2026 marks some major literary anniversaries. From political treaties to beloved childhood tales, here is a list of some of the most notable literary anniversaries of the year.

1. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

Date Published: October 28th, 1726

Plot: Gulliver’s Travels follows the four voyages of “Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon,” as he travels to the lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and Houyhnhnms.

Anniversary in 2026: 300th

2. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (1776)

Date Published: March 9th, 1776

Plot: The Wealth of Nations is a book that “is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism.”

Anniversary in 2026: 250th

3. Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)

Date Published: 1776

Plot: Common Sense is a landmark book that paved the way for the American Revolution. In the book Paine argued against “the evils of monarchy, accused the British government of inflicting economic and social injustices upon the colonies, and pointed to the absurdity of an island attempting to rule a continent.”

Anniversary in 2026: 250th

4. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (1826)

Date Published: February 4th, 1826

Plot: The historical fiction book follows “the brave woodsman Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo) and his loyal Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas as they become embroiled in the bloody battles of the French and Indian War.”

Anniversary in 2026: 200th

5. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)

Date Published: June 9th, 1876

Plot: The book follows the journey of Tom Sawyer, who is “a consummate prankster with a quick wit,” but through the course of the novel, Tom learns about themes of the adult world, which he will one day join. These themes include slavery, dishonesty and superstition, murder and revenge, starvation

Anniversary in 2026: 150th

6. The Land of Mist by Arthur Conan Doyle (1926)

Date Published: 1926

Plot: The Land of Mist follows reporter Ned Malone as he and “Professor Challenger's daughter, Enid, are assigned to cover the current spiritualist phenomenon. They discover there really is something to a seance, and they try to convince Challenger to get interested in their investigations.”

Anniversary in 2026: 100th

7. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)

Date Published: October 14th, 1926

Plot: This is the first book in the Winnie the Pooh Series and follows Christopher Robin and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods where Pooh Bear uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump and Eeyore has a birthday

Anniversary in 2026: 100th

8. Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple’s Last Case by Agatha Christie (1976)

Date Published: October 1976

Plot: The posthumous novel follows Miss Marple as she “turns ghost hunter and uncovers shocking evidence of a very old crime.”

Anniversary in 2026: 50th

These books can be found at major retailers such as Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and more.

Have you read any of these books? If so, which one was your favourite and why?

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In honor of the upcoming release of Bridgerton Season 4, I’ve decided to review the book that Season 4 is based on, An Offer from a Gentleman, which follows the story of Benedict Bridgerton.

An Offer from a Gentleman is the third book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. It was first published on July 3rd, 2001, by Avon Books.

It is the inspiration behind Season 4 of Netflix’s Bridgerton, which will be released in two parts, with Part I debuting on January 29th, 2026, and Part II releasing on February 26th, 2026.

Plot

The third Bridgerton novel follows the story of the second Bridgerton child, Benedict Bridgerton, and his love interest, Sophie Beckett. Sophie is an illegitimate daughter of an earl who became a maid for her stepmother after her father died; she attends the Bridgerton masquerade ball and captures the attention of Benedict Bridgerton as the lady in silver, but Sophie leaves at midnight.

A few years later Benedict Bridgerton rescues a maid from a houseparty and brings her home to work for his mother; he starts falling in love with her while searching for the lady in silver, unaware that the maid and his mysterious lady in silver are the same woman.

What I liked about the book

I loved the premise of the book, and I loved the character of Sophie because she was such an interesting character, and through her we got to see a part of the ton that we’d never seen before. I like her character because it showed how illegitimacy was treated in the Regency era, which is something many books don’t cover, and so this is fascinating to see. In the book Sophie was the illegitimate daughter of an earl who had become a housemaid for her stepmother when her father died, and so it covered how illegitimate children are treated differently than legitimate ones.

Another thing that I liked is how they made this Cinderella more realistic because in this book, Sophie does have resentment toward her stepmother, but that doesn’t seep into how she treats everyone else. I felt it was unrealistic for Cinderella to have zero resentment, so this book avoids that issue by making Sophie someone who has legitimate but targeted resentment.

I also loved how Sophie was such a strong-willed, loving character who wanted to make the most out of life wherever she could, and she always did the best with her circumstances.

I also loved the scene where Lady Bridgerton—Benedict’s mother—confronted Araminta, who was Sophie’s stepmother, and the showdown that happened between those ladies. It was an interesting scene because it showed a more Machiavellian side to Lady Bridgerton that we hadn’t seen before, and I loved how it showed the impact that popularity could have as a social currency, even though legally Araminta as a Dowager Countess outranked Violet as a Dowager Viscountess. Lady Bridgerton in this book was 10/10 a supportive mother, a supportive employer, and a supportive woman. I love how fierce she was and how protective she was of her family and her community.

Another thing that I loved was the relationship between Sophie and the Bridgerton girls, particularly Hyacinth, Daphne, and Francesca. I loved how the girls bonded with Sophie like an actual sister even before she married their brother Benedict. The books are different than the show because in the show you get a full view of the personalities of all the siblings right from the start, but in the books, this is the first book where the relationships and personalities of Francesca, Eloise, and Hyacinth really start to flourish and shine. I also loved seeing Daphne as an established duchess and mother because I think it added something to her character.

What I didn’t like about the book

The biggest thing I didn’t like about the book was Benedict himself because, to me, he had zero redeeming qualities. In this book, Benedict was so controlling and manipulative and never really seemed to have any respect for Sophie at all. Sophie said that she didn’t want to become Benedict’s mistress, but Benedict didn’t seem to understand that. He kept pressuring her to be his mistress even though she repeatedly said she didn’t want to be, and that just made me feel disgusted as far as romantic leads go I don’t know how this was supposed to be portrayed, but Benedict is not confident; he’s controlling and manipulative in the worst of ways.

Also, Benedict basically blackmailed her into becoming a housemaid for his mother’s household because he was attracted to her, and even then he wanted her to take liberties that he knew housemaids wouldn’t be allowed to take. Like there’s this scene where he wants her to call him Benedict, and she’s supposed to be working for his mother. It’s like, I’m sorry, dude, do you even understand the concept of boundaries or employee-employer relationships?

Then there’s the fact that he couldn’t marry her because she was his housemaid with illegitimate noble parentage and he was a viscount’s brother, which isn’t his fault, but the way he flipped out when he realized that Sophie was his lady in silver was something else. I mean, I get he’d be surprised and maybe a little hurt, but he took it up ten notches by accusing her of deliberately lying to him. Like, bro, how’s she supposed to know that you were looking for the lady in silver? She’s not a mind reader.

Benedict was such an unlikeable protagonist, and I felt zero sympathy for him; his actions were just awful, and I hated him the entire time. I didn’t think he truly loved Sophie—I think he was just attracted to her but didn’t love her enough to respect her and her choices.

I hope that Season 4 of Netflix’s Bridgerton fixes this because the Benedict in the show doesn’t seem like the type of person to have zero respect for his love interest.

Overall Thoughts

I absolutely loved the character of Sophie because she was strong, fearless, determined, and willing to do whatever it takes to find the life that she wants for herself. She is someone who has realistic resentment toward her stepmother, but she doesn’t let it harden her against everyone else. I adored her relationships with the Bridgerton sisters because that was sweet, and it foreshadowed their bond as sisters-in-law, and I loved getting to know more about the younger Bridgerton sisters and seeing how they interact. I also enjoyed seeing a more calculating and Machiavellian aspect to Violet’s character, and her scene at the end with Sophie’s stepmother was chef’s kiss.

This book would have been a 5/5, but I despised Benedict because he had zero redeeming qualities. Benedict was manipulative, controlling, over dramatic, and a man with no sense of boundaries and respect for his love. Like the book, Benedict and the show Benedict are two completely different people. Like book Benedict doesn’t even seem like Edmund Bridgerton’s son because he’s just awful; he’s horrible. The way he just takes advantage of Sophie is disgusting. I really hope that Season 4 changes Benedict so that he has some redeeming qualities because book Benedict is trash, and because Benedict is so bad, I have to rate this book 2.5/5 just because Benedict is toxic in all the worst ways.

