First Lines Fridays: April 19, 2019

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!

First Lines:

Dear Reader,

I am not a movie star. Chances are when you walked by my book and saw my face, you didn’t know what my name was, but you knew that I looked familiar.


Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

Top 5 Wednesday: January 16, 2019

Most Disappointing Reads of 2018

These are books you read in 2018, not only ones released in 2018.
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, head over to their Goodreads Group!


Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

This book really disappointed me. I had been looking forward to reading this book for years, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. Now I wish I had kept putting it off…

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett

Considering the little mystery and the obvious mental illness, I thought this book would be more interesting than it was. Instead I spent the whole time with a look of vague disgust on my face. Read my review.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

I’ve discovered Yovanoff books are pretty hit or miss with me. Either I love them or I hate them. Unfortunately this was a hate. I wound up abandoning this book.

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer

So BORING. The prologue to this book made it seem like it was going to be soooo interesting, but it really wasn’t. DNF.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham

It just seemed so rambling… I don’t really have much to say about it. I had high hopes and they weren’t met. Read my mini-review.


What were your disappointing reads of 2018?

September 2018 Reading Wrap-Up

The Dream-Maker’s Magic by Sharon Shinn
(Safe-Keepers, book 3)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – loved it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 3 – 6
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Kellen’s time at the Parmer Arms.
Least Favorite Thing:  Frederick can choke.

Man I’m so glad I decided to go through this series because this book was so worth it. I will definitely be reading this book again!

My Posts About The Dream-Maker’s Magic


I Don’t Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer
Rating:  N/A
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 8 – 9
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  That one quote I pulled?
Least Favorite Thing:  So boring!

I really wish I could have liked this book, but I just couldn’t find it interesting…

My Posts About I Don’t Know What You Know Me From


The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 8 – 9
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The bizarre-ness of the case.
Least Favorite Thing:  There wasn’t really anything I didn’t like.

I feel like this was a strange book to like, but I really did like it.

My Posts About The Bling Ring


The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
Rating:  ★★★★★ – loved it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 10 – 11
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The writing style.
Least Favorite Thing:  I did not like Lyle even when I was meant to.

Read this book! Read this book! Read it! It is so good I’m going to buy it first chance I get.

My Posts About The Half Life of Molly Pierce


Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 14 – 19
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Living Room Theater
Least Favorite Thing:  Skeevy Sam gave me the creeps…

It took about half the book before the pace picked up and I could really get into it, but I think that might just be that I don’t read contemporary as often. I did enjoy it once I got into it though.

My Posts About Since You’ve Been Gone


Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Rating:  ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 20 – 22
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Hannah’s extreme thirst for Finny Boone lol No, I’m kidding, it’s the homemade Ouija board.
Least Favorite Thing:  Hannah’s friends all suck.

This is not even a little bit the sort of book I usually read. It’s a mystery, a murder one at that, and a little bit spooky which for me is a lot spooky because I’m paranoid as hell…. So I was surprised at how much I liked this story. The beginning seemed a little slow, but it picked up soon and then I couldn’t put it down. I definitely recommend this book.

My Posts About Paper Valentine


Orfe by Cynthia Voigt
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 23
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The descriptions of how Enny felt listening to the music.
Least Favorite Thing:  All the boyfriends were garbagio.

I read this book for bibliophilicwitch‘s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon.

My Posts About Orfe


The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Audiobook & Print
Reading Dates:  September 23
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Carrie’s poems.
Least Favorite Thing:  I can’t think of anything…

I read along and listened to this book for bibliophilicwitch‘s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon. And I loved her journal entries, I wish I was that eloquent at 18!

My Posts About The Princess Diarist


The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  July 18 – September 25
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  The chaos of the Wish catering gigs.
Least Favorite Thing:  My fear of being too old to relate to these books, and therefore not enjoying them quite as much, has officially been realized.

It took me forever to finish this, my goodness! But I finally did it and even mini-review’d it.

My Posts About The Truth About Forever


Need by Carrie Jones
Rating:  ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  September 26
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  I too would like to leave a trail of glitter wherever I go.
Least Favorite Thing:  The entire premise.

Welp, looks like I’ll be donating this book… But at least I can cross one more off my TBR Shame List.

My Posts About Need


In Progress

Abandoned: I Don’t Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer

I just couldn’t make myself keep reading. This book is like having a stranger’s grandmother tell you stories about them, only they only want to tell the mundane stories like “one time they stole a cookie and I told them to put it back”. I really wanted to enjoy it, and the prologue seems really promising, but it’s just boring.

I won’t rate this one because I only made it about 40 pages before I gave up; I’ll just say: There are way better celebrity memoirs out there. I wouldn’t bother with this one if I were you.

View all my ratings on Goodreads