Weekly Wrap-Up: 3/30 – 4/5

It’s a new week! Happy Monday everybody!

Last week was pretty good. My blog activity was really high; even though it wasn’t as strong during the second half of the week. I also read a new book, which I’m very happy about. Starting off April very well!

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

Monday 3/30: Birthstone Book Covers

Last Monday, 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 March, and its birthstone is aquamarine. So the colors to pick from are shades of cyan.

Birthstone Book Covers: March 2026

Tuesday 3/31: Top Ten Tuesday

On Tuesday, I participated in Top Ten Tuesday for the first time in a couple of 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 Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book.

Top Ten Tuesday: Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book

Wednesday 4/1: Can’t-Wait Wednesday / WWW Wednesday

This past 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: The Subtle Art of Folding Space

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: 4/1

Saturday 4/4: March Reading 2026

On Saturday, I posted my Monthly Reading Wrap-Up for March 2026. And I posted it even earlier than I did last month’s wrap-up! For those who don’t know, monthly wrap-ups are when I go over the books I read over the past month, as well as my stats over on The StoryGraph.

Monthly Wrap-Up: March Reading 2026

Sunday 4/5: Easter

Yesterday, it was Easter, so much like last year, I ended up not posting anything on the blog. But to those who celebrate, Happy Easter!! 🐇🐤🧺🥚 We had a great afternoon spending time with family – for us it’s one of the few times of the year when everyone is able to get together, so it’s important to me for pretty much that reason alone.

There were even a few more family members than usual, which made it extra special. Also, there was a lot of good food for dinner and some wonderful desserts. It was just a wonderful day in general.

Books I Read Last Week

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, I’m pretty satisfied with everything I was able to do last week. I’m happy to have read a book, though I wouldn’t have minded reading a second one. The holiday made the weekend busy, however, and I had other stuff going on over the week, so I’m not that disappointed about it. I’m also really happy about the blogging I did. Five posts! Yay!

This week I want to participate in a couple of my favorite weekly posts, as well as post my review for A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson. I also want to definitely post my list of most interesting new books of April 2026. I would’ve liked to do that this past week, but I ran out of time, unfortunately. And in regards to reading books, I want to finally start Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman next.

Outside of books and blogging, not much other than Easter went on last week. Other than that, nothing’s really changed. My spouse and I are still being healthier, and we’ve watched some stuff on and off, but other than that, not much.

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

See ya ~Mar

WWW Wednesday: 4/1

Happy Wednesday again! Cutting it very close with this one!

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

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

CURRENT STATUS: 26%

CURRENT FEELS: 🤔 (unsure)

✯✯ I’m really not sure how I feel about this one yet. It started off much hornier than I expected, which put me off a little, and I wasn’t immediately into either of the protagonists, for various reasons. For now, I’m still giving it a chance, as I’m still interested in seeing where this goes at the moment. ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

One Piece (Volumes 79, 80, & 81) by Eiichiro Oda

★★ I really enjoyed the Dressrosa arc, even if it was a little slower. Far more than the Fishman Island arc in any case. I’m teetering around four stars for the last few volumes I read, though I might end up going up a little with the rating. But yeah, great arc. Looking forward to the Whole Cake Island arc later this year. ★★

What I’m Reading Next

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ I’m still super eager to read this, and I really hope I enjoy it. I’m nervous about hyping it up too much, especially since A Widow’s Charm is not hitting so far for me (hopefully I can really get into it soon, though). But yeah, looking to start Dungeon Crawler Carl later this week. ☆☆

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: 3/23 – 3/29

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you had a nice week! It’s Weekly Wrap-Up time!

Last week was great, both in regards to bloc activity and for reading books. I posted on here a good about, and I read a few books. It was awesome!

