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@v.big.bookstack

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📚 Elegant prose & existential dread
✨Currently accepting recommendations that will ruin my week.
🎯2026: 110/100
📖CR: The Bedevilments

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Two books I've recently buddy read, and BOTH are out very soon! 👀📚

I absolutely LOVE a buddy read! 👩🏻‍🐰‍👩🏽 Having people to chat to as you go, share theories with, and collectively lose your minds over the plot twists with is just the best! There's something special about experiencing a book together and having someone to immediately message when you NEED to talk about what you've just read!

So, here are two recent buddy reads that you need on your radar!

Which one is going straight onto your TBR? 👇🏻📖

#BuddyRead #BookstagramUK #UpcomingBookReleases #BooksToWatch #BookRecommendations

WHAT A RIDE! 🤯 Set in the North East in the 90s? Already a winner for me!

I absolutely loved the characters, the unsettling atmosphere, and the fact that I genuinely had NO IDEA where this story was going. Watching the main character’s mental state slowly unravel was deeply disturbing in the best possible way.

Unhinged, gripping, and gloriously uncomfortable. 🫣

A brilliant buddy read with @tara_iffic_books , @somanybooksetc and @v.big.bookstack ❤️

Thank you to @netgalley and @johnmurrays for the ARC.
📚 Cherry is out on 5 November - add it to your TBR!

A fun, unsettling concept that feels like it could be a glimpse into our future. 👀

I absolutely loved the first 60%, but unfortunately, the final third fell a little flat for me. Still, there’s plenty here to chew over, particularly when it comes to bodily autonomy, corporate greed, and the terrifying idea that money can buy just about anything - and anyone.

A brilliant buddy read with @somanybooksetc and @lauraafaulkner ❤️

Thank you to @netgalley and @vintagebooks and @jonathancapebooks for the ARC.
📚 Fallow is out in January!

Hit me up 💃🏽

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I know I know, I'm behind on this trend, but here's my 1 before the end! Because apparently I needed another reading challenge before the end of the year… 😂

Some are ARCs I'm dying to get to, and some have been heavily influenced by you lot 👀

I’m genuinely SO excited about this stack. Now I just need to actually read them all… 😅

What books are you prioritising before the end of the year? Tell me what I absolutely need to get to! 👇

I’ve tagged a few people who I’d love to see join in, but consider yourself tagged if you fancy doing your own 10 Before the End! 🫶📖

#10BeforeTheEnd #BookstagramUK #Bookstagram #BookChallenge #TBR

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📚B o o k R e v i e w 📚

Outside by Charlotte Levin

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outside is a tender, empathetic, and extremely witty exploration of how trauma and profound grief can shrink a person’s world. The story revolves around Beatrice, a former rising-star actress whose life is brought to a complete standstill by severe agoraphobia, following on from experiencing a profound loss.

Confined entirely to her home, with only a foul-mouthed parakeet named Matisse for daily company (the real star of the show!🧡), we get to spend a lot of time getting to know Beatrice and understanding her thought processes and struggles. Her sense of humour is hilarious and I loved her sarcasm immensely!

This book excels at crafting messy, authentic characters, ensuring Beatrice’s vulnerability remains both moving and unforgettable throughout her journey. Although it tackles heavy subjects like anxiety, guilt, and loneliness, it masterfully balances them with genuine warmth and a powerful undercurrent of resilience.

The author brilliantly explores Beatrice’s deep-seated reliance on co-dependency, helping us as readers understand past events that led to this behaviour, but then providing an abundance of hope for the future. Definitely recommend to pick up this book!

Thank you so much to @tinycharlotte29 for writing a great book and also to this lovely group for allowing me to join their buddy read, it was such a fun one!

