Vlogs – Kapowski Reads

The Witch and the Tsar and Raising the Alarm

December 5, 2022 Caley Kapowski

My festive Vlog with full reviews

I’ve made a start on my Christmas film bingo board and checked off my first prompt. I’m feeling very accomplished! I finished the prompt for White Christmas which was a book featuring snow on the cover. For this prompt I chose The Witch and The Tsar by Olesya Salknikova Gilmore.

I also managed to squeeze in a wee novella and picked up Raising the Alarm by Nicki Bell which was short and sweet. I have preordered the second book in this series and I’m so excited about it!

So far, my plan to read at least 9 books by Christmas is going well. I hope these aren’t m famous last words!

Blog, Vlogs

December Reading Goals

December 3, 2022 Caley Kapowski

It’s the last month of the year and I had two choices: I could either spend the month finishing off the books from my 2022 reading challenges or I could do something fun. Seeing as I had 23 books left from various 2022 challenges, I went for the ‘something fun’ option. In any other month, I’d have read from my goal pile but I have festive favourites that I want to read, 31 days, and a few social engagements. It was time for fun!

I can barely lift my TBR . These are most of my hopefuls

So I decided to do a festive bingo board in order to pick my December reads. One of my favourite things about Christmas is the films. I love Christmas films and decided to use them as my theme.

Of course I’m hoping to get a full house but I’m mainly just hoping for a fun month of reading. Maybe I’ll watch the films as I tick off the prompts.

Wish me luck!

Vlogs, Wrap Ups

November Wrap Up

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 Caley Kapowski

November didn’t get off to the best start for me. I found myself in a big reading slump and just couldn’t concentrate for long and didn’t feel compelled to pick up any books. I knew it was coming, I could feel a reading slump on the air!

The slump started to ease towards the middle of the month and thanks to that, and to audiobooks which accounted for almost half of my reads, I managed to get through 11 books. I know that this is a great number of books to get through in a month but I had such grand reading plans for November, instead I went full mood reader.

My Wrap Up and Stats

I loved

Ginger and Me – Elissa Soave https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/26/wendy-and-me/

The Gloaming – Kirsty Logan https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/05/the-gloaming/

One Dark Window – Rachel Gillig* https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/14/finding-a-new-favourite-and-book-haul/

I liked

An Act of Foul Play – T E Kinsey* https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/16/an-act-of-foul-play/

Library of the Dead – T.L. Huchu https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/23/library-of-the-dead/

A Suspension of Mercy – Patricia Highsmith https://kapowskireads.com/2022/11/09/a-suspension-of-mercy/

Not For Me

The Cloisters – Katy Hays*

The Rats – James Herbert

Reread

4:50 from Paddington- Agatha Christie

Dracula – Bram Stoker

Non-Fiction

Urbanshee- Siaara Freeman*

*#gifted

Scottish Reads, Vlogs

Reading Scottish- November Wrap Up

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Caley Kapowski

This month I have been in a bit of a reading slump. In spite of this, I still managed to read three books by Scottish authors. I’m absolutely delighted as I also thoroughly enjoyed each of my Scottish reads this month.

My wee Scottish vlog

I think that these three books could all become firm favourites and that’s more than I could have hoped for! I’m now extra excited to see what next month brings!

Reviews, Vlogs

A Week of Murder Mysteries

November 21, 2022 Caley Kapowski

I have been in a reading slump. This explains the lack of reviews being posted, I’ve just been struggling to concentrate and actually read.

This week I’m feeling like I might be on the upswing and I’m trying not to get too giddy…but I’m a little giddy about it!

I decided to give myself a whole week of reading murder mysteries, since those are some of my favourite books. Even if I got through just one book, I felt like this was a guarantee of a good week of reading. So that’s what happened, I read murder mysteries for a whole week and I had a great time!

I also managed to read more than one book which really was fantastic!

I’m absolutely delighted at being able to actually make vlog this week

Reviews, Vlogs

Finding a New Favourite and Book Haul

November 14, 2022 Caley Kapowski

This month has not been a good reading month for me so far. I’m in a slump! I’ve read very little compared to previous months and just haven’t been enjoying the books I’d chosen.

Well this week I may have reached a turning point as I not only was able to finish a book…but I also found a new favourite! Needless to say, I am delighted

My reading vlog

I also had a very mini book haul. Clearly I’m ignoring my self imposed book buying ban. But if I can’t read the books, I might as well buy them. That’s flawless logic!

Vlogs

My Favourite Agatha Christie Book

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 Caley Kapowski

I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie! I’ve loved a cosy Murder mystery since I was probably way too young to be reading them but it’s Agatha who I love the most.

November puts me in the mood for cosy mysteries, so I thought I would share my top five Agatha Christie books. Each of these can be read and enjoyed with no previous knowledge of Agatha Christie. If you have a favourite murder mystery, please let me know

My wee vlog

I have a mission to cultivate my own full collection of her releases and it’s going ok, I’m quickly running out of space! For now, I have a skinny bookshelf full but I don’t I’ll need to do some shuffling since there’s a new hardback being released soon and I need it!

Vlogs, Wrap Ups

October Wrap Up

November 2, 2022 Caley Kapowski

Another month has come to an end so here I am with a wee wrap up! Plus stats because I absolutely love reading stats. I had many rereads this month so these very positively affected my stats and I’m ok with this!

My Wrap Up Vlog

I read a total of 22 books this month which is utterly ridiculous!

I loved

All the White Spaces – Ally Wilkes

Interview With the Vampire- Anne Rice

I really liked

Cutthroat Cupcakes- Cate Lawley

The Final Girls Support Group – Grady Hendrix

Hex – Jenni Fagan

Hex Appeal – Kate Johnson*

Things We Say in the Dark – Kirsty Logan

I liked

Edge of the Grave – Robbie Morrison

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven – Juno Dawson

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It – Katy Brent*

Marple: Twelve New Stories – Various Authors

The Sinister Cabaret – John Herdman*

Not For Me

Frenzy Island – Richard E Rock *

The Girls Who Disappeared- Claire Douglas*

Moon of the Crusted Snow – Waubgeshig Rice

A Pale Box on the Distant Shore – P.J. Nwosu *

There’s Only One Danny Garvey – David F Ross

Rereads

Carmilla – Sheridan le Fanu

Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde – Robert L Stevenson

Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

Powers of Darkness – Valdimar Ásmundsson

Non-Fiction

Talking With Serial Killers – Christopher Berry-Dee

*#gifted

Reviews, Vlogs

Reading Spooky Books

October 31, 2022 Caley Kapowski

I was either super smart or super silly as I decided to spend a week reading a seasonal read every day. Seven spooky or at least, Halloween-esque books! Anything scary, spooky, creepy, or vaguely Halloween themed was eligible for this self imposed challenge.

I also went on a wee book haul that I couldn’t resist! In my defence, the majority of the books were holiday purchases but I can easily find an excuse for breaking my book buying ban. I was doing so well!

My vlog

Books included in this blog are:

Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu

Cutthroat Cupcakes byCate Lawley

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice

A Pale Box on the Distant Shore by P.J. Nwosu *

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

*gifted

Scottish Reads, Vlogs

Reading Scottish – October Wrap Up

October 24, 2022 Caley Kapowski

As is standard, I’ve read some Scottish fiction and I’m here to chat about it. October was a very productive month for me and Scottish fiction and I read 5 books by Scottish authors. Two of these books were put aside especially for October because they felt spooky.