#(except for the t.j. klune one)

[officialnostradamus]

Get to Know Your Mutuals ✨

Guidelines: Answer the questions and tag six of your mutuals. (We'll see if I know that many people!)

Thank you @junderiva for tagging me. If there's one thing I love, it's talking about myself 😂

1. Favorite Color

I'm not sure I'm capable of actually having a favourite colour, that's too much commitment for me, but when I have to pick, I usually go orange. I'm a big fan of all the tones of fall 🍂

2. Last Song You Played

Last Chance at Love by Foxy Shazam - I don't know how to describe it except I think it's really sweet and it lives on my playlist of songs that make my brain happy.

3. Currently Reading

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell; I'm only a chapter or so in, so I don't know if I'd recommend it, yet. To actually share a little about my very simple tastes, recent reads I would recommend are House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune; I appreciate how gentle this book was with my heart, and The Likeness by Tana French; the vibes in this book have an odd dream-like quality I adore.

4. Currently Watching:

Severance - I'm through season one and a couple episodes into season two. I finally picked it up because I've had a vague interest in it for years and when the new season came out I suddenly became afraid I wouldn't manage to avoid spoilers. Season one was a great ride!

5. Currently Craving:

Well, this answers the next question...coffee ☕ I'm feeling an espresso about now.

6. Coffee or Tea:

I actually love both, though! I'm a coffee every day kind of person, but tea is great. There's so many different options that there's pretty much a tea for every mood 🧡

Thanks again for tagging me! :) I do love to yammer.

No pressure tagging (especially since many of you probably have already been tagged!) @dragonagehyperfixationwoo @edvervain @crowtoed @kepchupprabbit @dragonracer @ghostie-ships

[eatanorange]

hehe hi @ethan-elliott & @faun-writes pls excuse my delay thank u for the tags & welcoming me in ur comment sections.

Three favourite ships: I am loving Linus Baker and Arthur Parnassus rn. I am eating them up. They are a canon gay couple from the House in the Cerulean Sea/Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J Klune. my dads. Meljayvik (Arcane), satosugu (Jujutsu Kaisen) (rip). Usually the marauders are up here but I am in limbo every new post I read I attach to the ship in it I'm all over the place rn. If Regulus and/or Mary are happy I'm happy.

First ship: I think it was probably Zelink (as in link and zelda which has since grown into one of my fave t4t rep. sheik also changed me like developmentally good lord).

Last song I listened to: Juliet by BODHI

Favourite childhood books: will you count ATLA? technically it released in books and I watched the entire thing as it aired starting in '05, I have carried that and the Riordanverse into my adulthood tho. Otherwise Harry Potter (have not read or watched since childhood tho bc eugh joann), Miss Perengrine's Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

Currently reading: Being heavy hand gentle parented by Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by T.J Klune rn. I can literally only read a chapter or two every couple of weeks lmao. I just had a reading for school about Bioinformatics and systematic organization 😀. I lost my copy of The Sun and The Star by Mark Oshiro & Rick Riordan but I want to reread that soon.

Currently watching: I just finished Life is Strange: True Colors which is a game but I'm counting it bc of the setup and I'm ab to redo it from Steph's perspective. I'm trying Invincible but I don't rlly like it. Fullmetal Alchemist, Brotherhood.

Currently craving: dark chocolate.

Currently consuming: The Magnus Protocol podcast,

Pets: Depends what house/which family member I'm with, the range is two dogs and two cats, one cat and one dog (current), two dogs, goats, & barn cat.

however my boys are kevin and george. acquired by cat distrubition system. (they needed to be separated because of homerotic rivalry. my son george lives w my grandma now but he is technically mine. unfortunately every animal hates him except grandmas westie & her hoard of wild ducks so I can't have him rn).

I love and miss raising giant silk moths as well <3

no pressure: @onyx-di-angelo @remainaboveground :)

[thesweetpianowritingdownmylife]

11-20

I'm gonna be honest, at this point I'm trying to reduce things to one shelf of shame by April 23rd, so that I can celebrate Sant Jordi without restrictions and get all the books I want. I kinda am on track for it.

11. Brothersong - T.J. Klune: I actually read this in the middle of the previous batch, but I forgot to list it lol. At this point in my life, I try to get one or two Klune books on standby, and I read them when I am going through it, emotionally, and need something to absorb me out of problems that I cannot solve. It always takes me four days to read one. And yes, this is the gay werewolf series, and it's not even good, but I don't care, sometimes you need some fast food in your reading diet, it's good for the soul.

12. Alicia volátil - Sofia Rhei: I want to like this author's works so much, but they often fall short. This poetry book had a great concept but kinda fumbled the execution. I am not ready to give up on her, though.

13. The Great Hunt (The Wheel Of Time 2) - Robert Jordan: Very little to do with season 2 of the show! Selene was raising all sorts of red flags when she showed up, for instance. Rand learned about politics, didn't like them, and caused a civil war by doing nothing. I'm still lying awake at night at Ingtar's twist at the end, like, fuck, yes, you can be redeemed if you choose to do good.

14. The dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin: I liked this one so so so much. It was different from what I expected, but in a good way. The physics talk made me cry but that's bc I'm a baby who can't handle science in my science-fiction.

15. The Testaments - Margaret Atwood: I breezed through this book, tbh. Easy to read, difficult to stomach, especially with the current political climate in the USA. When I started reading it, after reading the blurb that said it offered the perspective of one of the founders of Gilead, and it was an Aunt, I was like huh, interesting, and when it was revealed *who* the aunt was I literally gasped out loud "AUNT LYDIA!?". Still heartbroken that it took such a long time for Hannah to get out.

16. El gran llibre de l'imaginari fantàstic català - Joan de Déu Prats & Maria Padilla: I wanted something about catalan mythology to learn more about my country's culture, so I got this last time I was home for Sant Jordi. It was a bit disappointing in how it described the creatures/places/etc but the illustrations were very cool.

17. Leviathan wakes (The Expanse 1) - James S. A. Corey: My dad and I watched the show together and he got me the first 5 books of the series. It's quite similar to the show so far, so no surprises, and it's just nice to re-meet these characters that I like. Except for Holden. By gods is Holden FUCKING annoying. I strongly believe that you CAN make a lawful good character interesting, but Holden is not it. I even made a meme for it:

18. Caliban's war (The Expanse 2) - James S. A. Corey: I literally went IIIIT'S MYYYY BOOOOOY when Prax appeared. And then IT'S MYYY GIIIIIIRL with Avasarala. Literally my favourite characters (outside of Amos). And they're mostly only in this book lmao, love that the show makers were like "we need more Avasarala, lets put her in more". I think the Ganymede storyline is actually my favourite from the whole series.

19. Abaddon's gate (The Expanse 3) - James S. A. Corey: There was a switcheroo with the characters in the show, which made it a bit of a different story. I feel like I understood better what the protomolecule's deal was this time around. Also I love Anna.

