Month: February 2022

First Lines Friday: February 4, 2022

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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?

  • 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!

Well hello beautiful humans! It’s Friday! We survived the winter storm yesterday! It was very nice to sit and watch it snow, ice, and sleet. Yup, we got it all. I took the day to relax and read, which was a nice way to spend the day.

But today is First Lines Friday! I tried to keep with the theme of my TBR for this month (post coming next week!).

The Lines

Jessica Davis used to think it was an honest-to-God tragedy that only twenty-six percent of women believed in true love. Of course, that was nearly a decade ago, when she couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be anything but deeply and passionately obsessed with the man who would one day be her ex.

Intrigued?

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers:This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get ‘to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

I had a fun time reading In A Holidaze (I gave it three stars) and it was enough to make me give the authors another chance. Also, a “science” based dating website? I’ll try that.

January Reading Wrap-Up: 2022

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Hello beautiful people! I hope you are having a good day today! I’m going to be enjoying a cozy day indoors while the winter weather continues. I’ll be cuddling up with a warm fire, a comfy blanket, several cups of tea, and a good book.

As for my wrap-up this month, I got off to a very slow start because of reasons, but I managed to read a total of seven books, including one DNF.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

I started reading this one in the middle of December as an audiobook and because I was so busy I wasn’t able to finish it until the beginning of January. That being said, I really liked this book. I thought it was a cute and heartwarming romance with a mild mystery thrown into it. If you are looking for something adorable to read over the holidays later this year, I highly recommend it. Four stars!

Once More Upon A Time by Roshani Chokshi

Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

This short fairytale is about a prince and princess who have their love taken away by a witch. I thought it was adorable and full of hope, and random talking badgers. It’s mostly about finding love again when you thought you had lost it. It was originally an Audible original, so you can find it there if you are so inclined. Four Stars.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott

Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

I reviewed a copy of this one, and I wasn’t thrilled with it. It’s the story of a mage who is, essentially, kidnapped by rebels to free some people trapped in a mine. This novella had a lot of potential, and I really dug the magic system, but it just didn’t live up to that potential for me. Two stars.

A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass

Amazon Barnes & Nobles Bookshop.org

Another book I reviewed this month, and my only DNF. This is the story of three witches who get a letter from their cousin saying she is leaving town and taking one of their partners with her. As you could probably guess, I didn’t like this. You can read the review for my full thoughts. One star.

The In Death Series by J.D. Robb, books 1-3

Massive trigger warnings for this series. Please check online for each book, as they differ.

Naked in Death: The start to the series. Eve Dallas is a dective in future NYC. She ends up being called to investigate the murder of a senator’s grandaughter. Along the way she meets Roarke, an intriguing Multi-billionaire who becomes involved in the case. I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this one. Five Stars. Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

Glory in Death: Book two in the series. In this one Eve is called on to investigate the death of the District Attorney. Another one I loved. Five stars. Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

Immortal in Death: A mysterious and brutal attack claims the life of a world-famous supermodel, and Eve’s best friend is caught in the crossfire. I loved seeing Eve having to balance her duty to the law with her duty to her friend. Five stars. Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org

On to my favorite part, the stats! As previously mentioned, I read seven books last month, coming in at 1796 pages. Go me!

I foresee a few months of that mysterious piece of the pie being the largest slice. But this month, there were four mysterious books.

That doesn’t seem right somehow. I may have selected the wrong option for this stat here and there.

This is about what I thought, what with so many of the books being novellas.

So it seems that the In Death series is not only a Mystery series, it’s a Romance series too. That’s really going to skew my stats this year.

I don’t think I gave a single two star rating last year, so we are off to a good start this year, I guess.

You can see where I had Covid fog because I read nothing during that period. Go me!

As always, these stats come to you courtesy of The Storygraph. I cannot recommend them enough. For those interested, they have a place under each book for content warnings. So helpful.

How did you do last month?

WWW Wednesday: February 2, 2022

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It’s WWW Wednesday! It’s the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

Hello beautiful people! Today is Groundhog Day here in America. It’s a day built on superstition. Basically, if the groundhog sees its shadow, we get more winter. Lots of people get a kick out of it, and Punxsutawney Phil (the aforementioned groundhog) is a national celebrity. He’s also adorable, so that helps.

On to the W’s!

What are you currently reading?

