Magical Readathon: Orilium Autumn Equinox TBR 2023

July 31, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

August is right around the corner, which means it’s time for another round of the Magical Readathon! That’s right, it’s time to head back to Orilium and sink back into the fantasy of this wonderful readathon. It also means I have two TBRs for August which, if you know me, is ambitious. That’s why a lot of the books on this TBR will look verrrrry familiar if you saw my Trope-ical Readathon post 😂 I’m a slow reader… ya gotta give me a break!

But what is the Magical Readathon? It is the brain child of the marvelous G @ Book Roast, who created the world of Aeldia, where Orilium dwells, and every aspect therein. It’s an incredibly creative readathon where you build a character, choose and guild, and guide your character through classes to achieve their calling. I am notoriously bad at giving all the details in a coherent way, so you should definitely watch G’s announcement video for the scoop:

My Character

Before I jump into my TBR for this round, I wanted to re-introduce you all to the character I created for this readathon! She’s living her best life at this magical academy so far.

✨✨✨Name: Korrin Musgrave✨✨✨
✨✨✨Guild: The Order of the Crescent Moon✨✨✨
✨✨✨Current Guild Standing: Exalted (340 gp)✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Conduit: Quarterstaff ✨✨✨
✨✨✨Legacy: Wolf familiar (Venandi)✨✨✨
✨✨✨Background: Wildling✨✨✨
✨✨✨Province: Irtheria✨✨✨
✨✨✨Heritage: Earthling (earth element)✨✨✨

Don’t know what any of that means? You can check out the Brief History of Aeldia on the Google drive. The drive also has the syllabus for this round and lots of other incredibly imaginative information all from the mind of G!

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readathon

Trope-ical Readathon TBR: August 2023

July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd8 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another round of the Trope-ical Readathon! I have been in a very weird reading mood lately. Like a partial slump, I suppose? I’ve still been enjoying the books I’m reading except for a couple that are making me want to not read anything at all 😂 I finished one of them, so my reading mood is improving, and I’m powering through the last one today. Hopefully that means I’ll go into August feeling ready to tackle this TBR!

Before I tell you what I’m planning on reading this round, why don’t I tell you more about the actual readathon. The Trope-ical Readathon is a month-long, team-based readathon created and run by Jenny @ JenJenReviews and her partner, @BookRob. It centers around reading books that feature specific “tropes”. Think stuff like “found family” and the ever contested “love triangle”. There are thirteen general prompts geared towards thirteen different tropes, so there’s bound to be at least a couple you love! For all the info and to join a team, just check out the Trope-ical Readathon website.

All that said, let me share all the prompts and what I’m hoping to read for each one!

Team Mystery/Horror/Thriller Challenges

Team Book (Old)

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

I’ve wanted to read this book for so long, so it made choosing my team this round pretty easy. Not that you can’t read all of the team books, but I’m a slow reader, y’all. This book promises a creepy house, which is my favorite when it comes to horror stories. It also promises a bit of social commentary which is another thing that I love in a horror book. Add in that this cover is giving everything and I cannot wait to read it! Here’s hoping I love it as much as I think I will.

Team Challenge #1: “Isolated Setting” Trope

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone

I’m also trying to catch up some Netgalley ARCs in August and this is one of the ones I’m most excited to read. I loved Mirrorland, another book by this author, so I was excited when I received the ARC for The Blackhouse. And then I just never picked it up, heh. I’m easily distracted, y’all. This is set on an isolated Scottish island and the title might suggest that I’m getting another creepy house in the mix. Here’s hoping!

Team Challenge #2: “Cult” Trope

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

This challenge was the hardest to pick a book to read! I, apparently, don’t have a lot of “cult” books on my TBR. Poking through Goodreads, I finally stumbled across this thriller. I’ve never read anything by Ashley Winstead, but I have heard good things. It focuses on a woman who is determined to destroy a powerful cult and I’m sure it’s going to be filled with tons of twists and turns. Not gonna lie, the cover kind of drew me in, as well.

