Tag Archives: weekly meme

First Lines Friday 5/22/2026

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First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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? Here’s how to join in:

  • 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!

This week’s lines are from an upcoming summer release:

There is a strange man on my sofa.
A cowboy.
A shirtless cowboy, no less — thick, sun-burnished muscles on full display, marked with bruises and what look to be smudges of charcoal.

So what’s the book?

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
To be released: June 16, 2026
368 pages

Synopsis:

A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer’s block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After. . . from the bestselling author of GMA book club pick The Love of My Afterlife.

Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.

The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.

River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.

But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming.




I loved this author’s previous novel, The Love of My Afterlife — and I’m always up for stories where fictional characters show up in real life. I’ll be listening to the audiobook version of Romantic Hero just as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Does this sound like something you’d enjoy?

Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: Jamie & Claire’s clan: Favorite supporting characters from the Outlander series

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters. I’ve decided to focus on supporting character from one particular series.

Last week marked the series finale of the Outlander TV series — but the book series continues, with author Diana Gabaldon still working on book #10, A Blessing For A Warrior Going Out. There’s no release date yet — here’s hoping it’s not too far off!

I have a lot of feelings about the series finale… but putting plot aside, what stays with me is how many wonderful characters are important to the story. With Outlander on my mind, I thought I’d highlight ten favorite supporting/secondary characters from the book series. (Yes, many of these appear in the TV version as well, but often with altered storylines and/or personality traits, so I’m focusing on the books!)

Just a bit of my Outlander collection!

My top ten are:

  1. Brianna Randall Fraser MacKenzie: Bree is a controversial pick — plenty of people dislike her, particularly early in the series when she’s kind of bratty and mean to Claire (and it is NOT okay to be mean to Claire). Bree really grows up (and grew on me) over the course of the series. She’s smart, she’s fierce, she’s welcomed Jamie into her life, and she’s become a terrific daughter at long last. Plus, gotta love a woman who does things like inventing matches and plumbing in her spare time.
  2. Roger MacKenzie: Total sweetheart and all-around wonderful soul. He’s devoted to Bree, is a man of faith, and has stuck with the Fraser clan despite truly terrible things happening to him because of his association with them
  3. Ian Murray (Young Ian): The little baby nephew Jamie bonded with before being sent off to prison post-Culloden grew up into a teen in need of rescue, an adopted Mohawk warrior, and a surrogate son to Jamie. Ian’s devotion to the Frasers, to his wife, and to Rollo (RIP) are lovely.
  4. Lord John Grey: Lord John gets his own books to star in (and they’re well worth checking out, for those who haven’t explored outside of the main Outlander volumes), but he’s also a fantastic friend to Jamie, Claire, and Brianna.
  5. Hal Grey, Duke of Pardloe: He doesn’t appear much in the TV version, but book readers know and love Hal for his wit, his devotion to family, and the endlessly entertaining dynamic whenever he and Claire are in the same scene.
  6. Fergus Fraser: From a wee French pickpocket to an American patriot of the printing press, Fergus is an excellent son to Jamie, with a lovely marriage and family. He lights up his moments on the page.
  7. Dougal MacKenzie: Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that he’s the catalyst for so much of what happens early in the series.
  8. Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser: While book Murtagh doesn’t last nearly as long as TV Murtagh, he’s a crucial character nonetheless. Jamie’s godfather has his back no matter what, and comes through for him in critical moments.
  9. Jenny Fraser Murray: I love Jenny’s fire, her devotion to her husband and children, her brother, and their home. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and is just glorious whenever she gets a moment to shine.
  10. Rollo, Adso, Donas, and the other animals of Outlander: I mentioned Rollo earlier in relation to Ian… but honestly, the various animals of this series deserve a shout-out of their own!

Stopping at ten means I have to omit so many others! So I’ll just a quick word of praise for all the rest of Diana Gabaldon’s amazing characters… including Marsali, Rachel, Denzel, Dottie, all the various grandchildren, William (can’t forget William!), Mother Hildegard… well, I could just go on and on until I name every single one!

If you’re an Outlander fan: who are your favorite supporting characters?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

First Lines Friday 5/15/2026

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First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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? Here’s how to join in:

  • 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!

