first lines friday

First Lines Friday #71


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 (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
  • Finallyโ€ฆ reveal the book!

If youโ€™re using Twitter, donโ€™t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!


Hello, reader!

It’s time for another First Lines Friday! Today, I’m featuring a book that I’ve been wanting to read for awhile now. I’ve already started it and can confirm that the first line immediately captured my interest. This is a book that I know, now that I don’t have any books I need to finish for tours, will bogart all of my attention until I’ve finished it.

Now, let’s see if the first line piques your interest as much as it did mine!


The Line(s):

“You think you’d know what a killer sounds like.”


The Hints:

This is a young adult thriller with a blood red cover.

It is the second book in a series.

It has a podcast element which is something I love in books!


The Reveal:

Continue reading “First Lines Friday #71”
top 5 tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books About Death

Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that weekโ€™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 spent most of this day thinking it was Monday, so imagine how happy I am that I’m doing a Top 5 Tuesday post! The topic this week is can be a bit of a mood killer, though. That’s because I’ll be picking five books that deal with death. Now, the books I’ve pulled from some of my favorites don’t necessary completely revolve around death, but a death is usually the catalyst of the story. I think that works for today’s prompt!

With that being said, let’s get to the post and my choices ๐Ÿ’€


#1. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Of course, when the topic of death was mentioned, this book immediately came to mind. It is, after all, centered around a young brujo who accidentally summons the ghost of one of his recently departed classmates. This was such a great read, with touching moments and the sweetest romance between Yadriel and Julian (the ghost boy). It was also scary as hell in some parts, but that’s why I loved it!

#2. Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski

I’m picking the first book in this iconic series that blends horror and thriller into one tantalizing read. However, a number of the books in this series would fit the theme! I’m so glad I joined in on with a book club for this because I had honestly not heard of it before it was picked as our next series to read. I love that it’s all based around a true crime podcast and I love that there is always some kind of scary story lurking in the periphery.

Continue reading “Top 5 Tuesday: Books About Death”
book discussion

22 Reads In 2022

Hello, reader!

A couple of weeks ago over on Instagram, I shared a post about another reading challenge I want to accomplish in 2022. I picked 22 books that I want to prioritize reading this year. Now, to keep myself accountable, I wanted to bring it over to the blog, as well!

Now I tried to wiggle out of my comfort zone a bit and now choose all fantasy novels. Fantasy is definitely a significant portion of the stack, but I wanted to make sure I had a bit of variety. I’m really happy with the books I’ve chosen and I think it’ll make for an even more exciting reading year! Let’s go through my choices by genre.


Fantasy


Though I tried to choose more than just fantasy, it doesn’t mean I can’t start with my favorite genre! It also makes up the majority of my list because, being a fantasy lover and someone who loves completing challenges, I want to give myself a fighting chance of finishing this, lol. Twelve of my 22 books fit in the fantasy genre and they are as follows:

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

These Violents Delights by Chloe Gong
Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Equal Rights by Sir Terry Pratchett


Mystery/Thriller


The rest of the genres that make up my stack of 22 are sprinkled throughout in smaller numbers. The next highest would be the mystery/thrillers! I found three that I’m desperate to read and I’m hoping I’ll love them! The three books I chose from this genre are as follows:

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson


Science Fiction


This is another genre that is high up on my favorites list. You wouldn’t really know it with as little sci-fi I read in a year, though ๐Ÿ˜… I don’t know why I don’t pick it up more… I tend to really love the books I do read in this genre. Hence it being one of my favorites! I’m hoping the same holds true for the two science fiction books I picked. Although one could be considered fantasy, but I felt like it had more of a sci-fi feel. The two books I chose from this genre are as follows:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin


Romance


As I may or may not have mentioned before on the blog, I’ve been feeling the urge to read romance rising as of late. I’m not sure where this urge is coming from as I’m really not a big romance reader. No shade, it’s just not a genre I gravitate towards. I blame my generally apathetic attitude towards most rom-com movies. Lately, though, I’ve noticed that if the rom-com is in book form, then I am totally on-board! That being said, I’ve chosen two romance novels for my stack, and those are as follows:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Well Played by Jen DeLuca


Horror


There was no way I was making a list of books to read in 2022 and not including any horror novels! What would I read during the spooky season? Or whenever I feel like a good scare? Horror is a genre that can be pretty hit or miss for me, so I tend to be a little wary when I pick them up. I’m hoping that the two I chose will be hits! The two horror novels I picked are as follows:

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig


Poetry


Rounding out my list is a genre that I rarely, if ever, pick up: poetry I talked about this in a recent Book Blogger Hop, but poetry is definitely on the low end of genres I willingly choose to read. But I honestly think I just haven’t found the right poetry for me! So, though there is only one poetry book on this stack, it hopefully won’t be the only one I read in 2022. I really want to give this genre the chance it deserves. That being said, the one poetry book that made it on my stack is as follows:

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman


Did you make a list of 22 reads you want to read in 2022? Have you read any of the books I’ve included in my stack? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

book reviews

Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Title: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: Thriller

Source: Bought

Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this bookโ€™s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book Links:
Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

High school senior Pip decides to try and prove that a closed case in her town isn’t as straight-forward as everyone thinks.

Favorite Quote

โ€œBut sometimes remembering isnโ€™t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile.

Continue reading “Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson”