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Friday's Book Beginnings and Blog Hop on Saturday

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Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Zodiac's unmasked features first came into focus one blazing summer day upon the crystal face of a watch." Z odiac Unmasked by Robert Graysmith I'm reading my first true crime novel this month. I had tried to get a copy of the original Zodiac book, by the same author, but they haven't adapted it to an e-book format, and I downloaded this from my library instead.    Book Blogger Hop Q: January is National Hobby Month. Do you have any pastimes or interests other than reading that go well with your love of books and literature? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: Oh, boy, do I have pastimes. I do counted-cross stitch and that takes up a lot of time, I have an embarrassing stack of adult coloring books that I bought during the craze...
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Top Ten Most Anticipated Books

Today's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl, is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025.   I, for the most part, haven't got a clue about upcoming novels or debuts or anything of that sort, unless it's for an author I habitually stalk. Today what I'm going to do instead is recommend the Top Ten ARCs I read last year. I didn't read ten of them, but I did read 7 & 1/8 (I'm not going to recommend the 1/8). 1.  What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher  The sequel to What Moves the Dead  an Edgar Allen Poe inspired series. It doesn't count toward this year, it actually came out in 2024, but if you like gothic horror you might like these books. 2.  Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey  A mystery/thriller in the style of The DaVinci Code,  Salem a cryptoanalyst and her best friend Bel, are trying to crack a code to bring their kidnapped mothers home. 3.  A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall  A woman marrying into an afflue...
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Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer

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The story of Tycho and Jax continues with their journey to Emberfall, during which there's a vicious attack by scravers. With scravers terrorizing the countryside, Tycho worries about the consequences of his promise to Nakiis. Prince Rhen orders Tycho away to warn the King and once again he finds himself riding away from Jax. Callyn's story opens with her chasing the princess through the palace, part of her new job as Sinna's lady in waiting. Soon it becomes her responsibility to figure out why the Queen was attacked, trapping her in a game of politics that may turn deadly. I'm going to start by saying, Jax and Tycho are sooooo sweet. They're sweet together and sweet to each other. If you are looking for a lighthearted romantasy that makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, this book's opening salvo fits the bill. But as wonderful as it is it can't stay that way for long. Their relationship becomes strained by the necessity of finding balance between the...
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New Year's Post

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Happy New Year! The Sunday Post is a weekly news meme created by Caffeinated Reviewer . I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me. I hope you are all doing well, and are as excited about the New Year as I am. I'm welcoming it in with a recap of last year and my goals for 2025. In 2024, I challenged myself to read 12 books. I know it's not a flashy number, but I figure if I'm doing one a month I'm doing alright. I'm happy that not only did I meet my goal of 12 books, I exceeded it by reading 33, a grand total 14,755 pages. Last year I had set aside some reading goals (other than book count) to help keep my reading habits organized. I wanted to read only from my TBR list, except for when following up previously started series, or rereading prequels to their sequels. And while I did read some from my TBR, I added in a few ARCs and a handful of rereads during the busier holiday months. I'm proud to say, even though I didn'...
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Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2024

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Today's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl , was listed as the Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2024. A few of them were re-reads but I'm including them anyways: there's a reason why they were good enough to re-read in the first place. I've linked my favorite titles of the year to my reviews. 1. The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith 2. The Call of the Wild by Jack London 3. Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey 4. Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer 5. The Unidentified by Colin Dickey 6. Spare by Prince Harry 7. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 8. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher 9. The Abominable by Dan Simmons 10. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty What was your favorite book of the year?
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A Conjuring of Light by VE Shwab

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  "'You told me once," said Kell, "That you were either magic's master or its slave. So which are you now?" Kell, Lila, Alucard, and Rhy are setting out to save the world they love from unstoppable evil curse. Each chapter was thick with tension as the characters that we've grown to love, and the ones we've grown to hate, are hovering on the edge of life and death with each turn of the page. This book was fast-paced and full of action and I could not put it down. Osaron, an evil manifestation of magic, is taking over Red London, one body at a time, leaving the royal family and the competitors of the Essen Tasch trapped in the palace. The stakes are high as our main characters search for a way to save the world and I was glued to my seat to find out what was going to happen next. The characters are well established now. Kell who yearns for freedom, now bound by the magic keeping Rhy alive, their lives tied inexorably together. Lila, a young woman who ...
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Book Beginnings on Friday & Friday Book Blog Hop

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Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  Share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now. "Delilah Bard-always a thief, recently a magician, and one day, hopefully, a pirate-was running as fast as she could." A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab I'm on the final installment of the Shades of Magic trilogy , and it's still the rollercoaster ride I remembered. But I think the rereads did break my reading slump, as I'm already planning my first books to read for 2025. I recommend this trilogy, if fantasy is your thing, it's a lot of fun. Book Blogger Hop Q: Do you have any reading goals for the new year? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: I always set a goal of 12 books to read in the new year, and usually read more (sometimes less). This year I'm adding a secondary goal of reading at least 6 books off my cu...
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