This week’s lines are from a 2025 book with a split timeline:

At our school in Waikiki, there were two camps. Those whose families were invited to the grand opening of the Moana Hotel, and those who weren’t. Ours wasn’t, but I don’t care because I think it was a foolish idea to build a hotel right on the beach.

So what’s the book?

The Guest in Room 120 by Sara Ackerman
Published: September 23, 2025
336 pages

Synopsis:

A gripping novel inspired by one of America’s most mysterious deaths, that of Stanford University’s founder Jane Stanford. 

1905. As the mother of a university and a woman with an iron will, Jane Stanford has made her share of enemies. After a scare at her mansion in San Francisco and on the advice of her doctor, she flees to Honolulu and the fashionable new Moana hotel. But as fate would have it, the island is not as safe as it seems.

2005. Zoe Finch is a bestselling author who desperately needs a jump start on her next novel when she makes a split decision to attend a writers conference at the Moana under an assumed name. As a storm brews offshore, she begins having nightmares that feel hauntingly real. Terrified, Zoe enlists the help of mystery writer Dylan Winters, and over the course of the week, races to uncover the shocking truth of what happened in the hotel one hundred years ago almost to the day.

1905. Iliahi Baldwin’s life changes the moment she lands a job at the Moana. Newly hired and reeling from a tragic loss, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the formidable Jane Stanford upon her arrival, leaving young Ili devastated when the unthinkable happens. Ili knows things, but there are powerful people who need the truth to remain hidden, and to cross them could prove disastrous.

An unforgettable tale of betrayal, secrets, and death that still echoes through the years.


I picked up a copy of this book a few months ago, but haven’t read it yet. I’ve heard great things!

Does this sound like something you’d enjoy?

Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: May Flowers

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is May Flowers, with the prompt: This is a companion to the April Showers topic from last month. Interpret however you’d like: books with flowers on the cover, colorful covers, books set in springtime, books where flowers/plants are a common theme, titles with flower names in them, characters named after flowers, covers that are as pretty as flowers, books featuring gardens, etc.

I did a version of this TTT topic just two years ago, featuring books with flower names in the titles… so rather than repeating myself, I thought I’d take a different approach. This time around, my top 10 are books where flowers or gardens are a plot element.

  1. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  2. Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney
  3. The Lark by E. Nesbit
  4. The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
  5. Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
  6. The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukayama
  7. Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
  8. Mandy by Julie Andres Edwards
  9. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  10. Digging In by Loretta Nyhan

Have you read any books that fit my topic? What books make you think of May flowers?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

First Lines Friday 5/8/2026

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by

First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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!

This week’s lines are from an upcoming new horror novella:

I have thought long and hard about how I would dispose of a dead body. I have carefully weighed options such as digging, sinking, burning, hiding. It’s something I do when I can’t sleep. I used to think that everyone did this, that each person I met had a plan of their own. But the day I casually mentioned mine during lunch at work, a weird and uncomfortable silence settled over the table. So it turns out that most people listen to audio books when they can’t sleep. It’s only me who hides bodies. I find it relaxing.

So what’s the book?

Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir
Release date: May 26, 2026
160 pages

Synopsis:

An Icelandic night may hide secrets and affairs – or even bodies – in this gruesomely cathartic horror thriller from the author of The Night Guest.

Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door.

When she tracks down the cat’s wayward owner, she finds a young woman just as lost and in need of help. Like a gust of cold air in a Reykjavík night, Ásta and her pet slip into Unnur’s life.

It’s unexpected, but welcome. Unnur likes the company, and she begins to rely on Ásta in turn. But like a black cat, trouble has been tailing her new friend, and Unnur is the only one there for Ásta when things take a violent turn.

The two women quickly learn: nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.


Too creepy? Or does it sound like something you’d enjoy?

Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: More, please! Authors I wish had more books for me to read…

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today, with the prompt: These could be authors who have passed away or retired/are taking a long hiatus from writing. You could also spin this and share authors who have switched to a genre you’re not interested in.

