literary gluttony

Sundays are for lingering. For that final slow breath before the new week begins, that last sip of tea that’s gone lukewarm but still tastes of sweetness and spice. And this last Sunday of the month, I’m savoring the dregs of Gilded by Marissa Meyer—a book that slipped into my hands like a dark fairy tale daring me to stay past midnight.

Gilded is a retelling that doesn’t flinch away from the shadows. Meyer takes the familiar threads of Rumpelstiltskin and spins them into something haunting and barbed with thorns. Serilda—our cursed storyteller with golden lies dripping from her tongue—was the kind of heroine who made me ache. Trapped between promises, bargains, and the looming cruelty of the Erlking, she is both fragile and fierce, the embodiment of a candle burning low but refusing to go out.

Finishing this book feels like drinking the last swallow of a dark roast coffee—bitter, bold, and impossible to forget. Every page hummed with enchantment and menace, and I found myself clutching the story tighter the deeper it sank into its gothic roots.

If the month itself were a drink, August has been rich and heady—sometimes too strong, sometimes sweet, always leaving me craving just one more taste. Gilded was the perfect pairing: a story that lingered on my tongue, thick with myth, smoke, and the metallic tang of fate.

So here’s to endings, to last sips, to fairy tales that refuse to stay pretty and polite. I’m closing out this month with the echo of Meyer’s words in my ears, and already reaching for the sequel like I would a refill.

🍷 Question for you: What was your last sip of August? Which book closed out your month, and what flavor did it leave behind?