The Goodreads Blog Tag

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I’m breaking my unintentional blogging hiatus with this short, book-filled blog tag that I discovered on the faithful bibliophile Katja H. Labonté’s site (go check out her post HERE)! Focused on Goodreads and our latest reads, I thought this would be a fun way to hop back into posting here.

If you’re not familiar with Goodreads, it’s a website and social platform dedicated to logging the books you’ve read, leaving ratings/reviews, and connecting with other like-minded readers. I started using it in 2021 and have greatly enjoyed having a place to both share my thoughts about the books I read, and see the reviews of others! And of course, as an author, receiving reviews on my own books there absolutely makes my day. I’ve also enjoyed setting yearly reading goals for myself and tracking my progress on the site. It helps me stay motivated when in uncomfortable reading slumps!

You can check it out HERE (not sponsored, I just enjoy using it haha).

Okay, let’s check out some bookish stats!

The Questions1) What was the last book you marked as “read”?

That would be Ophelia Brown and the Mythical Menagerie by Julia Witmer! I had the honor of reading an ARC for this one (although I bought a physical copy now too, it was so good). Such a lovely, adventurous middle-grade tale with very sweet themes. I plan to loan it to my little siblings – they really enjoyed book #1 – but recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet, easy-to-read, and heartfelt portal fantasies.

You can read my full review on Goodreads HERE.

2) What are you currently reading?

I can never read just one book at a time, so here are the ones I’m currently working through:

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (mixed feelings on this series because its one of the best fantasy series I’ve read in a long time, but has some content that makes me too uncomfy to recommend it without caveats.)Of the Curse or the Crown by V. B. Lacey (another ARC – book #2 of the series – and another one that’s not 100% my cup of tea, but it’s well-written and I am enjoying many parts of it.)The Eternity Gate by Katherine Briggs (just started this one and am so excited to read further! I had the honor of meeting the author last month and she was the absolute sweetest person.) The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (confession: I’ve never read Lord of the Rings before! I tried in middle school and could never get through them, but now that I’m listening to the audiobooks, I can’t believe I waited so long! I highly recommend the ones narrated by Andy Serkis!)3) What was the last book you marked as “to-read”?

Great question! Let’s see…looks like it was Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. I don’t actually know much about this book, but I’ve enjoyed John Green’s writing in the past and have heard good things about this, even though it’s non-fiction rather than his usual fiction. I obviously can’t vouch for the content in any way yet.

4) Do you use the star system?

Reluctantly, yes. It’s an imperfect system, but I don’t have a better alternative, haha. I typically rate with fewer stars on Goodreads than if I’m rating a book on Amazon because Goodreads is a bit more excitable with their stars (5 stars = amazing), but if I’m conflicted, I’ll usually rate higher (ex. 5 stars if my rating is a 4.5) and note my reasoning in the review itself.

5) Are you doing the 2025 Reading Challenge?

Yes! My goal this year is 75 books, and considering I’m already at 45 (more than I read last year), I’m making pretty good progress. I’ve discovered the fastest way to creative burn out is for me to stop reading and watching movies, so even though it feels counterintuitive to take time away from writing, I’m making a real effort to keep filling my creative well with stories. It’s definitely helping!

6) Do you have a wishlist?

Not an official one, but scattered among several lists, yes. I keep track of books that I would like to snag in paperback/hardcover at some point, and also have a list of short writing-related craft books that I grab on Kindle every now and again too. Sales and thrift stores are my very best friends when it comes to book purchases, and most of my new books are either by fellow indie authors or authors I know personally and/or have read and loved the rest of their books.

7) Who are your favorite authors?

Oh no, why does this have to be a question? I have so many, and keep discovering more as I branch out. A few of my auto-buy authors (I’ve read all/most their books, enjoyed all that I’ve read, and/or anxiously await their new releases) right now:

Daniel SchwabauerNadine BrandesAlissa J. ZavalianosJulia WitmerSuzanne CollinsBethany AtazadehJ. K. RowlingAndrew Peterson8) Have you joined any groups?

Just a couple, although I’m not active in any of them, haha. One Goodreads librarians group, one for Christian book reviews, and one for the writing community I’ve been part of since high school.

9) How many Goodreads shelves do you have?

Well, after checking (I had no idea!), it looks like I have 48. I’m not as organized with them as I’d like to be, but have yet to go through and clean up. I mostly just shelf books by genre and some light adjectives (ex. “favorites”, “romance”, “cute”, “authors-I-know”, etc.). One day I’ll be a bit more structured with them.

This was very fun! Such a short and simple way to recap the year’s reading so far. If you have a Goodreads account and want to either answer the questions in the comments below or join the blog tag on your own site, please consider this your invitation!

And if you don’t have a Goodreads account, I’d still love to know what you’re reading right now! Even better, drop me a comment below and tell me the best book you’ve read so far this year.

Lastly, if you’d like to connect with me on Goodreads, click HERE to check out my profile and reviews!

Until next time!

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