Top Ten Tuesday 2/24/26: Quotes From/About Books (Share book quotes you love, quotes about being a reader, etc.)

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.




We’re currently snowed in today with the blizzard of 2026 so while the storm blows outside so I figured I’d type up my TTT post for the week. I love a good book quote so this week’s topic was too good to pass up. Also, I took the pic above at the Met Museum in NYC around 2018ish. It’s a Van Gogh.


February 24: Quotes From/About Books (Share book quotes you love, quotes about being a reader, etc.)

In no particular order, these are some of my favorite quotes from favorite books I have read and re-read throughout the years…

1. “There are darknesses in life, and there are lights; you are one of the lights.” – Dracula by Bram Stoker

2. “The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.” -1984 by George Orwell

3. “For I was so attuned to her; I loved her so completely; she was so much the companion of my waking hour, the only companion that I had, other than death.” -Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice

4. “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

5. “Remember that hope is a good thing Red. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”- Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

6. “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

7. “What are men to rocks and mountains?” – Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

8. “Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.” – The Shining by Stephen King

9. “It’s all right to put the weight of the world on your shoulders sometimes, if you know how to take it off.”- Along Came a Spider by James Patterson

10. “Despite all that had happened in the years that had passed since then, Adrienne still held tight to the belief that love was the essence of a full and wonderful life.”- Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks


I could go on and on but those are just 10 that came to mind. What are some of your favorite quotes? Enjoy your week! Stay warm if the blizzard reaches you.


Sunday Post/Mailbox Monday 2/15/26: Winter Updates

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The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists…


Happy weekend. I haven’t been too active on blogland lately, just busy with work and life in general, but I’m also unmotivated lately. We’ve had freezing temps, wind warnings and a snowstorm at the end of January that left us with nearly 16 inches of snow so I am totally over this cold weather. It’s been around 5 degrees in the mornings which is not fun on my in-office days. It is now finally in the 30’s this weekend and it feels like a heat wave by comparison. The winter weather has left us with some gorgeous views, I’ll include pics at the end of this post.

Also of note, here are the coconut cupcakes I made for our Superbowl get together. We had family over and the halftime show was phenomenal.


onto my updates…

recently on the blog:


Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver– This was just okay for me, I don’t think I’ll continue with the last book in the series.

in my mailbox:
CD Steele sent me a copy of his latest in his Joe Wilde series, Hidden Truth. I read and enjoyed Dark Truth in 2024 so I am looking forward to this one.

watching:

*Grizzly Man– I first watched this documentary when it came out in 2004 and never expected to want to watch it again since it is so disturbing but when I saw it was available on Amazon Prime I chose to watch while working on my crochet project.

* Diary of The Grizzly Man– And then I saw that this second 3-part documentary was available as well so I watched this one too.

Have you seen these? Grizzly Man is really interesting but disturbing. This one shows more behind the scenes clips before Treadwell would have edited them and it showed his personality more that way, not just the persona he was displaying on screen. You see clips of him losing his temper and yelling at the camera as well as odd behaviors like patting bear poop with his hands or baby talking to bears. It also shows how his girlfriend was with him on that last trip even though he kept claiming he was totally alone on video. The 3 part Diary of The Grizzly Man shows much of the same footage with even more clips and I feel was what Treadwell himself would have put out there had he survived this last trip to the wilderness. I prefer the original one part documentary.

plant corner:

Ahhh thank goodness for plant therapy. My daughter surprised me with this orchid for Valentine’s Day yesterday. This is one of those plants that I have been scared of because I don’t want to kill it by accident. I am ready though and I think I can keep this one healthy. I researched orchid care so *fingers crossed*. I’m leaving mine alone for now and will repot it into orchid bark once the blooms die off. One thing I learned is that while orchids can naturally bloom different colors, many of the ones you see in stores are dyed artificially like mine. They get food coloring injected into the spike when in bloom so when watered the dye gets spread through the blooms. My new orchid has definitely stolen the spotlight in my collection.


I’ll close with a few snowy pics. Otis is a trooper and has been back to his daily walks now that the weather has started to let up a little. That center pic is of a stream frozen over. I don’t have crochet to share, I’ve been in a slump but hopefully I’ll have updates next time. What have you been up to? What are you reading? Crafting? Planting? Enjoy your week!

disclaimer: These photos are my own and are not to be removed from this post.

