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

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

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

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

First Line Friday: 4/17

Hey everyone, it’s been a few weeks! Happy Friday!

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:

Here are the first lines:

I paused on the threshold of the shop to stamp the frost from my boots. It settled on the sills and cobblestones at night now, a fine white fur, as if winter were a great beast who skulked through the city while we slept, leaving bits of pelt behind. At least the snows hadn’t arrived yet, which was some relief.

Know the book? If not, here are a few hints for you…

Still no idea? Here’s another clue 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… 🥁🥁 Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawsett!

(Didja guess it?)

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawsett

LENGTH: 368 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

RELEASE DATE: 17 February 2026

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Heather Fawcett comes a healing and heart-warming fantasy with magic shops, rescue cats and a second chance at love.

All strays are welcome here.

Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats – His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few – and utter disaster.

But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised – not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome – Havelock Renard.

Havelock is everything Agnes doesn’t want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats…

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: 4/15

Happy Wednesday to everybody (again)!

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

✯✯ I have to stop doing this post on Wednesdays where I’m not reading anything. I’m gonna read Dungeon Crawler Carl next I swear! …Though I’ve also been tempted by other books. (Ugh. This is what happens when I don’t read a book right away when it starts to call for me.) ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

☆★ my review ★☆

★★ Yeah, as I mentioned last week and in my review, 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

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ I’m definitely gonna read this soon! (… Hopefully.) ☆☆

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

Weekly Wrap-Up: 4/6 – 4/12

I can’t believe it’s Monday again already! Geez, last week went by quickly! It was honestly a bit of a crazy one, especially at the end there.

Last week, I wasn’t quite as on top of everything as I had wanted to be. But there was a lot going on during the second half, so it’s not completely on me. I’m definitely gonna do better this week!

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

Tuesday 4/7: The Most Interesting Looking New Books of April 2026

Last Tuesday, I posted a list of the books that I’m looking forward to this month. Or, at least the ones that I think look the most interesting. It was the The Most Interesting Looking New Books of April 2026. As always, it’s basically only fantasy and science fiction, as those are the two genres I primarily read. This time there were eight books on my list.

The Most Interesting Looking Books Releasing April 2026

Wednesday 4/8: Can’t-Wait Wednesday / WWW Wednesday

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Stay for a Spell

WWW Wednesday: 4/8

Books I Read Last Week

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, last week wasn’t my best week. So I want this week to be better. Fingers crossed. 🤞🍀

This week, in regards to blogging, I want to finally post my review for A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson. I’m really annoyed at myself for taking this long to get it out. I also want to do at least a couple of my usual weekly posts, as well as either participate in my favorite monthly post or do a Bewitching Book Covers. We’ll see what happens. Regardless, I’d like to post a little more than I did this past week.

For books and reading, I really want to start (and hopefully finish) Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. I was planning on starting it last week, but it wasn’t happening, apparently. I also want to read at least one more book, whether it be the sequel to Dungeon Crawler Carl or something else.

Outside of books and blogging, my spouse and I started a couple new anime. They’re both new, as well as from this season. The first one is Daemons of the Shadow Realm, also (and originally) known as Yomi no Tsugai. It’s adapted from a dark fantasy manga of the same names, by Hiromu Arakawa. Yes, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist (which also happens to be one of my top three animes). It was one of our most anticipated spring anime, and the first episode was very strong. It’s pretty different from FMA, but it’s still good.

The other anime we started watching was the highly anticipated Witch Hat Atelier. It’s about, well, witches. It also has a really cool magic system, and is a love letter to art. We’re really liking this one so far! I can’t wait to see where both of these go – I’m already invested!

My spouse and I are also still trying to be healthier. It’s still going pretty well, but I hope we do even better with it.

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

See ya ~Mar

WWW Wednesday: 4/8

Happy Wednesday to everyone once 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

✯✯ I’m in between books again, haha. So embarrassing. Why must this happen so frequently for me? ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

★★ This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I also didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. I didn’t hate it, and it has a gorgeous cover, but it wasn’t a hit for me. ★★

What I’m Reading Next

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ This is still on my immediate TBR. I really got to get reading it, haha. ☆☆

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