first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 2nd, 2026


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 donโ€™t give anything else about the book away just yet โ€“ you need to hook the reader first
  • Finallyโ€ฆ reveal the book!

If youโ€™re using Twitter, donโ€™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 ๐Ÿ˜‚ 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.


The Build Up:


The Reveal:

Continue reading “First Lines Friday: January 2nd, 2026”
book tag

Book Tag: New Year’s Book Tag 2026

Hello reader!

Happy New Year to you all ๐Ÿ˜Š I hope everyone had a safe, fun New Year’s Eve and are having a relaxing start to 2026. As happens every time we move to December to January, I’ve been thinking about what I want out of this next year. I know for a fact that I want to get back into the groove of book blogging! 2025 was a bit of a crazy year here in my household and yours truly felt like she was drowning under the chaos on the best of days. But our life is starting to find a more chill balance and I feel like I can finally take a deep breath and get back into hobbies that I used to enjoy!

That being said, doing the New Year’s Book Tag seemed like the perfect fresh start for my little blog! I found this on Ashley’s (@BooksAre42) blog and it seemed like kismet. I’m not sure who the original creator might be, but if you know, please drop a comment! Now, let’s get to the tag.


In previous years, I would always up my reading challenge by five if I managed to reach my goal. In 2025, my goal was 60 books and I absolutely smashed that goal by reading 98 books! You would think I could be bold and pick a goal closer to the 90 range, but reading is my favorite hobby and I find keeping my reading challenge lower helps keep it that way, haha. So, my goal for 2026 will be 65 books!

Hahaha, I could definitely list more than five ๐Ÿ‘€ I barely read anything from my 25 in 2025 list, so I’m going to go with five books from there:

Continue reading “Book Tag: New Year’s Book Tag 2026”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a horror novel that was one of my fave excerpts: A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron!



  • Title:ย A Lonely Broadcast
  • Authors:ย Kel Byron
  • Publication date: June 2nd, 2023
  • Genre: Horror/Thriller
  • Age group: Adult
  • Length: 318 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Afterburn by D. Andrews


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a sci-fi thriller that sounds intense: Afterburn by D. Andrews!



  • Title:ย Afterburn
  • Authors:ย D. Andrews
  • Publication date: March 1st, 2024
  • Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
  • Age group: Adult
  • Length: 440 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Afterburn by D. Andrews”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Anasazi Vision by True North


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a literary fiction that is much more than a novel: Anasazi Vision by True North!



  • Title:ย Anasazi Vision
  • Authors:ย True North
  • Publication date: December 5th, 2024
  • Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Fiction
  • Age group:ย Adult
  • Length: 449 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Anasazi Vision by True North”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Another Kind of Thing by A.P. Pullan


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a middle grade mystery set in Scotland: Another Kind of Thing by A.P. Pullan!



  • Title:ย Another Kind of Thing
  • Authors:ย A.P. Pullan
  • Publication date: November 28th, 2024
  • Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Mystery
  • Age group:ย Middle Grade
  • Length: 216 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Another Kind of Thing by A.P. Pullan”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Ariel: Dancing on TV by Ailish Sinclair


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a young adult contemporary romance: Ariel: Dancing on TV by Ailish Sinclair!



  • Title:ย Ariel: Dancing on TV
  • Authors:ย Ailish Sinclair
  • Publication date: January 1st, 2025
  • Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
  • Age group:ย Young Adult
  • Length: 266 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Ariel: Dancing on TV by Ailish Sinclair”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Blood of the Stars by Karyne Norton


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on an epic fantasy that sounds engaging: Blood of the Stars by Karyne Norton!



  • Title:ย Blood of the Stars
  • Authors:ย Karyne Norton
  • Publication date: March 18th, 2024
  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
  • Age group: Adult
  • Length: 696 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Blood of the Stars by Karyne Norton”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Boys Cry by Misty Gardner


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a contemporary fiction revolving around a musician: Boys Cry by Misty Gardner!



  • Title:ย Boys Cry
  • Authors:ย Misty Gardner
  • Publication date: November 5th, 2024
  • Genre: Contemporary Fiction/LGBTQIA+/Romance
  • Age group: Adult
  • Length: 359 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Boys Cry by Misty Gardner”
bbnya spotlight · blog tour

BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Card Snake by John Morey


Hello, reader!

Today on the blog, I’m helping the Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) spotlight all the books that made it to the semi-finals! There were so many incredible books entered this year, so it’s my pleasure to feature the ones that may not have made it to the finals, but were still worthy of note!

But what is BBNYA, exactly? The Book Bloggersโ€™ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Our spotlight for today is shining on a fantasy featuring a card-playing snake: Card Snake by John Morey!



  • Title:ย Card Snake
  • Authors:ย John Morey
  • Publication date: September 21st, 2024
  • Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
  • Age group: Adult
  • Length: 486 pages

Amazon::Goodreads::StoryGraph

Continue reading “BBNYA 2025 Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Card Snake by John Morey”