Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [340]

September 14, 2026September 13, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads3 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

Since I finished my last read on Friday evening, I haven’t really been reading. That said, I’d love to spend the rest of my Sunday night in bed reading The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 2. I loved the first one (check out my gushy review if you want to know more) and I’m excited to see where things go for Emma. I’m especially curious about her new neighbour… 👀

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

Blog Tour Spotlight: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas

September 13, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads1 Comment

Hi friends, I’m joining the Toppling Stacks Tours tour today to shine a spotlight on the long anticipated sequel to the amazing Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas. Special thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest!

^{Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!}

Espíritu (Cemetery Boys #2)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: 8 September 2026
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rep: Non-Binary, Trans, LGBT+, Queer

📖 SYNOPSIS

Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.

Ever since being sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, Julian has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of passed brujx. And that would be okay, if it allowed him to be part of his new boyfriend’s community. But Julian’s also seeing other things: shadows in the corner of his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and “dark spots” on people – gaping, black gashes that are somehow wrong. He did ask his new magical boyfriend about it, but Yadriel has never heard of anything like it either, and he’s so busy with his new Brujx responsibilities, trying to figure out where all the new malingos are coming from, that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time together they have.

Then, a strange new brujx shows up. Ángel, as a nonbinary brujx, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Ángel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian, who wants to move away from hurting others.

With the shadows growing darker, and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.

📚 BUY A COPY

Aiden Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author celebrated for writing heartfelt, genre-blending young adult fantasy that centers queer and Latinx characters. Their debut novel, Cemetery Boys, became a New York Times bestseller, was a finalist for the Lodestar Award, and was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

They have since authored multiple bestsellers, including Lost in the Never Woods, The Sunbearer Trials, and its sequel Celestial Monsters. Aiden is a passionate advocate for trans and Latinx representation in literature, and has taught with organizations such as Tin House and Lambda Literary. Their work is widely praised for its joyful defiance, immersive worldbuilding, and celebration of chosen family. Aiden holds an MFA in Creative Writing and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Pronouns: he/him and they/them

Author’s Socials:
Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Is Epíritu on your TBR or does it sound like a book you’d enjoy?

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Let’s Talk Bookish: Digital vs Physical Decluttering

September 11, 2026September 13, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Digital vs Physical Decluttering

Prompts: How do you manage your digital library (Kindle, Kobo, etc.)—do you delete books you won’t read, or do you let them pile up? Do you feel less guilty about owning too many digital books versus physical ones? Which is harder to let go of: a well-loved physical book or a purchased e-book?

Book Review: Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

September 10, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Swordheart (Swordheart #1)
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: 17 June 2024
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(4.5 pandas)}

📖 SYNOPSIS

Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS

Parental abandonment recounted, suicide, suicidal ideation, multiple deaths of family members (recounted), murder & attempted murder, imprisonment, kidnapping, attempted mugging, animal death

TL;DR: Swordheart is every bit as cosy, comforting, humorous, and charming in the way that I’ve come to expect from Kingfisher’s novels. Halla and Sarkis were wonderful older protagonists who had heartwarming chemistry, and I’m so glad they were joined by Zale and Brindle! The found family element in this is fantastic and I love how their friendships blossom throughout the journey. This was an engaging and well-paced fantasy romance and I can’t wait to read the next book asap!

#WWWWednesday: 9 September 2026

September 9, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

#TopTenTuesday: Indie Freebie!

September 8, 2026September 8, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads43 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is: Indie Freebie (This topic encompasses a lot: your favorite indie bookstores, indie books, indie authors, indie publishers/presses, indie books on your to-read list, indie authors I read before they became traditionally published, etc.) (submitted by @dark.shelf.of.wonders and Books Are The New Black)

August 2026 Community Posts!

September 7, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Happy Monday, book pandas! This post usually comes after my monthly wrap-up, but the past week has been a whirlwind and I’ve not got the energy to prepare that post right now. 😂 So, I thought I’d go ahead and share some of the community posts I enjoyed reading in August! As always, I hope you’re able to find some new blogs to follow, posts to enjoy reading, and maybe even more books to add to your TBR. ✨📖 Happy Reading! 📖✨

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [339]

September 6, 2026September 6, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

I’ll be spending my Sunday night in bed with The Second Death of Locke by V. L. Bovalino (39%). This is my current buddy read with Chris although its been massively disrupted by everything that has happened this week. (So sorry, Chris!)

So far, I’m liking this a lot. There is so much yearning and I love that I can feel the intensity of our FMC’s emotions. It’s so angsty in a good way! 😂 The world-building and magic system has also been really interesting. I feel like this is definitely a slow burn in terms of plot, but I’m enjoying the journey!

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

First Lines Friday: 4 September 2026

September 4, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, 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? Here are the rules:

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:

“Before recording the strange history that follows, I felt I ought to take a look at the house where such a gruesome murder was committed. Accordingly, one afternoon in early spring, I set off, walking stick in hand, for a stroll around that infamous residence.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Book Rant: The Unbroken by C. L. Clark

September 3, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

The Ubroken (Magic of the Lost #1)
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: 23 March 2021
Genre: Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

_{(2.5 pandas)}

📖 SYNOPSIS

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale. .

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS

Slavery, racism, use of slurs, attempted rape (recounted), present threats of rape, anxiety attack, blood depiction, amputation & loss of limb, cannibalism, attempted murder, gun violence, execution by hanging, rebellion, colonialism & war themes, animal death, animal attack

I’d like to preface this book rant by saying that I normally keep my negative reviews to my social reading platforms (i.e. Goodreads and Storygraph) because I want to keep my blog a more positive space. It’s been a minute since I’ve felt so… Frustrated and disappointed by a book that I was so looking forward to, and I just needed to get it out, so here I am with this “rant”. 😅 I tried to tone myself down, but this is definitely still a long read. I was clearly feeling the feels right after finishing this read (which is when I wrote this down). Please excuse errors/redundancies due to being in the thick of my feels, lol! 🤭