20. Antologia de narrativa fantàstica catalana - Emili Olcina (ed.): I went looking for Catalan fantasy and found this, but I'm a bit disappointed because it was more horror/supernatural than fantasy. Which is fine, but if I want ghost stories I'll get those, ya know?

Current state of the shelves of shame feat. my wife's ribbon embroidery.

Books I've read in 2025

(there are short shitty reviews mostly to remind myself what I thought about them, not as like, a rec)

My goal of reducing my shelves of shame to a singular shelf of shame is going well! I'm gonna update the list every ten books, I think.

1-10

This January's reading productivity has been sponsored by shitty things happening at work that I desperately wanted to stop thinking about 🙃

1. Frieren n.1 - Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe: I read it at my best friend's home. I'd heard from a bunch of people that I should check it out if I liked dunmeshi, and they were right, I liked it too! Big fan of the exploration of friendships between people of differing lifespans. I will read more issues if I get the chance.

2. The Mighty Nein Origins: Caduceus Clay - Wells, Espiritu, Mercer, Jaffe: I love my pink boy. My wife got me this book. The artwork was GORGEOUS, and I liked the story, even if it was a little short.

3. The eye of the world (The Wheel of Time 1) - Robert Jordan: Dad got me the first three books, because we have been watching the show together over skype. I was happy to have watched it first, because I think I would have had a harder time getting into the world otherwise. It's nice to read some long-form fantasy, I've rarely read this kind of thing. My favourite part was how Rand kept thinking "if only Perrin was here, he would know how to deal with girls" only for the focus to shift to Perrin and have him have the same thought but about Rand. And Loial! Really liked him in the book.

4. Fuego Queer - Ed Meat & Rita "Bo" Brown: A nonfiction I got at a book fair in the anarchist booth, about the George Jackson Brigade and the Men Against Sexism carceral group. A very interesting read, about something that I knew very little about.

5. Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle: My mom gifted me a coupon for my favourite fantasy & scifi bookshop (where I got my last Tingler) and I went to get this specifically. I read this in one day, I stayed up late to finish it, it was really fucking good. Going back to my roots of horror books, and Tinglers are fucking awesome.

6. Marburg - Guillem Clua: This is a play I saw 15 years ago, by a Catalan playwright that my mom and I like. I found it a little bit ridiculous at times, but I think it's because you're supposed to watch it live, otherwise it's too dramatic. Cannot describe why, but it reeks of Catalan theatre (and I love that, don't get me wrong), something I miss watching since I moved to Finland over eight years ago, so it was kinda nostalgic. The play also had one of my favourite Catalan stage actors, Eduard Farelo.

7. The Year Of The Flood - Margaret Atwood: I like this author, and especially her dystopias, which this was. Very different from what I imagined it would be from the blurb, but I still liked it. Loved all the "I don't actually believe in this cult" from people who very much believed in it.

8. El viatge de Shuna - Hayao Miyazaki: Got it for Christmas last year, I think, from my dad. It was a short read, but very beautiful. Very reminiscent of Nausicäa.

9. Ghostwritten - David Mitchell: His first novel! I got it from a secondhand shop. There were a couple of cameos of characters from Cloud Atlas. It was essentially nine different stories, and I liked some more than others, but it was cool how it was all part of a whole while kinda jumping between genres.

10. Quatro relatos - Rosa Pérez Antón: I got four short stories from this author at the three wise men fair when I was in Barcelona. She had several to choose from, and we talked a bit about what I liked and she recommended specific ones. I liked some more than others, but she inspired me to do my own thing, since she publishes and binds her own stuff creatively. There is a certain naiveté in what she writes, but it's the vulnerability of putting yourself out there as you are, and I respect that.

Look! We've gone from 2.5 shelves to only 2! This is working!

[ram-reads]

September 2021 has so many new releases I’m excited about! I can’t remember the last time a month has been chock full of books that I want to read right away. Sadly I know I won’t be able to get to all of them, but here are the books I’m most excited about!

The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley, Release Date: Sept. 7th

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee, Release Date: Sept. 7th

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, Release Date: Sept. 21st

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson, Release Date: Sept. 28th

Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, Release Date: Sept. 28th

Anyone else excited for these books? What are your most anticipated books coming out this month?

[larksbooks]

lark’s top 5 books of 2022!

ok! so! i read (drumroll, please...) 52 books in 2022, one for every week! (although, i didn’t exactly pace it so that i finished one every week, lol) and that’s NOT including the copious amounts of fanfiction i read, which probably would make it average out to a lot more. anyways. i wanted to share my top 5 :))) (even though i’m a couple days late shh)

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy/The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937-1955) 🦅✨🏹🏔️🧙🏻‍♂️

is this technically four books? yes! shh! i had been putting off reading these for ages because i never had the time to sit down and really give them justice. luckily, i found these phenomenal audiobooks which are on spotify! as someone who chiefly writes fantasy, it was definitely overdue for me to read lotr, since tolkien is THE master worldbuilder, lol. classics, and must-reads for sure.

2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (2020) 🧚🌅🏝️🐈👹

speaking of fantasy! this book, in a word: whimsical. the tone & cadence of the writing is reminiscent of a lot of the stories i read as a kid, though certainly not lacking in complexity or emotional depth. the cast of characters is colorful and bright. you can’t help but grow fond of the well-meaning but stuffy caseworker linus baker as he gets to know the magical children of marsyas orphanage--including a wyvern, sprite, gnome, and the literal antichrist--and their mysterious, eccentric caretaker arthur parnassus, for whom he starts to develop feelings. this was such an enjoyable, refreshing read, and definitely one of the highlights of my year.

3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021) 👽🔭👨🏻‍🚀🪐🚀

i don’t often cry because of fiction. really, i don’t. even E.T. didn’t make me cry. this book made me cry. and that’s saying something, given the subject matter. *clenches fist* it’s the enduring and selfless nature of humanity!! and our inherent goodness and curiosity!! even when we’re stranded in the middle of space with no idea why we’re there or what we’re supposed to be doing. ugh (/pos). i adore this book.

4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929)

another classic! i read this ahead of the netflix movie adaptation which came out this year. this is one of the most powerful and impactful pieces of literature i’ve ever read. this book displays the horrors suffered by german soldiers in the first world war, and serves as an apt condemnation of warfare in general. the first-person perspective is poignant and intense, and it’s hard not to emerge from reading this book a pacifist.

5. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho translated by Anne Carson (2002) 💖📝🌸💫💋

i was gifted this lovely, lovely book and it made me so happy. i have been wanting to read sappho for so long and i am so glad i finally got the chance in 2022! her poetry is just beautiful and reading her fragments are like reading the most devastating kind of blackout poetry. i’m not a huge fan of poetry myself, but sappho is definitely the exception.

