Casey W. | TheReadingZombie

This was listed as one of the best books of 2025, and I think I agree. I read this for book club. My book club had mixed feelings, but this book hit me right in the feels and tapped the nostalgia for my 20's. I cried at the end, so not fair.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

💙📚 #booksky #bookreview

It's been awhile since I've posted here. This book was a pretty wild ride. Stealing your twin's influencer life after finding her dead on the floor? I mean, who wouldn't?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

💙📚 #booksky #bookreview #bookrecommendations

A close-up shot of a hand holding a Kindle e-reader that displays the cover for the book Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson. The cover is dark and gothic, featuring pink thistles and deep red/purple plums, with the subtitle "Surrender to your wildest desires." There is a graphic indicating a four star rating. The hand is wearing a beige knit sweater. The Kindle is held in front of a dark bookshelf filled with books and various decorations, including a ceramic chicken on the top shelf and blue string lights below.

✨BOOK REVIEW: Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson

Creepy, sexy vibes & the Scottish Highlands! The focus is on fascinating bisexual characters & their insta-lust at the mysterious Craigmar. I need the next book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews 🪐📚

Happy Monday! I'm feeling very bleh. At least my reading is interesting.

What I'm Reading:
🎧: The Night Swim - Megan Goldin
📘: Savage Blooms - S. T. Gibson

💙📚 #booksky #currentlyreading

Ooh, audiobooks while I walk are the best. There were a lot of good moments, and I don't want to give away too much of the book. One of my favorite moments was when Keira and her husband were trying to figure out if there were advantages to having one boob. 😂

🎧The Bright Side Running Club - Josie Lloyd
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

While it does deal with the topic of cancer, I found this whole story of female friendship to be really cute & uplifting.

Now, my thoughts on running? Ew, gross, that sounds terrible. What do y'all think? Do you guys run?

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews

A high-angle shot shows a physical copy of the book Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, with the movie tie-in cover featuring actors Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. A smartphone is resting diagonally on top of the book. The phone's screen displays an audiobook player for the book Lady Everlast by Thornsten Benger, showing the play/pause button, playback controls, and a progress bar. The book and phone are placed on a checkered surface, possibly a chessboard or a wooden tabletop with a pattern.

Happy Monday!

Do any of you bowl? I bowled a 166 in my bowling league yesterday and I'm stoked. I'm typically a 110-120 bowler. Haha.

Currently Reading:
🎧: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow
📘: Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

💙📚 #booksky

The God of the Woods - Liz Moore
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction

I love a twisty family drama that revolves around a mystery. It's like catnip to me.

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews

What's your favorite classic? Mine is East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

The Bell Jar is a compelling read, beautifully written, but there are racist ideas and thoughts sprinkled throughout. So, keep that in mind.

💙📚 #booksky

A high-angle shot shows a book and a smartphone on a black, spiderweb-patterned lace surface, which is set on top of what appears to be a dark-colored blanket or fabric. The scene has a cozy, fall-themed aesthetic with several decorative pumpkins and artificial autumn leaves arranged around the items. The physical book in the foreground is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. It has a cover with a painting of a forest and a tall figure in the distance. A thin, pink ribbon is used as a bookmark. Resting on top of the book is a smartphone, which is displaying the title The Bright Side Running Club by Josie Lloyd. The screen shows the book's cover and a description. A notification icon for the time "18:36" is visible at the top left of the phone's screen. On the left side of the frame, there is a small, checkered black-and-white pumpkin. On the right, a fluffy, gray-and-white plaid pumpkin is visible. Artificial sunflowers and orange leaves are also scattered throughout the image. The lighting is soft and warm.

What are you reading this week?

My Plans This Week:
🎧: The Bright Side Running Club - Josie Lloyd
📘: The God of the Woods - Liz Moore. This is for @thebookanalysts.bsky.social BOTM. I think I suggested this one too, so I couldn't just not read it. Haha.

💙📚 #booksky #currentlyreading

A vertical shot shows a stack of books on a wooden dresser next to a stuffed ghost wearing a tiny black witch hat. The ghost has embroidered eyes and a smiling mouth. The books, from top to bottom, are: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll The Fault in Our Stars by John Green A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Dune by Frank Herbert The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon The Shining by Stephen King The background is out of focus, showing framed pictures on the wall.

What's your favorite book-to-screen adaptation? Or your least favorite?

I found a bunch on my shelf, and it's not even all of them, but I'm curious about what y'all think. Not pictured here is All Systems Red. I thought Apple TV did a decent job with their rendition of Murderbot.