@_booksnug
@once__upon__a__shelf
@nini_lovinlifenbooks_
@v.big.bookstack

#outside #charlottelevin #buddyread #bookreviewers #booksta

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How is it already October 5th?! September flew by for my family and me. My girls started school here in Massachusetts and have wonderful new teachers and friends. We’re getting to know the area and our wonderful neighbors. Reading-wise, I’ve read three of the strongest books and possibly two all-time favorites. Scroll right to see the books that made me laugh my butt off (thanks, @booksaredeadly) and my favorites for this month.

I want to hear your favorites or least favorites for the month! What are you looking forward to in October?

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October’s reading challenge: *Bestie Made Me Read It*

One of my favourite things about Bookstagram has been finding people I genuinely adore through a shared love of books. Somewhere between the buddy reads, chaotic DMs, recommendations, voice notes and very serious debates about fictional people, these little internet friendships became real ones. 🥰

So I asked some of my favorite book accounts to give me one of their favourite books and I’m spending October reading them.

The rules were simple: *you love it, I’ll read it.*

Except apparently I am incapable of keeping things simple. 😂

@thesistersnarrative gave me their favourite, *Clockwork Princess*… which is book three, so obviously I’m reading the entire Infernal Devices trilogy.

@thismumisreading very reasonably gave me an either/or choice. I very reasonably chose both. 😌

And @enamoredsoul’s *The Forty Rules of Love* has already been read, so technically I’m starting October ahead of schedule. 😂

There’s something really lovely about reading someone’s favourite book, though. It’s not just another recommendation on the TBR; it’s a story that meant enough to someone you care about that, when you asked them to choose just one, *this was the one they handed you.*💛

Will I love all of them? Probably not. 😂
Will there be disagreements? Almost certainly.
Am I ridiculously excited to find out? Absolutely.

Here’s to spending October inside my besties’ favourite stories. ❤️

QOTD: What’s the ONE book you’d hand me if I asked for your absolute favourite? 👀

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Ten before the end of 2026 🗓

Sorry but how are we practically two months away from the end of the year?! Ridiculous. Barely believable. Time needs to stop flying by! Does it not realise we all have an extensive pile of books we need to get through?! Very inconsiderate 😤

Anyway, should choosing my priority reading list have proved this stressful? Doubtful! Will I stick to these contenders AND complete them all? Even more unlikely! But the intention is there and surely that is what matters, right? 😶

A big thank you to @rudenottoread for tagging me in this fun challenge! 🫶🏻 I guess all of us book besties are now holding each other accountable 🫣

Sooo many people have already joined in with this, but I have tagged a handful who I do not believe have hopped on the trend as yet!

What does everyone think of my choices? Have I picked the right titles? 📚

#bookstagram #bookish #booklover #bookreviews #reading

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👾LOOT I'D DROP IF I DIED IN A VIDEO GAME👾

Thank you @thriller.she.read for the inspiration for this one, it is absolutely hilarious😆

Tagging some friends to take part but no pressure🥰 but if you like what you see, consider yourself tagged too🤗

#booksbooksbooks #bookreviews #readmorebooks #readwithme

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4x4 bookish challenge 4️⃣

It feels like a hot minute since I have participated in a challenge, so I was most appreciative when @thesimplebookreview tagged me in this new trend!

No doubt you will recognise several of these titles from my previous posts because yes, books stay on my tbr for an age before I read them, and when I highly rate and enjoy a book, I will find a way to repeatedly remind everybody of it 🫠 Terribly sorry (sort of) x

I am not sure if I have mentioned but East of Eden is phenomenal and it will be living in my mind rent free for the foreseeable future 🤠

As always, anyone who fancies joining in, please do so! I have tagged a few people who I think may find it fun to get involved though 🫶🏻

Have we got any books in common across the 4 categories?

#bookstagram #bookish #booklover #bookreviews #reading

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What I’ve been reading, watching & listening to lately… I thought I’d consolidate some of the books I haven’t done individual reviews for yet and combine them with some other media I’ve been digesting recently!

Bait — Eugenia Ladra
Buddy read with @thismumisreading @somanybooksetc @v.big.bookstack and @zoreadsbooks was very glad to do this as a group read, very insightful.