[nobdybettrthnbuttr]

Book Review Wolfsong (Green Creek Book 1 of 4) by T.J. Klung

TLDR go read this book. Seriously. Just go. Run to your local Barnes and Noble or Amazon and just buy it.

So the whole reason I even found out about the Furry Fandom is because of my love for Werewolves as a teenager. Werewolves are my jam. Gay werewolves are my peanut butter. There's one problem.

Most gay werewolf fiction is written by women. That on it's own is not a bad thing. But it also involves a lot of M-Preg. I'm not going to kink shame people who are into that but it's frustrating that the majority of gay werewolf fiction is all m-preg stuff. I get that the omega verse is popular but it gets old.

So when I realized this new author I was getting into had written a gay werewolf book, i was like fuck yeah. So I downloaded it and now Listened to the whole series audiobook style multiple times. I've listened to all 4 books at least 4 times. I have a problem.

Anyway, so the first book centers around Oxnard (Ox) Matheson. The book starts when Ox is a kid and he catches his dad packing to leave. The dad tells Ox he regrets everything in his life except Ox. He tells Ox he's a good kid even though he's a bit dumb and then leaves to never return. The next scene is Ox calling a guy named Gordo. Gordo is super important. We love Gordo. He's the asshole with a heart of gold. Gordo owns a garage in town that Ox's dad worked at. Ox calls Gordo and basically begs him for a job even though he's underage because they might loose the house otherwise. Gordo and his mom work out a deal where he can work for Gordo under the table and Gordo will pay his mom to help keep the bills up. It's hinted that Gordo pays Ox way more than he should so all the bills are caught up in a couple of months. Gordo also has a tendency to under charge for services if he knows his customer can't afford it. On top of that, also working for Gordo is Tanner, Chris and Rico. We also love these three because they are the comedic trio that keeps things light. The auto garage gang along with Ox's mom become his sort of family, helping him to deal with life and all that as he grows older.

Some weird stuff happens, like a mysterious creature that growls at him in the forest before running away and meeting a weird dude named Mark Bennet who scents the air a lot. But the big event is when he turns 16, he runs into a small boy who immediately takes a liking to him and starts asking why he smells like candy canes and pinecones. and epic and awesome. This is when Ox is introduced to the Bennet family. And as he gets closer to this family, he is told that the boy, his name is Joe, hadn't said anything for 15 months before meeting Ox that day because he was kidnapped and tortured.

I won't go into too much further detail because I don't want to spoil it. But this story has a lot of angst for a bit. So be prepared for that. There are two sex scenes at the end of the book when ox is in his mid 20's. But I love this book. With every fiber of my being. If you're a fan of found families, werewolves, a little bit of well deserved angst in the middle and a lot of random cuddling, then you will love this book. I also highly recommend the other books in the series as well. Also TJ Klung's other books are awesome too. They are for the most part queer supernatural stories. If you like more comedy themed books, the Tales from Verenia series is hilarious. These books make me cry happy tears and are just great examples of queer books written by queer people.

In case you're interested, here's a link to the Amazon page.

https://www.amazon.com/Wolfsong-TJ-Klune/dp/1634771648

[remapped-soul]

The House in the Cerulean Sea, a rewiew

It's the easiest 5-star review I have given in a long while. I have not felt this excited about a book in so long and, whilst I do not believe in coincidence, I do believe I've read this book when I needed it most. It's a dash of action and mystery mixed in with the found-family trope and oh, did I mention romance? And everything is built on the back of a world not-so-great, which mirrors our very real world. It is a great example of finding friendship and hope and a place to belong to which ultimately become our greatest weapons in a world that works against us.

The summary of this book is on point. A social worker has to visit and inspect an "orphanage" in order to determine if it's suited or not for the children living there. Linus Baker is not your typical hero. He's a queer, middle-aged man who likes his routine, who likes his job, who's done this job for the past 17 years. He wouldn't change a thing, he doesn't question things. It has worked for him so far. Because of the brilliant way Klune works the world-building into his story, you'd think Linus Baker is a coward without a spine, a person in love with his comfort zone. And after all, aren't we all? But what he possesses more than any other person around him (until a certain point in the book) is kindness, inherent kindness. Kindness and a non-judgmental way of seeing the world. And that, ladies, gents and non-binary friends, it's a game-changer. Linus Baker cares a big deal about the world around him, about the children he tries to protect. And this kindness, together with his fearful nature, will be challenged, once he gets on the island. And how wonderful that is. This book is about kindness, it's about finding the good in this world and helping it prevail. This book feels like a warm blanket on a chilly day, the first sip of coffee in the morning, the first taste of a strawberry cake (and I love strawberry cake). It's wonderfully written, funny and honestly, a tear-jerker. The children are wonderful, their caretakers, one Mr. Arthur Parnassus and one Ms. Zoe Chapelwhite, are both incredible, funny, charming fellows. Everyone is wonderful, except for the islanders, but I don't want to spoil the review talking about them. It was a pleasure to read this book, from the witty dialogue to the world built around Linus Baker and the playful details present in the book. It is a fantasy book, but it doesn't suffocate the reader with details they don't need. The descriptions are well executed to create the atmosphere of a house where six precious children reside. At times, it gets scary. The horror elements of this book are incredible and I would love to read something from T.J. Klune that's darker than not, I think he'd do an excellent job of it. But what stands out more than anything in this book, more than its craft and witty dialogue and world-building, are the inhabitants of this world. I do not have the words to express just how wonderful they are, how well T.J Klune created them because he cared for them. This book bleeds love and tenderness and I am so happy to have stumbled upon it. Everything about this book is delicate. Linus Baker's courage, Arthur Parnassus's love for his children, Zoe Chapelwhite's protection of the island. And you might frown upon this delicacy, call it fragile, and you'd be wrong. Like most things in the world, their courage and love and care are strong and resilient. This book is not about overthrowing the big, bad guy. This book is about a whisper that can grow into a roar.

“Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar." This book is precious and your life, your heart, will get better if you give it a chance. It's a hug from the writer, it's a hug from every reader who touched it and loved it. It was for me. (less)

[yourneighborhoodbibliophile]

Not pictured: Opal by Maggie Stiefvater, The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic, The Raven King by Nora Sakavic, and The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic.

August Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

I read fifteen books this month. ✨

1. American Royals, Katharine McGee — ★ 0.5/5 stars ★

2. Majesty, Katharine McGee — DNF

3. Instructions for Dancing, Nicola Yoon — ★ 3.5/5 stars ★

4. Blackout, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon — ★ 3/5 stars ★

5. The Extraordinaries, T.J. Klune — ★ 4.5/5 stars ★

6. Flash Fire, T.J. Klune — ★ 4/5 stars ★

7. The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 2.5/5 stars ★

8. The Dream Thieves, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 3.5/5 stars ★

9. Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 3/5 stars ★

10. The Raven King, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 4/5 stars ★

11. Opal, Maggie Stiefvater

12. Call Down the Hawk, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 3.5/5 stars ★

13. Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater — ★ 4/5 stars ★

14. The Foxhole Court, Nora Sakavic — ★ 1/5 stars ★

15. The Raven King, Nora Sakavic — ★ 1/5 stars ★

16. The King’s Men, Nora Sakavic — ★ 1/5 stars ★

Keep reading for my unsolicited opinion on what I read this month.

