First Line Friday: 5/1

Happy Friday everybody! It’s been a couple of weeks!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it 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!

Here are the first lines:

Welcome, crawler to the third floor.

The previous level will collapse in 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Do you know the book? If not, here are a few clues for you…

Still have no idea? Here’s another hint to help you out…

Are you still thinking about it? That’s all right – here are some great pictures of books to admire while you consider it some more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman!

(Didja guess it?)

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

SERIES: Dungeon Crawler Carl #2

LENGTH: 364 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, LitRPG, Fiction

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY: Dandy House

ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 6 January 2021

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs to make it to the next level and build the kind of fan following the dungeon masters can’t ignore in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman – now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

“Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?

And can Carl finally find some pants?

Includes part two of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

WWW Wednesday: 4/29

Hello! Happy Wednesday a second time!

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!

The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m Currently Reading

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

CURRENT STATUS: 50%

CURRENT FEELS: 😃 (enjoying it)

✯✯ Yeah, I didn’t finish it yet. Not because I haven’t been enjoying it – there’s just been too much stuff going on for the past week (and the past month, honestly). I’m hoping to finish this tomorrow. ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

★★ Yeah, as I’ve mentioned before, A Widow’s Charm wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it didn’t do it for me. The cover art and writing were really good, though. ★★

What I’m Reading Next

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ If I like the rest of Dungeon Crawler Carl, I’ll probably read this next. ☆☆

Aurora: Volume 2 by Red

☆☆ I’m absolutely reading this in the near future. Like, in the next week kind of near future. ☆☆

No Gods No Kings by Demetria Paxton

☆☆ Yeah, I might read this coming up. Still somewhat undecided, though, so that might change. Honestly, I got a few books on my immediate TBR again that I think I really want to read, so this might get shafted; at least for awhile. ☆☆

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

☆☆ I’m definitely going to read this. Hopefully sometime next week, around the time it comes out. I think I still want to read Aurora: Volume 2 first and maybe Carl’s Doomsday Scenario. ☆☆

What books has everyone been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What are you thinking of reading next?

Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope that you have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Platform Decay

Hey everyone and Happy Wednesday!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Platform Decay by Martha Wells! 📺🛸

It’s a new Murderbot Diaries books! I’m so excited!

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

SERIES: The Murderbot Diaries #8

LENGTH: 244 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 5 May 2026

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment in Martha Wells’ bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn’t know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for… eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

Are you looking forward to Platform Decay? What books are coming out in the near future that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been on My TBR the Longest

Happy Tuesday everybody! I’m cutting it a little close today, but I still wanted to participate, so here I am. This week has just been the busiest so far!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Freebie, so it can be whatever. I decided to do Oldest Books on My TBR / Books That Have Been on My TBR the Longest. I have a ton of books on said To Be Read List, some of which have been years, so this has been a really good reminder. Do I still want to read some of these, as it’s been so long? Which ones have been on there the longest? Let’s see!

Here I go! Incidentally, all of these have been on this list since before I started this blog, so I’ve never even mentioned some of them before.Also, I’m excluding sequels, because I just know if I didn’t I was going to feel guilty.

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst: Added 2021. Not sure if I’m still interested enough.
Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe: Added 2021. From what I’ve heard since I added it to my list, it’s a pretty technical fantasy book and I’m not sure I’d be into that. But I also enjoyed a novella I read by the author last year, so I don’t know.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: Added 2021. I’m not sure about this one. The name is great, but I couldn’t really remember why I added it. I had to go back and read the book description, haha.
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell: Added 2021. This has been on my list for a while. I think this one is genuinely one that I still want to give a shot, and a series that I want to try. It’s just pretty long and time.
The Diviners by Libba Bray: Added 2020. This has been on my radar for a long time. I’m not sure, though. I think I’d still like to read it, it’s just been so long and there’s just too many books I’m interested in at any given time.
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen: Added 2020. This one has been on my radar for almost as long as the last book. I love the cover and the title, but like with The Starless Sea I also had to go back and read the book description for this one. I still think I might be interested in it, though.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie: Added 2021. Considering it’s been on and off my TBR over the years, I’m really not sure if it’s gonna happen. I might be leaving a bit towards “no” though.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: Since 2021. Not sure about this one. It’s been on my TBR a long time, but sometimes I feel the same way about it that I do The Blade Itself. I don’t know.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: Since 2016. I really want to read this one eventually. It’s a classic, and it’s something that I’ve wanted to read for a long time.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman: Since 2015. I also really want to read this one eventually, as well as give this trilogy a shot. This is the oldest book I remember being on my TBR since before I started keeping track of that kind of stuff.

