#next: goodreads shelves maybe?

[mzannthropy]

Major photography decluttering now done; will still probably delete more pics on second round. I've deleted some old posts on my wordpress blog and I've tidied up my Pinterest. 2024 going well and I didn't even plan this!

[midnightorchids]

Hey babe- I wanted to know how you felt about booknerd!reader x Jason. Because it's been rotting my brain forever now and I need to know what someone as genius as yourself thinks about it. So like- We know Jason is a book girl. He's got huge floor to ceiling shelves in his apartment filled with non-fiction, historical fiction, classics, and maybe a few Si-Fi titles. I feel like he would love Toni Morison, Maya Angelou, Henrik Isben, Margret Atwood, and maybe even Harukai Murakami. He has this beautiful collection of leather bond additions of the Iliad Bruce gave him when he was 16. And when he finally invites you over, he cannot contain his excited smile as you start gushing over his home library. He makes you guys coffee and you spend hours talking about your fav genres, authors, online author drama - and after he's walking back to his apartment after dropping you off, he's smiling down at his phone at the message you sent. 'I had so much fun today! Ur library is so so so cool, was wondering if you would be ok going with me to Chapters next week? Wanted to pick up the new Skyward book' He's kicking his feet and hiding his face in his pillow. So deeply overjoyed that his crush shares in his immense love of literature. After you guys officially get together, he buys you so many fucking books. He fallows your goodreads wishlist religiously and surprises you almost every month with a new addition to your growing collection. He usually collects used paper backs, but for you, he splurges on the hardcover special additions. Of course it's because he loves you but it's also so that, maybe, you'll be more incentivised to move into a different apartment. One with floor-to-ceiling book shelves and a shared bed... just saying.. He branches out into more genres and authors he wouldn't usually read from just so he could talk about your favourite books with you. You do the same - your book collections getting mixed together in the process. Library dates, bookstore dates, used-bookstore dates. Your first couple of dates and realisations of love happened in and around books. You would always leave little messages inside the first page of the books you give him. So that if your every away or he's on a mission and he takes a book with him, he'll have one of your small messages of love as a reminder of something to return home to.

Hi hon!! I’m so sorry for the late response, I’ve been dying with uni and just life in general recently, but I’m back and ready to write again!!

I fully agree with almost everything that you said, like you’ve written it out so well and it’s just so cute! I was literally giggling and kicking my feet at the last one omg.

I shall try to add more stuff!!

Jason’s go to present for his loved ones is annotated copies of his favourite books. He only does this when he feels comfortable with a person because sharing his thoughts feels raw and vulnerable sometimes.

Having a significant other who loves to read and appreciates these types of gifts would make him feel happy and very emotional. It’s not often he gets to share this side of himself with people.

When he gifts his copies to his friends or his partner, he feels like he’s leaving a piece of him with the person, so he only does this when he trusts you.

He leaves detailed little messages on the margins of his books. He draws little smiley faces on the cute parts and angry faces on the parts that made him upset.

In the books for his significant other, Jason leaves little notes around the quotes that remind him of you. He highlights them in a different colour and makes sure his notes look extra tidy.

He sucks at wrapping things, so sometimes you’ll get a very poorly wrapped, tape covered novel. You’ll look at the wrapping and laugh, you’d pinch his cheeks teasingly and tell him he did a good job. He’d turn his face away in embarrassment, which leads to you placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Then, there would be times where he doesn’t have the energy to deal with the horrible wrapping paper. So, you’ll be gifted a plain paper back with a sticky note on the front cover that reads ‘for you,’ in squiggly lines.

It’s honestly sweet and he gets very shy about it.

Also, Jason’s taste in books is very diverse, he reads anything from the classics to romance to gothic horror. He reads anything and everything and because of that, I think that it would be very easy for you to share your thoughts and recommendations with him.

Even if Jason hasn’t read the book, he listens intently with a huge smile on his face. He loves listening to you talk. If he doesn’t know the author or the book, he will try to familiarize himself with what you’re reading and branch into different genres.

There would be lots of reading and bookstore dates. You’d browse through the different aisles with his hand in yours, only letting go when a particular book catches your attention. He watches you in awe as you gush about the different series.

(Side note, my friends and I always go to bookstores and just point out the worst books we’ve read and I think Jason would do that too.)

As you search through the shelves to find your next read, he’ll come to you all excited, rambling about the book in his hand. From the looks of it, it seems like he loves the book. His hands are moving around, he’s smiling and giggling, but if you pay attention, he’s actually just cussing out the author.

This becomes a tradition in your relationship. You both bring up books that you hate instead of the ones that you really enjoy. You’d spend the next hour of your bookstore visit just giggling at the random passages that the author thought were good enough to share with the world.

