all these up north with me? No. But you guys- so refreshing to read all these genuinely kind, understanding, truly lovely men who didnt play games or scowl. Also, this has the reverse trope of fake dating: pretending to be strangers while secretly dating in order to win over family members.

4- Annie Knows Everything - 5🌟
Wowowowowow. Not categorized as a romance, but honestly, the flirting between Annie and Connor was sharp and quick and exactly what I adore. I read it in less than 24 hours and it will feature in my top 10 of the year and I think it probably deserves it's own post in the grid eventually.

*sigh* Now, back to reality 😭😭😭... and counting down to the next vacation so I can unplug and be away from it all.

If you have any good beach reads, drop them in the comments so I can collect them for the next vacay 😊

#summerreads #2026reads #bookstagram #romance by @riverside.reads

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3 months ago

I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats.

Did I just spend five minutes googling that phrase to figure out how the heck it got into my brain? Yes. Did I get a clear answer? No. But the phrase just felt right and Im sticking with it. OK? OK.

But I did actually cry. I read the last bit of the book as the fam drove to the lakehouse and my eyes got real leaky. Dolly All The Time is just so, so, so lovely. I was deeply moved by the relationships (esp her brother) and Dolly's character growth.

Friends, this is a fantastic summer feel good love story. It gets all the stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Anyone else read it? 🙋🏼‍♀️

#romance #2026reads #bookstagram #summerreading by @riverside.reads

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3 months ago

Currently on pg 267 of Fate Breaker.

Sorry, not sorry, to all my coworkers and family who I've blabbed on and on to about this. It has been a peak reading experience and absolute highlight of the summer. Dare I say it may be one of my favourite Fantasy series of all time??? Only time will tell but I already know I would easily pick it up again and re-read it for comfort. That's how much I love these characters and the crazy epic journey they go on... and I dont even know how it's going to end 😅.

The cast:
- an immortal who lacks people skills but is a fierce warrior and high sense of honour
- an assassin who is untrustworthy and highly skilled at what they do
- the daughter of a pirate who longs for adventure and may be the key to saving the realm from destruction
- a young squire, training to be a knight, who saw his entire entourage brutally killed and now isn't sure of his place in life
- a queen who carries the weight of her family's legacy and is willing to cross any line to get what she wants
- a villain who is working out his childhood trauma, is driven by anger and feels that their choices are justified
- a god named What Waits (best name ever!!!) who is trying to break into their realm and leaves complete chaos in their wake.

The plot:
In a nutshell, What Waits is trying to enter the realm through broken portals. Only select individuals of a certain bloodline can open/close the portals (called Spindles). If What Waits enters their realm, everything will be destroyed. It is a classic tale of good vs evil on a epic scale. Think Lord of The Rings.

As of right now the series lives in YA... BUT, it is being republished with amazing new covers later this summer and will be classified as adult Fantasy. This is a brilliant move and where it should have been placed all along. While you wait for the new covers, just go find yourself a copy at a library. Trust me on this one, and enjoy being transported to a magical place with characters you will adore.

#realmbreaker #victoriaaveyard #Fantasy #2026reading #libraryloans by @riverside.reads

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3 months ago

While the rest of the crew cools off in the splash pad I am fully invested in this story. So glad that @daniela.maruszki told me to read this because it started off in such an epic way. What do you mean this is a world full of knights and pirates? So far it is basically my 2025 obsessions woven into one storyline. Annnnnnd some really amazing editions of this trilogy are coming out in the Fall. I already know they'll end up in my shopping basket even though im only 89 pgs in.

Has anyone read Victoria Aveyard before?

#libraryloan #2026reads #summerreading #bookstagram by @riverside.reads

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3 months ago

New obsession unlocked: Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I've been reading these with my 12 year old and I'm completely hooked. When reading vol 4 today I gasped aloud THREE times. The illustrations are so beautiful. I am astounded at how Kamome can capture the idea of movement within their drawings. I particularly love looking at the hands of each character because they always seem to be in the midst of clutching or grasping at something. In this format there's so much that isn't explicitly said, and it is left to the imagination of the reader to interpret the emotion driving things and Witch Hat excels at communicating a deeper meaning with each drawing.

I don't naturally gravitate toward Manga or graphic novels but I'm all in with this series. Now I need to get my hands on the next 9 vols ASAP!

Ps. This series is rated ages 10+ and so far seems very appropriate for a middle grade/tween audience even though it is shelved in Adult Manga.

Pps has anyone watched the anime show yet?

#witchhatatelier #2026reads #Manga #bookstagram by @riverside.reads

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4 months ago

Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni

I consumed this in one day. It just happened to be the perfect alignment of right place, right time. Shadow Reaper was enjoyable on many levels. Solidly a YA read, there is fun banter and a creative magic system that help to balance out some of the darker tones of the story.

Here's the scoop:

The city of Aravell is surrounded by a deadly black mist that kills everyone it touches by draining their magic/life source. As a way to ward off the mist, all citizens voluntarily sacrifice their magic at 14 to the wards that guard the city.
Viridia Solace, our main fmc, is a well trained hunter who seeks to protect children under 14 from Reapers- individuals who steal magic and are highly addicted to the power it brings).

When a high ranking Reaper is arrested and refuses to talk to anyone but Viri, she must choose whether to give into his demands to get the information she's been fighting for years to find, or walk away.

Plot twist: This Reaper and Viri share a past and nothing is quite as it seems.

I for one, will definitely be tuning in for the rest of the series to see how it all resolves!

Shadow Reaper would be a satisfying read for fans of Noni's previous work, the Prison Healer series, or The Crimson Moth duology by Kristen Ciccarelli. (& Storygraph also recs it for Victoria Aveyard, Kristin Cashore, Catherine Doyle and Holly Black fans).

#shadowreaper #2026reads #yafantasy #bookstagram by @riverside.reads

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4 months ago

* Library Haul *

I've been neglecting the library lately as I've been prioritizing reads off of my own shelf... but I couldn't resist ordering in these hot new titles 😍

I think Im going to tackle Shadow Reaper first... or Every Exquisite Thing. I'll see where my mood takes me. 😀

What's the last thing you borrowed from the library?

#hpl #librarylife #tbr #bookhaul by @riverside.reads

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4 months ago

INTO THE BLUE by Emma Brodie
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I woke up this morning determined to finish the book. I sat at the table for three hours and didn't move a muscle. Normally I read on the couch, or in an armchair, but I couldn't even muster up that. I was stuck in the same spot I had eaten breakfast. I didn't pause to put my dishes away. I didn't look at my phone once. I just needed to desperately know if AJ and Noah were going to have a HEA or a HFN (happy for now) or just pure heartbreak.
My heart was in my throat. My body tense. My chest split open with an overwhelming visceral reaction. I felt the very ache of the characters in my own body. I love reading experiences like this, to be so consumed and transported into the story that your true setting, the real world, blurs. Time swirls. What exists is an excruciating hunger to both pause everything and live in the moment AND move forward to read how it resolves. So I pushed myself and I read and read and read, and lived in the delicious tension Into The Blue offered up. And now? Now I fight the book hangover and listlessness and urge to dive into another book right away, and simply sit here a little longer. Im not ready to let go of it yet.

#intotheblue #2026reads #bookstagram #bookhangover by @riverside.reads

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5 months ago