#Christina Hobbs

[ellevatoor]

So I am trying to start something this year which is to read at least one book every month. And for the month of January, I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren which was recommended to me by a friend. Tried my best to relay my thoughts coherently regarding the book. It was a good read and a light plot (not really) to start off this goal of mine this 2023.

I really love the authors’ words in this book.

I remember the way he would hug her when he got home from work. He would wrap his arms all the way around her shoulders, press his face into her hair while his body curved over hers. His arms became a set of parentheses bracketing the sweetest secret phrase.

I really adore the father’s love for the mother and vice versa. It was something so ethereal which made me crave for something like that for my own—to experience a love that is booming, roaring, vociferous bellow. The words used were neither tender nor delicate to associate with the word ‘love’ but in that sentence, it described perfectly a love that one aches for.

[ihatetbrlists]

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings used to be a Twilight fanfiction?

EXCUSE ME???

[theanticool]

Christina Linardatou vs Deanha Hobbs - 7/6/2019

Greek boxer Christina Linardatou (14-2) hit a bit of drought after her lightweight title bid against Katie Taylor. She's been mostly MIA but has collected a couple of decision wins to rebuild momentum. And she's going to need it. She's got another bid at the undisputed title, this time at super featherweight. And it's against a familiar opponent.

Linardatou is thus far the only woman to have beaten undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (14-1) and will get the chance to do so again this Saturday (July 15) when the two face off again on DAZN.

[clemsfilmdiary]

Ruby Herring Mysteries: Her Last Breath (2019, Fred Gerber)

Ruby Herring Mystery #2

7/18/23

[book--brackets]

Author Stats for BFB

When putting together the Best Fantasy Book polls, I noticed that a lot of authors were popular choices, so I thought I'd do a little post about our most popular authors from ones that are in the list only twice to the most common author we have!

The preliminary round for BFB starts tomorrow!

2 Times

J. R. R. Tolkien

Erin Morgenstern

Cassandra Clare

Eoin Colfer

Terry Pratchett

Laini Taylor

Jim Butcher

Robin Hobb

R. F. Kuang

Samantha Shannon

Shannon Hale

Jonathan Stroud

Seanan McGuire

Enid Blyton

Clive Barker

Alix E. Harrow

Scott Westerfeld

Raymond E. Feist

Wayne Thomas Batson

Xiran Jay Zhao

Lloyd Alexander

Meagan Spooner

Katherine Addison

Christina Henry

Gene Wolfe

N. D. Wilson

Emily Rodda

Jude Watson

Ellen Kushner

Cliff McNish

C. J. Cherryh

Garry Kilworth

3 Times

Rick Riordan

Roald Dahl

Brandon Sanderson

Cornelia Funke

Gail Carson Levine

Garth Nix

T. Kingfisher

Patricia C. Wrede

Robin McKinley

Kieron Gillen

Francis Hardinge

4 Times

Holly Black

V. E. Schwab

Naomi Novik

5 Times

Diana Wynne Jones

6 Times

Tamora Pierce

9 Times

Neil Gaiman

Mercedes Lackey

[roslynwrites]

you’re such an incredible writer, so i only imagine u read extensively too. i’ve noticed ur ao3 bookmarks are empty, but i’d love to get a list of your favorite titles whether it’s zutara, other fandom or traditionally published works.

I do indeed read a lot. The past few years I have read much less fanfic and have focused on original stuff, but I have actually been able to read a few fics in recent times because my brain didn't want to write, I did have a bit of Zutara burnout I think so no Zutara recs here (yet).

