The Pewter Wolf Reads

Ok, let me rewind and get you up to speed. Last month, on impulse, I decided that I should be less scared to read classics and make an effort to push myself out of my comfort zone. You see, like most people, classics felt out of reach for some unknown reasons. I wouldn’t be smart enough to understand the delicate butter of why these cough have survived and remained so well-loved. 

So, I went “Just try one. Any one will do”, and I decided to requested several from my library and whichever came first, I would listen to. I requested Dracula, Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights came to me first and so, I went in. 

Remember back in October of last year, I activated a three month free trial for Kindle Unlimited because I wanted to see if it would be worth spending £9.49 a month to have access a sea of titles (mainly from indie authors). No? Here is the link to that article for your reading pleasure. Come back once you’ve read it.

You’re back? Right. Now those three free months are up, decision time. What titles did I read? Are there any that I put on my list that I haven’t read and am going to buy/continue my Kindle Unlimited for a month or so to read and, is it worth it? 

As you remember, these were some of the titles I had on my Kindle Unlimited radar:

 It was that time of year! Yes, this is my wrap-up of 2025’s Reindeer Readathon!

For those who don’t know about the Reindeer Readathon, this is competitive Readathon with the theme of Christmas at its heart. It was created by Erik from Breakeven Books (here is the links to their YouTube, Instagram and Goodreads). 

I should put all the prompts down below so you can see the challenges. However, I am me and I’m a slow reader at the best of times so I’m going to do is list the prompts I achieved throughout the month of December, then chat briefly about the book/audiobook that completed each task. 

Shall we begin?

So, shall we begin?

So, while I might not be blogging as much here, I will still be reading and audiobooking, so please keep your eye on my socials (Hi Instagram/Goodreads/Storygraph) and I will try and be more uptodate on tthe Facebook and the Bookshop (affiliate). 

Happy 2026 Reading!

Happy 2026! 

How is everyone enjoying their 2026 so far? 

Sorry for being away for the past few months for an improv blog break. It seemed to happen without me knowing, but it was nice to read without worrying about finding time to blog and just pop a sentence or a gif on my Goodreads/StoryGraph/Instragram (hence I do think this will be my last year book blogging and ease into different ways of reviewing as, come on, it's been over 15/16 years and as much as I like reading proofs from publishers, I miss reading books/audiobooks where I spend my actual money on and purchase!)

So yes, that's on the horizon. But you've not got rid of me just yet. 

I have some reading resolutions/plans for myself. The main thing is keeping my reading casual.

"But, Andrew," I hear you cry, "isn't that your normal when it comes to reading?"

Well, yeah, but the last few years, I seem to enjoy going towards books (I use this term loosely to include ebooks and audiobooks) that don't exactly fit my Go-To genres (fantasy, crime/thriller/mystery, teen), so I want to do some exploring of these, as well as not rushing.

I think most of us who blog (again, loose term that covers BookTok, Booktube, Booksagram, Bookcasts and other forms) worry that we're not reading enough so we power through the story. So, I want to not worry so much about deadlines (I have this as I have several VERY long titles that I want to read this year that I keep putting off... yes, Priory of the Orange Tree. I am talking about you.)

And now that I'm reading back my own writing, I've realised that my resolution is basically "remember why you read: enjoyment". So yes, this year's reading resolution is to enjoy myself with it comes to my reading/audiobooking. 

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EDIT: Ok, I have just read the above a week or two after I wrote that and yikes. That reads a tad portentous, doesn't it? "Keep reading fun". Isn't that why we read? For enjoyment and pleasure?  

So, let me be clear and actually say "Here's my reading resolutions" so you can see what I'm planning on the reading front to keep it fun and casual (and this might help me chatting more on the blog while I wind this down over the next 12 months while upping my Goodreads/StoryGraph/Instagram - to keep that side light and fun). 

Like I said earlier, I want to branch out in my reading and read stories that aren't exactly in my Go-To genres and maybe try new genres (does that mean I might go near the dread Classics shelves in Waterstones and Foyles? We shall see... I have ideas and plans…)

And I want to tackle my magpie-mess of a To Be Read stacks of my physical, ebook and audio. They are all, individually, long lists so I would like to get my groove on and get a few of them read or DNFed. 

Basically, am going to try and... hang on, Jennifer Coolidge might be able to say it better...

I will be honest, I need to be HEAVILY convinced on whether this will work for me, but after having a good old snoop, I got a bunch of titles that I'm hoping to get through before my three months are up. So, let's share with the class some of the titles and genres (a good mix of crime, fantasy, MM romance).

On the Broadwalk: A Memoir by Martin Sherman follows the acclaimed playwright’s life from 1930s New Jersey where he was born into a Jewish immigrant family all the way to 1970s Broadway at the premiere of his play starring Richard Gere, Bent. 

Along the way, he do a whisper-stop tour of Los Angeles, London, Woodstock, rub shoulders with celebrity royalty such as Meryl Streep, the Bee Gees and Joan Benz, all while tackling his struggles with his sexuality, the death of his mother who died tragically young and trying to make it in the theatre circuit. 

All with humour (sorry, I don’t know if I could have a memoir on this blog if it was too dark and depressing). Plus, with this book being foreworded by Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf! Magneto! West End! Broadway!) with praise from Stephen Fry, Alan Cumming, High Jackman, Vanessa Redgrave and Ruby Wax, this might be one for you that want to peek behind the scene of stage shows. 

Now, before I throw the extract at you (with the book’s trailer), I want to say a huge thank you to Justin and Nathan at Inkandescent for asking (then allowing) me to share this extract with you. And, if you want more info on this title, you can check it out at inkandescent.co.uk or via uk.bookshop.org (affiliate link)!

And, even more shockingly, I actually enjoyed them. HARD TO BELIEVE, I KNOW! (Ok, I will explain this outburst shortly). 

Now, I know I wrote about my NeverEnding Reread TBR, but I have so many books/audiobooks/ebooks fighting for my attention, I didn’t truly think I would have gone hard on my rereads over the past few weeks since I wrote that post. SURPRISE!