In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I read one star reviews for the books my top books I read in 2025. Some of these reviews I can agree with, and some are just harsh.

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https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

In this episode, I go over the 10 books I read for my Spring TBR Bingo Challenge, and I actually got a bingo this time! Join in on the Summer TBR Bingo and let me know how you do!

From the Shelf Archive:
Get your free Summer TBR Bingo Card printable here: https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/06/19/summer-2026-tbr-bingo-challenge/
Audrey Wilson interview: https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/02/20/author-interview-audrey-wilson/
Stephanie Jayne interview: https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/10/21/author-interview-stephanie-j-scott/

The Paranoid Perspective first episode: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-1-sara-joins-a-cult--63981585

Add these to Your Shelf:
https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

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In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I list 14 books to add to your TBR list this summer.

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https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

Have you been curious about dark academia, but not sure where to start? This episode is for you. In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I recommend 11 books to serve as your Dark Academia starter pack. These stories are filled with complicated characters, secrets, murder, privilege, elite schools, and they question whether intelligence actually makes someone a better person.

From the Shelf Archive:
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/04/08/if-you-enjoyed-the-atlas-six-trilogy/

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https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I share 14 books under 300 pages that packed a punch for me. Some are fiction, some are nonfiction, some are cozy, some are horrifying, and a few completely changed the way I think about the world.

From the Shelf Archive:
On Tyranny summary
Monk & Robot series review
Discontent book review
The Sun was Electric Light book review
What Moves the Dead book review
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins book review
Tilt book review
Horrorstor book review

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https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I confess to the books I just could not get through. Are any of these worth a second try? Let me know!

From the Shelf Archive:
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/01/17/five-books-ive-dnfd-and-why/

Support the Shelf:
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https://bookshop.org/lists/book-recommendations-notes-from-the-shelf

In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I go over books and series I think aren’t talked about enough. Have you read any of these books? What are books you think are underrated?

Books/Series Discussed in this Episode:

• Jack West Jr. series by Matthew Reilly
• Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry
• The Anomaly by Michael Rutger
• All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
• Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
• To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins
• The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum
• The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal
• Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
• Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence by Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, Jonathan Mendonsa
• The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager
• Coffee Days, Wiskey Nights by Cyrus Parker
• The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
• The Nine Worlds Rising series by Lyra Wolf
• Fate of the Fallen series by Kel Kade
• An Heir Comes to Rise series by C.C. Penaranda
• Dare to Know by James Kennedy
• The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

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In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I review the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett, a cozy fantasy series centered around faerie expert Emily Wilde and her academic rival Wendell Bambleby during their misadventures into the faerie realm.

From the Shelf Archive:
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/02/23/book-review-emily-wildes-encyclopedia-of-faeries/
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/04/11/book-review-emily-wildes-map-of-the-otherlands-by-heather-fawcett/
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2025/06/13/book-review-emily-wildes-compendium-of-lost-tales-by-heather-fawcett/

Add these to Your Shelf:
Emily Wilde book 1: https://bookshop.org/a/112979/9780593500156
Emily Wilde book 2: https://bookshop.org/a/112979/9780593500217
Emily Wilde book 3: https://bookshop.org/a/112979/9780593500248

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In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I rank 100 romance tropes from a teirmaker list I found. Follow along and rank them yourself at https://tiermaker.com/create/all-romance-tropes-15980767

Watch the video version on Youtube: https://youtu.be/aHEI65vgplQ  

From the Shelf Archive:
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/02/13/romance-tropes-i-love-and-hate-with-book-recs/
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In this episode of Notes from the Shelf, I discuss what I’ve read so far in 2026. Leave in the comments which book from my physical TBR I should read next out of these five:
1. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
2. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
3. The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
4. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
5. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Check out the Black Dahlia episode on the Paranoid Perspective podcast!
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-13-who-killed-the-black-dahlia--71323545

From the Shelf Archive:
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/04/21/once-upon-a-book-clubs-romantasy-box-ft-the-east-wind/
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/02/17/book-review-best-offer-wins-by-marisa-kashino/
https://notesfromtheshelf.com/2026/03/10/book-review-one-only-by-maurene-goo/

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