But if you, like me, enjoy some Dramione, then, for starters:

anything by phlox (Slowly Toward Desire is my favorite)

Amateur Cartography by worksofstone

A Darker Blue by skitter (legitimately cannot believe this fic didn't blow up, one of the best Dramione fics I've read and that fandom has a ton of good shit, so like. wow. skitter also has a Zutara! I have not yet read but it's on my list and I'm already sure I will love it)

Lights Out by Phoebe

I used to read every pairing under the sun in HP but as I said, haven't read as much fic lately, but two others are Blood & Gold (a Tomione, by the legendary ObsidianPen) and The Wilderness (Luna/Ginny) by speechwriter. If you try nothing else on this list, try The Wilderness. That fic is high art. It blew my entire goddamn mind, my god. I also highly recommend anything by PacificRimbaud (esp. the Paneville)

*cracks knuckles* now for some original stuff:

The Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb altered my brain chemistry

Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik. I mean, okay, I worship Naomi generally, so I was shocked to discover it took me a while to get into these. Read the first, thought 'meh', came back to it again later, liked it better, second and third proceeded to BLOW me away

NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. In case you want a nice dose of a darker twist on Earthbending and an exploration of prejudice.

Juniper & Thorne by Ava Reid for your Gothic horror needs

Lost Boy and Alice, both by Christina Henry. Dark fairy tale retellings, so you know I'm there. She does them so well.

The Burning series by Evan Winter. It has dragons and a dual-sword wielding badass, in case you need those itches scratched

If you want some good published romance (I tend to like fanfic for pure romance stories tbh so I'm usually pickier here) that has some fanfic vibes, I enjoyed Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

If you want dark Zutara vibes, my go-to rec and one of my favorite series is The Poppy War trilogy (I will never get over #rinezha)

I wouldn't say I adore The Legendborn Cycle series, but I still like it, you can tell the author has roots in the fan/fanfic scene I think, and again, I think it has some Zutara vibes. Tracy Deonn 100% had to have been inspired by Zuko for her character Sel, I'm convinced. And her take on the Arthurian legend is really unique and creative.

[breathingxspace]

Beyond This Place of Wrath and Tears (Fable of the Family, part 3)

Content Warnings Mentions of Parental Abuse, eating-related misophonia triggers**

You've got monsters in your past; so do we all. I've looked into the eyes of people who were not people on the inside. Saw what that kind of creature does when it had power over others. And I tell you this: every second spent raging against the damage they do is a second wasted.

Long ago, in the further straining fleet, Amity Archer forges a something new out of the wreckage.

Now, in a Family Fleet renewed, Etianne Toraswife faces a world of new responsibilities.

Sometime ahead, Etta Hanksin follows a path into a new life with the Family.

**

The Cast

Etianne Toraswife is voiced by Christina McClain

Yuri Eviesfather is voiced by Scott Paladin

Grey Linkskin is voiced by Vic Collins

Rondo Largesson is voiced by John Kennard

Ekrem Hobb is voiced by Kale Brown

Etta Hankskin is voiced by E Marie Davis

Dingo Navia is voiced by Kirsty Woolven

Amity Archer is voiced by Lindsay Zana

Link Greyskin is voiced by Kasha Mika

Sister-to-All is voiced by Lyssa Jay

Chief Wren is voiced by Mel Nichols

This episode was written, directed, and edited by Scott Paladin. It was transcribed by Arielle Click.

**

Click here for the episode’s script.

**

The Fable of the Family theme was arranged by Amy Young, with lyrics by Scott Paladin, and is performed by Lindsey Zana and the Void Chorus

And join us tonight for our live-listen premier at 6pm Pacific.

[jojo-0-o-deactivated20231228]

The wooden floorboards creek and croak under the clickety clack of your newly acquired gilded leather boots as you make your way up to the deck, over vast hordes of fortune, past engorged piles of gold and spice, doubloons and silks, navigating mazes of stacked chests brimming with books and boundless scrolls. You tip- toe around your comatose crewmates, satiated by plunder and ransacked stores of rum, to the mast of your ship, and look out onto the horizon.