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

Tuesday 3/24: Top Ten Tuesday

Last Tuesday, I participated in Top Ten Tuesday for the first time in a couple of 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 Books on Your Spring To-Read List.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2026 TBR

Wednesday 3/25: 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: A Widow’s Charm

WWW Wednesday: 3/25

Friday 3/26: 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: 3/27

Books I Read Last Week

Wrapping It All Up

So yeah, I’m generally pretty happy with everything I got done last week. I would’ve liked to have read (or at least started) maybe one more book and done one more blog post, but I’m satisfied with how things turned out.

For this week, I want to participate in my usual weekly posts, but I also want to post my list of most interesting looking books for April 2026. I’d also really like to get a book review out – I didn’t manage to do so last week, which disappointed me.

Concerning books and reading, I want to start A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson, probably tomorrow. I also want to read Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, as well as its sequel, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, if I like it. I had intended to get to Dungeon Crawler Carl this past weekend, but the One Piece arc I was reading lasted longer than I thought, so I had to read another omnibus. Oh well.

I didn’t do much else last week, outside of books and blogging, which is a little strange. Usually something is going on. My spouse and I have continued to be healthier, I guess? We’ve both definitely noticed a difference with that, at least. I dunno, we haven’t started any new shows or anything. So yeah, nothing much outside of reading and stuff. Easter’s gonna be this Sunday, so I’m looking forward to that.

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 3/27

Happy Friday everybody!

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’s the first line:

My name is Rune Saint John.

Do you know what the book is? If not, here’s a couple of clues…

Still not know? Here’s another hint or two to give you an assist…

Are you still considering? It’s cool – here are some wonderful photos of books to look at while you think some more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards!

(Didja guess it?)

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

SERIES: The Tarot Sequence #1

LENGTH: 371 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Pyr

RELEASE DATE: 12 June 2018

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment’s missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home.

With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam’s relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune’s Court.

In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family’s death and the torments of his past?

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: 3/25

Hey all, hope your Wednesday is going well!

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

One Piece (Volumes: 73, 74, & 75) by Eiichiro Oda

CURRENT STATUS: 33%

CURRENT FEELS: 🙂 (happy, liking it)

✯✯ I’m enjoying the Punk Hazard/Dressrosa arcs much better than Fishman Island. I’ve heard the Dressrosa part is a little slower, but I haven’t noticed it yet. ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

One Piece (Volumes 70, 71, & 72) by Eiichiro Oda

★★ I thought this was pretty good. I’m interested in where the story is going, and I’m loving all the buildup to the end of the current arc. I’m also liking how momentum for a future arc (Wano) is ramping up, too. ★★

One Piece (Volumes 67, 68, & 69) by Eiichiro Oda

★★ Ahhh, this was a much stronger and interesting start to a new arc than Fishman Island was for me. I also really liked the fire and ice thing Punk Hazard had going on – it was really cool. It reminded me so much of Super Mario Galaxy (as well as Galaxy 2). I also went back an dropped Fishman Island down like half a star to a 3.5 for both supervolumes – I didn’t realize I’d rated it so high!).★★

What I’m Reading Next

One Piece (Volumes 76, 77, & 78) by Eiichiro Oda

☆☆ I’m really looking forward to finishing this arc. I love One Piece, but there are just so many other books I want to read, and this manga is just. So. Long. It’s a huge time commitment and I gotta take some breaks. Right now I’m thinking I’ll resume with the Zou and Whole Cake Island arcs in the summer, just to give me time to read some other stuff. I really am enjoying the Punk Hazard and Dressrosa arcs so far, though. ☆☆

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

☆☆ I’m really pumped to read this book and give the Dungeon Crawler Carl series a shot. I really hope that I like it. ☆☆

A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

☆☆ This is one of my most anticipated new books from March 2026, and I’m still really looking forward to it. I’m planning to read it next week after it comes out. The summary sounds great, so I hope I like it. And the cover is so gorgeous! ☆☆

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2026 TBR

Happy Tuesday everybody! Can’t believe it’s been a month since I last participated in this!

