Read Around the Rainbow | Comfort Reads

August 29, 2025September 24, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 1 Comment

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time! On the last Friday of every month, we’re a bunch of authors who blog on the same topic, and since we’re heading into autumn, we figured we’d tell you about our comfort reads this time around.

Up until a few years ago, I never reread books. Nowadays, I hardly pick up new ones LOL. Nah, that’s not true, but I reread a lot of books. It’s relaxing in a different way than reading new (to me) books. When the world is going up in flames, it’s comforting to be able to disappear into an alternative reality where you know what will happen.

So, what are my comfort reads? I have a few, and which I pick depends on what I’m in the mood for.

First out is probably The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book. Many. Maybe too many. Though it was a few months ago now, so maybe it’s time again LOL.

Next up in times of how many times I’ve read it is probably Frog by Mary Calmes, which is funny, because if you’d ask me, I’d say it’s much too sweet for me, waaayyy too cringy at times, and yet… But I have to be in a certain mood, or I’ll only roll my eyes.

Then we have the Hidden Species series by Louisa Masters. It’s another one I’ve read many times. I have them individually, and I have the box set, and while I do not listen to a lot of audiobooks, I’ve listened to Joel Leslie read these a few times as well. Sometimes I read on through the Here Be Dragons series, too, but not always.

If I need to laugh, I’ll read the In Darkness series by Alice Winters. Fair warning, this is over the top, so even though it’s a contemporary trilogy, don’t go into it expecting everyday life.

Another one I sneak in like once a year is Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino. Sam *sigh*

Those are probably my most frequently read stories, but the Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara is making its way up on this list. I only first read it last year, but I’ve read it a couple of times since then. I’ll read Think of England by K.J. Charles semi-regularly. And I’ve read the Spectral Files series by S.E. Harman twice in one year, so… maybe it deserves a spot too.

And look at that! We got ourselves a list post LOL

Check out which books are the others’ comfort reads!

Frog

Too Stupid to Live

Amazon

Think of England

Amazon

Read Around the Rainbow | Three Things That Make Me Happy

July 25, 2025July 26, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 4 Comments

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time!!! The last Friday of every month, we’re a group of authors who blog on the same topic. This month, we decided to focus on positivity, so the topic is: Three Things That Make Me Happy.

I’m gonna be completely honest and say my mind blanked. Happy? *Scoff* such a foreign concept LOL. The last three years have been utter shit – death and suffering everywhere I turn.

But, okay, let’s try to change perspective. What makes me happy?

My garden.

It isn’t that I have a pretty garden. It’s not fit for any magazines or pretty Instagram posts. Far from. (Though you should see my zucchini plants right now. I might have gone a bit overboard with the zucchinis this year. I have eight plants, and… eh… the yellow flowers are so pretty!)

Every time I go out into the garden, all tension leaves my body. I go around and trellis plants, touch flowers, pull weeds, and breathe easier.

I think one of the big faults in the world today is that we don’t touch the soil. Did you know that touching soil triggers the release of serotonin? Soil is an antidepressant.

Preserve Food

My second thing that makes me happy will make me sound insane, and maybe a bit trad-wifey (*snort* not a chance). I love canning, baking, and dehydrating. I love filling my shelves with jars of things I’ve grown or picked. I make jams and syrups, salsas and pickles, and so on.

I’d really like to learn how to ferment things. Apart from making sourdough bread, I’ve never fermented anything, and I want to learn how to do it.

Animals

At first, I figured I should make my third thing writing, because what’s the point if it doesn’t make me happy? But it’s a given. Then I figured reading, reading makes me happy, but… It’s also a given, isn’t it? My family? As a mother of four, it would be sad if my children didn’t bring me joy, right? Of course they do. And I’ve been with my husband for twenty-three years, married for fifteen. If he didn’t make me happy, I’d have gotten myself a wife a long time ago LOL.