Heliotrope hues of dusk creep up behind the melting sunset, calming the raging gusts of the sea to caresses of the breeze. Wisps of ghostly silver swirl hazily amongst sporadic speckles of spangling starlight like a stewing soup in the sky, its delicate marbling mirrored on waves that twinkle under the moonlight. Skull and crossbones whip in the wind and the ship rocks lazily as if lulled to sleep by the cradle of the sloping sea. You sigh, contented, and pray to avoid a watery grave for many moons to come.

or, Books Master list:

A Series of Unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket, 1 through 13(Epubs)

Tales of Dunk and Egg by George R. R. Martin 01-03, 1, 2 & 4(Epubs)

A song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, 1 through 5, including 4.5, A World of Ice and Fire, and Fire and Blood(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, 1 through 4(Epubs)

All For The Game by Nora Sakavic, 1, 2, &3(Epubs)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, 1 through 8(Epubs)

The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer, 1&2(Epubs)

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, 1 through 8(PDFs)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, 1, 2, &3(no.3 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, 1,2 &3, including 2.5 and snowscape(snowscape is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry, 1&2(Epubs)

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, 1,2 &3(no.1 is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, 1&2(Epubs)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Heaven's Official Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(PDF)

The Scum Villain's Self Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu(Epub)

Discworld by Terry Pratchett, 1 through 41(Epubs)

Divergent by Veronica Roth, 1,2 &3, including 0.5(Epubs)

Earthsea by Ursula k. Le guin, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Farseer Trilogy by Robbin Hobb, 1,2 &3(PDFs)

Fence by Sarah Rees Brennan, 1&2(Epubs)

Folk of the air series by Holly Black, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

Harry Potter by J K. Rowling, 1 through 7(Epubs)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 1, 2&3(Epubs)

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan(Epub)

Tears waiting to be Diamonds by Sarah Rees Brennan Parts 1&2(PDFs)

Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, 1 through 4(Epubs)

The History of the Middle Earth by J R. R. Tolkien, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The J R. R. Tolkien collection: Bilbo's Last Song, Tales from the Perilous Realm, The Children of Hurin, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, the Hobbit(enhanced edition), The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Letters of J R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (collection) Illustrated by J R. R. Tolkien; Alan Lee, The Lord of the Rings (collection), The Return of the King, The Silmarillion, The Silmarillion(illustrated) by J R. R. Tolkien; Ted Nasmith, The Two Towers, Unfinished Tales(Epubs)

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, 1 through 5, Including 3.1(4&5 are PDFs, the rest Epubs)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan, 1, 2&3, including From the Nine Worlds and Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds(Epubs)

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Garber Stephanie, 1&2(Epubs)

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordon, 1 through 5, including 4.5, Camp Half Blood confidential, Demigods and Monsters, Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes(Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo is a PDF, the rest Epubs)

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including The Demigod Diaries(Epubs)

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan, 1 through 5, including Camp Jupiter Classified(Epubs)

The Demigods of Olympus - An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan(Epub)

Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab, 1,2&3(PDFs)

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2 &3(Epubs)

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, 1,2&3(Epubs)

The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare, 1&2(Epubs)

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, 1 through 6(Epubs)

The Eldest Curses by Cassandra Clare 1(Epub)

Shadowhunter Chronicles extras by Cassandra Clare, including An Illustrated History of Noble Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld, Ghosts of the Shadow Market, The Bane Chronicles, and the Shadowhunter Codex(Epubs)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, 1&2(Epubs)

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, 1,2&3, including 1.5 and the Darkling Prequel - Demon in the Woods(Epub)

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derrick Landy, 1 through 14, including 1.5, 2.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, &13.5(Epubs)

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, 1,2&3, including The Kane Chronicles survival guide, and Demigods and Magicians(Epubs)

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir, 1,2 &3, including 0.5 and 2.5(Epubs)

The Magesterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, 1 through 5(Epubs)

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, 1 through 4, including 4.5(Epubs)

The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiedvater, 1&2(Epubs)

The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski, 1 through 6, including 0.5 & 0.75(Epubs)

The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater, 1,2&3(Epubs)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, 1 though 7, including 0.5(Epubs)

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins, 1 through 5(Epubs)

Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman, 1 through 4, including 1.5 and 4.5(Epubs)

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1 through 12(Epubs)

The Warrior cats series by Erin Hunter :The Prophecies Begin 1 through 6(PDFs), The New Prophecy 1 through 6(Epubs), Power of Three 1 through 6(PDFs), Omen of Stars 1 through 6(PDFs), Dawn of the Clans 1 through 6(PDFs), Vision of Shadows 1&2(PDFs)

A discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness(Epub)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz(Epub)

