#anyway. points to my point of media processing again. i love murderbot

[unraveling-plot]

❤️❤️❤️

The Murderbot Diaries was like here's a person. The person doesn't feel like a person.

The person is starting to believe it's a person, and its pronouns are still it/its. It's uncomfortable with eye contact, it hates being touched, it doesn't like social interaction, it doesn't have great control of it's facial expressions. And the person's friends all know this and respect it, and it can show affection how and when it feels and it's ok if it isn't "normal." It isn't questioned or doubted in its care because of this.

The person processes emotions through media, and uses it to figure out what to do in social situations. It has complicated feelings about what it was meant to be and reconciling that with who it wants to be. It doesn't always feel like a person but it's starting to accept that it is one.

Also it has laser weapons in its arms.

[thedraconiclibrary]

Books with no romance

Today is Valentine’s Day, which is great for some but terrible for others. While I enjoy a good fictional romance, this post goes out to all my aromantics, those uninterested in any romantic relationships right now, those who want but don’t have any relationships, and those who just like reading books with no romance in them! Behold, the books/series I’ve read and would recommend to others that feature no romance.

Quick disclaimer: This is not a list of books with aromantic characters. As in, I did not make this list by determining if the books describe the main characters as aromantic or if they lack romantic attraction, they’re just books that happen to not have romance in them. I haven’t read widely enough to make an aromantic rep recommendations list, but plenty of other people have!

Now, without further ado…

An Altar on the Village Green by Nathan Hall

Self-published adult fantasy horror - book 1 of an ongoing series but mostly works as a standalone

There’s so much raw humanity and tragedy but the MC keeps going anyway

Beautiful prose that I still wouldn’t describe as flowery. The author has worked as an editor for years and imo it shows, as I would’ve never guessed this was a debut

Partially inspired by Soulsborne games so if you like those then you’ll probably like this, but I also loved this book as someone who’s never played any of those games

Just a very dark and unique atmosphere compared to everything else I’ve read so far

Bonus points for Nathan Hall being one of the few authors I follow on social media (Bluesky) and very clearly being an outspoken ally to the trans people and larger LGBTQ+ community

Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid

Middle grade contemporary standalone

Does a great job balancing the time spent on the “am I asexual” plotline and the “how do I contextualize the traumatic event I experienced” plotline (and doesn’t makes the MC asexual because of trauma)

Despite the main character fitting the parameters for being aroace, asexuality is the only element really explored here. It wasn’t done in a way that bothered me when I read it, seeing as it’s a middle grade work and told its story so well, but in hindsight I feel it needs mentioning

I really liked how much of a real person the main character felt and how she really did feel like a middle schooler trying to figure things out

Appreciated the book’s handling of trauma and how messy the main character’s path to understanding it was. Again, really felt like how a middle schooler would process this and not how an adult would

Just honestly a lovely little read

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Ongoing adult sci-fi novella series (with 1 full-length novel)

What can I say about Murderbot that hasn’t already been said

I relate very much to this socially anxious robot

Man I wanna reread this series

For me this is very much a main character driven read (less in a “what a complex exploration of this person’s inner mind” way and more in a “I love you so much and want to read about everything you do” way). If you don’t love Murderbot after reading the first book then I wouldn’t bother trying to continue

The plots mostly hinge on classic “well this current event happening isn’t good, guess I have to save everyone’s lives now” action

Gallant by VE Schwab

Young adult fantasy standalone

Definitely a vibes-based read for me

I’ve seen some people call this horror but I’d have to disagree. It does have some gothic vibes, but I never really felt horror. But I suppose your mileage may vary, so if you never read any horror at all maybe consider this at the edge of your comfort zone

The main character is mute! Lovely! It definitely factors into the main character’s treatment and worldview, but it’s never “fixed” in the narrative or such. She’s mute when the book begins and is still mute when the book ends

If you can read things with your eyes, I’d highly recommend doing so because the book has lots of beautiful art! For me it really made an impact on the reading experience (and also takes up a significant amount of the page count). I’m not really sure how the audiobook is handled or what accessible options exist for this work for people who can’t see, so, bear that in mine

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Adult literary fiction standalone

My experience with literary fiction has been very hit or miss but this was a big hit

Equal parts entertaining and thought provoking

Really liked the main character, and looking back on it now that I know I’m autistic, I think she reads very autistic as I relate to a lot of her struggles. I’d have to reread it to give a firm opinion on that though

Very strong writing style imo, I think you’ll quickly know whether the authorial voice works for you or not

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

Middle grade sci-fi standalone

Sad and dark but also hopeful, a very emotional read that doesn’t hold its punches

Emphasis on storytelling and Latinx heritage, also incorporating Spanish words into the text in a way that is still easy to follow if you don’t speak Spanish (which I currently don’t but would like to learn soon)

Haven’t personally seen another middle grade like this and would recommend it regardless of if you typically read this age category

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Middle grade sci-fantasy series

Okay technically this series hints at a romance but it never actually amounts to anything by the end of the series, so I’d still loosely count it as having no romance. But if you really don’t want to even have any momentary inklings of “hmm I wonder if they’ll get together at some point” despite knowing the answer is “no,” then go ahead and skip this rec

Love how this book blends fantasy and sci-fi elements. Mainly in that it’s fantasy cause faeries and other magical things exist (loosely uses Irish folklore for most of its elements) but the faeries use technology (often powered by magic) and the main character also invents things and uses technology (usually not powered by magic). I’d also say the plot lines lean more towards being things you’d expect to see in a sci-fi book

Morally questionable main character that becomes a better person overtime (which is especially cool to see in a middle-grade imo)

Lovable side characters (looking at you Foaly)

Lots of fun action throughout

Would recommend reading the first two books before making your judgement, as the first book is the most different from the rest of the series (fwiw books 2 and 4 are my favorites, so)