Month: March 2025

Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox 2025
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Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox 2025

kerrimcbooknerd1 Comment

Hello, reader!

Classes are starting once again in the magical academy that is Orilium! This is one of my favorite readathons of the year and also one of the only ones I ever complete. I always get so excited going into the Orilium Spring Equinox and this year is extra special. Why? Because there are dragons!

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 a 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

✨✨✨ Name: Korrin Musgrave ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Guild: The Order of the Crescent Moon ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Current Guild Reputation Points: 655 gp✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Conduit: Quarterstaff ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Legacy: Wolf familiar (Venandi) ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Background: Wildling ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Province: Irtheria ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Heritage: Earthling (earth element) ✨✨✨

If you want to learn more about these various choices, you can check out the Brief History of Aeldia on the Google drive. It’s awesome what G has dreamed up!

Continue reading “Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox 2025” →
WWW Wednesday: March 19th, 2025
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WWW Wednesday: March 19th, 2025

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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:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. 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

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

I’ve had this book for quite awhile and now I’m finally reading it. It’s the AFB Book Club pick for March, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. So far, I’m having a great time with this Norse inspired fantasy. The insta-lust is a tad funny, but I’m loving our female main character. Especially after a certain event in the first few chapters that had me cheering… iykyk.

    Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: March 19th, 2025” →
    Top 5 Tuesday: Books With An Emotion in the Title
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    Top 5 Tuesday: Books With An Emotion in the Title

    kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

    Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that week’s theme. It was created by Bionic Bookworm and is currently being hosted by Meeghan Reads. You should check out their wonderful blog for more details and the list of prompts!

    Hello, reader!

    I haven’t participate in Top 5 Tuesday in a minute and I thought it was high time I rectified that! This is a fun little meme that lets me revisit some of my favorite books. This week was a bit of challenge for me, though, I’m not gonna lie! I had to find five books with an emotion in the title and that was no easy task. Still, I managed to round up five (though I may be fudging it a bit 😅) that fit the bill.

    That being said, let’s get to the books!

    #1. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

    I’ve always been a fan of epic fantasy, but I can count on one hand how many I’ve read that were written by a Black author and featured Black people. This book is definitely on the top of that pile! I loved this intense, revenge-fueled novel for all the worldbuilding and action, but mostly for the deep dive into the main character’s psyche. The second book is even better and I can’t wait til I get to read the third, which is, hopefully, coming out later this year!

    #2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

    I promise there is not a theme to the emotions I’m picking! This modern classic got me to realize that I could, in fact, enjoy a young adult contemporary novel. I’m sure this is partly the subject matter, but it was mainly Thomas’ incredible writing. She has a way of weaving a story that makes it very difficult to stop reading! I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by her, but this is by far my favorite.

    Continue reading “Top 5 Tuesday: Books With An Emotion in the Title” →
    Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogs and Book Reviews
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    Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogs and Book Reviews

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    Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and Dini @dinipandareads! This meme has a discussion format, where participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the blogging love by visiting other posts. You can learn more about this meme here!

    LTB Topic of the Week
    Writing and Posting Book Reviews

    Prompts: Writing book reviews is a huge part of running a book blog. Do book reviews make up a big part of your blog content? Do you prefer to write long or short reviews? How does reviewing advance copies (ARCs) and working directly with authors and publishers change your approach to writing the reviews? Do you post on platforms other than your blog (i.e. Goodreads, The Storygraph, social media) and do those reviews differ from what you share on your blog?

    Writing book reviews is a huge part of running a book blog. Do book reviews make up a big part of your blog content?

    I would say that book reviews make up a fair chunk of my content. I think the majority of my content leans more to bookish memes, but reviews are probably my second most common blog post. A large chunk of that is because I participate as a panelist for the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award run by The Write Reads and that involves reading/reviewing quite a few indie books! It’s one of my favorite consequences of starting this blog because I always find some new faves whenever I participate.

    The other chunk of my reviews would be Netgalley reviews, especially since I’m trying to catch up on my backlog 😅 Every once in awhile, when I want to gush about a book I love, I’ll write up a rambly review (see my most recent review for Painted Devils, haha), but, for the most part, my reviews are either for a blog tour/BBNYA or for Netgalley.

    Continue reading “Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogs and Book Reviews” →
    WWW Wednesday: March 12th, 2025
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    WWW Wednesday: March 12th, 2025

    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:

    1. What are you currently reading?
    2. What did you recently finish reading?
    3. 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