Blindsight by Peter Watts(Epub)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson(Epub)

Dune by Frank Herbert(Epub)

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson(Epub)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell(Epub)

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton(Epub)

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu(PDF)

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall(Epub)

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver(Epub)

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami(Epub)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera(Epub)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn(Epub)

More Than This by Patrick Ness(PDF)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness(Epub)

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston(Epub)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepytis(Epub)

The Adventures of Charles, the Veretian Cloth Merchant, Captive Prince Short Stories Book 3 by C. S. Pacat(Epub)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak(Epub)

City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty(Epub)

The Martian by Andy Wier(Epub)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera(Epub)

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo(Epub)

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang(Epub)

The Song of Achilles by Madison Miller(Epub)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern(Epub)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zerin(Epub)

Torture Mom by Ryan Green(Epub)

Where I End and You Begin by Preston Norton(Epub)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman(Epub)

Message me, or make a request in the notes, and I’ll send you a copy(via email)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 What to Read After Watching Heartstopper Season 2 🦇

🩷 Happy Saturday and, for those who haven't watched it yet, happy Heartstopper Season 2 weekend! I hope you get a chance to sit back, relax, and binge-watch and the adorable goodness the new season has to offer.

💙 In celebration, I've compiled a list of the FEW (because there are so many worth mentioning) books and comics you should consider reading after watching Heartstopper! Have you read any of these yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

🍃 So This is Ever After by F. T. Lukens @ftlukens 🍁 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz @benjamin.alire.saenz 🍃 A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson @shauniedarko 🍁 The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott @rachaellippincott 🍃 Always the Most by Edward Underhill @edwardunderhill 🍁 The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch @robbiecouch 🍃 Bloom by Kevin Panetta @kevinpanetta 🍁 Autoboyography by Christina Lauren @christinalauren / Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings 🍃 I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre @aurianedesombre 🍁 Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales @sgonzalesauthor 🍃 Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan @jl_dugan 🍁 What If It's Us by Adam Silvera @adamsilvera & Becky Albertalli @beckyalbertalli 🍃 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston @casey.mcquiston 🍁 If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So @cynthiasowrites 🍃 Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee @sherleeauthor 🍁 Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Booth @mollyhortonbooth & Stephanie Kate Strohm @stephkatestrohm 🍃 Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa @creamymarin 🍁 Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier

[borninwinter81]

About me

I thought I should make a pinned post which is slightly more in depth than my bio concerning general interests as I seem to have gained a few followers, and in case any of them have a wish to know!  This is not definitive and will likely get added to over time when I have the thought “how could I possibly have forgotten X”.

Music:          Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad/Casualties of Cool Ulver Alcest Agalloch Gojira Cattle Decapitation It’s a safe bet that I’ll probably enjoy anything which could be labelled post-punk or goth, particularly if it originates in the 80s or 90s. Ditto for 90s metal (reminds me of my teen years!) Most classic rock from the 70s or 80s (my parents brought me up on this) Industrial and aggrotech. Classical music, including opera 1950s and 60s rock and roll Many genres of extreme metal, like black metal, death metal, funeral doom, goregrind etc.

Recently a friend has been getting into Black Metal having never listened to it before, and it's been causing me to rediscover my love of that genre as well as find a few new artists that I've never heard before 😁

Authors:  Edgar Allan Poe (also fits under poets) Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Stephen King Joe Hill JRR Tolkien Robin Hobb Brian Lumley Clive Barker Way too many more to count – I read A LOT

Poets: William Blake (see my Good Omens/Blake posts here and here) Samuel Taylor Coleridge John Milton Christina Rosetti Walt Whitman

Shakespeare plays (having a literature degree, I feel like I should know more Shakespeare, nonetheless the ones I am familiar with I absolutely love): Hamlet (loved it since the Mel Gibson version, and I have seen many since!) Macbeth Richard II (not only because of David Tennant, but also Fiona Shaw, hers was the first version I saw of it). A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Movies:  12 Monkeys Bladerunner Subspecies movie series Nightbreed (Cabal Cut for preference!) Dredd (2012) Only Lovers Left Alive Pan’s Labyrinth (honestly anything by Del Toro really, but this one especially!) Donnie Darko Franklyn The Green Mile Dark City One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Schindler's List Mad Max: Fury Road (the others too, but this is my favourite) Again, loads more than I’m not listing, I love movies

