Why I’m a "Read Once & Done" Reader: Mystery, Thrillers, and an Ever-Growing TBR
If you scroll through bookish social media, you’ll often see readers talking about comfort reads, returning to beloved stories and re-reading favourite books like visiting old friends. It sounds lovely and nostalgic, but if I’m honest? That’s just not how I read.
When it comes to the classic reading debate Read Once & Done vs. Re-reading Favourites I am firmly in Team Read Once & Done.
Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full
disclosure about all the legal stuff here.
Here is why re-reading rarely happens for me and why moving straight to the next book works best for my reading lifestyle.
1. Life Is Too Short and My TBR Stack Is Too Tall
Let’s state the obvious: there are simply far more incredible books in the world than any of us will ever have time to read. My To-Be-Read (TBR) stack is already towering, and new, exciting releases are added to my list faster than I can clear them.
Given a choice between diving into a brand-new world or re-visiting one I’ve already explored, the lure of the unknown always wins. Spending time re-reading a book means putting off a new story waiting on my shelf, and I just can't bring myself to lose that reading time!
2. The Thrill of the Unknown (Especially in Mysteries and Thrillers)
A large part of my bookshelf is filled with mysteries and psychological thrillers. For me, the ultimate joy of reading these genres comes from the suspense:
Not knowing what wild plot twist is coming around the corner.
Trying to piece together the clues to work out "whodunit" before the main character does.
The heart-pounding anticipation of a dramatic reveal.
Once the secret is out and the mystery is solved, that specific magic can’t quite be replicated. Knowing who the killer is or how the big twist plays out takes away the very tension that makes those books so addictive in the first place.
3. Every Book Gets Its Moment
Reading a book just once doesn't mean I didn't love it. Some of my absolute favourite books are ones I will never pick up again—simply because the original experience was so complete and satisfying on its own. I prefer to keep those wonderful initial memories intact and move on to discover my next great read.
Over to You!
Where do you stand on this? Are you a Read Once & Done reader like me, or do you love returning to your favourite books time and time again? Let me know in the comments below!
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Books: First Lines Fridays 23rd October 2026
Ready for another First Lines Friday? It's that time of the week when we judge a book not by it's cover or even by its blurb. Instead we will be judging it's ability to hook us from the opening lines. Let's see if this week's pick will have you adding it to your TBR list or not.
Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full
disclosure about all the legal stuff here.
I'm participating in First Lines Fridays as I think it's a great way to highlight more of the books that are on my bookshelves.
What is First Lines Fridays?
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
My Pick For This Week
The first lines of the book:
Therapy was supposed to help Elena Drake trust her mind. Instead, someone is teaching her to doubt it. When Elena comes home to find her deadbolt unlocked, her lamp on, and her appointment book moved, she knows someone has been inside her apartment. Then Elena finds the Polaroid on her pillow—a photo of herself asleep in her own bed. Everyone tells her there must be another explanation.
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
And the book is...
Book synopsis The Perfect Patient by Paige Monroe
Therapy was supposed to save her mind.
But it might be an experiment meant to destroy it.
Elena Drake returns home to find things slightly out of place.
Her worst fear resurfaces - someone has been inside her apartment.
And that’s only the beginning.
No one believes her - not her boyfriend, her best friend, or the police.
At first, only her therapist, Dr. Roth, seems to understand. Kind. Calm. Always in control.
As Elena digs deeper, the line between memory and manipulation blurs.
Friends pull away. Doubt creeps in.
Is the real danger outside her walls—or inside her mind?
But the more she confides in Dr. Roth, the more her world tilts out of control.
Is the person she thought she could trust, the man meant to help her, the one pulling the strings?
Every discovery shatters what she thought she knew about her past, her sanity, and herself.
In a world built on deception, can Elena uncover the truth before she unravels completely?
Where to find The Perfect Patient by Paige Monroe online:
Have you read this book? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do these opening lines make you want to read the book?
What would you like to explore next?
Are you looking for your next favourite read, blogging tips, or a new challenge? Click a button below to dive in!
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Books: First Lines Fridays 16th October 2026
Ready for another First Lines Friday? It's that time of the week when we judge a book not by it's cover or even by its blurb. Instead we will be judging it's ability to hook us from the opening lines. Let's see if this week's pick will have you adding it to your TBR list or not.
Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full
disclosure about all the legal stuff here.
I'm participating in First Lines Fridays as I think it's a great way to highlight more of the books that are on my bookshelves.
What is First Lines Fridays?
