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@chareids

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🌷☕️🍒📖🍓🦢💐
just me + my books.

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Madonna in a Fur Coat 🖤

Genre: Literary Fiction / Classic Lit
Rating: 4 stars
Favourite quote: “For me, love is something else entirely. It’s beyond all logic and impossible to describe or define. It’s one thing to like someone. To be consumed, body and soul, by desire is quite another. That’s what love is to me, desire that’s all consuming. Desire that’s impossible to resist.”

Oh I loved this one. It was somewhat relatable in a few ways (and not in a good way).

What makes this novel so affecting is its understanding of how profoundly our lives can be shaped by misunderstandings, missed opportunities and the things left unsaid. Ali captures the particular cruelty of hindsight, the realisation that what we once interpreted as rejection, indifference or abandonment may have been something entirely different. Sometimes, the tragedy lies not only in what we lose, but in what we believe about that loss.

Written with tenderness and psychological insight, the novel also offers a subtle critique of a society that values appearances, conformity and social standing over emotional depth. Raif’s tragedy is not merely personal. it is also the tragedy of a man who learns to make himself smaller in a world that never attempts to understand him.

And perhaps that’s what stayed with me most, the idea that an entire life can exist beneath an ordinary face, that one encounter can alter the course of our existence, and that some losses become inseparable from the people we eventually turn into.

What did I learn whilst reading this one?
1. You can be surrounded by people and still be profoundly lonely.
2. We sometimes fall in love with the idea of someone before we know them.
3. Love can change your life, even if it doesn’t last.
4. Silence and assumptions can destroy things that might otherwise have survived (this is where I heavily related to the story).

But… yea. What a book. I read this in one sitting and absolutely recommend it!

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Breaking up the book review posts with a pfp (I finally changed it 🥳).

Also, next week I’m starting my book club pick which is Belladonna by Adalyn Grace so if I know anyone who has read it, let me know what you rated or your thoughts so I at least have a bit of an idea when going into it 🥹🤎.

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Recently. 🍂☕️📖🤎🧺

We’re 10 days into October and I’ve already read 3 books, like… who do I think I am?! (we’re so back) 😮‍💨. No literacy crisis here. 🙂‍↕️✋🏼

My days have been quiet in the countryside, just how I like it. 🤎

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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston 🍂

Genre: Paranormal Romance (yes another lol)
Rating: 3.75 stars
Favourite quote: “Because loneliness was the kind of ghost that haunted you long after you were dead. It stood over your plot in the cemetery where a lone name sat carved in marble. It sat with your urn. It was the wind that carried your ashes when no one claimed your body.”

After three years of having this book on my shelf, I finally read it!

This was one of those books that I went into without really knowing what to expect, and somehow it ended up leaving me with a lot more to think about than I anticipated.

There were so many moments where I found myself putting the book down and just… thinking. About grief, death, love, family, the choices we make with our time, and the people we choose to spend that time with. It has that strange ability to make you look at your own life a little differently and appreciate the small, ordinary moments that we so easily take for granted.

One of the biggest things I took away from this story was the reminder that healing doesn’t have to look a certain way. You don’t necessarily wake up one day and stop being sad. Sometimes you simply learn how to carry that sadness with you, until eventually it becomes a little lighter. I thought that message was incredibly beautiful.

I wouldn’t say the romance was the strongest part of the book for me, and I definitely found myself wishing we had more of it. BUT… the moments we did get? I loved them. I was completely invested in their relationship. It was a slow burn too which I love.

I also loved how much atmosphere this book has. Ashley Poston creates such a beautifully eerie, whimsical world, and there were moments where the writing felt genuinely magical. It isn’t a perfect book, and I can understand why it might not work for everyone, but there was something about it that really stayed with me, especially towards the end.

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Grim Tidings by B.K Borison 🍂

Genre: Romance/Paranormal
Rating: 4.5 stars
Favourite quote: “The loneliness set in hard and fast, a hollow ache carved into my chest. I know what it’s like to crave something more.”

This is up there with my favourites by this author. My other favourite is Business Casual.

I don’t know how B.K. Borison does it, but she has this incredible ability to make a setting feel like a warm hug. The writing in Grim Tidings completely pulled me in. I felt like I was inside the book let alone just reading it. The atmosphere was cosy, comforting and so beautifully written that I could practically feel myself settling into the pages. There’s something so special about the way Borison creates places that feel lived in, comforting and full of heart, and I absolutely loved it.

