clinchcoverenthusiast

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I finally finished my book in progress--the absolute banger By the Hour by Roni Loren-- so now I can start this. Feast your eyes on this beautiful clinch cover. It's on Libby and Hoopla, btw. There is also a duet narration audiobook but my libraries don't have it yet.

It's about a stranded on Earth alien MMC and a huge alien enthusiast FMC who've been talking/crushing on each other in an Aliens Among Us group chat meeting up at a sci fi con in a Roswell-like town.

The author says that this book is for the sci fi nerds, convention and cosplay lovers, and Garrus fans. Also the FMC, like the author, is ace.

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THE MUMMY 1999, dir. Stephen Sommers

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Love a historical with a big, rough, self-made, from-the-gutter MMC and his little spectacles reveal.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

✨📚 Meet Me at the Crossroads by @MeganGiddings ✨

Megan Giddings brings her signature brilliance and eye-opening storytelling to this unforgettable novel that dazzles the senses and bewitches the mind.

Meet Me at the Crossroads is a deeply moving story about faith, love, and family—woven with emotional complexity and surprising twists that will stay with you long after the last page.

From one of today’s most exciting young voices, this is a must-read for anyone craving a story that’s as heartfelt as it is thought-provoking.

✨ Pre-order now and discover a novel that challenges and charms in equal measure.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

And then a half star rating with "this book is not for me". Like why did this person even sign up for the arc without knowing a little about the author?

Wtf people rating a book lower due to third person POV.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

Wtf people rating a book lower due to third person POV.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

🖤✨ What would you sacrifice to live forever? In @tananarivedue’s chilling and unforgettable novel My Soul to Keep, love, immortality, and ancient secrets collide in a tale that’s as heart-wrenching as it is haunting.

When journalist Jessica marries David, she believes she’s found the love of her life. But as the people around her begin to die under mysterious, violent circumstances, she uncovers a terrifying truth: David is not what he seems. He has traded his humanity for eternal life—and now, he’s willing to invoke a forbidden ritual to bind Jessica and their daughter to him forever. 🕯️🩸

This is a story of love turned obsession, the cost of immortality, and the devastating power of secrets too dark to stay buried.

📖 Order now and step into a suspenseful, soul-shaking journey that blends supernatural horror with emotional depth and cultural resonance.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

🦇✨ The Gilda Stories: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition ✨🦇

Celebrate a groundbreaking classic in speculative fiction with this special edition of Jewelle Gomez’s debut novel—a story that’s as timeless as it is revolutionary.

Published in 1991, The Gilda Stories follows Gilda, a Black lesbian vampire whose journey spans centuries, challenging the very myths of power, identity, and morality that surround vampires. This isn’t just a story about immortality—it’s a rich exploration of community, love, and resilience through the lens of Black queer experience. 🌙🖤

With an insightful afterword by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, this edition deepens the conversation and honors the legacy of a novel that transformed speculative fiction.

📚 A must-read for lovers of diverse voices, feminist narratives, and stories that reimagine what it means to be powerful.

✨ Order now and step into Gilda’s world—a world where history, magic, and radical love collide.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I'm reading Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale and this man is gone

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My daughter asking me about a romance for the first time

Me:

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honestly, especially in the current state of the world, you all have GOT to kill whatever puritanical voice inside your head keeps insisting that if something is erotic it has no social, artistic, or intellectual merit.

stop acting as if someone can’t enjoy both erotica and literary fiction or classics. it’s not some dichotomy.

stop acting as if erotic art can’t be poignant and meaningful. and that includes all erotic art - not just fine art.

stop insisting that sex scenes or erotic material ruin movies and shows just because you, personally, get icked out watching it.

no, not all erotic art is high art, and not all erotic art is meant to invoke deep intellectual discussion - but insisting that makes erotic art valueless, a disservice to intellectualism, or whatever else - does nothing but add fuel to a fire built on conservative ideology.

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

Dorothy Porter is known as the "Dewey Decimal Decolonizer."

Dorothy Porter was an African American librarian who worked to challenge and decolonize library systems, including the Dewey Decimal System, which traditionally marginalized non-Western perspectives and cultures. She advocated for more inclusive classification systems that better represented diverse voices and histories.

Porter's work emphasized the importance of equity and representation within library collections, aiming to create spaces that reflect the richness and complexity of human experiences. Her efforts have contributed to ongoing discussions and actions toward decolonizing library practices worldwide.

Read more about Dorothy Porter here.

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The romance was not hitting in May. I DNF four "popular" romances, I'm still reading two very slowly due to inability to focus, and one I renewed because I keep putting off reading it. Everything I finished was good but especially The Love Lyric, Give It All, The Trees, and White Tears, which was a great post-Sinners read. Everything was from Libby or Hoopla.

Here are my May reads in chronological order:

Lay It Down (Desert Dogs #1) - Cara McKenna

We're Taking Everyone Down With Us #1 - Matthew Rosenberg

We're Taking Everyone Down With Us #2 - Matthew Rosenberg

Carmilla: The First Vampire - Amy Chu* **

Give It All (Desert Dogs #2) - Cara McKenna

The Trees - Percival Everett* **

The Love Lyric (Greene Sisters #3) - Kristina Forest* **

Carmilla: The Last Vampire Hunter - Amy Chu* **

White Tears - Hari Kunzru*

Moonshine Bigfoot #2 - Mike Marlow

We're Taking Everyone Down With Us #3 - Matthew Rosenberg

Flirting with Disaster/Fanning the Flames (Jackson: Girls' Night Out #2/0.5) - Victoria Dahl

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

Sarah is over the moon that we're talking about celebrities again, especially because we're keeping it tight this time around and limiting it to celebrity/normal person romance (mostly -- Jen is ungovernable)! Yes, Sarah is going to talk about Perfect, but also we're going to talk about celebrities who fall for stranger normies, for normies they knew before they were celebrities, for normies who work with them, and for normies who protect them. The episode is 1200 books long.

Thanks to Alice Murphy, Blue Box Press, Bailey Seaborn, Avery Maxwell, and Vedentro for sponsoring this week's episode. Discount codes and book links for Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, and Bookshop are here.

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feeling a little bored, might fuck around and buy more books instead of reading all the ones I have

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Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rites of Spring #1 (IDW, July 2025) variant cover by Tony Fleecs