Have you read this book? Do you agree with my review? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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December 5th marks 25 years since Julia Quinn published The Viscount Who Loved Me, the second book in the Bridgerton series that sparked a global phenomenon and a Netflix series of the same name that first released on Christmas Day 2020.

The Viscount Who Loved Me was first published on December 5th, 2000, by Avon Books, and it was the inspiration behind Season 2 of Netflix’s Bridgerton, which premiered on March 25th, 2022.

Plot of the book

The second book in the Bridgerton series follows the story of the eldest Bridgerton child, Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton. The story follows Anthony as he intends to court a woman called Edwina Sheffield but is met by her obstinate older sister, Kate Sheffield, who doesn’t trust Anthony. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers story where two people who start off despising each other slowly start falling in love, and in the book, Anthony and Kate start to fall in love even though Anthony is still officially courting Kate’s sister Edwina.

What I liked about the book

My favourite part of the novel, which they completely butchered in the Netflix series, was the sister relationship between Edwina and Kate. Edwina in the novel couldn’t care less about marrying Anthony and was more interested in this scholar guy. Edwina was also supportive of Kate and Anthony’s relationship and was almost like the wing woman for the entire relationship. I loved how the sisters loved each other and didn’t see each other as rivals; they just completely and utterly adored each other. So often in fiction we see women who are competing for the same man or for the same promotion but I loved how in the book the two sisters were genuinely happy for each other and supported each other throughout.

Also, I loved how in the book Edwina has a whole personality outside of just wanting to be with Anthony; like in the book, it gives clues that she’s someone who likes to read and paint, but she’s also someone who likes to be fashionably late and someone who has her own intelligence. In the show, Edwina was completely blindsided by Anthony and Kate’s relationship, whereas in the book, she’s the first to notice. That whole Kate-Edwina dynamic got so twisted in the show, and it’s one of the reasons why Season 2 is my least favourite season of Netflix’s Bridgerton, while the book it’s based on is my favourite Bridgerton novel.

I also loved the dynamics between the Bridgerton siblings and their in-laws. I loved the competitive spirit of the Pall Mall game and how this book focused a lot on the Bridgerton family , their past, and their history, and you got to learn more about their father, Edmund Bridgerton, and why Anthony didn’t want to marry. The show touched on that but in the book they made it very clear that the reason Anthony doesn’t want to marry is because he thinks he’s going to die at 39 because that’s when his dad died; it’s not the fact that he’s going to die, it’s the fact that he thinks he’s going to die young and that he’ll leave behind a widow who is devastated the way his mom was devastated when his dad died. It adds a lot more depth to Anthony’s personality far beyond that he doesn’t want to marry because he’s a flirt.

Going off of that, I loved how both Anthony and Kate had traumas that they had to overcome throughout the course of the novel. Anthony’s trauma was watching his father die at a young age, and he had an idea that he would die at a similar age, which is why he didn’t want to marry for love, whereas Kate was afraid of thunderstorms because her mother had died during the storm. The show completely erased Kate’s fear of thunderstorms, and I wish they hadn’t because that would have humanized Kate and shown how both Anthony and Kate heal each other in the way that the book did.

One of my favourite scenes in the book that I wish they’d kept for the show is the scene where they’re all at Aubrey Hall and Cressida Cowper is being mean to Peneople Featherington so Anthony, who’s the head of the household, just up and escorts Penelope into dinner even though in that society he’s supposed to escort the highest-ranking woman into dinner. I love that scene because it’s like the first moment where Kate realizes that Anthony’s not exactly a jerk and that he’s willing to bend rules and even break them if it means protecting innocent people. Like, I feel like that would have been such a powerful moment instead of that whole drama with the Sheffields, which was fun to watch but didn’t feel true to the books.

I love how this book showed what happened to Anthony and Kate after they got married, which the Netflix series didn’t really show because much of their growth and healing in their book happens after they got married and it would have been nice to see Anthony and Kate as husband and wife and go to Mary and ask her why Kate was afraid of thunderstorms like they did in the book.

What I didn’t like about the book

There were parts of the book where Anthony seemed very toxic, such as how he spoke to Kate when Kate had accidentally entered his study while he was with a mistress. He was quite rude and controlling and spoke to her inappropriately. Like, he grew throughout the course of the novel but in the beginning he was very immature and childish despite being close to 30.

The book had a lot of explicit scenes, and while I understand why they were there, I also think that some of those points or conversations could have happened without them needing to be explicit.

One thing the show did slightly better than the books was showcase his relationship with his youngest brother, Gregory Bridgerton, because while the books did focus on Anthony, Colin, and Benedict, Gregory wasn’t really a character in Anthony’s book; he was just there. Kate and Anthony’s relationship was developed, but Anthony’s relationship with Gregory wasn’t really there.

Overall thoughts

This is my favourite of the Bridgerton novels, mainly because of the beautiful sister bond between Kate and Edwina that the Netflix series completely butchered. Often in fiction we see women who are competing for the same man or for the same promotion, but I loved how in the book the two sisters were genuinely happy for each other and supported each other throughout.

I loved how in the book Edwina has a whole personality outside of just wanting to be with Anthony; like in the book, it gives clues that she’s someone who likes to read and paint, but she’s also someone who likes to be fashionably late and someone who has her own intelligence.

One thing that I appreciated was that both Kate and Anthony had fears and traumas that they needed to heal through, and the book showed how they healed through each other. I loved that Kate was not a stoic, prim lady and that Anthony’s bad habits were mainly a way of him disguising his fear of dying young, but I loved how throughout the novel they better themselves and each other.

That being said, there were parts of the book where Anthony seemed very toxic, such as how he spoke to Kate when Kate had accidentally entered his study while he was with a mistress.

I also didn’t like how the books only showed his relationship with Anthony, Colin, and Benedict but completely ignored Anthony’s youngest brother, Gregory Bridgerton. I would have liked Anthony to have had some relationship with his youngest brother.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would rate this a 4.5/5.

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On October 16th, 1950, C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was published in London. This book became the first novel in the beloved Narnia series.

In honor of that publication release date, here are 8 classic novels that were published in October:

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Date Published: October 1st, 1868 (US)

Plot: Little Women follows the story of friends Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy, who are devoted to each other and try to survive life in New England during the US Civil War

Anniversary in 2025: 157th

2. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

Date Published: October 14th, 1926 (UK)

Plot: This is the first book in the Winnie the Pooh Series and follows Christopher Robin and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods where Pooh Bear uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump and Eeyore has a birthday

Anniversary in 2025: 99th

3. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Date Published: October 15th, 1952 (US)

Plot: Charlotte’s Web follows the story of a spider called Charlotte and a pig called Wilbur who wants a friend. There is also a girl named Fern who saved Wilbur’s life when he was the runt of his litter.

Anniversary in 2025: 73rd

4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Date Published: October 16th, 1950 (UK)

Plot: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book in the Narnia series and follows the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, who find a secret wardrobe inside a professor’s house, which leads them to the magical world of Narnia. Lucy is the first to discover this and have adventures but her older siblings don’t believe her but afterward they follow her through the cupboard and see the magic for themselves and meet characters such as Aslan the Great Lion and the witch, with their lives changing forever.

Anniversary in 2025: 75th

Note: It’s also been 20 years since the movie adaptation came out.

5. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Date Published: October 18th, 1851 (UK)

Plot: Moby-Dick follows Mad Captain Ahab in his quest for the White Whale. It is a tragedy about vengeance and obsession and demonstrates what happens when humanity is lost in moral ambiguity.

Anniversary in 2025: 174th

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brönte

Date Published: October 19th, 1847

Plot: Jane Eyre follows the story of the orphaned Jane Eyre, who faces hardships in her childhood and eventually ends up as a governess to the ward of Mr Rochester but she soon develops feelings for her employer and discovers a terrible secret hidden in the depths of Thornfield Hall.