I think this would also lead to a book club of reading awful books sometimes just for shits and giggles. There would be weeks where you would read amazing, well written stories together, but then there would be times when you guys would pick up something bad just to make fun of it.

Overall, Jason would love having a book nerd significant other because he finally has someone who he can geek out with.

[redgoldsparks]

May Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser 

This essay collection focuses on human relationships, many of them romantic, but also with grandparents, parents, sisters, best friends, COVID-isolation pods, and with the children of romantic partners from previous relationships. The title essay interweaves the experience of a broken engagement with a scientific expedition to study the dwindling population of whooping cranes in the Gulf Coast of Texas to devastating effect. Another experience, covering the DARPA Robotics Challenge trails, in which teams test out potential robotic first responders, speaks to the author's own desire to both save others and be saved by a string of problematic men. The author dated a lot of men and a few women in their twenties and processes them through the lens of media (the film The Philadelphia Story, the TV show The X-Files,the novels Don Quixote, Rebecca, We Have Always Lived in the Castle) and the perspective gained with time. I really loved this whole collection, but the piece that keeps rolling around in my mind is "The Fox Farm", about trying to recreate an archetype of a child's fantasy house (full of animals, friends, gardens, infinite rooms) in real life as an adult. I left this book wanting to know more- when did the author start using nonbinary pronouns? Have they resolved their feelings about their tits? Is that guest room in their big upstate New York house still available for visiting artists, and if so, how do I apply for the position of resident writer/new friend?

American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang

Queer journalist and author Nico Lang traveled around the US to meet 11 families of trans teens and see how anti-trans legislation is impacting their daily lives. Each family has different circumstances; one teen fears his top surgery will be indefinitely delayed, while another had surgery already and has joined the boys swim team at his high school. Some teens are moved to become activists while others want to just live their normal, low-profile lives. With humor and compassion, Lang shows trans teenagers as they really are: kids trying their best, day by day, to grow into their truest selves and fullest potential. The various chapters are by turns deep, silly, introspective, sweet, and smart, just like teens themselves. I was able to read an advanced copy of this book- pre-order it now, or look for it on shelves in October 2024!

Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb read by Elliot Hill

NO ONE IS DOING IT LIKE ROBIN HOBB. NO ONE! After a disappointing journey up the Rain Wilds River, baby we are BACK! And by back, I mean, back in a first person POV and back with FitzChivalry, one of my literal favorite fictional characters ever. This is the 7th book about his life, and the 14th overall book in this series, so I won't be summarizing it. Let's just say that Fitz found his happy ending (minus a few key soulmates) and then his life kept going. More problems, more politics, more magic, maybe stranger than ever before. A new character introduced in this series swept in and stole my heart. I can't wait to dive into the next book very soon!

Rose/House by Arkady Martine read by Raquel Beattie  

A brief murder mystery set in an fully conscious AI house in the southwest desert. This story feels in conversation with Ray Bradbury's story The Veldt and has many elements I enjoy, but a somewhat unresolved and slightly unsatisfying ending. I'm honestly still simmering on my thoughts, but looking forward to discussing this in book club soon! Edit post book club: a discussion helped me clarify what I thought was working in this book (tone, setting, themes) and what was not working (too many red herrings for such a short book, and an ending twist that seemed to undercut the book's main premise). I still think it's worth a read for Arkady Marine fans, but it is not as strong as her full length books.

Dances of Time and Tenderness by Julian Carter

In 2016 Julian Carter, a queer author and long-time participant in San Francisco's dungeon kink scene, received an invitation to be part of an archival matchmaking project. The project paired artists, activists, and scholars with specific issues of OUT/LOOK: The National Lesbian and Gay Quarterly. The assignment was to use the issue as a jumping off point to think about queer history and make something "new and provocative." Carter's assigned issue was from Winter 1991, the year the CDC announced 1 million American were HIV positive and AIDS was the 3rd leading cause of death in people aged 25-44 years. One of the many who died in 1991 due to AIDS related complications was Lou Sullivan, one of the first trans men to publicly identify as gay. From this starting point, this book traces paths of queer lineage, both proclaimed and obscured, traveling through history, memory, and poetry. Carter is linked, through friendship or scholarship, to Susan Stryker, pioneer of transgender history, to Zach Ozma, who edited Lou Sullivan's diaries for publication, and to Lou himself. Casting a transgender eye back on a queer history divided sharply into gay and lesbian, Carter allows himself to claim as ancestors sailors, skeletons, writers, lovers, and reaches forward in time towards students, readers, and artists. Including me. I was fortunate enough to be gifted an early copy by the author, and read it back in February back in one delicious rush. I already want to read it again, and more slowly, this time underlining and annotating it. This is a book to savor, but is easy to devour instead. It's sensual and surprising, formally precise, and made me want to dig around in a mess of queer historical papers and also contribute my own to the pile. It's out on June 4, 2024; give it a pre-order or look for it on shelves soon!