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

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source: library title: Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy Book 2)
author: Brynne Weaver
published: June 4, 2024
pages: 390
genre: dark contemporary romance
first line: “This is called the consequences of your actions, sweetie,” I say as I unravel the fuse to the fireworks strapped between Andrew’s thighs.

blurb:
Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other….


my thoughts:

We’ve been in the midst of snowy, deep freeze weather here which is perfect for staying inside and reading. It’s negative -15 degrees today with a wind advisory and the wind is whipping as I type this review. So, after reading and enjoying the first book in this trilogy Butcher & Blackbird, I read this second book right after. Right off the bat I have to mention I enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird more than this second book. You need leave disbelief at the front door before reading these books, but B&B was just more fun. Leather & Lark felt like more work and I think it’s because the author took more time in developing the characters in this one, but in her doing so I felt bored at times.

This second book centers around Lark who is the BFF of Sloane A.K.A. Blackbird from the first book. Lark is in the first book as a supporting character, so we know a little bit about her. She’s a musician with a dark side. Lachlan A.K.A. Leather is also in the midst of this one, he’s Butcher’s brother from the first book. He’s a hitman for hire and owns his own business, he crafts with leather. The tropes here are alpha male/fake marriage of convenience/forced proximity/enemies to lovers.

Lachlan & Lark have good chemistry throughout, but I missed the humor that was in the first book. While this one starts out literally with a bang, it loses momentum before picking it up again. This one dragged a little too long for me so I became bored. The spicy scenes which don’t occur until past the second half of the book were wild and the last one was the wildest.

Lachlan is a heavily tatted badboy with a soft heart and he falls pretty early on for Lark. I’m not a fan of the MMC being aggressive, cursing at the FMC at times, and that’s how Lachlan sometimes acts. By cursing at her I mean at one point he tells her “Fuck you” or “Fuck off” (I can’t remember which) while they’re joking around. I personally don’t like that.

I did like that author Brynne Weaver takes her time building up the storyline before the spicy scenes take place. She did the same thing in the first book. I liked that Lark is a musician and that she’s poetic. Early on Lachlan really wants her to forgive him for something he did when they first met before they take it to the next level, and I found this got old quick. It felt like a contrived way to create some tension between the two.

Overall, I’m glad I read Leather & Lark even though it wasn’t as fun as Butcher & Blackbird. I will say I am a fan of Brynne Weaver’s and enjoy her writing style, so I plan on reading book 3 in this series and more from this author in the future.

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver quotes:

“The worst suffering is not death. It is in living, day after day, knowing you’ve forever lost that which you most cherished. Most loved. Most desired.”

“I’ve done a lot of dodgy shit in my life. Life has worn down most of my emotions to little more than smooth and polished stone. But every once in a while, I find a long-neglected feeling that cuts like broken glass.”

“Just like in nature, the prettiest things are often the most poisonous.”

“And suddenly there’s Lark, who was never meant to be here, was never meant to shine light into places I thought could only stay dark.”


Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver will be square #28 in my reading blanket.

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I borrowed a copy of Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver from my local library. The crochet image in this review is my own and not to be removed.

Sunday Post/Mailbox Monday 1/25/26: Winter Storm and Updates

the bookworm crochet, discussion, plants , , , ,

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists…


I wasn’t going to do an updates post today. I do mine every other week or so and I just did one last week but since we’re currently snowed in, I need a distraction to help ease my anxiety.

It started snowing today around 6am by us and has been falling steadily since. We’re supposed to get between 12-16 inches and freezing rain. It’s 7 degrees out now and will be snowing through midnight tonight. I’m hoping we don’t lose power. I feel so bad for the homeless and the animals too.

We shoveled some by noon but that’s been totally covered up again as if we never shoveled. I think we have around 9 inches so far.


onto my updates….


previously on the blog:


Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver– This was fun dark romance but I had a few qualms. I have to admit I’m nearly done with book 2, today may be the perfect Sunday to finish reading that one.