What books have been on your TBR the Longest that you haven’t read? What topic did you pick this week?

As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 4/20 – 4/26

Hey everybody, and Happy Monday!

Last week was alright. It was better than the one before in that I read something, but there was still stuff going on for me. It’s been a rough month, honestly. Hopefully I can end on a higher note, though.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the Weekly Wrap-Up!

Tuesday 4/21: Top Ten Tuesday

Last Tuesday, I participated in Top Ten Tuesday again for the first time in a few weeks. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. The prompt for last week was April Showers.

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

Wednesday 4/22: Can’t-Wait Wednesday / WWW Wednesday

On Wednesday, I participated in Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: An Arcane Study of Stars

I also participated in WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. It focuses on the Three Ws of Reading: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? and What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesday: 4/22

Sunday 4/26: Birthstone Book Covers

Yesterday, I participated in Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.

Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was April, and its birthstone is diamond. So the color I picked was white.

Birthstone Book Covers: April 2026

Books I Read Last Week

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, last week was okay. I’m hoping this week will at least be just as decent, but I’ve got something going on, so I might not be as on top of the blogging portion, and I’m not sure how much I’ll be up for reading. Hopefully everything is all good, though.

I’m not quite sure what I’m reading next, as I’m kind of in-between choices, but I’ll figure it out soon. For blogging this week, I want to participate in a few of my favorite weekly posts, and do a book review for Dungeon Crawler Carl, hopefully before the turn of the month.

Outside of books and blogging, everything is kind of the same as last week. I still haven’t gotten that IRL thing I mentioned last week resolved, but I should be getting it done this week.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Birthstone Book Covers: April 2026

Hey. I hope everyone’s had a good weekend!

Leslie @ Books Are the New Black created a fun monthly post called Birthstone Book Covers. Each month, she features book covers that are either the same color of that month’s birthstone or include the color in the title.

Rules:

Mention the creater (Leslie @ Books Are the New Black) and link back to her so she can check out your post
Pick 5+ books covers that match the current month’s birthstone
HAVE FUN!
Nominate people if you want!

April had one birthstone: Diamond.

This one’s usually a little tougher for me, but this time around I didn’t really have any trouble. Anyway, I always go with white book covers, or at least have a fair amount of white on them.

**Among the Beasts and Briars** **by Ashley Poston**

**The Blade Itself** **by Joe Abercrombie**

**What Stalks the Deep** **by T. Kingfisher**

**A Darker Shade of Magic** **by V.E. Schwab**

**The Shadow of the Gods** **by John Gwynne**

What are your favorite books with white book covers? If you participated in Birthstone Books, which books did you choose this April?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have the most amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

WWW Wednesday: 4/22

Hey everyone, Happy Wednesday again!

The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m Currently Reading

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

CURRENT STATUS: 4%

CURRENT FEELS: 😆 (super excited)

✯✯ Yep, I’m finally doing it! T. I’m really looking forward to this! I hope it lives up to the hype! ✯✯

What I Finished Reading Recently

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

★★ Yeah, as I’ve mentioned before, A Widow’s Charm wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it didn’t do it for me. The cover art and writing were really good, though. ★★

What I’m Reading Next

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ If I like Dungeon Crawler Carl, I’ll probably read this next. ☆☆

Aurora: Volume 2 by Red

☆☆ I’m absolutely reading this in the near future. Like, probably before the end of April kind of near future. ☆☆

No Gods No Kings by Demetria Paxton

☆☆ Yeah, I might read this coming up. Still somewhat undecided, though, so that might change. ☆☆

What books has everyone been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What are you thinking of reading next?

Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope that you have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: An Arcane Study of Stars

Happy Wednesday everyone!