Anniversary in 2025: 178th

7. For Whom the Bells Toll by Ernest Hemingway

Date Published: October 21st, 1940

Plot: For Whom The Bells Toll follows the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerilla unit during the Spanish civil war.

Anniversary in 2025: 85th

8. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Date Published: October 25th, 1920

Plot: The Age of Innocence follows Newland Archer as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional Mary Welland. However, when Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Newland finds himself falling in love with her. He’s between torn between duty and passion and must make a choice that can either define his life or destroy it

Anniversary in 2025: 105th

Have you read any of these classics? If so, which ones, and if not, which ones do you want to read?

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Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home: A Tragicomic was first published on June 8th, 2006. It is a critically acclaimed book and has won awards such as the Lambda Literary Award in 2007, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in 2007, and the Stonewall Book Award in 2007.

The book has since been adapted into a Tony Award-Winning Musical that has been performed at multiple locations, such as Off-Broadway, Broadway, Off-West End, and at the 2016 US National Tour, but what is this novel about?

Plot:

Fun Home: A Tragicomic is a graphic novel memoir that follows the tale of the author, American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, and Bechdel’s complicated relationship with her late father. In college, Alison came out as a lesbian and discovered that her father was also gay, but a few weeks after the revelation, her father was dead, leaving Alison to pick up the pieces of their history and this new discovery.

What I liked about the Book?

While I didn’t like this book, there were a few redeeming qualities that made me understand why this book had received the praise it did.

First of all, she’s a good cartoonist, and her drawings looked realistic and full of life, which made the story easier to follow along. There’s also the way she used speech bubbles versus italics to distinguish when a character is saying something versus when they’re just thinking it internally because she uses speech bubbles to show a character’s speech versus italics to show the character’s internal thoughts. I liked the layout of the book because it was easy to read through and follow along.

Additionally, I liked how she used graphics to mimic the slow agony that comes with approaching awkward conversations and how her graphics were used to illustrate the mood of that particular scene. She used different still images to show the gradual realization of her father’s sexuality and it’s something that I think is so hard to convey in graphics so she does an excellent job of making the reader slow down with her character and mimic the character’s discovery because as the character slows down and processes everything, the reader has to slow down too.

I don’t read many graphic novels but I have read one other one and that other one didn’t do this; it didn’t mimic the human thought process of slowing down and taking things in one at a time , the way this novel did. This specific graphic technique was my absolute favourite part of the novel because it’s done in a clever and realistic way.

What I didn’t like about the Book?

I don’t think I was the target audience of the book because the novel was way too graphic for me and I know that it’s a graphic novel but I feel like some of the scenes and themes could have been explained without there needing to be too many nude scenes. I understand that this was Alison Bechdel’s memoir of discovering herself and her identity but I just felt like there were too many nude scenes that didn’t need to be there. Like when it describes her discovering her sexuality through masturbation, it could just say it instead of showing it. Also, that scene came right after a scene at a library so it was a bit jarring because it switched from library to nude when you turned the page and made the novel less enjoyable for me. Also, I didn’t think the nude scenes really added anything to the novel; they just made the novel too uncomfortable for me.

Another thing I really didn’t like was the multiple, almost excessive amounts of literary references in the novel that the average reader can’t be expected to know. I understand wanting to convey that her father was an English literature teacher, but they could use a few book references instead of placing a book reference on every single page of the book, because I had to look up what more than half the books she referenced were to even understand what was going on in the story. Bechdel’s written it in a way so that the literature mentioned on the page is directly related to what’s happening in that scene or on that page. For example, at one point in the novel where she talks about how she and her father pretend to not be lesbians and gays, she references The Importance of Being Earnest, which is a play where the characters also have double lives, but if you didn’t know that, you’d have to look the play up, which could take you out of the story. Also, there’s the fact that most of the books are just to show he’s an English teacher and thus it comes across as unnecessary.

Finally, I just found the book to be boring because it wasn’t too exciting or engaging for me. There have been some books that I’ve been assigned over the years that I’ve loved but this wasn’t one of them. This was one that I struggled to get through and found boring.

Overall Thoughts

I think the book was alright for the themes it was trying to get across and I did like her artwork and the way she used graphics and stills to mimic human thoughts and emotions because I thought it was clever and something I hadn’t seen before, but it wasn’t the book for me.

I found the book to be boring but also too graphic with unnecessary nude scenes and an excessive amount of literary references that take away from the enjoyment of reading the novel. This novel should NOT be read by anyone under the age of 15 or maybe even rated R because of the explicit content that is heavily featured in the book and sometimes that content shows up without warning.

I’d give this book a 1.5/5 because I did enjoy that one part of the book where she used stills and drawings to mimic the slow realization that the character had about her father’s sexuality but other than that, I found this book to be boring and graphic in ways it did not have to be.

I also didn’t like the multiple literary references that were dropped into the book because it’s not like there were 1 or 2 references; there were over 70 which I think is overkill in a book that’s less than 300 pages.

Have you read this book? Do you agree with my review? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments

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As fall approaches, there are new books released, from new additions to beloved franchises and romance and fantasy novels to harrowing accounts of war, these books are tales that transcend time, space, and borders, bringing you tales that will make you both laugh and cry.

Here are 10 novels set to be released between August and December 2025.

1. The Ever King by LJ Andrew

Synopsis: The Ever King follows Erik, the scarred king of the Ever kingdom, who swears revenge on his father’s killers. Until one day his enemy’s daughter enters the Ever, and Erik tries to make her a pawn in his game, but will he succeed, or will she steal his heart first?

Release Date: August 5th, 2025

Genre: Romantasy

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Preorder: The Ever King can be preordered from Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Amazon Kindle, and Books A Million

2. Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Synopsis: The third book in Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s The Assistant and The Villain series follows Evie Sage, who for the last few years has served as the right-hand woman for the kingdom’s most notorious villain. She had applied for an entry-level position and had ended up in a position filled with magical mayhem, murder plots, and a crush on her boss. Now with a prophecy unraveling, assassins, and new dangers, Evie must find out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire.

Release Date: August 5th, 2025

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

Preorder: Accomplice to the Villain can be preordered from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Apple, Target, and more.

3. Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer

Synopsis: The first book in a planned trilogy . Warrior Princess Assassin follows three characters as they are torn between chasing, betraying, and craving each other. A princess who is torn between love and duty, a warrior who is the fearsome king who the princess is promised to, and the assassin who is sent to hunt them both down.

Release Date: August 12th, 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Avon Books

Preorder: Warrior Princess Assassin can be preordered from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and more.

4. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Synopsis: Buckeye begins with a moment of passion between Cal Jenkins, a man who is unable to serve in the war, and Margaret Salt, a woman trying to escape her past. Cal’s wife is a seer, and Margaret’s husband, Felix, serves in the navy when they receive a telegram that the unthinkable may have happened. During the post-war boom, in the small town of Bonhomie, nothing stays hidden forever, and the secrets from long ago will have consequences that ripple through the families for generations.

Release Date: September 2nd, 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Random House Publishing group

Preorder: Buckeye can be preordered from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Target, and more.

5. The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience by Plestia Alaqad

Synopsis: This is the memoir of Plestia Alaqad, a Palestinian journalist. In early October 2023, Plestia Alaqad was a recent university graduate dreaming of becoming a journalist . By the end of November, her homeland was unrecognizable, and she was broadcasting the genocide live to millions around the world, known as “The Eyes of Gaza.”

Release Date: September 30th, 2025

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Preorder: The Eyes of Gaza can be preordered from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Books A Million, and more.

6. The Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory

Synopsis: The newest book by acclaimed historian Philippa Gregory, The Boleyn Traitor, follows the story of Jane Boleyn, a woman who watched from the shadows of the Tudor court and whose testimony determined the fate of two queens. This is the remarkable story of one woman’s fight for survival in the Tudor court.

Release Date: October 14th, 2025

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins

Preorder: The Boleyn Traitor can be preordered from major retailers in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, such as Waterstones, Amazon, Indigo, and more.