💙📚 #booksky

An image of a digital tablet displaying the cover of the book The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. The tablet is positioned on a kitchen counter in front of a mixer, a bowl of fruit, and a bunch of bananas.

4.5⭐ Wonderful book about some amazing women. I loved the characters and the focus on the strong bonds of female friendship. Especially when they face off against societal standards.

Know a book about strong friendships? Drop me a comment!

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews ⏳📚

Oooh, I love a good fantasy. What are you reading? 😊

An image with a sage green background, decorative gold leaves and accents, and the title "Currently Reading" in a cursive font at the top. Below the title are two book covers side by side. On the left is The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks, and a progress bar below it shows 19% completion. On the right is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and a progress bar below it shows 11% completion.

Happy Monday! What's new with you? Reading anything interesting?

Life highlights for me:
✨Celebrated my SIL's birthday. She's the best.
✨My son's team won their soccer game, and my kid actually did pretty well.
✨The Denny's in my town closed. Boo!

💙📚 #booksky #currentlyreading

A close-up shot of an e-reader tablet displaying the book cover for The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso. The tablet is held over a dark, textured background with a repeating spiderweb or lace pattern. A rating of 4.25 stars is displayed below the tablet.

A great book and a fantastic sequel! This mystery is a whirlwind of danger with a ticking clock, but it's really all about watching Kem and Rika's relationship grow as they solve the latest curse together. Thanks @orbitbooks.bsky.social and @netgalley.bsky.social!

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews 🪐📚

A tall stack of nine books is sitting on a wooden railing with a sunset in the background. From top to bottom, the books are: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert Red Rising by Pierce Brown In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo You by Caroline Kepnes Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Last Tycoon by Scott Fitzgerald

Scavenger Hunt!

# in the title: The Atlas Six
Name in the title: Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Color in the title: Red Rising
Setting in the title: In a Dark, Dark Wood
Animal in the title: Six of Crows
One-word title: You
>500 pages: Anna Karenina
<300 pages: The Last Tycoon

💙📚 #booksky #scavengerhunt

An image of an e-reader tablet displaying the book cover for You Deserve to Know by Aggie Blum Thompson. The tablet is centered over an aerial photo of a suburban neighborhood with houses and winding streets.

A suburban thriller? Say no more. I love neighborhood drama, especially when it's not my neighborhood. With cheating spouses, lies, betrayal, and murder, this book has it all. I was hooked the whole time.

Have you read any books like that recently?

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews ⚡️📚

A vertical stack of five books rests on a dark wooden shelf. On top of the stack is a small, fuzzy, black and orange plaid bird figurine. From top to bottom, the books are: Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco Circe by Madeline Miller Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher In the background, a bouquet of red, white, and blue flowers is visible, along with other books on a shelf.

Alright, we're heading into fall, and I'm going to change my decorations tomorrow! I've already started with this one little bird. These are some witchy books I found on my shelf. Any recommendations?

💙📚 #booksky #bookrecommendations

They are so good. You can get them with powdered sugar or glazed. Both are fantastic. 🤤

A graphic displaying two book covers on a beige background with brown and white checkerboard borders. At the top, a cartoon coffee cup with legs runs while holding a book and a briefcase. The text "currently Reading" arches around the cartoon. Below the cartoon, the two book covers are shown side by side. On the left is The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso, and a progress bar below it shows 60% completion. On the right is The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick, with a progress bar below showing 17% completion.

A selfie of a man and a woman in an outdoor setting. The man is on the left, smiling at the camera. He has a beard and is wearing a black t-shirt. The woman is on the right, also smiling, and has her hair in pigtails. She's wearing a tie-dye t-shirt and glasses are pushed up on top of her head. In the background, people are seated on a grassy hill, suggesting they are at a concert or outdoor event.

Happy Tuesday! I kept thinking today was Monday. Yikes. Did you do anything fun over the weekend? We got to see New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, and The Offspring.

Current 📖
🎧: The Book Club for Troublesome Women - Marie Bostwick
📘: The Last Soul Among Wolves - Melissa Caruso

💙📚 #booksky

An image showing six book covers on a sage green background. The top row from left to right features: Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso The bottom row from left to right features: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse by Hollie Overton In the middle of the bottom row, there's a green panel with the word "Stats" written on it. To its right, another panel lists "6 Books," "1228 Pgs," and "37.97 Hrs." At the bottom of the image, the text "August Reads" is written in a cursive font. In the bottom right corner, a cartoon snail sits on a tree stump. A large tree with a canopy of leaves is visible behind the books at the top of the image.

August Wrap-Up! What was your favorite read in August?

Bonus Question: What's your favorite fall dessert? Mine is an Apple Cider Donut with Pumpkin Ice Cream drizzled with Caramel

💙📚 #booksky #readingwrapup

"A hand holds an e-reader displaying the cover of 'A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse' by Hollie Overton, against a clear sky and desert landscape." "An e-reader with the book 'A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse' is held up in a desert environment with mountains in the background."

Have you done any prepping before? I have some food stores, but nothing crazy. Haha.

This was 4.25 stars. Amazing family drama set against a post-apocalyptic world.

Thank you to NetGalley and @orbitbooks.bsky.social for this great eARC!

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews

A digital graphic for "Currently Reading" with a vintage aesthetic. The background is a textured, light brown paper. In the corners, there are illustrations of dried leaves and old book pages. The title, "Currently Reading," is at the top in black cursive font. Two book covers are featured, each with a progress meter below it. On the left is the cover for The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso. The cover is dark blue and gold, featuring a silhouette of a wolf and a person in an ornate doorway. Below the cover is a progress bar filled to 6% with the matching percentage displayed. On the right is the cover for One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The cover is a light blue-gray with a photograph of a woman sitting on a window sill holding a mug. Below the cover is a progress bar filled to 81% with the matching percentage displayed.

Happy Monday! Are there any podcasts that you would recommend? I've been listening to one about the p*rn industry that's been super interesting.

What I'm reading:
🎧: One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid
📘: The Last Soul Among Wolves - Melissa Caruso

💙📚 #booksky #currentlyreading

I haven't read his other work, but I wasn't sure I would like his horror considering his other titles. I was very apprehensive before reading Bury Your Gays. 😂

A tablet displays the cover of the book Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle. The tablet is propped up on a dark surface and is flanked by two small, orange and brown stuffed birds with wire legs. The birds are holding the tablet upright. The bird on the left wears a blue jacket and a gray hat, while the bird on the right wears pink glasses. In the background, there is a bookshelf with various books, including The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin and Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven.

Have you read any Chuck Tingle yet?!

This one isn't as good as Bury Your Gays, but still a solid 3.75/5 stars. Highly recommend for the creepy religious vibes and amazing main character!

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews 🩸📚

A tablet displays the cover of the book The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso. The cover is a deep blue with gold text and graphics resembling a star chart. In the center, a stylized clock face with hands serves as the "O" in "LOST." The tablet is positioned against a background of bookshelves filled with books. Below the tablet, a five-star rating is displayed, with four stars fully colored in and the fifth star is partially filled in and outlined, suggesting a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

❓Do you prefer single POVs or multiple POVs?

This one bounces around POVs, sometimes quite suddenly. But overall, I loved this blend of historical fiction and magic. The idea of the "time space" and time walking were so fascinating.

Thanks Atria and NetGalley!

💙📚 #booksky #bookreviews 🪐📚

I saw it in the store and I was could not remember who I had heard about it from. It must have been you! Haha.

A promotional graphic for "Current Reads." The background is a solid, dark gray. The title, "Current Reads," is at the top in large, white cursive font. Two book covers are featured, each with a progress meter below it. On the left is the book cover for Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle. The cover is dark, with a red-orange sky, and depicts a log cabin and a trailer. Silhouettes of figures with butterfly wings fly toward a woman's face. Below the cover is a progress bar filled to 74% with a matching percentage displayed. On the right is the book cover for A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse by Hollie Overton. The cover is black with white, distressed, block-lettered text and a small purple flower. Below the cover is a progress bar filled to 18% with the matching percentage displayed.

Whatcha reading? Anything good?

As for me:
🎧Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle. I love Rose Darling.
📘A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse - Hollie Overton. This book hooked me in from Chapter 1. Amazing and chilling. Thank you @orbitbooks.bsky.social for this eARC!

💙📚 #booksky #currentlyreading

A close-up, horizontal shot of a stack of four books on a wooden railing. Behind the books, there is a large tree trunk and a sun-drenched, green and brown hillside in the distance under a blue sky. From top to bottom, the books are: The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper, with a black cover and red text. Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, with a black cover and red text. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, with a magenta cover and gold text. The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang, with a dark red cover and gold text.

Do you have a Half Price Books near you? This is my mini haul from my trip to Ohio. Have you read any of these?

The Wolf Den - Elodie Harper
Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica
Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Torzs
The Family Chao - Lan Samantha Chang

💙📚 #booksky #bookhaul #neverendingTBR

That sounds interesting. I haven't read that series yet, but it is on my TBR.