TV Shows: Good Omens The Sandman Star Trek (all versions, but particularly TNG and DS9) Farscape Blake's 7 Classic Dr Who (I do like the new stuff, but pre-Eccleston will always be my favourite, it's probably a nostalgia thing) Spartacus Black Sails Sharpe Robin of Sherwood

General interests:            Charity shops/thrift store shopping Sewing Crochet General DIY/crafting as the mood takes me, particularly customising items that I buy at charity shops Pencil sketching (relearning to do this, I used to be pretty good when in school!) Tattoos/piercings

[lizziestudieshistory]

2023 Reading Summary

I'm late...again... It's hardly a surprise. However, I've finally looked at my reading for 2023. The only stats I tracked this year was the genre, and even this was a simplified version because I decided I don't care. I spent most of my time this year recording what I thought about the books I read not the data surrounding them. And, if I'm honest, I don't think I'll even bother with the genre in 2024.

The Numbers

In total I read 84 books, which considering I've been working or training full time all year is surprising for me. On average I tend to read 60-70 books in a normal year, usually towards the lower end, so almost 20 books over that is a very pleasant surprise.

The biggest surprise has been my change in most read genre! I've only recorded 4 genres, classic, nonfiction, fantasy, and general fiction, these broke down to:

Classic 53%

Fantasy 31%

Nonfiction 12%

General fiction 4%

Fantasy is usually my top genre with over 50%, so this is a change (I don't think it will be permanent). However the largest shock is the nonfiction! I never read nonfiction for fun, but I guess this is a change from leaving university. I don't have to learn for work anymore, so I'm now looking into these things for fun as the mood takes me. I am disappointed these haven't been history books, however, I'm hoping to change that in 2024 and it has been nice learning more about literature in 2023.

Top Three Books

I tried to do a top 5 but the gap between 3 and 4 was too large, so I've narrowed it down to a top 3.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

Evelina by Fanny Burney

I loved all of these books in different ways, and I think I've done a mini review of each in the months I read them. However, if anyone wants detailed thoughts then I'm more than happy to talk about any of these books.

Biggest Surprises

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti

Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts

All of these were excellent, they just weren't quite in my top three.

Most Disappointing

Witches: James I and the English Witch-Hunts by Tracy Borman

The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy by Robin Hobb (I DNFed this series after Fool's Quest and I'm heartbroken, but I have major issues with this trilogy in a way I couldn't keep reading as it was destroying my love for Fitz.)

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (this is standing in for all of the secret project books)

Goals (Sort Of...)

To continue the surprises... I've only listened to 4 audiobooks, so most of those books were read physically or through an ebook. This is huge for me as I used to consume about a third of my books through audio, it's a massive improvement because I don't retain them very well. Listening to fewer audiobooks was a big part of my informal (in other words unwritten) reading goals and I'm very happy to have got it down this far. I do think it'll go up again next year because I've got a lengthy commute to work now, but I've also broken the habit of sitting at home listening when I could easily read the book myself and get more out of it.

I did as well with not worrying about numbers or data surrounding the books I'm reading. I deliberately retired my spreadsheet this year and only kept up with my reading journal. After a week or so I didn't miss it in the slightest. I'm not a hard data/stats kind of person, but I am easily persuaded to keep these sorts of records. I started keeping a spreadsheet in 2019 where I track genre, pages, author gender, and format in addition to the book information, by 2022 I was tracking book info, series, genre, format, author info (just too much to list), pages, month read, where I bought the book, if it was a tbr, new or library read, reread or new to me, and rating. It was too much! It was hard work, I was MISERABLE, and I didn't care. It was performing to the standards of what you see in the reading community online... So, I ditched the spreadsheet and I've been much happier. I've read better books because I haven't had my stats in mind, and I've read more. I had more time to actually read because I haven't been spending an inordinate amount of time researching books and entering data into a spreadsheet! I'm definitely making this a permanent change.

