Did I get mildly distracted last night when I should have been writing this...? It's possible.

I don't care even a little about football (I kind of hate it, in fact), but you can't take the Philly out of the girl. Go Birds.

Yesterday's distraction was more of the "let me unpack the treasure trove of symbolism and brilliant messaging in this half-time show" variety, and then it was of the "Broad Street knows how to take a 'please don't climb the lamp posts' warning to heart" variety. Before all that, I swear I did get plenty of reading done. Not unlike one of my favorite Eagles. Okay, I'll stop...

Another few chapters of The Poppy War audiobook (I did warn you I consume audiobooks very slowly), and it's still excellent. I know there is far more that will undo me soon to come...

I started House of Frank — thank you dearly for the votes — and wouldn't you know, it's every bit as cozy and charming and lovely and heartaching as I was told it would be. A quick read, I'm nearly halfway through it now and plan to finish it sometime today or tomorrow.

This week's dissertation prep involved less assigned reading and more of my own tentative research into my topic, and no, I'm not telling until I draft the proposal, so shush. I will say, though, that Virgil plays a role as does Ovid, so should you have any interest in Ancient Roman epic poetry, I offer up The Aeneid and Metamorphoses for your consideration.

Finally, I will admit to a couple of *ahem* guilty pleasures via Kindle freebies. Was Prince of Lust as... erudite as my other picks for this week? Um, no. Neither was Mafia and Maid, yet here we are.

Coming up this week, I'm looking forward to reading All About Love one more time before (finally) returning it to my sister-in-law (thanks, Alex).

Things everyone tells you about grad school: it is a ton of reading.

Things they emphasize when it's a literature degree: it's even more reading.

I mentioned it counted when I read for MA research, which is why I'm including The Handbook to Literary Research. No, I don't expect anyone to pick this one up. While it certainly has its interesting points and is valuable to my current purpose, it's also fairly dry in comparison to my usual titles. I don't expect that particular link to get a lot of clicks.

Amidst dissertation proposal research, I did finally get to Only When It's Us, and while I was appropriately warned in advance that I would weep, I was not expecting it to be so persistent! The tears didn't let up for a good twenty or so pages in there, and I'm expected to recover enough to focus on dissertation prep?? Rude. I recommend that one to any contemporary romance readers (specifically sports romance folk) who can handle a good cry.

I also made headway in Onyx Storm (nearly done!), and I'll go ahead and admit that it won't be getting a high rating from me... please don't come for my neck.

Coming up this week, aside from yet more grad school reading, I really want to reread Legendborn and Bloodmarked in anticipation of Oathbound coming out in March. I did also download the ebook of House of Frank earlier this week, and I'd love to have something cozy and hopeful lift my spirits in a time of turmoil.

Congratulations to the winners of this week's Bindery Giveaway!

Inferno's Heir — Marissa ​

Strange Beasts — Bree  

And the Sky Bled — Alex

House of Frank — Emma

Lookout for an email coming your way so we can get your copies in the mail ASAP!

If you didn't happen to win this time around, worry not. There are many more giveaways to come, and don't forget that paid members of the "Sipping Society" are automatically entered for a new one each month (keep your eyes peeled for February's pick!).

Love new books? Don't we all...

One copy of each exclusive edition is up for grabs, and entries will remain open until 6pm Eastern Time on Sunday, February 2nd.

"Strange Beasts" by Susan J. Morris — gothic, thrilling, and mysterious

"Inferno's Heir" by Tiffany Wang — adventurous, heartfelt, and fast-paced

"House of Frank" by Kay Synclaire — whimsical, warm, and hopeful

"And the Sky Bled" by S. Hati — tense, fantastical, and thought-provoking

To enter, comment below with which of these four fabulous Bindery reads you're most excited to pick up next!

The extremely short and quick read of the week was Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi, which takes a handful of hallmarks of classic fairytales (think Twelve Dancing Princesses meets The Three Princes) and mashes them together in a tale of love, first cursed then renewed. 

I'll go ahead and say that it's not my favorite of hers. I don't think I can do sitcom-level humor in a fantasy. (Am I broken? Is there something wrong with me??) I had a similar issue with Assistant to the Villain. I love to laugh as much as anyone, but there are too many times it feels overdone—the horse cloak in Once More Upon a Time was entirely unnecessary.

Again, a very fast read, but not my cup of twisted tea.

My audiobook of late is R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War, which (I must admit) I think I might already like better than Babel?? I have the entire series on audiobook, but I tend to consume them somewhat slowly (I'm a 1.2x speed kinda gal), so it may be some time before I can offer a meaningful update there. Bear with me.

Probably two or more years ago, my beloved sister-in-law gifted me a copy of Chloe Liese's Only When It's Us, and as delighted as I was that she was getting into romance, I didn't get around to reading it. Two good friends of mine knew about this utter failure on my part, and one texted the following last week...

"This is your quarterly reminder to finally read Only When It's Us."

Point taken. I started it last night, and I can feel the tears already forming. Stay tuned.

I also completely broke my "Dry January" rule. For those of you who didn't happen to see that TikTok, I told myself I wouldn't buy any books during the month of January. I'll fall on my sword in video form soon, but I went ahead and picked up What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez. (I'm getting the sense that the first is a little better than the second, but I'll be reading them both soon enough to determine that for myself.)

Oh, did you think "Dry January" meant no drinking? Bless your heart. New "Liquor in the Library" coming tomorrow...

And no, I have not read Onyx Storm yet and have been dodging spoilers on TikTok with agility that would make the dragons proud. I did reread Fourth Wing and Iron Flame seeking out textual evidence of a couple of theories, but those rereads highlighted a handful of inconsistencies that make me want to shake my fist at Red Tower. (PLEASE stop rushing to print! Calm down with the blatant cash grabs, I beg you!)

On to what I plan to read this coming week, I'll be finishing up Only When It's Us, and I imagine I'll have some research reading to do for preparing my thesis proposal (it COUNTS, okay??). I do want to get to Onyx Storm, but also on my list is The Guncle by Steven Rowley, which I've heard is charming.

Comment below with what you've been reading lately!