This week’s book is:

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields! 💫📚

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields

LENGTH: 510 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Redhook

RELEASE DATE: 28 April 2026

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From Sydney Shields, the breakout author of The Honey Witch, comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette’s death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia’s fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone – or something – starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian – and fast.

By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian’s prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?

Are you looking forward to An Arcane Study of Stars? What books are coming out in the near future that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

Happy Tuesday everybody! It’s been a while, but I just wasn’t feeling the last couple of prompts (I don’t have a bucket list and I couldn’t think of ten books that described me). I’m cutting it a little close, but I really wanted to participate this week!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is April Showers. It’s a very open prompt, and can be anything from rainy day reads, to books that made you cry, to books that wash away a bad reading experience.

I’m going with Books That Washed Away a Not Great Reading Experience. And by this I mean: books I DNF-ed, books I read but didn’t like, or books I didn’t hate but were very slow for me to get through. (I consider a book feeling too slow to be a bad reading experience for me personally; even if sometimes I end up thinking the book itself is alright (around three stars) after the fact.)

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into it! From most recent to least recent.

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews: I didn’t really enjoy the book I read before it.
How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe: It took me a while to get through the last two books I read before this one, even though I ultimately thought they were alright. It was a real slog for me to get through them though, and I was in a slump for a bit until I read this.
Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton: I DNF-ed the book I read before this one.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone: I didn’t hate the book I read before this one, but it irritated me a lot. This book being so good helped turn my mood around.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke: I DNF-ed the book I read before this one.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: I didn’t really like the book I read before this one.
White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton: I didn’t really like the two books I read before this one.
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan: I really didn’t enjoy the two books I read before this one.
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune: The book I read before this one was a slog for me to get through. This was a real pick-me-up.
In Deeper Waters by FT Lukens: I really didn’t like the book I read before this one.

What did you do for April Showers? What books washed away your not-so-great reading experiences?

As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 4/13 – 4/19

Hey everybody, hope you had a good week!

Last week was… fine. My blog activity was pretty good, but my book reading just wasn’t up to par, unfortunately. There was some stuff going on though, so I was busier than normal. This week I’m gonna do better.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the Weekly Wrap-Up!

Tuesday 4/14: A Widow’s Charm Review

Last Tuesday, I finally got my thoughts together and posted my review for A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson. It’s a relatively recent fantasy release.

I thought it was alright; I don’t think it was really for me. It seemed like it was going to be a cozier slow-burn with some mystery and intrigue, with a dash of fantasy, but that wasn’t really what it ended up being at all. The writing was pretty good though. I gave it ★★★✩✩.

Book Review: A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

Wednesday 4/15: Can’t-Wait Wednesday / WWW Wednesday

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Aurora (Volume Two)

WWW Wednesday: 4/15

Friday 4/17: First Line Friday

This past Friday, I participated in First Line Friday again. First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words. It’s where you guess what book the post is highlighting based on the book’s first words.

First Line Friday: 4/17

Books I Read Last Week

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, last week wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be. Oh well. I’m absolutely planning on being better this week. We’ll see what happens – fingers crossed everything pans out. 🤞🍀

I’m reading Dungeon Crawler Carl next. It’s just gonna happen. I’m definitely starting it tonight or tomorrow. I’ve negotiated this with myself; no more distractions or RL obligations will get in my way this time. After that though, I might read the sequel if I like it and catch up with my spouse. Regardless, I’m going to start Aurora: Volume 2 soon as well, hopefully by next week, and I’d like to read another new book from this month. I was thinking No Gods No Kings, but I’m not fully decided on anything.

For blogging this week, I want to participate in a few of my favorite weekly posts, especially Top Ten Tuesday which I haven’t in a while. I’d also like to participate in Birthstone Book Covers, and do a book review if I finish Dungeon Crawler Carl within the next couple of days.

There hasn’t been too much going on outside the blog, except for a kinda personal RL thing that I don’t really feel like getting into. It’s not too much of a big deal it’s just something annoying and frustrating, that I’m still working on, but it’ll be okay (hopefully) soon. My spouse and I are alright, though, and home life and other things are otherwise good.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar