Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers Bring Blue Books

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!

Tuesday has arrived and that means it’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday. April is winding up and New England has been living up to the “April showers” part of “April showers bring May flowers” 😂 Though the sun has definitely been making appearances and I’m not mad about the temps lately! It’s chilly but not as bad as it has been in previous years. Either way, I’ve had a lot of nice, rainy days for some reading, so today’s prompt being “April showers” felt perfect.

I decided to pick ten of my favorite books that have blue covers to share with you today. So let’s get to the list!

My Fave Blue Books

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

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book tag

Book Tag: 2026 Quarter Year Crisis

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Hello, reader!

I’ve been feeling the urge to do a book tag. Thankfully, I’ve been seeing the 2026 Quarter Year Crisis tag popping up everywhere. I love reading everyone’s post, I’ve been wanting to do a tag as I mentioned, so this just feels right! This tag was created by Roisin’s Reading on BookTube, so go check them out, as well 😊

Now let’s get to the tag!

How many books have you read so far?

I’m currently sitting at 26 books read for 2026. Which means I’m well on my way to meeting my goal of 65 books read this year! According to Goodreads, I’m 8 books ahead of schedule 🥳

More importantly than how many books I’ve read, I’ve been enjoying the majority of the books I’ve read so far this year! I’m also exploring non-fiction a lot more and discovering that maybe I don’t hate it as much as I thought I did, haha. No one is more shocked that my fantasy-loving self. Here’s hoping this trend continues!

Have you found a book that you think might be a 2026 favorite?

I’ve only had two five stars so far in 2026, which makes me sad… But, of those two five stars, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones is definitely the frontrunner! I adored this horror novel. It’s quietly disturbing, which is my favorite kind of horror, and I love the format in which it’s presented. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but a book written in a journal or diary format is always going to pique my interest. This is freakin’ stunning novel.

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Describe Me

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday and this one is pretty creative! I scrolled through a bunch of my read books on Goodreads to see if I could pick some books out that tell you a little bit more about me. I definitely had fun with this (and some may be a bit of stretch 😂) and I’m excited to share my picks with y’all.

Book Titles That Describe Me

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis: My husband recently got his Bachelor’s degree and is currently working a more entry level job, so I’m the one bringing in the dough 😉
Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez: Summer is my favorite season and this cover embodies a perfect summer day to me.
How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding: I’m a romantic at heart, but I’m also sarcastic as hell 😂
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: Even with some hard times recently, I’m truly living a wonderful life and I need to remind myself to appreciate that every once in awhile.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean: I may not physically eat them, but I certainly love to “devour” a good book!

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blog tour · book reviews

BBNYA 2025 Finalist Tour: Miss Bennet’s Dragon by M.Verant

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Hello, reader!

In 2025, I once again participated as a panelist for the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award! It was a tough competition but we eventually narrowed it down a group of finalists. Now, those finalists are on tour! Today, I’ll be sharing my review for a Pride & Prejudice retelling that had me gasping and swooning: Miss Bennet’s Dragon by M.Verant!

But, before I go on, let me tell you more about this award. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with, typically, 15 finalists (though we had 17 in 2025) and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

And, now, let’s talk about the book 📚

Title: Miss Bennet’s Dragon
Author: M. Verant
Publisher: Acerbic Press
Publication date: April 28th, 2021
Length: 372 pages
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Age group: Adult

Book Links

Amazon::StoryGraph::Goodreads

War threatens England, but Elizabeth Bennet’s battles are closer to home. She’s managing the family estate for her ailing father. Insufferable gentlemen keep bursting in to propose marriage. And most dangerous of all, she’s hiding a forbidden skill. Elizabeth can speak to draca, the small, fire-breathing dragons kept by gentry as frivolous status symbols.

When Napoleon’s spies attempt to steal draca, the distant war threatens even cozy Hertfordshire. Elizabeth seeks the aid of Mr. Darcy, the proud man whose proposal she once scorned. Amid the breathtaking halls of Pemberley, she discovers the truth: she is not the first woman to speak with draca. But with her secret revealed, the dark history of Pemberley tears her and Mr. Darcy apart.

One hope remains: her dangerous affinity to draca. But does she dare to trust legends and lost songs? And when a terrible betrayal threatens the man she loves, does she have a choice?

Miss Bennet’s Dragon is the first book in the award-winning Jane Austen Fantasy trilogy. For fans of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and of course Jane Austen.

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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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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

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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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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: March 20th, 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!

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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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: March 18th, 2026

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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:

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

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman: I feel like such a traitor because I keep not reading this book! I’m planning on getting back into it this evening before bed. I’ve even placed it on my bedside table! I need to lose myself in this world again… I find I kind of miss it! Perhaps my brain can settle down enough to let me.
The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton: I just started this e-book yesterday and I’m having a great time so far. I can already tell that this is going to be a book that explores grief in one way or another and I think that might just be perfect for me right now. I’m loving the worldbuilding and I’m intrigued by our two main characters. Looking forward to continuing!
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: Okay, I’m listening to the audiobook for this one and I think I’m realizing why this is one of the big hitters when it comes to mystery/thrillers. I am so invested in these random women’s lives and all I know so far is that someone died and all these people have kids that go to the same school. There’s already so much drama and I’m eating it up.

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Green Book Covers

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Hello, reader!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I honor of today’s very green-themed holiday, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about books with green covers. I don’t pay much attention to the colors of covers of the books I’ve read, but apparently I’ve read quite a few that sport a bit of the grassy hue. Today, I’m going to share a few of my faves.

Come see which green books I’m featuring!

Green Book Covers

Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Glunda the Veg Witch by Keith W. Dickenson
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

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