Book Blogger Hop: Bookish Scents

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Prompt

What’s your favorite bookish scent, and why does it appeal to you?

Submitted by Billy, Coffee-Addicted Writer.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: March 27th, 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 sharing on social media, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve arrived at the end of the work week and you know what that means. Time for another First Lines Friday! Today, I’m featuring a novel that I found out existed only a few years ago. My 80s kid heart was thrilled! I’ve had this on my bookshelf for awhile and I think it’s time to finally give it a read.

Now, we’re gonna if the first line can help suck me in.

The Line(s):

“This inscription could be seen on the glass door of a small shop, but naturally this was only the way it looked if you were inside the dimly lit shop, looking out at the street through the plateglass door.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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reading project

Project Library Love: March Visit

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for a check-in on one of my 2026 reading projects, Library Love! Gonna be honest, I didn’t do as well in February finishing all my books before they had to be returned to the library 😅 That’s because my reading these past few months has kind of slowed down from my surge in January. Life has been throwing a lot at me lately and it is definitely affecting my reading. Still, I made a point to get back to the library, even if my haul is a bit smaller this month.

Now let’s recap February’s books and talk about what I picked up in March!

Last Month’s Stack

In February, I ended up checking out seven physical books, one audiobook, and one book in both audio and physical form.

My physical picks were:

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayborn
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
How to Kill A Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
The Love Audit by Lucy Eden
One by One by Ruth Ware

My audiobook pick was:

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

And my audio/physical pick was:

All of Us Murderers by K.J. Charles

As I said, I didn’t do quite so well reading all my library books in February. I ended up reading three of the physical books, one audiobook, and the combined audio/physical checkout. I definitely focused on reading book club books cause I got all of those done! I started All of Us Murderers physically, but ended up switching to the audiobook because my Libby hold came in.

I ended up returning both Last First Kiss and The Love Audit back to the library without reading them. I suppose I just wasn’t in a romance mood last month. And I still have A Curious Beginning and Entangled Life checked out! I’ll probably have to renew them (again…) but I do really want to read them. We’ll see if that happens, haha.

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book tag

Book Tag: 2026 Reading Firsts

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Hello, reader!

I’m bringing you another book tag today. I saw this one pop up on @dinipandareads and it looked like a lot of fun! Also, Dini’s blog is not only aesthetically pleasing, but just a good time, so please go check it out. This tag was created by Tanya Patrice @Girlxoxo so go check them out, as well!

I’ve not done this tag before, but I do love a good recap! Let’s dive in.

First Book Read in 2026

My first read of 2026 was His & Hers by Alice Feeney. Though it wasn’t my most disliked Alice Feeney (looking at you, Beautiful Ugly…), I was not a fan of the twists at the end. I want to rant about them, actually, but I don’t want to spoil the book for others, haha. I will say, I was pulled into the story and at least I didn’t want to fight the characters constantly, so… it was okay as a first read of the year.

First Review of 2026

My first review of the year was for The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. This was a Netgalley e-ARC that I read forever ago and just… didn’t review 😅 So, in my pursuit to improve my Netgalley ratio and decrease my backlog, I started the year catching up on reviews I should have written forever ago! You can read my full review here.

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

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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!

It is officially Spring where I live (though it doesn’t always feel like it…) and that means it’s time to start thinking about Spring reads! That’s the topic for today’s Top Ten Tuesday, but I must confess something. I don’t really do seasonal TBRs… I’m barely with-it enough to make monthly TBRs! So I’ve decided to feature ten Spring releases that I’m excited to read instead. I probably won’t get to most of these during this season, but they are still on my radar.

Now, let me share my Spring list with you!

Spring Releases

The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty

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goodreads monday

Goodreads/TBR Monday: March 23rd, 2026

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Goodreads Monday/TBR Monday is a bookish meme hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog invites you to post about what books are on your Goodreads “to read” lists or TBR lists, the progress you have made on your current books and reading challenges, and any other bookish news!

Hello, reader!

It’s the beginning of the week, which means I’m bringing you another Goodreads Monday post! It’s been rainy and gross where I live and my energy level has been in the absolute toilet. Which is why it has taken me so long to sit down and write! We’re here now, though, and it’s time to see what book on my Goodreads TBR I’ll be judging today.

Join me on this ride!

Random Goodreads Pick

Book:
Stolen by the Shadow King

Author:
Alisha Klapheke

Publisher:
Self-published

Publication Date:
January 11th, 2022

Pages:
342

Genre:
Fantasy/Romance

Synopsis:
When the vicious king of the shadow elves drags Maren to the Underworld and claims her as his fated mate, she fights to escape.

But when Maren learns she is the legendary seer of the Underworld, everything changes. She discovers a magical poison spreading, and the only way to save both realms from complete destruction is to bind her power with the king’s to heal the land through their union.

Maren isn’t heartless. Of course, she’ll sacrifice herself to save her beloved family and the world. And her feelings for the protective, mercurial shadow king are changing…

When another shadow lord steals the key to the king’s power and demands Maren’s hand in marriage, she realizes what evil truly looks like in the Underworld.

Now, she must either fight alongside the king and hope they don’t run out of time to save the realms, or surrender to the evil lord and stop the poison’s spread before it’s too late.

Maren can still save the realms, but it will require a true sacrifice of the heart.

If you like steamy-sweet, enemies to lovers fantasy romance loosely inspired by Hades and Persephone and Pride and Prejudice with brooding love interests, feisty female leads, and powerful friendships, this book is for you.

Dive into this rich new world today!

*This duology is set in the same world as Kingdoms of Lore and Dragons Rising but readers can easily start with this book.

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the sunday post

The Sunday Post: March 22nd, 2026

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The Sunday Post is a blog news meme created by @CaffeinatedReviewer! It 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.

Hello, reader!

It’s actually been a couple of weeks since I did a Sunday Post. Life has been an absolute whirlwind lately and not in a good way 😅 But updating this blog is a good distraction so I’m getting back on track! Let me fill you in on what I’ve been up to for the past couple of weeks.

Week in Review

Life definitely decided to throw a wrench in my routine the week before last when I got a call from my brother. My grandma hasn’t been doing well the past year or so, but now she’s going downhill rapidly. He suggested I come to Georgia (where my parents/grandma live) to try and see her because they were planning on putting her into hospice. So I got a last minute flight to go visit last weekend and basically say goodbye. My grandma was a huge part of my childhood and I’m happy I got to get down there and give her hugs and kisses. I wish I could have stayed longer, but we live in a capitalist hellscape and I gotta work to keep a roof over our heads.

BUT THEN! The trip back home was TERRIBLE. I had multiple flights canceled, got re-routed through several different airports, and didn’t get home until Tuesday morning at 1 am when I was supposed to be home Sunday 🫠 At least work let me take Tuesday off so I could get some sleep. It was a lot.

I suppose it’s a good thing I love flying and airports or else I would have been even more miserable. And I got window seats for most of my flights, so I got to see the beautiful views. I also found the bookstores in almost every airport I was in, haha. Because of course I did! I almost bought something, too (I didn’t know Strange Buildings was out!), but I only had a small carryon as I didn’t want to have to check any bags.

All in all, the reason for the trip sucked, the actual trip was long as hell, but it was all worth it to be able to see my grandma 💕

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book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: A Sequel to a Classic

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This Week’s Prompt

If you could write the sequel to a classic book, which one would it be? What new characters or plot twists would you bring in?

Submitted by Billy, Coffee-Addicted Writer.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: March 20th, 2026

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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 sharing on social media, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Friday, y’all! I’m enjoying a day off for this First Lines Friday because I’m working this weekend 😭 Still, it’s given me a chance to pick through my Book of the Month books to see which one I wanted to feature today! I’m trying to keep these books in the forefront of my mind because I have been neglecting them terribly in 2026. The book I picked is the first I picked for the year and it still hasn’t been read!

Now, let’s see if the first line can pull me in.

The Line(s):

“I’m the last one out of the limos, the twentieth woman Roland will meet tonight.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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book reviews

Book Review: She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva

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Title: She Made Herself a Monster
Author: Anna Kovatcheva
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: Historical Fiction/Gothic/Horror
Age Group: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Content/Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, self-harm, suicide attempt, blood/gore, grooming, violence
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Goodreads::Storygraph

A heady, dark-hued Gothic gem of a debut novel: in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—actually, a traveling con artist—joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons.

We make monsters in order to destroy them. For thousands of years, we’ve named witches and burned them, suspected demons and exorcised them. When crops die and children fall ill, who better to blame than a monster?

In nineteenth-century Bulgaria, Yana rides from one desolate town to the next, staging grisly displays while the villagers sleep: animal corpses in the public square, eggs filled with blood in the chicken coop. She tells the stricken villagers stories of vampires that stalk the night. Then Yana eliminates the threat, and leaves seeds of hope in her wake.

The village of Koprivici, however, is plagued by exceptional illness and misfortune, its children rarely surviving infancy. There, Yana meets Anka: a headstrong orphan who the villagers blame for their curse. As Anka approaches womanhood, the village Captain is grooming her for marriage against her will. Anka is powerless against him—that is, until Yana arrives. Together, the orphan and the vampire slayer hatch a plan: to conjure a monster so vile, it might provide cover for Anka to escape. But their plan quickly takes on a horrifying life of its own…

Inspired by Slavic folklore, She Made Herself a Monster concocts a clever mix of witchery, ghost stories, heresy, and deception to spin a feminist fable about agency and the power of collective action. It is a haunting and astoundingly cathartic tale of two women who will stop at nothing to take control of their fate.

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