7. The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee

Synopsis: A posthumous collection of stories, essays, and magazine pieces that offer new insight into the heart, mind, and life of beloved American author Harper Lee. With stories spanning from schoolyards in Alabama to movie houses in Manhattan, these stories are a previously unseen glimpse into the life and mind of Harper Lee.

Release Date: October 21st, 2025

Genre: A Compilation of fiction and non-fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins

Preorder: The Land of Sweet Forever can only be preordered from Barnes & Noble

8. The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

Synopsis: The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah follows the story of Evelyn Schwartz, who has the perfect Hanukkah planned, producing the televised musical of A Christmas Carol, until an accident on set leaves her in the medical bay suffering from headaches, and she’s shocked to find her ex-husband Daniel Adler filling in for the usual doctor, forcing them to confront the ghosts of the past and wondering if they can have a future.

Release Date: October 21st, 2025

Genre: Romance

Publisher: MIRA

Preorder: The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah can be preordered from Park Books and major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Walmart, and more

9. Witchlight by Susan Dennard

Synopsis: The final book in Susan Dennard’s Witchlands Series follows Safi and Iseult, the legendary Cahr Awen, must heal the final Origin Well, but first they have to actually find it, and time is not on their side. With ancient enemies and figures rising from the past and magic at the heart of everything that is dying, Safi and Iseult must call on every ally they’ve ever made to find the well before it’s too late, and their journeys have only just begun.

Release date: November 4th, 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Macmillan Publishers

Preorder: Witchlight can be preordered from major retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Books A Million, and more

10. Secrets, Spells, and Chocolates by Marisa Churchill

Synopsis: The story follows Sylvie, who has been dreaming of attending her mom’s alma mater, Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic, but the last name Jones has a horrible name on it. Sylvie must prove herself at the Golden Whisk competition to prove that she’s got skills and end rumours that her mother cheated to win, but she must find out what happened in the past to save the future. With the help of unlikely allies, Sylvie must find a way to get to The Golden Whisk All-Star competition and uncover the past before time runs out.

Release Date: December 9th, 2025

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Page Street Publishing

Preorder: Secrets, Spells, and Chocolates can be preordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.

Which books are you most excited to read? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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It’s been 25 years since Julia Quinn published The Duke and I, the first book in the Bridgerton series that sparked a global phenomenon. The book was first published on January 5th, 2000 by Avon Books. Five years ago, that same story leapt from page to screen when Season 1 of Bridgerton premiered on Netflix on Christmas Day 2020.

Plot

The first book in the Bridgerton series follows the story of the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne Bridgerton, and her love interest, Simon Basset, The Duke of Hastings. Set in 1813, Daphne and Simon’s story starts as a fake dating ploy to keep the society’s mamas away from Simon and to make Daphne appear as a desirable bride instead of a simple friend. However, as time goes on, the fake dating turns into real affection, the only problem is Simon has vowed to never marry or have children, and Daphne wants many. This story is the classic tale of what happens when a fake dating plan turns into real affection and leans into the age-old trope that love doesn’t follow any rules.

What I liked about the book?

This was my first Julia Quinn novel, and the main thing that I loved about it was the writing style. The writing style was smooth and flowed well. I particularly enjoyed the use of period-accurate terms because it helped the book to feel more immersive and transformative. When I read the book, I felt as though I was being transported to a world from 200 years ago, which was the intention of the book.

I also loved how she used Lady Whistledown to create a sense of intrigue and to relay information about the Bridgerton family in a way that didn’t distract from the story. I felt Lady Whistledown’s character and all the excitement over Lady Whistledown were a fun way to show the gossip of the time without distracting from the story.

As for the characters themselves, I loved the banter between the Bridgerton siblings. I loved seeing their dynamics and how all the Bridgerton siblings engaged with each other in the household. My favorite was Hyacinth, who tried to flirt with Simon, who was like more than 10 years older than her, and I loved it because she added a layer of humour and childlike innocence to the story.

I also loved how Quinn depicted the relationship between Anthony and his mother because I found that to be fascinating, especially for that time period. I loved it because as the current Viscount Bridgerton, their house technically belonged to Anthony after the death of Anthony’s father, but I loved the respect he had for his mother and how he at times deferred to her opinions even as he tried to assert himself as the head of the family. I loved how Anthony and his mother complemented each other, with Anthony taking on the characteristic role of the protective brother/father figure while her mother wanted her to be married and happy.

Another thing I loved about the book was how Simon had a stutter—usually historical fiction heroes don’t have physical or disability-related flaws, and I loved how the book showed how a stutter would be seen in the 1800s and the ways Simon tried to cover up his stutter or at least make it less noticeable. I loved how even as an adult he still had a stutter to show that sometimes you don’t outgrow your challenges, you just find ways to cope with them.

The relationship between Anthony and Simon was also well-written, and I think Quinn did a good job showing how being close friends with each other and knowing each other’s personalities is exactly why you might not want someone for your sister. I liked how even when they were at odds, Anthony and Simon always had a sense of respect for each other and how Simon was willing to die after being caught together alone with Daphne but was unwilling to marry her because of a vow he’d made to himself.

That’s like something that is both good and frustrating about this book, because while they never spoke ill of each other even when there were lots of tensions, this ended up becoming problematic toward the end of the book (will be discussed below).

One other thing that I liked about this book and about the Bridgerton novels in general is that it showed the life after marriage. Most books, especially romance or historical romance novels, only show the journey up until the wedding but never the life afterward, and that just seems unrealistic, but I liked how this novel showed the courtship and the struggles post-marriage because marriage doesn’t end with the wedding. On the contrary, after the wedding is when marriage truly begins.

What I didn’t like about the book?

This would have been one of my favourite books but both characters had major flaws.

Simon lied to Daphne about having children, implying that he was unable to have children when in fact he didn’t want children because he’d made a vow to himself to let his father’s line die with him because his father was abusive. Simon’s lie made Daphne devastated, but Daphne took things way too far. When Simon was drunk, Daphne got on top of him and tried to have sex with him, even after he’d said no. Those two aspects of the story really messed up the story for me, especially since no one really confronted Daphne about her actions toward Simon and just made it seem like it was Simon’s fault the whole time when the problem was with both of them.

The story ignored the fact that Daphne had ignored Simon’s refusal of consent and basically focused the rest of the story on Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne and her brothers confronting Simon about it. I’m not saying Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne was good, but there was literally no mention of Daphne’s flaws or Daphne’s mistakes, but instead it all centered on Simon even though both of them were at fault.

While this may have been romantic 25 years ago, this is now highly problematic, as now there’s a greater understanding that women can commit assault as well, not just men. Again, I’m not saying Simon was not wrong for lying to Daphne or for abandoning her, but Daphne was equally, if not more, wrong for taking advantage of Simon while drunk and for not stopping when he withdrew his consent. Also, there’s the question of whether someone can actually give consent while they’re drunk because drinking dulls the senses.

Regardless, I think Quinn dropped the ball by not making Daphne accountable for her actions and excusing them by focusing too much on Simon’s wrongdoings.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I liked the writing style of the book and how Quinn used period-appropriate language to ground the reader in the world of the story. I also loved the use of Lady Whistledown to give information to the readers without distracting from the story.

In terms of character relationships, I loved Hyacinth’s flirtatious behavior with Simon because that was fun to read. I also enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Anthony and his mother because it showed how a potential relationship between a young lord and his mother could have been in that time.

Another thing that I enjoyed was Simon’s stutter, mainly because it’s unexpected to see a historical romance hero with any sort of speech or physical imperfection, and I liked how his stutter continued into adulthood, but he simply learned how to cope with it, because some challenges cannot be overcome, but people learn to live with them.

However, I didn’t like how the book glossed over the fact that Daphne had ignored Simon’s refusal of consent and basically focused the rest of the story on Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne and her brothers confronting Simon about it. I’m not saying Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne was good, but there was literally no mention of Daphne’s flaws or Daphne’s mistakes, but instead it all centered on Simon even though both of them were at fault.

This book was well on its way to being a 5/5 if it were not for the latter part of the book, but because of the book, I’d have to rate the book a 2.5/5, not because I didn’t like it but because they focused solely on accountability for Simon and not for Daphne when it’s clear that both needed to be held accountable for their actions.