1-2. American Royals and Majesty by Katharine McGee

There is no justification for American Royals to be a book, let alone a 464 page book, let alone a 464 page book with a 384 page sequel.

American Royals features a love triangle — though it was less of a love triangle and more of a love tangle — as well as an arranged marriage, a bodyguard romance, and two secret/forbidden romances (because one wasn’t enough).

All the characters are straight, cis, and white (with the exception of Nina Gonzalez, our token non-white character, the daughter of our token same-sex couple).

All the characters are also privileged and entitled, spoilt and selfish, and toxic and manipulative, but still manage to victimize themselves constantly (because it’s so difficult being a rich, white, straight, cis member of the modern aristocracy).

As for the alternate history — I use the term “alternate history” loosely — McGee took our timeline (with a democracy), and pretended that the same events had occurred, but with a monarchy. Anyone who possesses common sense (or performs cursory research on the matter) knows that a timeline must be alternated for it to be an alternate history. Hence why it’s called an alternate history. But apparently McGee, the publishers, the editors, and everyone else who reviewed it did not possess this common sense (or perform any cursory research on the matter).

The only sections of the timeline that were alternated had to do with slavery, segregation, discrimination, and racism. It did not address any of it, but alternated the timeline so that it didn’t exist. In effect, it erased the slavery, segregation, discrimination, and racism that African Americans, Native Americans, and people of color experienced throughout American history as well as the discrimination and racism African Americans, Native Americans, and people of color still experience today. It also suggested that slavery, segregation, discrimination, and racism would not have existed if there had been a monarchy instead of a democracy, which is… problematic.

To summarize it, I’ll quote Nina “I’m-not-like-other-girls” Gonzalez: “Despite the whirl of action that seemed to affect the characters, nothing much had actually happened.”

3. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Instructions for Dancing is a signature of Nicola Yoon. It was romantic, earnest, and sincere with a meaningful message. Although it wasn’t a message that was original to the novel, it was heartfelt in its delivery.

4. Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

Blackout is a compilation of black romances written by a collaboration of black authors. Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon are both auto-read authors of mine, so once I saw they had collaborated on Blackout, I had to read it. They did not disappoint.

5-6. The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire features an eclectic cast of characters (Nick, a gay fanfiction writer with ADHD, Seth, Nick’s bisexual childhood best friend, Gibby, Nick’s lesbian best friend, and Jazz, Gibby’s girlfriend), a quick-paced plot (with superhuman elements), and hilarious dialogue and internal monologue. I had read (and also adored) The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was The Extraordinaries (and Flash Fire) that cemented T.J. Klune as an auto-read author of mine. Under the Whispering Door is one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2021. And the third and final book in the Extraordinaries is one of my most anticipated releases for 2022.

7-10. The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle features an eclectic cast of characters (Blue, the daughter of a psychic, Gansey, a privileged student at Aglionby Academy, Ronan, Gansey’s best friend, Adam, a scholarship student at Aglionby Academy, and Noah), a quest (with fantastical, magical, and supernatural elements), and a series of prophecies. I loved the development of the plot, but I felt that the execution of the plot was slow-paced, though it picked up as the series progressed.

11. Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

Opal is a short story told from the perspective of one of Ronan Lynch’s creations, Opal, who follows life at “the Barns”, specifically the lives of Ronan Lynch and Adam Parrish. I adored Opal’s perspective, especially Opal’s perspective on Ronan and Adam. I adore Ronan and Adam.

12-13. Call Down the Hawk and Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

Call Down the Hawk and Mister Impossible features a cast of characters both old and new (Ronan Lynch, Declan Lynch, and Mathew Lynch from The Raven Cycle, Jordan Henessy, and Carmen Farooq-Lane), a quest (with fantastical, magical, and supernatural elements), and a series of dreams. I loved both the development and the execution of the plot. The third and final book in The Dreamer Trilogy is one of my most anticipated releases for 2022.

14-16. The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, and The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic

Although I rated the All for the Game trilogy 1/5 stars, my review of it was quite forgiving. I kept it, but added comments in italics, since I am no longer as forgiving.

All for the Game features an eclectic cast of characters, a fictional sport, and a crime organization. (And the deplorable portrayal of mental illness, physical and sexual assault and abuse, trauma, and suicide.) Although I liked the cast of characters (Ha! I despise the characters — I hope they are brutally murdered by the mafia… or worse, I hope they trip over their own racquets in the midst of a game of Exy), I disliked the fictional sport. (I couldn’t care less about an actual sport, let alone a fictional sport, let alone a fictional sport that’s a violent version of lacrosse.) (There are entire scenes — entire chapters — of them playing Exy in which the sequence of events are impossible to follow. It’s obvious that Sakavic is as lost as the reader is, but such is the cost of coming up with your own sport.) I also disliked the mob/mafia type of crime organization. (Give me an old-fashioned neighborhood gang instead.) (The mafia was incredibly invested in Exy. Why they were invested in a collegiate sport is beyond me, but they were more interested in it than I was as the reader.) I also severely disliked the sadistic torture scenes that were written in detail that was both graphic and gratuitous. (And with sexual undertones.) All for the Game cemented that sports fiction/romance and mob/mafia fiction/romance are not my type of read. (And that poorly-written books with poorly-executed plots are not my type of read either.)

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review of Flash Fire by TJ Klune (With Bonus Review of The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune)

4 stars

I almost DNFed this because the secondhand embarrassment at the beginning was brutal and I came away from the first book ambivalent about the characters. I'm glad I stuck with it though, because somehow they grew on me and what had previously annoyed me became sort of... endearing? I really liked the way Nick's dad had to face the things he'd done and that his role as a police officer was not as shiny as he (and Nick) had believed. There was a thoughtful discussion of what it means to be a police officer and what the police mean to different people. There were some very sweet moments, and some embarassing ones (with Nick, there probably always will be) and dangit I went from being completely meh about the series to having to read the next book. (I'm totally not mad about that). I love TJ Klune's writing, even when it is embarassing, because it's real and authentic and also lifts up the people who might not always be lifted up. It's also just excellent writing and a pleasure to read. I was running late with this arc review (oops) so I ended up listening to the audiobook and the narrator did a really excellent job capturing Nick's personality (and his friends too, but let's face it, Nick's personality kind of takes over. A lot.) I still saw the plot twists coming from a mile away but it didn't bother me so much this time. *Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan/Tor-Forge for providing an e-arc for review.