Tricky… After giving this some thought, what I’ve come up with is a wishlist of sorts. I’d love more books from all of these authors! Some authors on my list are no longer with us, and others either haven’t released anything for several years, seem to have stopped writing fiction, have retired from writing… or in one case, wrapped up a series I really wish had more books!

The Dearly Departed:

  • Jane Austen: Of course! Needs no explanation.
  • Georgette Heyer: Included with an asterisk… she was such a prolific writer that there’s a daunting list of her books that I still haven’t read. I’m in no danger of running out… but still, wouldn’t it be nice if she were still producing more?
  • Mary Stewart: Now, to be fair, I’ve only read one of her books! But one of my reading goals is to read many more, and I’m eager to keep exploring.

It’s Been a While:

  • Tamora Pierce: She hasn’t released a new book in quite some time (and at least according to chatter on Reddit, is dealing with serious health issues that make another book sound questionable). Her Tortall books are so wonderful — it would be lovely to get more stories set in that world.
  • Trish Doller: I loved Float Plan and the other books in the series, and I’m just hoping she’ll have another book soon! I don’t see anything listed as upcoming on Goodreads, and it’s been a few years since her last Beck Sisters book!
  • Robin McKinley: Author of some of my favorite fantasy and fairy tale books. As far as I can see, it’s been more than ten years since her last published book, but online chatter tells me that she’s supposedly working on a new novel. Here’s hoping!

No More Fiction?

  • Nicole Peeler: Nicole Peeler wrote a fantasy series that I loved, Jane True, but that wrapped up about ten years ago, and she does not appear to still be writing fiction. Jane True is a great series! More people should know about it, in my humble opinion.
  • Amy Stewart: It’s been about five years since Amy Stewart wrapped up her Kopp Sisters series. She’s been publishing non-fiction since then, but I do wish she’d go back to the world of the Kopp Sisters… or just write more fiction of any sort!

Wishing for more in a series:

  • Charlaine Harris: Yes, yes, I know she’s still writing, and I’m happy she is! But — I do wish she’d write more in the Gunnie Rose series, which has actually already ended! That’s all… just a silly little wish on my part.

Officially Retired:

  • Mary Doria Russell: Officially retired from writing fiction (although still very active on social media). I’ve loved her historical fiction and science fiction (The Sparrow remains an all-time favorite).

    What authors do you wish had more books for you to read?

    If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

    First Lines Friday 5/1/2026

    Posted in Fun and Whimsy by

    First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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!

    This week’s lines are from a middle grade fantasy series:

    They would have said it wasn’t possible: the chaos and the mayhem she caused. They would have said she didn’t have it in her.

    It was in her, but deep. What’s under your house, if you were to dig? Mud and worms. Buried treasure. Skeletons. You don’t know. The girl dug into the depths of her heart, and there she found a hunger for justice and a thirst for revenge.

    Mrs. Richmond’s wedding gown was itchy, for one thing.

    So what’s the book?

    The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures, #2) by Katherine Rundell
    Release date: September 11, 2025
    304 pages

    Synopsis:

    Return to the magic of the Archipelago in the dazzling sequel to the runaway, #1 New York Times bestseller Impossible Creatures, hailed as “an instant classic” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan)!

    Christopher Forrester woke to find a dragon chewing on his face—and his heart leapt for joy! He’d been dreaming of going back to the Archipelago, the secret cluster of islands where all the creatures of myth still live, and here was his summons.

    But there is a poison spreading in the Archipelago. Rooting it out will involve a daring rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, a stealthy entrance to a dragon’s lair, and a death-defying plan to save a prisoner held in the heart of a castle. At the center of this storm is Anya: a small girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket, and a ravenous hunger for justice.

    Katherine Rundell’s second thrilling installment in the Impossible Creatures series involves castles, dragons, and revenge—the things of which great stories are made. The splendors within are brought to life with more than fifty illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.


    Sound like something you’d enjoy? (If so, be sure to start with the first book, Impossible Creatures!)

    Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

    Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books to Read (2026 update)

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    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a freebie, which means we all come up with our own topics. I’ve done freebie posts focusing on backlist books a few times (here are my lists from 2025 and 2024), and thought I’d come back with some new and updated picks.