I’d read it again up until that part of the story around Chapter 18, because up until Chapter 18 it was a 5/5 novel, but after Chapter 18, there was no accountability for Daphne, and so I didn’t like how the situation was solved and how they made everything out to be Simon’s fault when the fault lay with both.

If you’ve read the book and watched Season 1 of the Netflix show Bridgerton, which do you love more and why? If you’ve only read the book or watched the show, share your thoughts on either. I’d love to hear.

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Note: Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald is the first novel in a two-novel series about Iranian woman Tamila “Tami” Soroush, who goes to America to find a new life and freedom. The book was first published on January 1st, 2007, by Bantam Dell, which is now part of Random House. Veil of Roses was such a success that Fitzgerald eventually wrote a sequel in 2010 titled Dreaming in English but this book review focuses on the first novel, Veil of Roses.

Plot

The first book, Veil of Roses, by Laura Fitzgerald, is the story of Iranian woman Tamila “ Tami” Soroush, who travels from Iran to America in a quest for freedom and love. Her parents send her to America on a one-way ticket to America. Tami has 90 days to find a husband before her visa runs out. From new experiences, a completely different world, and a forbidden love, Tami’s journey is far from easy.

What I liked about the book?

I liked the relationship that Tami had with her sister and brother-in-law because I think it’s so true to life where one person is more about the rules and keeping discipline in the house while the other is more relaxed and carefree. In this story, Tami’s sister Maryam was all about the rules and following the rules because she promised their parents that they’d get Tami married before her visa expired, while her brother-in-law Ardishir was more about going with the flow and letting Tami experience life in America. I loved this relationship because it made for many comedic moments throughout the story.

I loved how they showed Tami’s English class and the friendships she made in her class. I loved her relationship with the German immigrant Eva because they were sort of an opposites-attract kind of friendship, with Tami being more sheltered and naive while Eva was more worldly and more open to trying the daring aspects of life. I love how they used this friendship to show the difference in worldview.

There’s this powerful scene where they talk about the book’s version of Iran’s policy of women not being allowed to sit in the front of the train and how Eva started talking about Rosa Parks and how Rosa Parks’ defiance sparked a movement that eventually led to the law being changed but what Eva didn’t understand is that circumstances were different in Iran versus America and how even the most well-meaning people can unintentionally offend due to a lack of understanding of cultural differences.

I loved the different cultures that Tami encountered in her class, with her friends being from Russia, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Peru , showing just how diverse the United States how many people come every year to settle and make a new life in the U.S.

I also loved how the book showed Tami’s linguistic journey as she gets more comfortable with U.S. life because there’s this scene at the beginning of the book where Tami doesn’t know what the word free means and thinks that she’s going to end up arrested, which shows a lack of knowledge about how life works in the U.S. and it contrasts with the end where Tami herself makes reference to an American movie, showing how she’s become integrated with the U.S. culture over time.

Finally, I liked how the main relationship between Tami and Ike progressed throughout the book. Their first interaction happened after Tami thought she was being arrested for not paying for a free drink and Ike explained what free meant. Their relationship then slowly progressed into a sort of friendship, with Ike offering Tami rides on his motorbike, offering her gifts, and teaching her American pop culture references, which eventually turned into love between the two characters, which was inconvenient because Tami’s original purpose of marriage stated that she had to marry a Persian man, and Ike was American.

This was the only downside of this relationship because Tami was not honest with Ike about needing to marry a man in order to stay in the U.S. and Ike only found out because of Tami’s older sister Maryam, but other than that, I loved their relationship and how sweet and understanding Ike was when it came to Tami trying to figure out life in America.

What I didn’t like about the book?

I didn’t like the way the book discussed Islam because while they referenced Islamic values and customs, the book made it seem as though the religion itself were a prison because Tami seemed to completely abandon anything that was remotely resembling Islam; there was no mention of prayer or any of the goodness of Islam except for showing how the book’s version of Islam twisted the religion into something that was not true.

Along with the same theme, I didn’t like how quickly she completely abandoned all her roots. I get that she was trying to move to a new country and assimilate to American culture and society but usually people assimilate without completely losing sight of their roots. People carry both with them and I know from my own experiences, even having never grown up in Pakistan but having parents who did, I still carry some of Pakistan with me. I still wear clothing and like some of the culture and customs, whereas Tami saw Iran as a burden and as something to escape.

In the books, it almost seemed like Tami wanted to run from her roots. The author presents an unfair dichotomy of America being this great land of freedom and prosperity while Iran is presented as the epitome of a restricted life. I’ve never been to Iran and so I can’t comment on the depiction of Iran but I feel now that the book has so much emphasis on America being the greatest country on earth and having to assimilate to American customs by any means possible, even if it means abandoning all your roots.

I mentioned this before but I didn’t like how Tami didn’t tell Ike the true reason why she was in America. I know that she was scared and didn’t know how to broach the topic but I feel like in the context of the story, she should have told him and it shouldn’t have been up to her older sister Maryam to tell him for her because the true reason why she was in America was such a big secret that was a shadow over their otherwise sweet and wholesome relationship development.

Overall Thoughts

This was a decent love story. I loved Tami’s journey to the U.S. and her relationships with her sister, brother-in-law, and friends. I also liked how Tami and Ike’s relationship progressed over time, and I felt that it was natural and not forced. However, I didn’t like how Tami neglected to tell Ike about her real reason for coming to the U.S. I also think that while the book was trying to delve into Islamic themes, it didn’t really work because Tami seemed to see Islam as something to escape because she tied it to her culture of Iran when it’s so much more than that. I’m also not sure if the author’s interpretation of Iran is accurate because I’ve never been. So in terms of a love story, this one is a sweet cross-cultural story that is a light read but in terms of learning about Islam and Iranian culture, it’s not the best.

I’d rate this book a 3/5 because it has good character relationships both in terms of romantic relationships and other types such as sibling, friend, neighbor, etc., and a sympathetic main character who had relatable struggles when it came to moving to a different country, but I didn’t like its depiction of Islam or Iranian culture nor did I like how quickly Tami abandoned all of her roots in order to settle into life in America.

I’d read it again for the love story and for the character relationships but as a cross-cultural book, it’s lacking in some major areas.

Have you ever read this book? Let me know in the comments. If not, have you read any other books that talk about moving countries? If so, share a few titles in the comments!

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Quick Disclaimer: All the books had some problematic elements in them, but some of the stories were worse than others. Here is my ranking for the 7 Bridgerton books that I read, from worst to best

7. An Offer From A Gentleman

This was my least favourite book because I hated the character of Benedict in this book. In this book, Benedict was so controlling and manipulative and never really seemed to have any respect for Sophie at all. Sophie said that she didn’t want to become Benedict’s mistress, but Benedict didn’t seem to understand that. Also, Benedict basically blackmailed her into becoming a housemaid for his mother’s household because he was attracted to her but couldn’t marry her because she was his housemaid with illegitimate noble parentage and he was a viscount’s brother. Benedict was such an unlikeable protagonist, and I felt zero sympathy for him; his actions were just awful, and I hated him the entire time. I didn’t think he truly loved Sophie—I think he was just attracted to her but didn’t love her enough to respect her and her choices.

The redeemable parts of the book were Sophie —Benedict’s love interest—I loved Sophie; she was such an interesting character because she was the illegitimate daughter of an earl who had become a housemaid for her stepmother when her father died. I loved this twist in the classic Cinderella story, and I loved how Sophie was a more realistic Cinderella because Sophie was resentful of how she was treated by her stepmother, but she didn’t let that seep into how she treated everyone else. I loved how Sophie was such a strong-willed, loving character who wanted to make the most out of life wherever she could. I also loved the scene where Lady Bridgerton—Benedict’s mother—confronted Araminta, who was Sophie’s stepmother, and the showdown that happened between those ladies. I also enjoyed the friendship between Sophie and the younger unmarried Bridgeton girls, but my hatred for Benedict’s character and the fact that he was unredeemable in my opinion made this book the worst of the lot.