49 Days by Agnes Lee 

Kit, a young Korean American woman, wakes up on a beach with a map and a watch telling her she's already late. For days, she clambers over rocks and up trails, reaching for an undefined goal. Slowly, the book begins to flash back to Kit's childhood and family, the people she loved and left behind after her accidental death. In Buddhist tradition a soul travels for 49 days before rebirth, and this book follows one version of that path, the grief and slow healing that follow a loss. Drawn in a very simple yet evocative style, the spare ink lines and limited color fill this journey with meaning.

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde read by Thomas Hunt 

What a bizarre and delightful novel. It's set in an alternate history in which ice-age level cold spells cause the majority of humans to hibernate every winter, which has ripple effects on the development of technology, societal rules, culture, and family structures. Charlie Worthing was born in a "pool" in the independent nation of Wales, or a group home in which nuns dedicated to reproduction birth and raise dozens of children, in returns for credits from those who can't or don't want to have their own kids. Charlie has very few job prospects, especially ones that will give him access to morphanox, a drug which helps most people survive their months-long winter sleeps. The drug also turns about 1 in 3000 into a brain-dead zombie, but this risk is considered better odds than sleeping without it. So Charlie volunteers for the Winter Consuls, the law-keepers and problem-solvers who stay up all winter to safe guard the majority. There he has to face the three well documented dangers of winter- Vacants (zombies), Villains (the British) and Winter Volk (fairies, whose reality is debated), as well as rumors of a viral dream. The humor in this book is a close cousin to Terry Pratchett's work, in which absurdity and invention mask some pretty biting social commentary and anti-capitalist motives. I did think some of the twists at the end didn't quite pay off, however, I had such a good time with the ride this book took me on that I'd still recommend it.

Blue Flag vol 2 by Kaito 

This vol has already taken a kind of melancholy, bittersweet narrative tone which might put me off the series. I still really like the characters and overall think the writing is very effective, out I wish the humor and sweetness of book 1 would last farther into the series!

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Jester Lavorre by Sam Maggs, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, Hunter Severn Bonyun, Cathy Le, Ariana Maher

Short and sweet, this prequel comic shows Jester's first meeting with The Traveler, the prank that caused her need to flee from Nicodranas, and a window into Jester's relationship with her mother. It's a slight story but I loved the artwork, especially the outfits and the beautiful city views.

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

Kelly Link, one of my favorite short story authors, debuted a novel 650 pages long. I bought this the day of release but it took me a few months to actually crack it open. I'd seen it described as slow, but I think I'd say leisurely. It opens with an intriguing premise- four teenagers come back from the dead, not knowing how they died or why they were brought back 11 months later- and have to solve a magical problem if they want to keep living. But the book is less a mystery than a close examination of the teens lives in a small New England town in December. The teens include Danial, oldest of many step-siblings, who rejects his new magical powers and just wants to live a small and ordinary life. There's Mo, who lost his parents young, and was being raised by his grandmother, a famous Black romance novelist- who herself died during the 11 months he spent in an underworld. There's Laura, a musically ambitious teen, who comes back to her single mom and sister Susannah, who seems somehow entangled with the magical ritual that killed and might save her friends. And then there's a fourth person who none of the others know, who snuck out of death on their coat tails and has no name and few memories. The book rotates POVs every chapter, with more than 15 different POVs, some of whom only appear once in the whole volume. I love Link's writing style so this worked for me, but I can see how this choice to linger over details not directly related to the plot might not work for some readers. I really enjoyed this but it did take me 3 weeks to read it and I suggest other readers pick it up when ready for a slow burn of a book.

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol 

This original fairytale opens with teenage Jane mourning the recent death of her parents, after she already lost her younger brother to the sea as a child. Because there's no male heir, Jane's horrible cousin will be kicking her out of the house in a week. The only option she can see is marrying within the week so that she can access her dowry. So Jane walks down to the fishing village below her manor and proposes to a beautiful but shallow fisherman's son. He accepts- then is immediately lured under the waves by a mermaid. Jane runs into the town asking for help but only an old woman with witchy vibes is willing to aid her. The crone gives Jane a potion so she can breathe underwater, a stone which will allow her to walk on the bottom of the ocean, and a shawl to keep her warm in the depths. So armed, Jane walks into the sea after the boy who feels like her only hope. Under the waves she encounters allies and enemies, learns the true power of her own will, and realizes she might have more choices than she's realized.