Fruit Fly — Josh Silver
Listened to this one, believe the hype. This needs a film or TV show pronto.

A Bigger Life — Louise O’Neill
Lapping this memoir up. Thank you @hqstories and @oneilllou for the copy. Publishing 24th Sept.

Careless People — Sarah Wynn-Williams
Listening to this one while also reading along with the immersive read. My copy was kindly provided by @bookbreakuk and @panmacmillan. Essential reading and mind blowing.

Exit Party — Emily St. John Mandel
Finished this eARC, kindly provided by @picadorbooks and NetGalley. Publishing 17th Sept.

The Pirate Queen — Ariel Lawhon
Currently reading, and another ARC kindly provided by @_swiftpress.

Furious
Watched this after @whatcharlottereadnext recommended it to me on here. And I’m very glad she did! You can find it on Disney+ if you fancy giving it a watch.

The Rest Is History — The Odyssey
Listened to the Odyssey episode… and then went and watched The Odyssey film for the second time. Apparently I needed to fully commit to the theme 😂

What have you been reading, watching or listening to lately?

#bookstagram #currentlyreading #bookrecommendations #booklover #whatiread gifted/ PR

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Set in Paso Chico, a fictional fishing town inspired by Eugenia Ladra’s childhood in Northern Uruguay, Bait is a hot, heavy, feverish little book that completely oozes atmosphere.

There’s something almost dreamlike about this story. Much like Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin, you’re constantly questioning what is real and what isn’t. Animals, humans, food, sex, blood, reproduction and hunger all seem to blur into one another, creating something strange, folkloric and deeply symbolic.

It’s visceral, unsettling and at times downright bizarre, but there’s a hypnotic quality to it that kept pulling me in. The landscape feels alive, almost like another character, and everything seems to carry a deeper meaning.

Not necessarily a book you understand so much as one you experience. I loved it!

I buddy read this one with the girls, @tara_iffic_books
@zoreadsbooks @somanybooksetc and @v.big.bookstack I love a buddy reads with books like this so you can come away from the book and say 'ok, what the hell was that?!' and have a little laugh and debrief 😂

The last photo is where I tried to get my silly pooch to lie like the dog on the cover, but this was the best i got, she needs to work on her modeling 🐕

So, buddy read in Sept anyone?!

#Bait #EugeniaLadra #TranslatedFiction #WomenInTranslation #WeirdFiction

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Recent book mail 🥳

📖 Cursed Daughters is ready and waiting for @nookerybookclub

📖 Gloria Don’t Speak was a big recommend by @v.big.bookstack

📖 The Lacuna 😯😱🤩 cannot actually believe I have a copy

📖 Smorgasboard is ready for a @novel.tours book tour

📖 The Elements of Dark Academia looks amazing 🤩

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📚 BOOKSTAGRAM MADE ME BUY IT — EPISODE 2! 📚

I’m back with another 5 books I was FULLY INFLUENCED to buy because apparently I have absolutely no resistance when Bookstagram recommends something. 😂

📖 Eileen — @v.big.bookstack LOVES an unhinged, weird book, so when I saw she loved this, I needed IN 👀
📖 Who Wants to Live Forever — @somanybooksetc the queen of influencing you to read those under the radar books, this one is her fault 📚
📖 Juno Loves Legs — @spookula loved it so naturally I needed to give it a try
📖 Games — @tara_iffic_books recommended this one, and I trust her book recommendations implicitly. Plus, she said it's super🌶😬
📖 The Artist — I saw @chaptersandcoffeereads read and love this one, and she reads A LOT of books, so if she loves it, just take my money 🙄

So, which one should I read first?! 👇

And be honest… have any of these been sitting on YOUR TBR because of Bookstagram too? 😂📚

#BookstagramMadeMeBuyIt #Bookstagram #BookRecommendations #BookishCommunity #BookTBR

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