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
My Pick For This Week
The first lines of the book:
From: lisamreynard@reynardaccounting.com To: lisamreynard@reynardaccounting.com BCC: joseph.briggs@briggsfinancial.com, brit.jones@brighthorizons.com, brenda.peterson@brighthorizons.com, darrenljost@hotmail.com Subject: Brit & Joe’s White Lie Party Save the date! You are cordially invited to a White Lie Party celebrating Joe Briggs and Brit Jones’s upcoming nuptials. White attire is requested. Details to follow. xx Lisa (Maid of Honor)
There are three of us lined up in a row. Two of us will stay. One of us will go.
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
And the book is...
Book synopsis Five Liars by D.L. Fisher
The fraud.
The imposter.
The cheater.
The fake.
The murderer.
Which one am I?
The guest list for Brit and Joe’s joint bachelor-bachelorette weekend is small and exclusive: the bride, the groom, the best man, a work friend . . . and me, the maid of honor. I’ve planned every detail to make this a celebration none of us will ever forget.
Expect daytime drinking, poolside lounging — and a White Lie Party designed to help us share all our little secrets.
After all, confession is good for the soul . . . and one of us is hiding something truly killer.
Don’t forget to save the date!
Love,
The Maid of Honor x
Where to find Five Liars by D.L. Fisher online:
Have you read this book? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do these opening lines make you want to read the book?
What would you like to explore next?
Are you looking for your next favourite read, blogging tips, or a new challenge? Click a button below to dive in!
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Book Spotlight: The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello
Today I'm part of a virtual book tour organised by The Write Reads for The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello. The tour for ‘The Connection in Everything' will run from 12th - 17th October 2026.
Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full
disclosure about all the legal stuff here.
Genre: Coming of Age
Age Category: Young Adult
Number of Pages: 302 Pages
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Book synopsis for The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello
A lonely teenage genius who believes there’s a connection in everything finds his theory put to the test when a mysterious mentor and an enchanting artist enter his life, launching a summer-long search for the true meaning of connection.Sixteen-year-old Amaro Marzano sees connections everywhere—in the quantum world, in the patterns of nature, in the verses of Rumi. Yet, in his own life in working-class Worcester, Massachusetts, he feels profoundly disconnected. Trapped by the volatility of his strict father and the weight of family expectations, Am finds solace in the quiet orbit of school, the library, and his two best friends.
But his world fractures and reforms when two new connections emerge: David Butler, a recluse with a library holding ten thousand books, who becomes an unlikely mentor; and Ginnevra Poppoli, a captivating mime artist who offers the breathtaking possibility of first love.
As Am navigates escalating family crises, intellectual awakenings, and the bittersweet intensity of young love, he must rely on his “found family” and his own novel ideas to forge and maintain relationships in a world where true connection has become a radical act.
The Connection in Everything is a luminous, heartbreaking, and intellectually dazzling coming-of-age story about finding your place in a universe that is both terrifyingly chaotic and astonishingly interconnected.
Where to find The Connection in Everything by Rich Marcello online:
About the author
Rich is the author of seven acclaimed novels—including Cenotaphs, The Latecomers, The Means of Keeping, and his most recent work, The Connection in Everything—as well as the poetry collection The Long Body That Connects Us All.
Rich’s creative voice is uniquely shaped by a dual history of high-stakes leadership and artistic immersion. Before dedicating himself to fiction, he enjoyed a distinguished career as a technology executive, managing multibillion-dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies. This background provides his storytelling with a unique intellectual rigor and a keen understanding of the systems, both corporate and social, that shape modern life. Yet, it is his “eye and ear of a poet” and his experience as a songwriter that infuse his prose with its characteristic lyrical beauty and emotional intimacy.
Beyond the page, Rich is an advocate for the literary arts and his local community. He served as the president of the Seven Bridges Writers’ Collaborative for four years, mentoring emerging voices and teaching fiction. Today, he remains a voice in Harvard, Massachusetts, where he serves on the Harvard Climate Initiative Committee and writes a regular column for The Harvard Press on the climate crisis.
For Rich, art is ultimately an act of service. Whether through a song, a poem, or a 400-page novel, his goal is to make a meaningful difference to at least one other person in the world, a goal he’s achieved many times over. Rich lives in Harvard with his wife, Maribeth, and their Newfoundland, Iaia. He is currently at work on his eighth novel, Threshold, continuing his journey toward creating a ten-book cycle of interconnected human stories.
For more inspiration, take a look at 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers to keep your content fresh and engaging.
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