Bonus Review of The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

3 stars

This was good. I didn't like it as much as I expected, given that the author is T.J. Klune, but it was still good. Nick was a little too young and oblivious, and I didn't much like his dad. Come on, checking to see that he swallowed his pill? Locking the pills up in a safe? That was a bit much. I also saw most of the plot twists coming from a mile away, though there were a few details that I didn't expect. I'm not a big fan of the superhero genre, and that could be part of why it didn't really work for me. I had to speed up the audiobook because I was more focused on getting through it than enjoying it which is telling. Honestly I would probably have dnfed except that I have an arc of the sequel and so needed to finish it. That said the friendship group is good, there are a lot of funny moments, and it's definitely an interesting take on superheroes.

[eskelent]

end of year book asks!! 3, 13, 22, 24, 25 if that isn't too many 😂

Yaaay thanks for asking, friend!! ;) Imma do all of them except 24 which I got on a different ask.

It was a really good year for reading for me, even though I didnt get anywhere near my number-of-books-finished goal. I feel like I enjoyed almost everything I read immensely, which isnt always true! So here we go

3.) What were your top five books of the year? - Very Hard Question so I'm giving myself the limiting factor of books that I read for the first time because I reread about three favorites this year (I also eliminated The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson because although I did finish it for the first time this year, I started it four years ago and stopped and started many times and already knew that I loved it going into this year... it would have been my number 2 if I'd kept it in..):

5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

4. Dominus: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Steven Saylor

3. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

2. Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) by Kristin Cashore

1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

13.) What were your least favorite books of the year? - Like I said it was a very good reading year for me, in part because a large chunk of it was taken up exclusively by The Stormlight Archives audiobooks, which have because my happy place, no really. So even the books I liked least this year I still enjoyed, but here's a few

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - I simply wasn't blown away by this book and don't really remember much of it. Like, even the main characters' names... It was also the first book I read this year so take that as you will.

The House of Always by Jenn Lyons - This one pains me to write, because the Chorus of Dragons series is one of my FAVORITE from the past three years and every book in it to this point has been wonderful. With this one though, I think the framing device (one of my fav features of the first two books) got away from her and actively detracted from the overall story. It was honestly hard to follow, it changed too often, the interweaving of the characters felt like it fell apart, ironically, once they were more or less in the same room. I was just left a bit disappointed :/ BUT please everyone go read the first book in the series and see if you like it, The Ruin of Kings is wonderful.

22.) What’s the longest book you read? - I had to look up word counts for this bc its SO hard to compare page lengths with high fantasy, which was most of what I read this year, but the result is Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson, surprising only in the way that I truly thought Words of Radiance was longer overall. If I end up finishing Rhythm of War before the end of the year that will be the longest tho

25.) What reading goals do you have for next year? - Next year I want to read a little more consciously, if that makes any sense. Basically I usually follow my whims with which novels I pick up when and I don’t do well trying to get myself to read anything I think might not be pleasurable so I stick to genres I know I’m pretty much guaranteed to enjoy. But this year I want to purposefully diversify my reading not only in terms of genre but also with authors with specific perspectives and viewpoints and read from only magazines as well as trad published stuff. and maybe I’ll even read a little nonfiction if I’m feeling particularly adventurous

[realpersonfacts]

Finished the Broken Earth Trilogy. Cried. Finished listening to The Way of Kings audiobook. 45 hours, worth it. SUCH a ride. Waiting on the rest of the series. Any fantasy (or sci-fi) books you'd recommend? I think I just happened to be reading/listening to the same books you happened to recommend to others, so now I'd love to get some recommendations if you have any.

yes!!! hello!!!! most of what I read is fantasy so I definitely have recs!

first of all I want to say that the broken earth trilogy is the best thing I've read in years it was sooo so good. I just got a physical copy and I'm thinking about rereading soon even though I read them for the first time less than six months ago hahaha. and the stormlight archive is just SO much fun.

Older stuff that I have loved for a long time:

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud: if there's one YA series that I could give Tumblr Fame it would be this one. it's about an au London where the politics are controlled by magicians, who in turn get their power from the spirits they can summon and enslave to do their work for them. DELIGHTFULLY funny. the main characters are a djinn with a soft spot for humans (despite his claims to the contrary) who has the Best narration ever, a young magician who is incredibly unlikeable but his life is juuuust tragic enough to keep you invested, and a commoner girl who joins a revolutionary movement against the tyranny of the magicians.

Howl's Moving Castle (and others) By Dianna Wynne Jones: if you haven't read howl's moving castle you should! it's different from the movie and I like it better. really enjoyable characters/setting/plot etc and one of the books that just gives me good feelings whenever I read it. also Dianna Wynne Jones just writes fun books in general! I don't remember a lot of them except for The Dark Lord of Derkholm which is really really entertaining, the premise is that there's a fantasy world where every year tourists from our world pay to visit and defeat the Dark Lord so every year a wizard from the fantasy world has to dress up and act as the dark lord for all these tourist groups and everyone in the fantasy world is SICK of having to do it.

The Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin: I am currently in the middle of rereading these too! they are all fairly short and while technically they are YA they really don't feel like it? they are older books and they are written in a more slow and contemplative style than a lot of the other stuff on this list. the first three are all coming of age books but in slightly different ways. ursula k le guin is super smart and I found her afterwards really interesting too; she has a lot to say about the nature of fantasy stories.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman: i'm biased because i read these at a really formative age but they are probably my favorite books ever. i love the journey that the characters go on and the ending makes me cry every time.

Newer stuff that I have read for the first time recently:

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: I am currently halfway through the third book in this trilogy and it's very good. Note that it is a LOT darker than the rest of the stuff on this list (to give you some idea, the author is a Chinese historian and the war in the books takes a lot of inspiration from the Japanese invasion of China during WWII) but idk I don't usually go for super dark/sad stuff and I am still enjoying it a lot? The premise behind the magic system is that people can forge bonds with gods to call upon their power, but the gods are impossible to control so after a certain point you basically become just a vessel for the god as a being of destruction. I'm expecting it to end tragically but the well-written kind of tragedy where it's cathartic because you saw the characters' fates coming so we'll see!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: in direct contrast to the poppy war this book was SO sweet. like almost TOO cute and charming if you know what I mean. it's about a case worker who goes to assess an orphanage of Ragtag Magical Children and their mysterious caretaker. I am not hugely into kids but I wanted to adopt all the kids in this book. will make you Feel Good.

Finally, just a blanket rec for the rest of N.K. Jemisin's work! I am currently two books into The Inheritance Trilogy, her first series, and while I'm not enjoying it as much as the broken earth trilogy it's still good! It has a lot of similar themes about systems of power and oppression and the worldbuilding is fun. I think it's really interesting too to read this one after the broken earth trilogy because you can really see how much she's developed as a writer in such a short time! I haven't read her other books yet but my mom (whose taste I trust and who read the broken earth on my recommendation) has read the Dreamblood Duology and The City We Became and said that The City We Became was her favorite of all of Jemisin's stuff that she's read! so i'm really looking forward to reading them when I get a chance.

