Celeste, Author at A Literary Escape

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell

Published on November 10, 2025November 8, 2025 by Celeste5 Comments

Today’s review is about THE WHITE OCTOPUS HOTEL by Alexandra Bell. This historical fiction begins in 2015, but spends most of its time in 1930s and WWI Europe. After receiving a mysterious gift, Eve Shaw visits the ruins of the White Octopus Hotel and travels to the past. This book is a story about grief and a love that transcends time.

Author: Alexandra Bell
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 368

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of The White Octopus Hotel on Bookshop.org!*

*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.

Continue reading →

WWW Wednesday: November 5, 2025

Published on November 5, 2025November 4, 2025 by Celeste7 Comments

WWW Wednesday was revived and hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The idea is to answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses.

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Continue reading →

Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu

Published on November 3, 2025October 28, 2025 by Celeste4 Comments

Today’s review is about HEAVENLY BODIES by Imani Erriu. It’s the first book in the Heavenly Bodies series, with the second book out later this month in the U.S. This indie-turned-traditionally published romantasy is like a warm hug with familiar fantasy tropes yet a refreshing magic system.

Author: Imani Erriu
Series: Heavenly Bodies, #1
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Print Length: 496

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of Heavenly Bodies on Bookshop.org!*

*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.

Continue reading →

November 2025 TBR

Published on November 1, 2025October 26, 2025 by Celeste21 Comments

For my November 2025 TBR I want to focus on books that are cozy or cozy adjacent. I had a great reading month in October going off script from my normal fantasy reads. So I thought I’d more or less continue in that vein. These are mostly fantasy, but lighter fantasy, which is something I don’t read too often. I also have a goal this month to lighten my mental load and a cozy TBR is part of that. That includes not worrying about ARCs unless the mood strikes me.

So, without further ado, here’s my November 2025 TBR!

Continue reading →

October 2025 Book Blog Wrap-Up

Published on October 31, 2025October 30, 2025 by Celeste8 Comments

Happy Halloween, everyone! I had an excellent reading month this October. Rather than stick to mostly fantasy, I read more outside of my preferred genre and had a lovely time doing so. I even felt like I enjoyed my selection more than usual, if my average StoryGraph rating has anything to say about that this month! Anyway, I present my October 2025 book blog wrap-up, which contains links to the reviews I posted this month as well as a summary of my reading and other life tidbits.

Continue reading →