Ceremony In Death by J.D. Robb

I started reading this one last night. These books are short (usually around 300 pages) and make for quick and fun reads. It’s the 5th book in the In Death series. I am really enjoying myself in this readthrough. I can’t remember the trigger warnings for this book, but I recommend looking them up.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark

I just started this one. And yes, I’m trying to read this while I’m reading the In Death series. You will see that a lot. At this point, I have no opinion of this book, I’m only a few pages into it, but I have high hopes!

What did you recently finish reading?

Rapture In Death by J.D. Robb

I loved this book (go figure). In it, Eve is investigating the apparent suicide of a defense attorney who, it seems, loves his life. This tale has trigger warnings for suicide, mentions of rape, and mentions of child abuse.

Vengeance In Death by J.D. Robb

I am not surprised that I am reaching for this one next, as it is book six in the series. You’ll be seeing these for a while. Sorry (not sorry) about that.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I caved and bought it. It should be here today, in fact. It is extremely hyped, so I hope it is able to fulfill my expectations. I’ve also heard it’s supposed to be a little funny, so here’s hoping!

What side do you stand on? Do you hope the groundhog sees his shadow and thus the rest of us will suffer because we don’t like winter weather? Or are you optimistic that it will be a cloudy day and Phil will miss out on this time and winter will be over early? Enquiring minds want to know.

TTT: Books With Names/Character Names in the Titles

Lauren3 Comments

It’s Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Well hello beautiful people! It’s going to be an interesting day for me today. I’m preparing for inclement weather that may, or may not, happen. There are some very cold temps heading my way and with that comes snow and/or ice. Maybe. See, I live in the south, so when the weather calls for snow and ice, there is a 75% chance it won’t happen. But you have to act as if it will happen because we are ill-prepared for the poor weather. As evidenced by how last year’s storms wiped out our power grid.

It was…fun.

But today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about books with names in the titles. As I was trying to focus on books I actually own, I honestly thought this was going to be harder to complete, as I read mostly fantasy, and that genre doesn’t often use names in the titles. But I managed to find more than ten! Huzzah!

Some of these will be on my TBR pile, and some will be books I have already read!

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

A TBR pile book. The Apollo in the title is an obvious reference to the Apollo missions which saw American Astronauts land on the moon. It took place between 1961 and 1972, with the first crewed flight being in 1968. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Le Morte d’Athur by Sir Thomas Mallory

I have read part of this book, gotten distracted by other books, and not finished it. It’s a dense thing. These are the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. My illustrated copy is 800 pages long. This book was originally written in the late 1400s and Mallory was not a nice guy, having been imprisoned for a variety of violent crimes, including attempted murder. The things you find out when you get curious.

Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead

This second book in the Raven King Trilogy is named after Will Scarlett, this series is all about the fictional hero of Robin Hood. I say fictional hero as there is no actual evidence that Robin Hood actually existed. From what I was able to find, the first written account of him was in the late 1300s. Apparently, today is history day.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

This is also a book on my TBR. I picked this book, named after its main characters, years ago at McKay’s in Nashville. Weighing in at 865 pages, I have just avoided picking it up. Because of time. And weight. That book is heavy.

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

This book on my TBR pile was a total cover buy. I have since learned that it is number one in a series of five, so that could be fun. From what I understand, the whole series is told in memoir form, told from Lady Trent’s point of view.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

A BOTM pick that made its way onto my TBR. I love the idea of inheritance, magic, and mysterious circumstances leading you back home. Should be a fun read, you know, when I get to it.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Oh, look, another book on my TBR. This book has all the praise and that cover is gorgeous. This book is named after its main character and she has a ghost dog! A ghost dog!

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

I read this book years ago, and I liked it. I thought the first book, Angels and Demons, was so much better. This book really isn’t about Leonardo Da Vinci, but it’s a fun read if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller to read.

Polgara the Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings

I read this book twenty years ago. I’ll be honest, I don’t really remember much about it, so I should probably re-read it. I do know it’s the final book in a series that I have never read another book in. This was a recommendation from a friend in my college days.

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The story of the mysterious head of the Dark-Hunters, Acheron. It took 14 books to get to his story, and it was well worth it. In my opinion, it was the best of the Dark-Hunter novels up until this point. I really need to re-read this series. That will have to come later!

Honorable mention to Willow, the novel based on the movie. I found it listed on Amazon for $700, so yeah, no. Suffice it to say that one is out of print.

I had a lot of fun trying to find all these books. Looking of my bookshelves at all the books I own reminded me how very lucky I am to be able to have reading as a hobby. So very, very lucky.

Do you have a favorite book with a name in the title?