[elkrisen]

book asks: 1, 2, 30?

1. What book are you currently reading?

I am actively reading about seven books right now but the ones I'm most actively reading are:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (two gay men in their 40s take care of monster children on a house by the sea. charming and sweet - one of my favorite fiction reads of the year)

The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces by Anjou Kiernan (guide to pagan holidays more than a guide to altars and not what I was expecting/necessarily wanted out of this book but I'm in too deep to not finish it)

Men, Women, and Chainsaws by Carol J. Clover (the essential feminist horror film book and the birthplace of the term "final girl" absolutely fantastic read but slow)

The Coming Insurrection by The Invisible Committee (first book in the anarchist book discord I'm a part of)

2. What book did you recently finish?

I just finished The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson yesterday and it was such an exceptional read. It took me longer then I expected to finish just because the build up is so slow but the character work in the end is absolutely incredible. I think Nell is one of my favorite character voices within the genre and I love the ambiguity and the characterization of the house. The prose was also gorgeous.

30. What character do you connect with the most?

I don't really connect to fictional characters that often but recently I really connected with Nell from The Haunting of Hill House. I think the way that she internalizes her interactions with people vs. the way she expresses them without necessarily understanding that the thing that she sees and hates in others is a projection of what other people see and hate in her. The fact that she was able to keep so much of herself private for all of the wrong reasons and then seeks autonomy through destructive, and ultimately fruitless ways. I also relate to the way that she struggles to understand love so she turns to violence as the vehicle of her affections without necessarily questioning or restricting herself from that. I really wanted her to jump by the end of the book because I knew it would be the last time she would feel like she had a choice and I remembered a time in my life where I felt that way too.

[reading-while-queer]

Hi, I was wondering if you could recommend any LGBT fantasy that isn’t based in a highschool? Thanks

Hi! Thanks for sending in this question, I would be glad to!

Books I recommend: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Review) Ensemble cast of criminals pull off a heist in a magical original setting, during the rise of a fascist regime. YA.

With Roses in Their Hair by Ennis Bashe (Review) (Read Here) Lesbian retelling of Tam Lin in a fantasy/dystopian setting. Adult short story.

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Review) A trans and gay reimagining of Peter Pan. Adult.

Quoria by Calhoun Crimin (Read Here) An early 20th century-inspired fantasy setting starring a con man-turned-detective who gets in way over his head solving magical crimes. YA appropriate.

Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly (Review) Speculative rather than strictly fantasy (it takes place in a non-magical original 30s-inspired setting), the series is about spies and revolutionaries facing the rise of fascism. Adult.

Heartwood ed. Joamette Gil (Review) A collection of non-binary comics from various authors, all with fae inspiration. YA appropriate.

Huntress by Malinda Lo (Review) Two girls must go on a journey to the city of the fairy queen to restore the balance of nature. YA.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (Review) A fantasy comic about a shapeshifter, and the villainous Lord Blackheart she works for. YA appropriate.

Taproot by Keezy Young (Review) A gardener who can see ghosts gets involved with something bigger when his ghost friends find themselves transported to a creepy forest on another plane of existence. YA appropriate.

Books I’m excited about (but haven’t read): Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (Goodreads) It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew… YA. (Blurb from Goodreads)

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden (Goodreads) By night, Razia Khan is one of the most sought-after dancing girls in the desert city of Bikampur. Later in the night, she is its most elusive thief. When Razia finds herself dancing for the maharaja's son, the handsome prince Arjun, she knows that she's playing with fire. As a trans girl, known as a hijra, she can never be a wife to any man, and as the former crown prince of the Sultanate of Nizam, she guards her identity carefully, lest her father's assassins find her. But in the dragon-riding prince of Bikampur, Razia sees not just a ticket out of the gutter, but a kindred spirit. (Quoted from NoveList)

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta (Goodreads) When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst (Goodreads) Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Pet by Akweke Emezi (Goodreads) In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam's mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster. YA. (quoted from NoveList)

Spellhacker by M.K. England (Goodreads) Magic was a natural resource until a corporation used a magical earthquake as an excuse to make magic a controlled substance - and an outrageously expensive one. Diz and her friends run an illegal magic-siphoning operation, and are about to pull their last heist. YA. (Paraphrased from Goodreads)

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James (Goodreads) A mix of fantasy and African history and myth. Tracker is sent to track down a boy who disappeared three years ago, and must break his rule of working alone, joined by a shapeshifting man/leopard, and other strange characters. Adult. (paraphrased from Goodreads).

The City We Became by N. K. Jemison (Goodreads) An evil stirs in the underbelly of NYC, threatening to destroy the city and her 6 avatars. Adult. (paraphrased from NoveList)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (Goodreads) Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. Adult. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Ash by Malinda Lo (Goodreads) In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King's Huntress whom she loves. YA. (Quoted from NoveList)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Goodreads) Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Shark by Kevaughn Ryder (Goodreads) Silver Shark, youngest of the royal family of Near Shallows, has been having strange dreams for many nights. He barely remembers them, except for a handsome man with a beautiful smile.On his first trip to the surface, Shark is horrified to discover that the man is human; a creature feared and hated by those of his underwater kingdom. In his confusion, Shark commits unspeakable treachery: he saves this human from drowning. Age range unknown. (Quoted from Ryderworlds.wordpress.com)

Everfair by Nisi Shawl (Goodreads) Everfair is a wonderful Neo-Victorian alternate history novel that explores the question of what might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier. Fabian Socialists from Great Britian join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated. Adult. (Blurb from Goodreads).

The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith (Goodreads) After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. Middle Grade. (Quoted from Goodreads)

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (Goodreads) Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu. Adult. (Quoted from Goodreads)

Crier's War by Nina Varela (Goodreads) After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will. YA. (Quoted from Goodreads)

A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (Goodreads) After meeting a handsome Dalucan soldier, Aqib bmg Sadiqi, a fourth cousin to the royal family and son of the Master of Beasts, struggles with his family's expectations and the love he feels for Lucrio. Adult. (Blurb from NoveList).

[antheminmyheart]

friendly reminder that call me by your name is one of the worst books to ever exist

Don’t believe me? Here’s my review that I left on Goodreads in September. Have fun (or not).