I hope that Season 4 of Netflix’s Bridgerton fixes this because the Benedict in the show doesn’t seem like the type of person to have zero respect for his love interest.

6. When he was Wicked

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t really like When He Was Wicked because the story was a little too dry and boring for me. Maybe it’s because Francesca was distant from her siblings or because much of the story took place in Scotland instead of London, but I just didn’t really find the story all that exciting or engaging, and at times I struggled to get through the story.

That being said, I felt that Michael was a much more respectful love interest than Benedict, which is why I put this book as number 6, because Michael was a decent love interest, not the most exciting but not disrespectful either.

I also liked learning about the medical terminology and how malaria and other illnesses would have been treated/seen in the 1800s ; I found that to be pretty interesting, and I liked that aspect of the book.

I loved Francesca’s relationship with John; it was super sweet, but I would have liked more scenes with John to create even more of an impact when he dies. That being said, I loved the relationship between Francesca, John, and Michael; they were like the three musketeers, and I loved this relationship. It was probably my favourite part of the book .

5. The Duke and I

This was the first Bridgerton book I read, and this is the only one that I read after I’d watched the Netflix season. This was a pretty good book because I loved the banter between the Bridgerton siblings. I loved seeing their dynamics and how all the Bridgerton siblings engaged with each other in the household. My favourite was Hyacinth, who tried to flirt with Simon, who was like more than 10 years older than her, and I loved it because she added a layer of humour and childlike innocence to the story. I loved the dynamic between Lady Bridgerton and Anthony Bridgerton and how it showed just how much Anthony respected his mother, even though technically Bridgerton House belonged to Anthony after his father’s death. I loved the friendship/rivalry/mistrustfulness between Anthony and Simon. I felt that their relationship was well developed and explained, and I liked how they had a mutual respect for each other.

Another thing I loved about the book was how Simon had a stutter. Usually historical fiction heroes don’t have physical or disability-related flaws, and I loved how the book showed how a stutter would be seen in the 1800s and the ways Simon tried to cover up his stutter or at least make it less noticeable. I loved how even as an adult he still had a stutter to show that sometimes you don’t outgrow your challenges, you just find ways to cope with them.

This would have been one of my favourite books but both characters had major flaws. Simon lied to Daphne about having children, implying that he was unable to have children when in fact he didn’t want children because he’d made a vow to himself to let his father’s line die with him because his father was abusive. Simon’s lie made Daphne devastated, but Daphne took things way too far. When Simon was drunk, Daphne got on top of him and tried to have sex with him, even after he’d said no. Those two aspects of the story really messed up the story for me , especially since no one really confronted Daphne about her actions toward Simon and just made it seem like it was Simon’s fault the whole time when the problem was with both of them. The story ignored the fact that Daphne had ignored Simon’s refusal of consent and basically focused the rest of the story on Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne and her brothers confronting Simon about it. I’m not saying Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne was good, but there was literally no mention of Daphne’s flaws or Daphne’s mistakes; instead, it all centered on Simon’s mistakes even though both of them were at fault.

4. It’s in His Kiss

I loved the relationship between Hyacinth and Lady Danbury—Gareth’s grandmother—because it was such a sweet grandmother-granddaughter-type bond before Hyacinth even married Lady Danbury’s grandson. I loved how we got more of a background and insight into Lady Danbury’s life and her past and her children through the story of Gareth. I loved how Hyacinth and Lady Danbury kept playfully teasing each other, had similar tastes in books, and had similar personalities. Their relationship was one of the highlights of the book.

I loved how this book sort of branched out and talked about other noble families in London, such as the musically deaf Smythe Smith sisters. This book was an interesting and engaging book to read, and I loved the banter between Hyacinth and Garet—I think they complemented each other well and balanced each other’s flaws out.

Gareth’s backstory was also quite interesting in that even though he’s technically a St. Clair , he’s illegitimate because his biological father is his legal uncle. This was an interesting twist to the tale and something I hadn’t expected. I loved how Gareth sort of reminded me of Anthony in The Duke and I—serious, a bit brooding, but without the sisters to care for.

The reason it’s not ranked higher is because this book was a little boring at times to read, and I don’t remember the storylines as clearly as I remember some of the others.

3. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

I loved the twist reveal that Penelope was Lady Whistledown because it showed how despite the restrictions placed on women during regency England, Penelope was trying to find a way to make a living for herself while at the same time playing the role of a Debutante. I loved how both Colin and Pebelope ended up being writers which just showed how they understood each other in a way that others didn’t. I loved this story because it showed how people are much moe than they seem and how everyone has secrets even if their life seems perfect from the outside.

Another thing I liked was the relationship between Penelope and Lady Danbury- I wish they had kept that in the show- I loved how Penelope was almost like a proitege for Lady Danbury and how Lady Danbury was fond of Penelope because she recognised Penelope’s intelligence. I love how Lady Danbury was supportive of Penelope despite the age and status differences between them and when Penelope’s identity was revealed to the ton, Lady Danbury was the first to clap and I love the bond between them , it was wholesome.

That being said, there were some moments when Colin used physical force against Pebelope which is why it ranks lower on this list. Colin is a decent character in general but these moments and his jealousy toward Penelope made him a bit bitter in the middle third of the book but I think he ultimately redeemed himself.

I liked the inclusion of Cressida as a villain who found out Penelope’s secret and tried to blackmail her because it forced Colin to take a stand about whether he would stand with his wife or if he would let her fall on her own. In the final act of the book, Colin made the decision to reveal Penelope’s alter ego without telling her which is something I didn’t like and I preferred the show’s version where Penelope reveals herself because the show gave her agency over her secret while the book didn’t but at the same time I think the book was more accurate to what would have happened in Regency England.

2. To Sir Philip with Love

I loved this book because it was different from the others , instead of the love interest being a bachelor , Sir Philip was a widower with two twins. I loved the relationship between Eloise and the twins and the antics the twins got up to from removing the tacks on the stairs to other antics, Eloise’s relationship with the twins was something beautiful and engaging. I loved the presence iof the young twins because it made the book more fun to read. I loved how this book showed how stepmothers aren’t always evil and how they can sometimes become the best friends of the children without replacing ther child’s actual mother. I loved how they showed how the children first hated Eloise and then slowly grew to like her over time.

Sir Philip himself was a decent enough hero but there were some moments when he was rude toward Eloise and that is why this book is not quite number 1 in my ranking. What I liked was how Sir Philip was just so human. He’d lost his depressed wife in a time period where mental illness wasn’t treated and so had unresoplved trauma from that. His method of avoiding confrontation and quarrels was frustrating to read in the book but so true to the way people behave in real life which made the character of Philip more relatable. Philip was someone who was incredibly human in his flaws and the way he tried to awkwardly flirt with Eloise. He’s not confident or suave but then- not every hero has to be- because not every person is.

I loved the scene when Eloise’s brothers just turned up at Sir Philip’s house, it was a hilarious scene that should be included in Netflix’ adaption of Eloise’s story. I love how comedic it is and how even Eloise’s little brother was involved in the story.

This story was unique because Eloise herself was 28 which is older than the other ladies in the story and Sir Philip was a widower with children but this story seemed to work. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and there were many frustrating and boring moments, but it was a good story.

1. The Viscount Who Loved Me.

This was my favourite story. I loved the dynamics between the Bridgerton siblings and their in-laws. I loved the competitive spirit of the Pall Mall game and how this book focused a lot on the Bridgerton family , their past, and their history. I love how this book showed what happened to Anthony and Kate after they got married, which the Netflix series didn’t really show.

I loved how both Anthony and Kate had traumas that they had to overcome throughout the course of the novel. Anthony’s trauma was watching his father die at a young age, and he had an idea that he would die at a similar age, which is why he didn’t want to marry for love, whereas Kate was afraid of thunderstorms because her mother had died during the storm.

I loved how both Anthony and Kate had flaws that they had to overcome, but at the same time they had some level of respect for each other even when they were enemies.