I've also used my ereader a lot more this year, I have no numbers to back this up but I've naturally been reaching for it regularly and it has done me good. I've not only read more frequently and for longer periods of time, but I've been more comfortable while reading (no more back, neck, or arm strain from 1000+ page fantasy tomes!) and I've tried books I was hesitant about buying physically because I could access a digital copy. I did have a massive problem with my ereader in November because my Kobo Libra 2 started to have battery changes that nothing resolved and then it died completely. Unfortunately I lost a lot of my reading data, including my notes, which has upset me. But I have saved my elibrary and bought a "new" device (it's a Boox Nova 3) so I can still read - I might discuss getting a Boox separately. However, I am much more cautious about note taking through a device and I'm sticking to recording everything in my physical journal.

This brings me nicely onto my reading journal. I wanted to overhaul my journal this year because my old journal format was growing stale and uninspiring to use. I was often leaving it for weeks at a time and often scrambling to write up 5 or 6 books in one go because I'd forgotten to do it as I was reading. So, I worked through several different styles of journal and found a new, more flexible, and engaging style that can fit my changing moods throughout the year. I'm definitely going to discuss this at a later date, so I won't say much here. But I am very happy to have a new journal system and I'm excited to get into it properly this year.

[deepautumncolors]

Book Review

I finished reading this book over a week ago so I'm a little late reviewing it, but I really enjoyed it! Christina Lauren is the pen name of writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. I've liked all of their books that I've read so far, and I definitely plan on reading more of them.

Jessica Davis is a statistician and single mother to her seven-year-old daughter named Juno. She and her best friend, Fizzy (Felicity) Chen go to a coffee shop together every morning to get their work done. When they hear about a new dating app called GeneticAlly, which contains algorithms that match people up based on genetic profiling through DNA, they both send in a sample of their saliva to see if they can find a match. Fizzy does it just for fun, but Jess is tired of being alone as she is about to turn thirty years old.

When their test results come back, Jess receives an extremely rare compatibility score of 98% out of 100 with someone in the database. The problem is, her perfect match is supposedly a man named Dr. River Peña who she already knows from the coffee shop - and he also happens to be a founder of the GeneticAlly company. She despises him, so there's no way he could actually be her soulmate. Or is there?

I thought the pace was a little slow throughout the first quarter of the book, but then it got better. It was nice watching Jess and River realize that they had a lot more in common than they thought and eventually fall in love just like the technology had predicted. This story has enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes. The sequel is called The True Love Experiment, and I am almost done reading it so I will review that one next!

[looloolooweez]

September

Books

Finished reading:

Audiobook – Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, 1977

Book – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954–1955

Book – The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush, 2023

Currently reading:

Audiobook – Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier, 1938

Book – The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft, 1928

Media

Finished watching + listening:

Movie – Death Becomes Her starring Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis, 1992

Movie – Red, White, and Royal Blue starring Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez, 2023

Currently watching + listening:

TV series – Strange New Worlds starring Anson Mount, Babs Olusanmokun, Celia Rose Gooding, Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, and Rebecca Romijn, 2022–TBD

TV series – Only Murders in the Buildings starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, 2021–TBD

TV series – What We Do in the Shadows starring Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillén, 2019–TBD

Podcast – Maintenance Phase hosted by Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbs, 2020–TBD

Podcast – The Sporkful hosted by Dan Pashman, 2021–TBD

YouTube series – The Knitting Pickle Podcast starring Laura Penrose at Penrose Knits, 2021–TBD

YouTube series – NE Knits Podcast starring Amy Best at NE Knits, 2022–TBD

Projects

Finished projects:

NA

Current projects:

Recipes – Food and Wine 40th Anniversary Special Edition ed. by Hunter Lewis et al., 2018

Recipes – Appetites by Anthony Bourdain, 2016

Recipes – The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, 2012

Recipes – The Big Texas Cookbook by the editors of Texas Monthly, 2022

Wine tasting – Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette, 2015

Cross-stitch – Feminist Cross-Stitch by Stephanie Rohr, 2019

Cross-stitch – "No Body, No Crime" by Cross-Stitch Vienna, 2023

[book--brackets]