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2770610798?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 A grand total of: 1 Star ⭐️ My Review: (Edited To Add: When I first read this book, I, at the very least, thought that the author, Andre Aciman, was part of the LGBT+ community, but... NOPE! Asshole is a fucking STRAIGHT MAN. MOTHERFUCK.) And the most disappointing read of the year goes to... Lads, I hated this book. Absolutely fucking hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it. Words cannot describe how much I fucking regret reading this book — it just might be one of the worst books I have /ever/ read. I literally cannot deal. There were a few different reasons why I hated this book, all of which I will go into, but there was one reason why I hated it most of all, and I’ll put that reason here: Elio. I. COULD. NOT. STAND. HIM. OH MY GOD. This asshole. Full disclosure, before I go on, I am asexual as fuck. I do not feel sexual attraction, never have, probably never will. I am also sex-repulsed — However, I AM sex-positive. Normally, I do not give a single fuck what people do in their sex lives as long as everything is legal and consensual, and as long as it doesn’t involve me. However, this little asshole was a motherfucking CREEP. I get it. He’s 17. Most 17 year olds who actually do feel sexual attraction are horny as fuck, all day, every day. They probably, like, look up porn and shit — before PornHub, there was Playboy. Can’t relate, but okay. It’s whatever. BUT THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE ANY OF WHAT THIS KID DID. (Pretty big spoilers from here on out, heyo). Right, so he pretty much starts lusting after Oliver 0.2 seconds after meeting the dude. It is literally your textbook definition of instalust, and if you looked it up in the dictionary you would see Elio’s face (do we ever even learn his last name???) in the dictionary. He starts fantasizing about Oliver’s cock right off the bat. Fine. Creepy, but whatever. I thought his little comment comparing Oliver’s ass and balls to an apricot was pretty cringey (he literally went as far as to call it Oliver’s “apricock”), but I would EASILY take a million apricocks over the bullfuckery (no pun intended) that happens next. But first, before we even get into the cringey sex shit, I would like to point out that there is a point somewhere in the beginning part of this book where Elio literally wishes that, “Oliver was a cripple in a wheelchair so he couldn’t run away.” If that’s not the direct quote, it’s pretty damn close. UMMM. Nice dose of casual ableism there, but okay. Moving on. Okay, so basically the context of the relationship is that Elio is a kid from Italy, and during the summer his parents run a vacation home. They rent out some rooms in the house, including Elio’s bedroom (he temporarily moves into a smaller spare bedroom whenever this happens). Oliver is an American and he’s vacationing in Italy for like 6 weeks, so they rent out Elio’s room and he moves into the spare during this time. Fantastic. So, pretty quickly after Oliver moves in for the summer, Elio catches him wearing swim trunks. Totally normal, it’s summer, it’s hot, and Oliver is staying at a resort near the beach. He is totally justified in wearing swim trunks during this time. Except Elio takes things to a whole new damn level, and after seeing Oliver in these evidently very sexy swim trunks, he sneaks into Oliver’s room. His justification of this very brilliant decision is basically, “Well, it’s actually MY room and he’s just borrowing it so I am TOTALLY JUSTIFIED in going through his belongings.” Right. Anyway, so this kid starts snooping through Oliver’s room (I will be calling it Oliver’s room during this review since he’s renting it). He starts snooping through their guest’s clothes and shit, starts going through his closet... and, lo and behold, what is the very first thing Elio finds in said closet? The very smexy swim trunks. (They’re red, in case you wanted to know). And so. What does Elio do upon finding these sexy red swim trunks? This absolute treasure among treasures? First, he takes the swim trunks out of the closet. And then... He :) holds the swim trunks up to his face :) and INHALES the scent of the inside of the crotch area :) where Oliver’s dick goes. :) BONUS POINTS: He also narrates that he wishes! he could find! “some sort of bodily fluid or a pubic hair!” 😍 I mean, what a guy, hey? *TV Announcer Voice* BUT! THAT’S! NOT! ALL! So while Elio is in Oliver’s room, he, naturally, has to strip naked and try on Oliver’s swim trunks. Because that is very clearly the next step in creepiness after inhaling some random dude’s cock-smelling swim trunks like it’s a goddamn Yankee candle. But that’s not even the weirdest thing that happens. I can’t remember if this happened before, during, or after Elio tried on the trunks (this entire scene was a goddamn nightmare — one of many), but at some point before leaving Oliver’s room, Elio gets on the bed, finds a pillow that Oliver brought with him, and :) dry humps :) the goddamn thing. :) Literally puts it between his legs and rides it out like a goddamn pony. Why I didn’t stop reading at that point, I will never know, but sometime after all this happens, a sort-of relationship forms between Elio and Oliver (more like a summer fling). I have no idea what Italy’s age of consent laws are, so that’s really not my place to say — I don’t want to seem like I’m defending the situation, and I know that most of my rant has been about Elio, but I just... the whole situation is really hard to judge, in my opinion. Oliver’s in his early 20s so the age gap isn’t HUGE huge, but he is American while Elio is Italian, different countries with different laws, so like... that further muddies the age of consent shit. But, even if the ages WEREN’T a problem, the relationship itself is a goddamn train wreck. Overthinking it all highkey stresses me out. Instead, Imma just tell y’all about an ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING thing that happened afterwards because WHAT THE FUCK. WHY WAS THIS IN A FUCKING BOOK. OH MY GOD. (I feel like I’m radiating strong Gus from How To Be A Normal Person vibes right now and, honestly, I need my inner Gus to get me through this shit because WHAT THE FUCK). So, they hook up and have sex for the first time. Whatever. I don’t even know what the fuck happened because, honestly, the writing style was not the best (I’ll rant about that later, if I make it through this shit) and they did this thing where they called each other by each other’s names during sex (which is, I guess, where the title comes from — hardy har har). The idea is fine in retrospect, but between the name-swapping and the shitty writing style, the scene overall was very confusing to read. All I got out of it was that Elio bottomed and Oliver topped. (<—— Almost accidentally typed Gus there and, um, Gustavo Tiberius deserves better than that. I am so sorry, Gus). After they have sex, Elio starts to question whether that was a good idea, whether he was actually into Oliver like that, etc., etc.. And at some point during all of this — I don’t even know how or why this became a thing — he ends up fucking a peach. You read that right. He :) fucks :) a :) peach. :) Like, I’m talking, splits it open and just! shoves his cock right on through! He even cums in the damn thing! ... And, like, I have never seen the movie, but I looked it up, AND THAT SCENE IS IN THE GODDAMN MOVIE. LITERALLY COMES UP AS “THE PEACH SCENE.” WHY. WHY. WHY. WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY. What kind of American Pie, 50 Shades bullshit did I just read AND WHY DID ABSOLUTELY NO ONE WARN ME ABOUT IT. Oh, and, uh, Oliver eats the peach. Just. Gobbles that thing up like it’s his favorite piece of goddamn candy. At that point, my soul just kinda detached itself from my body and plummeted straight into hell. I have become numb to any sort of emotion, and I am never touching a goddamn peach ever again, oh my god. So um. Yeah. Outside of the creepy sex shit and questionable age shit, the book was actually boring as fuck. I thought I would actually like the Italian setting, but nope! Outside of being traumatized, I have absolutely no recollection of what happens after Oliver and Elio go to Rome together. All I remember is that I’m pretty sure the ending was bullshit. And the writing style was Not Great either. The author tried SO HARD to be stupidly poetic and it absolutely did not work in the goddamn slightest (especially during the sex scenes, with fruit and otherwise). The paragraphs were super long and rambling, and the author went through patches of writing where he just. Straight up did not break the paragraphs at all when a conversation happened. I read whole paragraphs where I had no idea who was talking because it went back and forth so much. I have no idea if that was done as a stylistic choice, but it was bullshit and I’m judging everyone who liked it. Why??? Did this??? Goddamn book??? Become a movie??? I have never wanted to roundhouse kick a book into the goddamn ocean so badly. I regret ever buying it. I regret not stopping after the goddamn swim trunks shit. I want my money back. In conclusion, to sum up this goddam monstrosity of a book: WHY. (If you want better LGBT+ books, please consider reading How To Be A Normal Person by T.J. Klune, A Light Amongst Shadows by Kelley York & Rowan Altwood, or A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, just to name a few. They are all SO much better than this goddamn... experience... and do not include questionable age laws. And also, the first two titles are written by indie authors who are part of the LGBT+ community!)