    Below are backlist books from favorite authors, all of which I’d like to make time for. I’ve read these authors’ more recent books, and now want to go back to earlier books and see what I might have missed!

    1. TJ Klune: Murmuration was originally pubished in 2016, and is being reissued in November 2026. How could I possibly resist? I love this new cover.
    2. Kelley Armstrong: After finishing her Rockton and Haven’s Rock series, I’m curious about her supernatural series, Women of the Otherworld, starting with Bitten.
    3. Jenny Colgan: I have a handful of her early books to read — and while some that I’ve tried feel pretty dated, I’m still up for trying Amanda’s Wedding, and possibly others as well.
    4. Colleen Oakley: I’ve enjoyed several of her books… and this earlier one is sitting on my bookshelf.
    5. Sally Hepworth: The Secrets of Midwives is the only one of her books that I haven’t read yet, and I think I need to fix that.
    6. Ariel Lawhon: I’ve now read two of her more recent books with my book group. I Was Anastasia sounds like something I’d find appealing.
    7. Rachel Koller Croft: I loved her disco vampire book, We Love the Nightlife, and definitely need to read this earlier release as well.
    8. Jennifer Weiner: Every time I read a book by this author, I’m eager to read even more. Mrs. Everything was released in 2019 and I’ve been meaning to read it ever since.
    9. Katherine Center: I believe I have only two of her early books yet to read. The Lost Husband is the one I’m most likely to pick up.
    10. Julia Quinn: I gobbled up the Bridgertons series, so why not read the prequel series too?

    Have you read any of my backlist picks? Any you especially recommend?

    If you wrote a freebie post this week, what topic did you choose? Please share your link!

    First Lines Friday 4/24/2026

    Posted in Fun and Whimsy by

    First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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!

    This week, I’m featuring lines from an upcoming new release:

    Mrs. Richmond’s wedding gown was itchy, for one thing.

    The kind of itchy that eclipses everything else.

    And there was no way to get out of it.

    And that was nobody’s fault but my own.

    Mrs. Richmond’s wedding gown was itchy, for one thing.

    So what’s the book?

    The Shippers by Katherine Center
    Release date: May 19, 2026
    336 pages

    Synopsis:

    One of the hottest, fastest-rising rom-com stars delivers her latest swoon-worthy novel about a destination wedding on a cruise ship.

    After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.

    Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.

    No one does summer romance quite like Katherine Center. THE SHIPPERS will take readers on the cruise of a lifetime in a story awash with romantic longing, top-notch banter, long-held secrets . . . and true love rediscovered.


    Sound like something you’d enjoy?

    Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

    First Lines Friday 4/17/2026

    Posted in Fun and Whimsy by

    First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers created 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!

    This week, I’m featuring lines from a book I just spotted at the library and added to my holds list:

    When the letter arrives, Harriet Lockhart assumes it’s another death threat, and leaves it on the mantelpiece with the others, unopened, for six days.

    Hmmmm… why is she getting death threats? Why is she leaving them unopened? Why have there been so many?

    So many questions…

    So what’s the book?

    Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee
    Release date: September 9, 2025
    371 pages

    Synopsis:

    Harriet Lockhart never planned to marry. She has spent her life defying expectations, playing male roles on London’s seediest stages, and doing whatever she pleases. When Harry is contacted by her hitherto anonymous father, she finds herself at risk of losing the trust fund that’s subsidized her lifestyle—unless she begins to lead a more respectable life, starting with finding a husband.

    Emily Sergeant, the picture of modesty, has only ever wanted to marry. And were it not for one mistake in her youth that rendered her a social pariah, she would be appropriately betrothed. Instead, she’s due to wed the only willing—and most abominable—man in her small town. Desperate for an alternative, Emily flees to London to snag a less lecherous fiancé.

    Worlds collide, dramatically and hilariously, when both women decide on the very same duke as their best possible chance at a tolerable husband and a secure future. A tongue-in-cheek romp through London’s summer season, from balls to brothels, horseraces to duels, Harry and Emily compete for the duke’s favor, only to find their true hearts’ desires may be more compatible than they could have ever predicted.


    Sound like something you’d enjoy?

    Happy Friday! Wishing everyone a great weekend!