Suggestions for fantasy books:

In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan

Beauty - Robin McKinley

Uprooted - Naomi Novik

The Broken Earth (series) - N.K. Jemisin

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

The Deep - River Solomon

Poison - Chris Wooding

Inkeeper Chronicles (series) - Ilona Andrews

The Witcher (series) - Andrzej Sapkowski

The Poppy War (series) - R. F. Kuang

The Live Ship Traders (series) - Robin Hobb

Sorceror Royal (series) - Zen Cho

The New Moon's Arms - Nalo Hopkinson

The Curse Workers (series) - Holly Black

Alice (duology) & Lost Boy - Christina Henry

Ring Shout - P. Djèli Clark

Kingkiller Chronicle (series) - Patrick Rothfuss

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

Iron Widow - Jay Zhao

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

Pet - Akwaeke Emezi

Thursday Next (series) - Jasper Fforde

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter

The Dark is Rising (series) - Susan Cooper

Wicked - Gregory Maguire

East - Edith Pattou

Knights of Liofwende (series) & The Welkin Weasels (series) - Garry Kilworth

Old Magic - Marianne Curley

Book of the Crow (series) - Catherine Fisher

Mongrels - Stephen Graham Jones

The Last Binding (series) - Freya Marske

Sorry, I know that's a lot! Anyway, thank you for running these polls and breaking my heart again and again, lol.

What a list! You've got a lot of great ones in here (I love you, Poppy War, Uprooted, and Iron Widow). I've added them all, though some of the names changed due to series vs book titles

[creativestalkerrs]

the unhoneymooners by christina lauren // book review

follow my goodreads to get reviews early!

spoiler free

the unhoneymooners (christina lauren) review by creativestalkerrs

rating: 4 out of 5 stars

finished book on: december 30th, 2022

If you know me, you know that enemies-to-lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, a duo containing Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, did a spectacular job. I was spending almost all of Christmas Eve reading this rom-com.

This is such a fun read that you can easily get lost in reading. Each character, even down to the smallest role, was so fun to read and be introduced to. The writing is so charming and my god! Christina and Lauren know how to make a girl laugh! They have nailed the humor of this book that others can simply fail to do if not done right. However, they also know how to sucker-punch you with emotion and make you want to cry. It is clear to me that these two had fun writing this book and I had fun reading it. I adored the relationship between Ethan and Olive, from their bickering and being forced into the situation they get into to them actually liking each other was so sweet... and a bit horny. I also enjoyed the relationship between Olive and her twin sister Ami and was so happy that Christina and Lauren didn't go down the path of the sisters being assholes to each other. That trope I see too much, so it was nice to see them have a great relationship and when it came down to them having their argument, it hurt. My only downside to this book, but doesn't ruin the experience at all, is how quickly the relationship between Ethan and Olive was. I wish after their vacation, we could have seen it develop more. I wouldn't mind 200 more pages if that was the case. However, given their history and what did, I can see why they choose to write it the way they did. Overall such a great book and can't wait to read more from this duo!

[breathingxspace]

They Will See Us for Miles (Fable of the Family, part 1

I joined the Navy for a lot of the same reasons you did. Which all turned out to be a load of bullshit. But I stayed because I'm very good at this. And because sometimes we get to do some real good out here.

Long ago, Amity Archer hears a call for help coming from the black and finds much more than she expected.

More recently, Etianne Calsdottir sets out on her wander and comes home to find something worse than she imagined.

Sometime ahead, Etta Hobb looks for her parents killers and finds no answers to her questions.

[S04E10] They Will See Us for Miles (Fable of the Family, part 1)

This episode features Lindsay Zana, Kirsty Woolven, Christina McClain, Lyssa Jay, John Kennard, & E. Marie Davis, and includes Scott Paladin, Mel Nichos, Rebecca Krause, Aaron Kling, Amy Young, Madi Opincaru, Ella Watts, & Jesse Hall.

It was written, directed, and edited by Scott Paladin, and transcribed by Arielle Click.

And join us at 6pm pacific for our live-listen premier!