So then I thought, I’d just go with my chickens. I love my chickens, and few things make me as happy as seeing chickens run. Have you seen chickens run? Have you ever gone outside and been met by a flock coming crashing toward you, wings flapping and necks stretched out as if they can’t get their bodies to move fast enough, because they think you’re bringing them a treat? Makes me laugh every time!

But next to me as I’m writing this is Pelle, my ginger cat. He’s snoozing away, wakes up to talk to me on occasion, but spends most of his time right next to my desk. And Frallan, our other cat, who always wants to be petted. And Otis, my dog, who makes sure I get my 10k steps and then some every day, dragging me out into the forest.

And did you know that breathing in forest air lowers your blood pressure and reduces stress? I think many wrongs could be righted in the world if people touched soil and breathed forest air.

So yeah, my third thing is my animals.

Make sure to check out what the others have to say! They’ve most likely listed far more interesting things 🙂

Read Around the Rainbow | Contemporary Re-Reads

May 30, 2025May 29, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 4 Comments

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time! On the last Friday of every month, we’re a group of authors who blog on the same topic. This month, the topic is: What book could you read over and over again?

I never used to reread books. Never. Then I broke my brain fifteen years ago. I hit the famous wall, and since then, I’m changed. My brain doesn’t work the same. It’s not capable of doing the same things it did before, and some days all I want to do is to sit in quiet and read, but the idea of opening a new book, take in a new world, get to know new characters, and so on, is too overwhelming.

Nowadays, I have periods when all I do is reread old books. I can rest in that.

I figured I’d list a few contemporary re-reads here and do some paranormal over at Holly’s site.

Frog by Mary Calmes – I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book. Many. It’s too sweet for me, too predictable, and if you’ve read more than one Calmes story, you know what you’re in for. And some days, that’s exactly what I want. It’s short, easy to read, and fluffy. So if you’re looking for an escape from the doom scrolling…

Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino – This is silly, Ian is an ass, and I’m uncomfortable with Ian calling Sam kiddo when they’re hooking up, but Sam *deep sigh*. I laugh every time I read this one. Sam, Sam, Sam.

Hidden in Darkness by Alice Winters – It’s not too long ago I read this for the first time, but I’ve already reread it a few times LOL. It’s over the top, Felix is unreal, but if I’m in the mood for light and funny, I read this.

In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parish – I haven’t read this as many times as, say, Frog, but I have read it a few times. It’s a little longer, not super long, but not a book I read in one go. I like the characters here. David is snarky, and Rex is so sweet.

Between Sinner and Saints by Marie Sexton – I don’t know why I keep rereading this because it always annoys me. I love Levi and Jamie, but I wish all horrors upon Levi’s family. I’m not religious, I’m not part of a church, I’m not baptized, my kids aren’t baptized, and so on. And Sweden isn’t like I imagine the US or the UK is. You really can go through your entire life without having to partake in anything religious. When I went to the UK, I was dragged to church despite telling everyone I didn’t believe. They just smiled and said it’s a social thing *deep sigh*. It would never happen here, and I was deeply uncomfortable. Anyway, I’m all for religious freedom. I will fight for your right to believe because a world where we start to decide what people are to believe is a scary place (and one I dare say we’re very close to experiencing).

The reason I get so angry with this book is that in the end, Levi’s family, learn to tolerate him despite him being a filthy queer, and that is the HEA. I mean it’s not the real HEA, the HEA is between Levi and Jamie, but *spoiler* they move to live closer to Levi’s family, and I just want to burn their house down with them trapped on the inside… sort of. And yes, I’m aware they’re fictional characters, but they represent everything that’s wrong with religion. No real parent wants to torture their kid, and yet they do it over and over again in the name of the lord, and that makes it okay because it’s their belief.

*Steps down from the soap box* Sorry. I like this book, otherwise I wouldn’t have reread it as many times as I have, but simply writing about it pisses me off LOL.

I think I’ll leave it at that before I start lecturing about something else.