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Jul 19, 2023

July 19, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: Okay, so the hype got me on this one. Well… that and it’s a book of the month pick for one of my Goodreads groups, haha. But that only made me pick this up sooner rather than later! I’m only a few chapters in but, so far, I find myself really engaged with the story. Does Violet read like she’s in her twenties? Not in the slightest. Am I still having a good time learning about this world and this school? Absolutely! I’m hoping the dragons come more into play as the novel goes on.
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen: I’m finally attempting to finish this novel! I’ve only been reading since, like… March? Maybe even earlier this year 😅 I’m excited that I found the audiobook on Libby because I was not getting on with the e-book. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just that my eyes don’t handle e-books as well as they used to. I’m about 50% through the audiobook and, now that I’m immersed back into this world, I’m having a good time! I will say that it’s taken this long to feel fully wrapped in the story, but here’s hoping it will only go up from here.

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5 on my tbr

#5OnMyTBR – Contemporary

July 17, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

It’s the start of another work week and that means it’s time for another 5 On My TBR! This week’s theme is contemporary books and I’m gonna be honest… I don’t gravitate towards contemporary books. So I twisted it a little bit and I’m going to share five contemporary romances that I want to read soon. I’ve been really getting into the romance genre lately and contemporary romance is my happy place, at the moment. So there were quite a few from which I could choose, but these are the five that are at the top of the pile.

Now let me share them with you!

#1. The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert

I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read by Talia Hibbert, so of course The Princess Trap is high on my TBR! This one contains a trope I haven’t explored much in romance: royalty. The cover is what pulled me in, too, because just look at it! I’m hoping this as fun and steamy as Talia Hibbert’s other adult romances. And then I continue exploring her backlist while I wait for whatever else she’s going to write for forever.

#2. Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

The main reason this book got onto my TBR is because of how much I loved the first book in this companion series, Battle Royal. I especially loved Pet, who stars in this book. The fact that this is also grumpy x sunshine, which is one of my favorite tropes, just sealed the deal. I’m hoping that I love this book just as much as I loved the first one and that there’s plenty more to come.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday #78

July 14, 2023July 14, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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? If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

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!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve reached the end of the standard work week, which means it’s time for another First Lines Friday! This week, I’m featuring a romance that I recently picked up after hearing about it all over the bookish community. I read this book in two days, so I see why so many people were gushing about it!

I got pulled into the story fairly quickly, so let’s see if the first few lines can do the same for you.

The Line(s):

“The last time I attended a funeral, I ended up with a broken arm. The story made headlines after I threw myself into my mother’s open grave.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Jul 12, 2023

July 12, 2023July 19, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

11/22/63 by Stephen King: I’ve been reading this book for… almost a month now. It’s a long one, I’ll give it that, but it’s mostly because portions of it feel like such a slog. I’m finding myself easily distracted by other books and that’s never a good sign. Is it a bad book? No. When the main purpose of the story is the focus (some random dude going back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination) I’m all in! It’s when it drifts into the subplots that I start getting bored. Either way, I will finish it… eventually 😅
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher: On the opposite side of the spectrum, I just started this book this morning and I’m already over halfway through! I’ve been curious about the Dreamland Billionaires series for quite some time and have checked this book out from the library more than once. I always ended up having to return it before I managed to pick it up. I finally broke through whatever mental block was stopping me and I’m so glad I gave this a chance! It’s the perfect steamy romance to indulge in on a lazy day off from work.

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book tag

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

July 10, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’re going into the second full week of July and the year is officially over halfway done. Which completely blows my mind! I can’t believe that we’re already steaming towards a new school year because I feel like that last one just ended, haha. But with the year being half over, it’s time for the Mid-Year Book Freakout book tag! I always enjoy doing this tag because I get so lost in the sauce during the year and it’s nice to look back at all the books I’ve read. Even if there are a lot of “Oh, I read that this year???” moments. Time has no meaning, y’all 😂

Now, sources seem to differ on who created this tag. I’m going to say it was originally created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books because that’s the version of the tag I’ll be completing today. Thank you to them and all the other credited creators with slightly different tags for such a fun idea.

Alright, now let’s get to it!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2023

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

This was one of my first reads of the year and, oof, has it stuck with me. I find myself thinking about it randomly even in the heat of summer! It was wonderfully terrifying, with incredible atmosphere and compelling characters. It deals with some heavy topics, so, if you need them, please check trigger warnings. That being said, it’s a powerful book that had me devouring the pages. A perfect spooky read for the upcoming fall season!