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 Books on Your Spring 2026 To-Be Read List. It’s pretty self-explanatory, so I’m not gonna elaborate this time.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into it! Here are ten books currently near the top of my ever-shifting TBR! From most likely to least likely to be read.

One Piece (Volumes #73 – #78) by Eiichiro Oda
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson
Proven Guilty (Dresden Files #8) by Jim Butcher
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
Aurora (Volume #2) by Red
Platform Decay (Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Wells
The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawsett
The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence #1) by K.D. Edwards

What books are on your spring TBR? Which ones are you most excited to read? Are they upcoming releases, books that have been around awhile, or a mix of both?

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 3/20

Hey all and Happy Friday! It’s been a few weeks since I last did this.

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:

The transformation occurred at approximately 2:23 AM, Pacific Standard Time. As far as I could tell, anyone who was indoors when it happened died instantly.

Know the book? If not here are a few clues…

Still got no idea? Here’s an extra hint or two to help you out…

Are you still thinking about it? All good – here are some lovely pictures of books to admire while you do so…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman!

(Didja guess it?)

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

SERIES: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1

LENGTH: 464 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, LitRPG, Fiction

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY: Dandy House

ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 2 October 2020

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

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: 3/18

Hey there, hope you’re having a good Wednesday!

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

✯✯ Well, this is a bit embarrassing, but you’ve caught me in between books. Oh well – hopefully I’ll start reading something by tomorrow. I’m definitely reading something this week, though. ✯✯

What I Recently Finished Reading

Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan

★★ I thought it was better than Darker By Four, but it wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping. I did like it, however. Also, both book covers are awesome. I’m still deliberating on whether I want to give it 3.5 or 3.75 stars. ★★

What I Might Read Next

One Piece (Volumes 67 – 68 – 69: Punk Hazard) by Eiichiro Oda

☆☆ I’m definitely gonna start the next arc in One Piece wihhin the next week, but I’m not sure if I’m reading it next-next. It’s absolutely on my immediate TBR, though. ☆☆

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

☆☆ This has been on my radar for a few years, and I’m thinking about reading it in the very near future. I’m still not completely sure about it, however. ☆☆

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

WWW Wednesday: 3/11

Happy Wednesday everyone!

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?

The Thing I’m Currently Reading

Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan

CURRENT STATUS: 6%

CURRENT FEELS: 😆 (very excited)

✯✯ I’m really looking forward to this! One of my most anticipated reads – and sequels – of this year! ✯✯

The Thing I Finished Reading Recently

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews

★★ I really enjoyed this book. Review coming within the next couple of days! ★★

The Thing I Probably Going to Read Next

One Piece (Volumes 67 – 68 – 69: Punk Hazard) by Eiichiro Oda

☆☆ Not fully decided though I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be continuing with the next arc of One Piece, which is Punk Hazard and directly followed by Dressrosa. I’ve heard Punk Hazard is a good arc, so I’m looking forward to it. ☆☆

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

WWW Wednesday: 3/4

It’s been quite a long time since I last participated in this post. There were a couple of reasons, but I think the biggest one was that I’d mention most if not all of the Three Ws in my Weekly Wrap-Ups every week, so I thought it was a little redundant.

But I’ve missed it, so I’m back! I can’t believe it’s been over a year. The other big reason I stopped is that I was in-between books half the time whenever the middle of the week came around, so hopefully that stops happening. 🍀🤞

Also: I made a new cover image!!

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?

The Thing I’m Currently Reading

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews

CURRENT STATUS: 2%

CURRENT FEELS: 😁 (excited)

The Thing I Finished Reading Recently

Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn

★★ I’m conflicted about this book, and my star rating keeps changing. It’s why it’s taken me this long to review it, (which I’m angling to do tomorrow) even though I finished it last weekend. ★★

The Thing I’m Probably Going to Read Next

Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan

☆☆ I’m really looking forward to this one. It’s one of my most anticipated books and sequels for the first half of 2026. ☆☆

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