The Sunday Post: January 11th, 2026

Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m trying out a new sort of post for my little corner of the internet. I’m always yapping about books here but not often yapping about other aspects of my life. And, yes, books take up a significant portion of my daily life, but there is more to it than just reading! Somedays. *cough*

Following that vein of thought, I’ve decided to start doing The Sunday Post created by @CaffeinatedReviewer! This is a blog news meme that gives you a chance to post a recap of your last week, whether that pertains to books or not. You can talk about however much (or however little) you would like. I do love a flexible meme. I’m excited to participate and give you all a little peek into my life beyond books!

Week in Review

You will soon learn through these Sunday Post that my life consists mostly of going to work, coming home, and making sure my family keeps running smoothly 😅 That’s partly why I want to try to go on more adventures in 2026 because, though I do love being at home, I’m feeling the need to broaden my horizons!

That being said, the most exciting thing that got me out of the house this past week was a dentist appointment, lol. But, an activity I’m super happy to be getting back into that doesn’t involve going outside is Dungeons & Dragons! My husband and I are both fans of the game, but we haven’t had a consistent group to play with for the past few years. Finally, he had had enough (the man loves to DM) and gathered a few of our long-distance friends and family to see if they wanted to start a new campaign. Lucky us, they said yes! So we started our run of The Rime of the Frostmaiden. I made an elven wizard, a race and class I haven’t played in D&D as of yet. Well… if we’re not counting Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m excited to dive more into her character!

There was also a library run that I accomplished on Saturday cause I need some library time. I ended up checking out four new books, but I’ll be talking about those in a post later this week. Stay tuned 😉

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book reviews

Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

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Title: The Villa
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Murder, child death, infidelity, drug/alcohol abuse, graphic violence, sexual content, gaslighting, and chronic illness
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads::Storygraph

The bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs returns with a brilliant new gothic suspense set at an Italian villa with a dark history.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album—and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred—and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge—and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle—the birthplace of Frankenstein—The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 9th, 2026

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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!

For this week’s First Lines Friday, I’m featuring a book that I’m sure many of you will instantly recognize. It’s one that has been talked about ad nauseum in the bookish community and it made me curious. It’s not often that a book seems to be so beloved! I’ve already started reading it and, so far, I can kind of see why it’s so popular!

Now it’s time for the first line to see if it can capture your attention, as well.

The Line(s):

“The transformation occurred at approximately 2:23 A.M., Pacific Standard Time.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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reading project

2026 Reading Project: Series Takedown

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Hello, reader!

I was filling out info on my 2026 reading spreadsheet and realized that I am currently in the middle of 66 different series! And that’s not counting series I’ve started and am unsure whether or not I want to continue. That’s just the ones that I do want to complete… eventually. So, of course, bringing that number down has become a 2026 reading project.

Now, I’m not under the illusion that I’m going to finish all of these series, but I do have a few that are the top of the priority list. Let me share some stats and then talk about which series I would really like to complete in 2026.

Current Series Stats

As I mentioned, there are 66 series on my spreadsheet that I have started, but haven’t finished. Of those, I have only read the first book in 43 series, which seems like a lot to me, haha. Apparently, I love starting a series but, apparently, I don’t like to continue 😅 Though, there are 5 series where only the first book is out, so I’m technically all caught up on those!

My other problem with finishing series seems to be that I get to the last book and just… stop. There are 16 series on my list where they are complete and I’ve read everything but the last book! I even own some of those last books! There are also 12 series where I’m caught up, but they are on-going series. A lot of them actually have releases in 2026 and I’m so excited!

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: January 7th, 2026

January 7, 2026 kerrimcbooknerd8 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

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman: I’m reading this as part of a buddy read on Instagram where we’re trying to read the whole series (at least what is out so far!) in 2026. Of course, long before the buddy read was even mentioned, I had seen this book everywhere. I’ve not dipped my toes too far into the LitRPG genre, but I feel like it’s something I could really love. So far, this has been a fun, fast-paced read and I’m excited to read more!
Supermarket by Bobby Hall: I’m trying to get back into reading e-books again, so I decided to try and tackle my Kindle library. This is the oldest book on my Kindle TBR and it sounded weird. Now that I’m about a third of the way into it, I can confirm it is weird, haha. I’m still trying to decide if it’s the kind of weird I like or no.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones: My library hold for this audiobook finally came in and I’m so glad it did! This audiobook is fantastic so far! I’m loving the story of revenge and grief. The narrators area absolutely killing it, too. Am I feeling a five star?? It’s early days, but I’m getting that vibe!

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books of 2025

January 6, 2026 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish back in June 2010. It is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and, as is stated on the blog, it was “born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.”

Hello, reader!

I know I already talked about five of my top books of 2025, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a top ten! I mentioned in that other post that I had quite a few five star reads last year, so I’m taking the fact that the Top Ten Tuesday topic this week is your top ten reads of 2025 as an excuse to promote some more. I also haven’t done a TTT in awhile and wanted to get back into the groove, ya know?

That being said, it’s time to share my ten best reads of last year!