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2023

Network Effect by Martha Wells

Honestly, I could put all of the books from the Murderbot Diaries into this category (beyond the first one, of course). The full length novel, however, stands out as my absolute favorite. Probably because we get so much more Murderbot! Who will, perhaps, make another appearance in this post 👀 Either way, this series is incredible and I cannot wait for the new book that is coming in November!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

The Golden Frog Games by Claribel A. Ortega

There are so many I could name, but this is definitely at the top of the list. I loved the first book in this middle grade fantasy series, Witchlings, so I was excited to receive an ARC. Then life happened and I still haven’t gotten a chance to continue Seven, Valley, and Thorn’s story. If this story is anything like the first book, it’s going to magical with a lot of heart. I’m looking forward to finally giving it a read.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday #77

July 7, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

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!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

I’m back on my BS, which means I’m back to one of my favorite posts: First Lines Friday! I’m a sucker for a good guessing game, what can I say? Now, the book I’m featuring today is one that I recently started reading because I enjoyed a previous book from the author. So far, I’m having a lot of fun with it and, now, I’m hoping I can get you to read it by luring you with the first few lines.

Let’s see if my plan will work!

The Line(s):

“There was a vulture on the mailbox of my grandmother’s house. As omens go, it doesn’t get much more obvious than that.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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cover reveal

Cover Reveal: Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris

July 5, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

Today, it is my pleasure to join Hear Our Voices Tours in a very exciting cover reveal for Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris! Why is it so exciting? Well, there’s a few reasons. The book has been comped to Fullmetal Alchemist so I was already 100% onboard. I get to share an excerpt with y’all today, so that made me extra hyped. And then I saw the cover! If you’ve been around my blog for any amount of time, you know that I am a sucker for a beautiful cover. This one had me instantly adding the book to my ever-growing TBR!

Before I pull back the proverbial curtain, I want to thank Hear Our Voices Tours for letting me be a part of this cover reveal! I always have a good experience working with the people behind the scenes and this tour was no exception.

Now, let’s get to the post!

Full Metal Alchemist meets Vampire Diaries in this fun and clever dark academia series…

High school is supposed to be about studying, socializing, and marching-band practice. Not fighting vampires. Then one night flipped my world inside out―now, my life sucks. But it isn’t all bad. I’m at a slayer academy, learning things like the real origin of vamps and how to make serious weapons out of thin air.

Every last one of them will pay for what they did. I’m doing great.

Until I come face-to-face with the actual vampire prince…and I’m not sure of anything anymore. Vampires are supposed to be soul-sucking demons. But Khamari is…something else. He’s intelligent and reasonable―and he seems to know things about me that could change everything.

He’s also hiding something big, even from his own kind. And when a threat from an ancient evil is so extreme that a vampire will team up with a slayer to take it down, it isn’t just my need for revenge that’s at stake anymore.

It’s the whole damn world.

So are you ready to see this cover? Drum roll, please!

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5 on my tbr

#5OnMyTBR – Water

July 3, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

Look who’s back! I’m sorry for my random and protracted absence. I can’t even fully explain what caused it other than IRL stress leading to doomscrolling leading to not want to actually interact with any form of social media. Pile that all together and my poor blog suffered. But I feel myself turning a corner and I’m missing yapping about books with y’all. I decided to ease myself back in with one of my favorite posts, another 5 On My TBR!

This week’s theme is all about one of my favorite things: water. If I could live on/near the water, I would be a happy gal. It’s my happy place so I was stoked to go through my TBR and find some books that deal with water in some way. I have a surprising lack of books set on or near water on my TBR, though! I managed to find five that I’m super excited to read, but I’m definitely open for more suggestions.

That being said, let’s get to my list!

#1. Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

This is the second book in a wonderful middle grade series called The Jumbies. It is steeped in Caribbean culture and is so vividly written. I loved the characters, the lore, and how you felt like you were on the island with the characters. The second book in this series deals with creatures that leave beneath the waves, so it fits perfectly on this list. I can’t wait to read it!

#2. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

After reading A Marvellous Light and giving it five stars, I immediately added the next two books in the series to my TBR. Imagine my added joy when I found out the second book was sapphic! And, the reason it’s on this list, it’s set at sea! This promises to be an intriguing adventure featuring a character I wanted to learn more about in the first book. I’m eager to follow Maud as she strikes her own path.

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