[mautadite]

september book round up

17 books this month! almost done with my goal for the year, pretty excited about that. don’t know what i’ll concentrate on after i am... probably more schmoopy romance lol. my job broke my contract for the month so i’ll be home for a while with lots of time to read hopefully. or listen, i should say. all of these (other than kaiju maximus) are audiobooks!

society of gentlemen series - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️ victorian m/m series that deals with politics, democrats vs tories, sedition. thought provoking material in a light enough package, and the romance is the main focus. i liked all three books and all three couples, though each book had its issues. in the first, it was that one of the protags was somehow comfortable to settle into the life of luxury that he criticises, and in the third i was a little bewildered by the dynamics. the second was probably my favourite. but still, a good series.

everything between us - harper bliss ⭐️⭐️⭐️ sweet f/f romance. i liked that it dipped into feminism and fat acceptance and other topics that romance books generally just never address. really appreciated that. and i really liked the main character! i just sometimes felt like characters would speak as if they were reading from a textbook, especially when talking about sj issues. it was kinda awkward.

zero visibility - georgia beers ⭐️⭐️⭐️ f/f... not quite enemies to lovers. awkward acquaintances to lovers? and there was a lesbian ice queen who was literally an ice queen, she used to be a skiing champion lol. this was good, well written and had a nice small town romance vibe. moved pretty slowly, which i can appreciate in a romance. there were multiple povs, other than the two main characters, which i didn’t like, and there was one super biphobic character who never got taught a lesson. otherwise: pretty good!

bear, otter and the kid - t.j. klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️ very very cute romance/coming of age. guy falls in love with his best friend’s brother while taking care of his little brother after their mother abandoned them. it got very melodramatic never the end (a la misunderstandings and forced break up, it just made me annoyed) and the story was honestly very predictable. but it was funny and sweet and well written for the most part.

trapped - sally bryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️ now this is lesbian enemies to lovers... but it wasn’t great. seriously, the speed at which they went from hating each other and maligning each other to declaring their ilus was ridiculous. i know the premise is that they were in a life altering situation, but come on. :/ that said, this book was a giant ‘cuddling for warmth’ trope and i was here for it.

orlando - virginia woolf ⭐️⭐️⭐️ one of those classics that i wish i liked better than i do. and i mean i do like it. but it moved so slowly in the beginning, i was so impatient for the gender stuff and the queer stuff to start happening. things picked up when they did, and i adore virginia woolf’s writing, i did soooooo much bookmarking... but idk, just never got immersed in the story. this would benefit from a second read, but idk if i’ll ever drum up the patience to do so.

the horse mistress chronicles - r.a. steffan ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a poly romance series set in a fantasy world against the backdrop of an invasion by a larger empire. the main character is a gender fluid horse tamer who falls in love with a eunuch werewolf priest and the strongest warrior in her tribe, and the story follows the course of their triad relationship and their personal developments and the war. i feel like it had a serious pacing problem, especially near the beginning, wrt how quickly i was asked to believe that they fell in love. the world building, while good, fell flat very often. i left the series satisfied, but also kinda underwhelmed.

too bad about your girl - saranna dewylde ⭐️⭐️⭐️ short story, f/f friends to lovers. cute, and i knew what i was getting into with a short story, but as soon as it ended i wanted more. they were solid characters, and i felt like a bigger story could be told about them! but it was still cute.

the music of what happens - bill konigsberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️ m/m ya romance that made me kinda... eh. bill konigsberg is one of those ya authors who always gets recommended but idk that i’m a fan of his style of writing. this had an unbelievable premise, very little chemistry, an irritating passage against ~~~pc culture~~~ and a scene involving forced exercise that made me very uncomfortable. but it was well meaning and the characters were cute. the narrators saved this for me.

truth will out - k.c. wells ⭐️⭐️ m/m murder mystery romance that was very sweet... but a pretty bad mystery! i figured it out so fast! and as i am NOT particularly clever or any kind of sleuth... :/ yeah. it’s always a bummer when you find out whodunnit miles before it’s revealed. especially annoying in this case because the author made it obvious by having EVERYONE BE A POTENTIAL SUSPECT... except the guy who ended up doing it lol. the romance part was nice tho.

good to know - d.w. marchwell ⭐️ a romance novel about a gay cowboy adopting his nephew and falling in love with his nephew’s new teacher should be really cute, right? alas, this was bad. constant pov switching, meh writing, ridic sex scenes, entire conversations in different languages and characters who were frankly unlikable. skip this.

kaiju maximus(r) - kai ashante wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a short story by one of my faaaaaaavourite writers that i read in an anthology years ago; had an urge to read it again. in a post apocalyptic world, a mighty hero and her family search out a new threat. told from the husband’s POV with kaw’s beautiful beautiful prose. always a treat.

that’s it for september. it’ll be more of the same of october probably; lots of queer romance. currently reading poison kiss by ana mardoll.

[cats-are-assholes]

10 books I want to read in 2019

the lovely @idnis tagged me so here we go (in no particular order) 

1. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (wink wink C) 

2. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 

3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett 

4. Wolfsong & Ravensong (counting these as one) by T.J. Klune 

5. The Name of the Wind (I know don’t come for me, I thought I’d wait for the 3rd book but at this point I’ll just read the first two) by Patrick Rothfuss 

6. Snow like Ashes by Sara Raasch

7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

8. 1984 by George Orwell 

9. Unwind by Neil Shusterman 

10. Finish the Percy Jackson Series (I stopped after Book 3) by Rick Riordan

And these were just the books I own (with the exception of ToG) :D I haven’t even gotten to my book depository wishlist yet.^^

Thank you C for tagging me, on my part I’m tagging @dkafterdark and @sunshine-knox if you guys haven’t done it yet ♡