My favourite part of the novel, which they completely butchered in the Netflix series, was the sister relationship between Edwina and Kate. Edwina in the novel couldn’t care less about marrying Anthony and was more interested in this scholar guy. Edwina was also supportive of Kate and Anthony’s relationship and was almost like the wingwoman for the entire relationship. I loved how the sisters loved each other and didn’t see each other as rivals; they just completely and utterly adored each other

Do you agree with my rankings? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts . Share your rankings of the Bridgerton books in the comments!

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Noughts & Crosses is the first book in award-winning author Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses series. The book was first published by Penguin on January 15th, 2001, and its age rating is 14+. This novel is the inspiration behind NBC Universal’s Noughts + Crosses television series that is now streaming on Peacock.

Plot of the Book

The first book, Noughts & Crosses, is set in a society where pale-skinned Noughts are considered inferior to the darker-skinned Crosses. The book follows childhood friends Sephy and Callum; only Sephy is a cross and the daughter of a politician, while Callum is a nought in a world that sees noughts as inferior. The society makes Noughts and Crosses bitter enemies, but when the childhood friendship between Sephy and Callum develops into love, they’re determined to be together in a world that wants to keep them apart. Their story's consequences resonate for generations in their world to come.

What I liked about the book?

One of the things I loved was the way race and prejudice were discussed in this book. It didn’t feel preachy, but instead it felt woven throughout this story between Sephy and Callum, two childhood friends of different races in a world where dark-skinned Crosses are treated better than light-skinned Noughts.

I thought it was a clever move on Malorie Blackman’s part to flip the racial relations so that the darker-skinned Crosses were the ones in power because it allowed for the story to feel a little distant from the actual history of the world, which I think allowed her to explore the themes of racism and prejudice in a way that doesn’t feel too jarring for those who may have not experienced it.

There’s a scene in the novel where Callum, who is part of the light-skinned Noughts, and Sephy, who is part of the dark-skinned Crosses, are going on a day trip together when a train inspector comes to check the ID passes and tickets for the train. When the train inspector notices that Callum’s train ticket is for first class, the train inspector is immediately suspicious and asks if he bought the ticket but Callum says no because Sephy bought the ticket. The train inspector orders Callum to come with him and is about to kick Callum off the train when Sephy intervenes and explains that she bought the tickets. It’s only after Sephy’s intervention that the train inspector leaves them alone and lets them go on their way.

Even though it’s never explicitly stated in the novel, it's implied that the train inspector might have thought that Callum had stolen the ticket before Sephy intervened. What I liked about this scene is that it shows how even in seemingly innocent activities like buying a ticket and sitting in first class, there are racial implications in this environment and how Callum is treated with more suspicion by the train inspector because of his race while Sephy gets a free pass because she is one of the darker-skinned Crosses in a society that values dark skin over light skin.

I also liked how the story didn’t shy away from using racial slurs in this book to demonstrate how integrated slurs and derogatory language can be in societies. The slur used in this book was the word “blanker,” which is a derogatory word that was used to describe Noughts, who are the pale-skinned individuals who are considered less than the darker-skinned Crosses in this society. Blackman uses the word ‘blanker’ to show how this insult is so prevalent in their society and that people use it as an insult toward Noughts. This discourse is so common that even Sephy, a Cross who sympathizes with the Noughts, uses it to defend Callum and the other Noughts who are new to her school. The Noughts are new to Sephy’s school because their society has integrated Noughts and Crosses in schools for the first time.

One of the most powerful quotes in this book is:

“Why couldn’t he understand that I wasn’t talking about him? It was just a word. A word Dad had used. But it was a word that had hurt my best friend . A word that was now hurting me so very very much. I hadn’t fully realized just how powerful words could be before this (p.58).”

I love this quote because it shows how Sephy never intended to insult Callum by using that slur, but she was just so used to hearing that it slipped out. It’s so prevalent in her society and she is in a position of privilege so she became desensitized to its meaning and impact in a way that Callum, who is in a position of inferiority in their society, never can be.

This shows how even well-meaning people and allies can unintentionally insult those who they are trying to stand beside simply out of ignorance and because they don’t know better. I see it so often when it comes to discussions on identity and how we talk about people with different identities and this quote demonstrates the impact that single words, words that we may find insignificant, can have on those who are from these communities that are targeted by the majority and/or those in power.

It’s these little moments in the book that are so small that at first they don’t seem that important but it’s those little moments that show just how prevalent racism is in our society that we don’t even think and sometimes don’t even intend; we just sometimes say triggering words because we’ve been conditioned to say them or our families or societies have been blatantly saying these slurs in public so we become desensitized to their impact over time.

Another scene that I liked is when Callum’s parents, Ryan and Meggie, are talking about a Nought criminal on the TV and Callum’s dad, Ryan, refers to the Nought as a “blanker,” which is the derogatory name for Noughts. It leads to the following conversation:

“‘The blanker has been in prison more times than any eight prison governors I know.’

‘Don’t call him that’, Mum said furiously, ‘ it’s bad enough when ignorant Crosses call us blankers without us calling ourselves by the same name.’

‘We name it, we claim it, said Dad.

‘Nonsense! We use it, Crosses think they can too’ (p.128).”

What I love about this dialogue is that it presents two very different arguments by marginalized communities for using the slur that is directed at them. One argument is that if they use it and claim it, it's less damaging than if someone outside the community uses that slur and it’s something I’ve heard a lot when it comes to different groups and the slurs that they are associated with.

The other argument is don’t use the slur because it gives the majority the license to do the same. I like this conversation because it gets at the concept of internalized oppression and whether or not minority groups should use the slurs directed at them in a self-deprecating way or if they should not allow anyone, even other members of the same race, to use that slur.

Throughout the book, the theme of racism is prevalent in subtle yet powerful ways as well as in the more explicit areas of the book. Through a series of unfortunate events, Callum and his family find themselves in various legal challenges and a lot of the book focuses on the legal disparities between races and how members of a more privileged class can afford a good lawyer to fight their cases easily, whereas the less privileged class can only afford maybe a court lawyer or a lawyer who isn’t going to represent them as well. This is shown when Sephy’s family is able to afford a renowned barrister to help Callum’s family due to a former friendship/employer-employee relationship between the two families but Callum’s family on their own wouldn’t be able to afford that renowned barrister.

Another important theme throughout the book is the theme of resistance movements and how far is too far to go in the fight for change. In the book, there’s this mention of a group called Liberation Militia that is supposedly fighting for equality between Noughts and Crosses, but their methods are highly questionable and involve things like bombings, kidnappings, and other less-than-civilized methods. This part of the book raises questions about ethics and morality, what is right and wrong, and the methods people use to achieve their goals.

My favourite part about the book is that it covers all of these highly sensitive and political themes throughout the story of Callum and Sephy. I think focusing on Callum and Sephy and their families makes the political and sensitive topics more personal but also makes the story itself more palatable because we can focus on the characters and their relationships and use them as vehicles to make commentary on the inequalities and injustices that exist in the world.

The humour and dialogue between the characters make this story relatable; the political themes are integrated into this romance story between Sephy and Callum. This story is powerful because it's not preachy and because its characters are so relatable. The subtle moments have just as much impact as the larger, more life-changing scenes that happen in the story.

What I didn’t like about the book?

I liked this book so much that it’s hard for me to come up with something I didn’t like, but I would say that despite the book being well written and all the narratives and themes blending into each other, at times it felt like Blackman was trying to cover too many themes at once.

There were the overarching themes of racism and childhood friends turned lovers, but then there were the other themes of terrorism, mental illness, rape, teen pregnancy, crime, alcoholism, divorce, death, grief, trauma, and the legal system. Now, that’s not to say that the book wasn’t well written—because it was, and all these themes integrated well with each other in Blackman’s story; it’s just that, when I thought about it, there were so many themes in this one story about two friends in a world that doesn’t let them mix.