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: This cover is actually a placeholder for the entire series, which I binge re-read in 2025! Yes, I realize this is kiiiind of cheating. No, I do not care.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This book made me sob while trying to get my kid ready for school😭 It’s my own fault for listening to the audiobook while making his breakfast. Beautiful work, though.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker: God, if Cora was real (and she wouldn’t absolutely hate it), I’d want to give her a hug. This book got under my skin in the best way!
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty: Adventures on the high seas with an older woman as our protagonist! I was already on board (haHA) just reading the synopsis, but the writing, the characters, and the story completely won me over.
A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury: If you want to read a book that will make you simultaneously rage and cheer, you might want to look into this one. It’s the first book of a series and I’m so excited to see where it goes!

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bookmark chat

Anticipated 2026 Book Releases

January 5, 2026 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

Hello, reader!

As we enter the new year, I have, of course, been thinking about what I’m looking forward to in 2026. Being who I am as a person, books were near the top of the list! There are a ton of books releasing this year that I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on but, today, I want to share my top 15 anticipated releases of 2026.

Going through my list, the big thing that stands out is that there are a lot of sequels or continuations of series that I’m eager to read this year. There’s also a lot more romance I’ll be talking about today than there would have been even a year ago. Dipping my toe into the genre has definitely left a mark! I definitely need to work on focusing on more diverse reads, but I think this list is a decent mix.

But enough talk! Let me share which 15 books I can’t wait to read in 2026.

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (pub date: Feb 17th)
- I still haven’t read the Emily Wilde series, but I constantly hear how whimsical it is. And then I heard about this book and, like… come on! It’s like it was written to appeal to me in particular! Cats and whimsy and coziness? Please give it to me now 🥺
And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison (pub date: Feb 24th)
- I read First Time Caller, which is the first book in this companion romance series, and absolutely loved it! The romance was so well-paced and sweet and I adored the main couple. I also adored Jackson, who was a background character in the first book and is now getting his own! I’m hoping it’s just as heartwarming as the first book.
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (pub date: Feb 17th)
- I’m not a huge historical fiction girlie, but historical fantasy has really been pulling me in lately. I actually have a couple of books by this author on my TBR, but this one has immediately knocked them down the priority list, haha. It’s a portal fantasy centered around books that is set where I live… that’s three of my favorite things all in one book!
A Clash of Carnivores by Liselle Sambury (pub date: Aug 4th)
- This is the sequel to A Mastery of Monsters, which was my favorite read of 2025! You know I’m chomping at the bit to pick this one up. This is a young adult fantasy that is dark and beautiful and thought-provoking in the best way. I cannot wait to see what August, our main character, gets up to after the events of the first book.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (pub date: Apr 7th)
- I was already interested in this mystery novel before I even found out that one of my favorite authors, V.E. Schwab, is the “Evelyn” of Evelyn Clarke! The premise is what hooked me… there’s six authors on a private island tasked to finish the final book of a famous but deceased author and, of course, death ensues. Sign me up!

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reading project

2026 Reading Project: Netgalley Catch Up

January 4, 2026January 4, 2026 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

As I was making plans to get back into my blogging groove, I found myself also making plans for reading projects I wanted to work on in 2026. One of those projects is getting my sad Netgalley account back to looking somewhat respectable! I don’t think I uploaded a single Netgalley review in 2025 😅 That’s why this is the first project I’d like to tackle in 2026!

Before I start on my journey, let’s take a look at what my Netgalley stats look like currently.

Current Netgalley Stats

First of all, the “all-important” feedback ratio. I’m currently sitting at an 81%, which actually surprised me, haha. That’s 115 of 142 books that I’ve reviewed so far.

I’m sure that the fact that I haven’t really been requesting books at all and, therefore, haven’t been getting new, approved e-ARCs has certainly helped with keeping that ratio from tanking during my Netgalley hiatus. There were a few books I accepted in 2025 that were pre-approved, but thankfully that hasn’t ruined the ratio just yet. So that’s one stat I’m not so worried about at the moment.

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lets talk bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Top Reads of 2025

January 3, 2026 kerrimcbooknerd8 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
Top 2025 Reads in Five Words/Sentences

Prompts: What were your top 5 (or top 10) reads in 2025? If you had five words or sentences (your choice!) to describe each book and convince other readers to pick it up, how would you describe your 2025 favorites?

What were your top 5 (or top 10) reads in 2025? If you had five words or sentences (your choice!) to describe each book and convince other readers to pick it up, how would you describe your 2025 favorites?

Though 2025 feels like a jumbled mess in my mind, according to Goodreads, I had an incredible reading year. My average rating for 2025 was 3.8 stars! I do remembering enjoying pretty much everything I picked up, though, looking at my reading log, I still didn’t dole out a ton of 5 stars. I’ve been getting a lot more stingy with those lately. That being said, I did have more than 5, but have picked the five that have stuck with me the most to share here.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 2nd, 2026

January 2, 2026 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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 made it to the end of the week and, quite honestly, I don’t know which way is up, haha. This has been a topsy-turvy couple of weeks and I’m kind of glad I don’t have any significant plans going into the weekend. Before the weekend fully hits, though, it’s time for another First Lines Friday post!

The book I’m featuring today is one I’ve just started during my lunch break at work. I’ve had a hold on the audiobook for a minute and it finally became available! And, I’m going to be honest with you, the only reason I’m listening to it is because Richard Armitage is one of the narrators 😂 That man could read me a grocery list and I’d rate it highly! Still, I’m intrigued by the opening of the story and am hoping that continues.

Now, let’s see if you can guess what I’ve started by just the first few lines!

The Line(s):

“It wasn’t love at first sight. I can admit that now. But by the end, I loved her more than I thought it was possible to love another human being.“