    • In the Woods by Tana French: This book has been on my TBR for ages because my best friend used to love this series. I say “used to” because I asked her recently if she was still following the Dublin Murder Squad and she was less than enthusiastic, haha. Having started this book, I think I know why… If any of you have read this book before, can you let me know if the main character is meant to be so insufferable?! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rolled my eyes at some throwaway comment he says or, especially, at his apparent intense dislike of all women. Except for his partner, Cassie, of course because “sHE’s NoT liKE otHeR giRls” 🙄 I currently have the audiobook on 1.5x speed because I really don’t want to spend more time with this man and his obnoxious POV. I suppose I could just DNF… but it’s part of my Trope-ical Readathon TBR! Sigh…
    • You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego: I quite literally just started this today and have barely read three pages, so I really can’t give you my feelings on this one. I will say I love that there’s a map in the beginning that looks like the Clue boardgame! And it seems like we’re going to get a bit of a book inside a book throughout this story and that’s a trope that I enjoy. What I’m saying is we’re starting off strong solely based on superficial aspects!
    Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: March 12th, 2025” →
    Let’s Talk Bookish: Women in STEM
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    Let’s Talk Bookish: Women in STEM

    kerrimcbooknerd5 Comments

    Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and Dini @dinipandareads! This meme has a discussion format, where participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the blogging love by visiting other posts. You can learn more about this meme here!

    LTB Topic of the Week
    Women in STEM in Books

    Prompts: Over the years, there have been an increasing number of books about women in STEM. What do you think of this trend? Do you like it or is it/can it be poorly done? In honour of International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8), what are your favourite books ft. women in STEM and what books are still on your TBR?

    Over the years, there have been an increasing number of books about women in STEM. What do you think of this trend? Do you like it or is it/can it be poorly done?

    Let me tell you, when I saw the topic for this week’s Let’s Talk Bookish, I smiled from ear to ear. As a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), I think you can probably guess how I feel about the rise of femme or femme presenting characters in books being in the STEM field. I love it! I know we’ve all heard this phrase before but, representation matters, and the fact that girls and young women can now freely get their hands on books featuring women in typically male-dominated fields is the kind of representation I can absolutely get behind. Books like that weren’t around when I was a kid. I still aspired to do something science-based, but I was never exposed to women in fields I was thinking of going into. The lack of representation wasn’t exactly a deterrent, but it wasn’t encouraging, either. I’m so happy we’re getting more women in STEM books and I hope this trend continues!

    Now whether or not it can be poorly done… I think that’s a matter of personal taste. I’m sure there are books out there that have poor representation because people do love to jump on a trend without doing proper research, but I don’t think that’s overall the case. I also think it’s easier this days to seek out the gems while avoiding the trash, haha. So even though some of the books featuring women in STEM might be not-so-great, I don’t think that takes away from the impact of the trend overall.

    Continue reading “Let’s Talk Bookish: Women in STEM” →
    WWW Wednesday: March 5th, 2025
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    WWW Wednesday: March 5th, 2025

    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:

    1. What are you currently reading?
    2. What did you recently finish reading?
    3. 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

    • A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett: I’m so happy to be back in the world of the Shadow of the Leviathan series! I’ve missed Din and Ana! This is the sequel to my favorite read of 2024, The Tainted Cup, and, so far, I’m having a good time. It feels easy to settle back into this world and I’m enjoying the fact that we’re getting more worldbuilding as the scene is being set. And I’m a sucker for a locked room mystery, so the shenanigans happening in this book is right up my alley! I’m trying to get my e-ARC read and reviewed before this releases on April 1st, so let’s hope this continues to be great.
    • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods: I picked this up at the library simply because I liked the cover, lol. Having finally started reading it, I’m glad the cover caught my eye! This follows three people who are all in someway attached to a bookshop that mysteriously vanished. I love that there’s just a dash of magic in what would otherwise be a fairly mundane tale. Don’t love some of the relationships going on in here, but trying to look past that and focus on the story. We’ll see how I feel by the end 😅
    Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: March 5th, 2025” →
    Book Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen
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    Book Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

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    Title: Painted Devils
    Author: Margaret Owen
    Series: Little Thieves #2
    Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
    Genre: Fantasy
    Age Group: Young Adult
    Content/Trigger Warnings: Verbal and physical abuse, abandonment, anxiety, self-harm, physical intimacy, abusive environments, blood
    Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

    Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.

    After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.

    For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?

    Continue reading “Book Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen” →
    Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Goals
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    Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Goals

    kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

    Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and Dini @dinipandareads! This meme has a discussion format, where participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the blogging love by visiting other posts. You can learn more about this meme here!

    LTB Topic of the Week
    How Many Books Do You Read in a Year    ?

    Prompts: How many books do you typically read in a year? Do you always track your reading? Does keeping track of the books you read motivate you or stress you out? How do you keep track of the books you read? Do you have a 2025 reading goal?

    How many books do you typically read in a year?

    Looking back at past Goodreads Reading Challenges, my reading per year is really inconsistent, haha. There are some years where I read over 100 books (my personal best was 134!) and some years where I barely made it to 20 books. There’s one particular year where I only read 2 books! I don’t know what was going on in my life in 2018, but I was not in a bookish mood.

    That being said, I usually stick around the 50-60 books per year range, which is comfortable for me. I’m not a fast reader and, until very recently, I wasn’t a big audiobook listener, either. Audiobooks have helped me up my reading numbers significantly and I’ve found I truly enjoy them! It’s fun having a book read to me and the right narrator can even tack on an extra star if their performance is especially great.

    Continue reading “Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Goals” →