Another thing I didn’t like was how there was a time jump that seemed jarring because the book went straight from Callum chasing after Sephy when she was about to go to boarding school to two years later. It wasn’t so much the time jump itself that was jarring but more that Callum had gotten an entirely different personality. Now, I know people change in two years, but I would have liked to have seen some depiction of how he steadily changed and became more jaded and hardened over time because of his brother and their new associations. Instead it felt like his personality did a complete 180 from the boy who had experienced prejudice, grief, and loss but still found joy and hope in life to this new person who had become so hardened and bitter that he was willing to turn on his former friend Sephy for money and a chance to get back at the politicians, including Sephy’s father, who had made their lives miserable.

Overall Thoughts

I loved this book and it’s one of my all-time favourite novels because of how real the characters feel and how Blackman manages to discuss serious topics (e.g., racism, trauma, death, grief, teen pregnancy, terrorism, etc.) within the narrative of Callum and Sephy without the discussion of these serious topics taking away from the enjoyment of the story. I love how this book depicts not only the higher-level societal consequences of racism, such as disparities in the justice system and income but also the micro-aspects of racism and how the racism is so prevalent that certain phrases that seem innocent can actually be racist or offensive even if the person who said those words does not necessarily intend for it to be received that way.

Another thing I loved about the book, besides the theme, was the writing style. Blackman’s writing style is clear and easy to understand. Her dialogue feels natural and not stilted, and that adds to the characters’ realism; it’s the dialogue and the way that she writes that let her talk about serious and heavy topics in a manner that is more digestible for readers.

My only real criticism of this book is the sudden personality switch Callum made about halfway through. As I mentioned before, I know people change in two years, but I would have liked to have seen some depiction of how he steadily changed and became more jaded and hardened over time because of his brother and their new associations. I would have liked to have seen more of a transformation from the boy who had experienced loss and grief but who still saw hope and joy in the world to the man who was battle-hardened and was willing to do anything it took to help his group gain power, even if it meant turning on a former friend.

Overall, I loved this book so much, and I feel like the dual perspective of Callum and Sephy helped Blackman show the theme of racism and how it is different from the perspectives of those who benefit from the system and those who are oppressed by it, but he did so while keeping the main focus of the story on Callum and Sephy and their families. That being said, this book contains many highly sensitive themes so if you get easily triggered by depictions of racism, trauma, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, etc., then this might not be a book for you because Blackman packs many sensitive themes into these almost 500 pages.

I would rate this book a 5/5.

I first read this book almost ten years ago, but because of the sensitive nature of how the themes of the story were presented and the well-crafted romance between Sephy and Callum, I still read it to this day.

Have you ever read this book or watched the NBC Universal adaptation on Peacock? Let me know in the comments.

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With every season, there are new books released, some as debut novels while others are new additions to beloved franchises. From contemporary romance to memoirs to dark fantasy, these stories transcend time, space, and borders, bringing you tales that will make you both laugh and cry. Here are 8 highly anticipated novels set to be released between March and July 2025.

1. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Book Description/Synopsis: Dream Count is a new novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The story follows the stories of four women: Chiamaka, a Nigerian writer living alone in America during the pandemic and thinking about her past lovers and her regrets; Chiamaka’s cousin, Omelegor, who is financially successful in Nigeria but is questioning how well she knows herself; Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper who is raising her daughter in America but who is facing hardship that threatens to destroy everything she has worked toward; and Zikora, Chiamaka’s best friend who is a successful lawyer but who ends up betrayed and heartbroken and needs help from a person she never expected . These women grapple with the nature of love and what sacrifices are necessary in order to attain it.

Genre: Literary Fiction/contemporary romance

Release Date : March 4th, 2025

Publisher : Random House

Preorder: Dream Count can be preordered from the publisher’s website as well as from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Books A Million, Bookshop.org and more.

2. River of Fire by Jonathan Posner

Book Description/Synopsis: River of Fire is the third installment of Jonathan Posner’s Mary Fox Series. The series follows a historical action-adventure heroine, Mary Fox, through her many exciting and dangerous adventures throughout 16th-century Europe. The latest book in the series, River of Fire, finds Mary Fox fleeing England after the events of the second book and ending up in Italy, where she agrees to help an Italian man named Angelo di Luca return his family’s stolen jewel . Her journey leads her to Florence, where she ends up a prisoner of Duke Alessandro de Medici. With enemies after her from all directions , Mary must find a way to return with the jewel before the deadline runs out.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date : March 7th, 2025

Publisher : Winter & Drew Publishing

Preorder: River of Fire is available for preorder on Amazon.

3. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Book Description/Synopsis: Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth book in Suzanne Collins’ beloved Hunger Games franchise. This story is set 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy and takes place during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. It follows the story of Haymitch Abernathy, the mentor of Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark in the original books, during his Hunger Games and serves as both a sequel to A Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds, the story about President Snow (the villain of the original Hunger Games series)’s rise to power, and a prequel to the original Hunger Games novels.

Release Date: March 18th, 2025

Genre: Action/Adventure

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Where to preorder: Sunrise on the Reaping can be purchased from the publisher’s site as well as from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more.

4. Say You’ll Remember Me by Abbey Jimenez

Book Description/Synopsis: Say You’ll Remember Me is a contemporary romance by New York Times Best-Selling Romance author Abbey Jimenez. Say You’ll Remember Me follows the relationship between Xavier Rush and a girl called Samantha. Xavier is at first seemingly perfect, but after he says the wrong thing, Samantha realizes that he’s arrogant, and she likes proving arrogant men wrong, but after one incredible and seemingly perfect date, Samantha is forced to admit that she cannot date at the moment because her family is in a crisis. She begs Xavier to forget her, but there is no distance or time that can undo the feelings of attachment they have for each other.

Genre: Romance

Release Date : April 1st, 2025

Publisher : Hatchett Book Group

Preorder: Say You’ll Remember Me can be preordered from the publisher’s website as well as from major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million, and more.

5. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Book Description/Synopsis: Great Big Beautiful Life is an upcoming novel by New York Times Best-Selling Author Emily Henry. In this novel, two writers compete for a chance to tell an epic story about a woman, complete with more than a couple of plot twists.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date : April 22, 2025

Publisher : Random House

Preorder: Great Big Beautiful Life can be preordered on the publisher’s website as well as major stores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Books A Million, and more

6. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Book Description/Synopsis: The Knight and the Moth is the latest book by New York Times Best Selling and BookTok author Rachel Gillig. The novel is a dark sci-fi fantasy that follows a prophetess who is forced out of her monastery for safety and has an impossible quest to defeat the gods with a knight whose future she can’t predict. It is the first book in Rachel Gillig’s new series, Stonewater Kingdom Series.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy

Release Date: May 20th, 2025

Publisher: Orbit

Content Warning: Violence/gore, Religious abuse, physical and psychological, Body horror, Adult language + profanity, Emesis (vomiting), Sexual content, Death of magical creatures, Grief/loss

Preorder: The Knight and the Moth can be purchased at Barnes & Noble , Amazon, Bookshop.org, Orbit and Hatchett Book Group

7. I'll Tell You When I'm Home by Hala Alyan

Book Description/Synopsis: I’ll Tell You When I’m Home is the upcoming memoir of acclaimed Palestinian-American poet and novelist Hala Alyan, author of the best-selling Salt Houses novels. I’ll Tell You When I’m Home is the debut memoir of this author that deals with the author’s experiences with motherhood via surrogacy and the legacy of her family’s exile and displacement.

Genre: Memoir

Release Date : June 3rd, 2025

Publisher : Simon and Schuster

Content Warning: Displacement, Miscarriage, motherhood, grief/loss, surrogacy

Preorder: I’ll Tell You When I’m Home can be preordered on the publisher’s website as well as on Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Books A Million, and Bookshop Books

8. The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

Book Description/Synopsis: The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is the first of two novels in Brigitte Knightley’s upcoming Dearly Beloathed Series. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy follows a romance between a chaotic assassin and a healer whom he bribes to help him carry out his plans only to find unexpected love blossom.

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date : July 8th, 2025

Publisher : Random House

Preorder: The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy can be preordered from the publisher’s website as well as other retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Books A Million, and more.

Which books are you most excited to read? Share your thoughts in the comments.