My 2026 Goals

watching

It’s been a busy work week and I didn’t watch much aside from 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days and I still need to catch up with that.

crochet:

I’ve dipped back into my hooded cape project. I started this project in September aiming to wear it by Thanksgiving but it didn’t happen. I matched gauge and everything looked good, but the further along I got, I decided it was too large for me. It’s a “one size fits all” pattern which of course, there is no “one size fits all” in reality. I wound up having to unravel and start again going a full hook size down and crocheting with a tighter tension. I ordered Heartland Yarn from Lionbrand and it’s so soft and warm I love it.



plant corner:

I ordered my Thai Constellation Monstera last June from a Florida based plant seller online. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to keep it alive, plus it’s a pricier plant but I decided to try anyway.

This is it when I first got it June 2025 vs. now. It gave me one new leaf, the tallest leaf on the left is new. I pruned the two smaller leaves to give it a little more energy. Hopefully it grows faster again once spring arrives. After getting it a moss pole for support, I realized moss poles are smelly and gross and I’m never using them again. I’ll use a wooden or plastic stake next time.






That wraps up my updates for now. I hope you’re staying warm if it’s cold by you and safe if you’re in the path of the storm. How has your week been?

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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source: library
title: Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy Book 1)
author: Brynne Weaver
published: August 15, 2023
pages: 355
genre: dark contemporary romance/humor
first line: Being a serial killer who kills serial killers is a great hobby….
rated: 3 out of 5


blurb:

Every serial killer needs a friend. Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

my thoughts:

I finally caved and read Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. This is the first in her The Ruinous Love Trilogy. This book starts with 2 pages of trigger warnings.

Butcher & Blackbird is told in alternating POV’s by two serial killers Sloane Sutherland A.K.A. The Orb Weaver/Blackbird and Rowan Kane A.K.A. the Boston Butcher. Spoiler alert, these two vigilante serial killers fall in love. The supporting cast that weaves in and out of the storyline are Sloane’s BFF Lark and Logan’s 2 brothers, setting it up for the next books in the series.

I both liked and disliked this book. What I liked was that it’s a fast read without a dull moment and I read it in a few sittings. I laughed out loud more than once, enjoying the dark humor. This is first in a series but it reads fine as a standalone since the story comes to a full close by then end while also leaving room for the story to roll into the second book if you choose to continue.

Author Brynne Weaver is creative and I enjoyed her descriptive writing style. The tension between Rowan and Sloane felt real and the spicy scenes which don’t happen until around 60% in the book were good. Rowan is quite the character. Even though it was insta-love on his part, this was a slow burn, dark romance with humor peppered in.

Now onto what I did not like, which was mainly the unrealistic and contrived situations in order to move the plot forward. Then there were the loopholes in some scenes that defied logic and when writing this way you insult the reader’s intelligence. I don’t mind suspending disbelief, but it was more than that.
Another thing I did not like was that Rowan was kind of a jerk. There were two instances where he was extremely rude to two women and he’s also slightly stalkerish and overstepped Sloane’s boundaries. He was charming and funny but also toxic and controlling.

And while I enjoyed the author’s storytelling for the most part, more character development was needed all around here. For example, Rowan is Irish but aside from his slipping into an Irish accent when upset, there’s nothing more on this. Also, don’t know much about Sloane’s background. I found her reason for being a serial killer to be unrealistic. We’re also expected to believe that these two have somehow been on this killing spree and have hunted out and discarded dangerous serial killers all by themselves? And that they themselves have not been caught by the FBI with nothing to support this?

So while Butcher & Blackbird was totally unbelievable, it was certainly never dull. Supposedly there’s a film in the works, so if that happens I will definitely watch it.

I recommend this one if you enjoy dark romance, an alpha male, some spicy scenes, humor, alot of drama and do not mind suspending disbelief while reading.

I don’t usually read reviews until after I’m done reading and when I took a look, this one has mixed reviews. And low and behold, I won’t name any names here but the same BookTok influencer who steered me wrong in the past gave this one a raving 5-star all CAPS review on Goodreads. Surprise surprise. 🙂

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver quotes:

“I’m pretty sure the blush has set fire to my skin and the source of the flame is my incinerated heart.”

“I told her I’m no angel. I don’t think she believed me. But she’s about to discover that I’m the devil she never knew she needed.”

“From the second we met, she sparked my curiosity, fanning banked embers into glowing coals, and now she’s ignited the first thread of flame.”


Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver has earned its spot in my reading blanket as square #27. Have you heard of this series or read this one?
Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I borrowed a copy of Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver from my local library. The crochet image in this review is my own and not to be removed.