Reading Round Up Part 2
My spring reads
Hi! Hello from recovery!
A few weeks ago I had surgery, and it’s taken those weeks for my mind to clear. Now, I am just waiting for my body to catch up. I have long believed that I had endometriosis, and it has taken me many, many years to finally get a diagnosis. I won’t get into that journey right now, but know that it is coming because I really want to tell my story. The past couple of months have been really tough, but on the other side of surgery, I am feeling less pain than I have in a very long time. But for now I wanted to check in, say hello, and share some of the books I have been reading the last couple of months.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Wild Dark Shore was a buzzy release and the Book of the Month “Lolly” winner (Book of the Year 2025). Expectations were high when I picked this one from my stack. A family is living on a remote island near Antarctica and is tasked with taking care of a global seed bank similar to the one that actually exists in Svalbard, an island near the North Pole. A woman washes up on shore, and she brings with her secrets and a connection to one of the scientists who used to live and work on the island. I feel like you would like this book if you love Emily St. John Mandel’s books and vice versa.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Another full-cast audiobook from Audible! Each character has a different narrator, and there is full sound design, so these audiobooks are a true listening experience. I’ve slowly been making my way through each book in the series, breaking my usual reading pattern of listening to a non-fiction book while reading a fiction book (or the other way around). Truly, these have accompanied me everywhere - on my morning commute, folding laundry, and even at the gym. For those of us who were raised on Harry Potter, this full cast narration is a treat.
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Book 2 in the Game Changers series, this one captures the story of Shane and Ilia, the couple at the center of the Heated Rivalry HBO series. If you were a fan of the series, the book dives into even more details about their love story as well as even more spicy scenes. Thank you to the library for making these ebooks available for all in February!
Tough Guy by Rachel Reid
Book 3 in the Game Changers series, Tough Guy follows Ryan Price, an often traded player who never stays on a team long enough to make friends, much less fall in love. But when hockey brings him to Toronto, he reconnects with an old friend, Fabian, who makes him feel more at home than he has in years.
Little One by Olivia Muenter
I am a dutiful weekly listener of the Bad on Paper podcast, so I had Olivia’s newest book on pre-order, and I couldn’t wait to pick it up when it released. I love anything about cults, so I was really looking forward to reading Little One, a cultish novel set in Florida. This book weaves between past and present day when a woman, trying to escape her past, is approached by a journalist looking to crack her world wide open.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Book 4 of the Harry Potter series has to be my favorite. What’s not to love - a Triwizard Tournament, a Yule Ball, and more! Dobby and Sirius Black become central characters, and the return of he-who-must-not-be-named is cemented.
📚 Currently Reading: The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
🎧 Currently Listening: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
Someday, Maybe has to be, without a doubt, one of the saddest books I have ever read. It follows Eve who is navigating the grief of her husband’s death and the trauma of being the one to find him. I can’t remember ever reading a book so raw and honest depicting love and loss. On the topic of grief books - I read Alison Espach’s Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, which I think is another excellent depiction of what it means to mourn.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
If you love Crazy Rich Asians, this book is for you! Years later, Anna Green finds out that not only is she still married, but her husband is a billionaire. But in order for him to receive his inheritance, the two must stay married for five years. To avoid suspicion from the family, Anna must accompany her “husband” to his sister’s wedding, an absolutely outlandish affair on a private island in Indonesia. This book has two of my favorite romance tropes - forced proximity and fake “dating” or, in this case, fake marriage!
Bad Asians by Lillian Li
Lilian Li wrote Number One Chinese Restaurant, a favorite of mine, so I was excited to read her newest novel, Bad Asians. A close group of friends comes of age during the recession of 2008, and none of them can meet their parents’ impossibly high expectations. When a neighbor makes a YouTube video that goes viral, depicting them each as an Asian trope, these stereotypes follow the four well into adulthood.
The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
The Windsor Knot has long been in my TBR stack. It is the first in a cozy mystery series where Queen Elizabeth II investigates crimes happening right under her nose. The first book centers around a murder at Windsor Castle. I don’t think I will continue the series, but if you liked The Maid, I think you would also like this one!
Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian
Seduction Theory is a novel about two professors whose lives quickly unravel when one of their MFA students captures their affair in her thesis. I didn’t quite love this one; maybe it was the unreliable narrator. This book reminded me of the pace of Andromeda- so if you liked one of these, perhaps you would like the other.
Book-to-Screen
Some very exciting book-to-screen adaptations have released trailers in the last couple of weeks. Verity, which looks absolutely terrifying and is out in October. Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is streaming soon on Netflix. Elin Hilderbrand’s The Five Star Weekend- which feels like a 13-Going on 30 reunion.
Until next time - take care,
Savannah
You can shop my 2026 reads here.
If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.
You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.
You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!
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the paradise problem was SO good!