And then there’s the romance. Give me an opposites attract pairing and I am SOLD. A grim reaper and a guardian angel? Yes please. I loved watching these two characters navigate their differences, especially because their personalities bounce off each other so well. That contrast made their relationship so much fun to read, while still giving the story plenty of heart and emotional depth.

The plot pulled me in, but honestly, it was the combination of the characters, the romance and that incredibly comforting setting that made this book so special for me. Not to mention the tequila scene 😮‍💨 I’m sure those who have read this will understand exactly which scene I’m talking about 🙂‍↕️.

Oh yea, I cried at this book too. Cried. Me. 😂
It was a scene at the end with a character named Frank (he was honestly one of my favourite characters in the story). I think it shows how good a writer someone is when you can pull that type of raw emotion from the reader.

Already can’t wait for the next 🥹. If you like opposite attracts and romance with depth mixed with some humour, you’ll love this one. Highly recommend. 🤎🍂

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Quick hair change up. ✂️ (I haven’t had bangs since I was 20) 😭

P.s. currently reading The Dead Romantics and loving it so much! 🍂🤎

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The story saw it first. 🤎🍂

Also, autumn/winter fits >> summer fits. And I’ll happily die on that hill ✨.

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Slow living and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🍂☕️

Currently making homemade beef stew in the slow cooker, fresh coffee in hand, curled up on the sofa and ready to finish my reread of Credence. Also counting down the days until Escape Me by @tahereh is released on Tuesday! I might pop into Waterstones to see if they have any in the stockrooms tomorrow 🥹😂.

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The last week or so in a few photos.

Also dyed my hair a dark cherry colour and I’m a little bit in love 🍒. Will be posting reviews this week 🥹.

Current reads: Credence and Divine Rivals (both rereads). You couldn’t get two more different books 😂.

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Just a girl who appreciates her classics. 🕯️

I’m posting this because I recently finished my reread of Stoner by John Williams, and after finishing it for the third time, it’s still up there with one of my favourites (there’s a reason it’s so popular). You could argue that it’s boring but for me personally, I learn something new with each reread whether it’s about myself, people around me or the world in general. It’s one of those books that no matter what genre you read, you should read this one at least once in your life.

Another reason I posted this is because in two weeks I’ll be starting my reread of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky except this time I’ll be reading it in Russian. Those who have been following me for a while or know me in general will know I’ve been wanting to do this for some time now. Yes I speak Russian but learning to read actual Russian literature in Russian have proven to be a lot more difficult for me personally so in a way I’m really looking forward to it but it’ll also be a challenge for me too. I’m mainly doing this because I’m curious to see the difference between the English and Russian translations/contexts etc.

Anyway, wish me luck. I might need it 😂🥰🖤.

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Tuesday evenings spent like this. 🫧📖🕯️☕️

Currently rereading Divine Rivals and Letters to a Young Poet 🥹🫧🖤

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Eden by Kylo Kirby 🖤🌲

Genre: Dystopian Horror
Rating: 4.75 stars
Favourite quote: “Your heart is a museum of everyone you loved, so don’t let it fall apart. You keep it standing, keep it open, so their memories stay whole and so they can still be visited.”

I read this in one sitting… one 🙂. And honestly, to me, that’s one of the best signs of a debut novel.

I’m not even sure where to begin because there were so many little details, moments and ideas that came together and made this book insanely good. I loved how fast paced it was, which is probably why I managed to read it in one sitting. I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The short chapters definitely helped too, nothing felt dragged out or unnecessarily prolonged, which I really appreciated.

I can’t say too much about the plot because I genuinely think this is one of those books that’s best experienced blindly. It’s a story that pulls you in naturally, and I think going in without knowing too much makes the experience even better.

What I can talk about, though, is the writing. It was absolutely beautiful and so thoughtfully crafted. There’s a subtle sprinkle of romance throughout the novel, and, in my opinion, this is where some of the most evocative and memorable quotes come to life (as you’ll see from my annotations).

I loved the contrast in the writing, too. There’s something so clever about taking moments, imagery and ideas that are genuinely grotesque and somehow making them sound beautiful at the same time. That balance worked incredibly well.

Even the descriptions of the setting were stunning. I could picture everything so vividly that it almost felt like I was watching a film or looking at a painting rather than simply reading a book.

I’ve also been following @kylos.bookclub throughout the writing process of this story, so it’s been really special to see it all come to life. 🥰

If you’re a fan of stories like The Last of Us, I genuinely think you’ll love this one. It has that same feeling of a dangerous, broken world while still leaving room for those deeply human moments.

Already counting down until Part 2. 🖤

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