Blue Flag vol 3 by Kaito

Well, I started another book because the last one ended on a massive cliff hanger, but I think I'm setting the series down after this one. I still think it's very well written, but the main character has such low self-esteem that he shouts at other characters that he sucks, he's a jerk, he doesn't deserve their friendship and they should leave him alone. I bet the arc of this series will be building this character up to where he believes he deserves their love and friendship, but I just don't feel like dwelling in this character's self-pity at the moment. I would have eaten this shit up as a teen though! Especially with the queer characters.

The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern

Set in an alternate timeline in which Al Gore won the 2000 election and declared the War on Climate Change instead of the War on Terror, this novel is an interesting mix of hopeful and dystopian elements. The main character is Maddie Ryan, a white high school English teacher working in a primarily Black neighborhood in Houston, TX. The novel is Maddie's written account of a tumultuous year in which the grungy music warehouse where her punk band practices and performs is threatened by a proposed high way and oil line which will rip up not only their art space but also a historically Black neighborhood. Maddie starts attending activist meetings which quickly morph into a full blown protest encampment surrounding the warehouse. Dubbed the Free People Village, this protest movement goes viral and is met with the exact same kind of violent police response as the current student encampments protesting for Palestine on college campuses. Woven through this depressingly accurate political forecast are multiple queer love stories, interracial friendships, a 101 crash course in anarchist philosophy and bracing look at what long-term activism takes. Folks with more of an organizing or activist background than I might find some of this book a bit basic; but I was completely drawn in by the relationships and conflicts of Maddie, Red, Gestas, Angel, and Shayna. This book feels almost painfully timely, and I hope a lot of people read it and gain both courage and perspective.

[ofliterarynature]

TBR TAKEDOWN: Updates!

As we close in on the end of the fourth month of the Takedown I wanted to give you all some updates:

1. I am almost out of books! I think I can probably stretch the remaining books out through October and maybe into November.

2. Once I'm out of books I think I'll take a few weeks off and start round 2 with my Goodreads tbr?! My goal next year is to focus on my backlist tbr so getting a head start on slimming it down would be great :D

3. Most importantly: I started this poll series with 5+ shelves of unread books - I'm down to 3! It's true I've read some of them but!!! Thank you so much for helping, hugs to you all!!!

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

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188. Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will admit that while I liked the first book in this series a lot more, I did enjoy some aspects of this. I loved the change of scenery and the new and exciting characters. It was also a great opportunity to further explore and grow the two MCs.

But there was something about this one that just didn't grab my attention the way book one did. Something about it had me rewinding my audiobook at least three times to re-listen to specific scenes. I know my attention is waning from a story when a whole scene will pass and I'll be completely zoned out. But I cared enough about the story, that I DID going back to catch what I missed.

I guess in some ways this makes this story slightly forgettable to me? Which is too bad because I'm genuinely intrigued by this series. I'm definitely picking up the next book at some point, but I wish I enjoyed this one more than I did. Maybe I'll re-read it one day!

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189. Flash Rip by Keira Andrews--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Keira Andrews is quickly becoming a favourite author because her romances are both so sweet and sexy. FLASH RIP made me realize how much I want more queer lifeguard romances. Also, it made me want to watch Bondi Beach again.

One of my absolute favourite things about this book is how much lifeguarding we got to see! It was like watching an episode of that reality show I mentioned above, but with an LGBTQ+ focus. I loved it so much and I loved seeing their dedication, focus, and determination to do their jobs well.

Another thing I enjoyed was the lingo. I'm not Australian, so I don't know how accurate it was, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was accurate. I was so entertained and it felt like I could hear their accents in my head while reading.

FLASH RIP was just so incredibly enjoyable and so sexy. The chemistry between the two characters was off the charts, even during the heartbreaking moments of homophobia that one of the MCs faced from his own family. The struggle between the two characters added a heartfelt extra layer to their dynamic, especially because of their age gap.

The spicy was spicing. It got a bit BDSM and if you're into that, you're going to devour this. I'm still blown away thinking about these characters' chemistry. I want another book like this--I want to experience this all over again.

There is also a short story and I ate it up, but I wish there were more books set in this series. I want more!

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190. Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An old coworker recommended this book to me YEARS ago because of its focus on the Cuban culture and I will admit that it sat on my ARCs shelves for a while. But having finally read EACH TINY SPARK and I can completely see why she thought this book would be for me.

I LOVED the Cuban representation. The Spanish, the machismo-culture of what is "appropriate" for women and girls to do, and the reminder that there isn't one way to look in order to be recognized as a Cuban were some of the prominent things I really appreciated in this book. I think representation of these specific topics--especially the latter of the three points--is incredibly important for young readers.

I also appreciated the exploration of ADHD and how it can look different from one person to the next, and how important it is to notice when other kids need help, especially when they don't have such strong advocacy for them in school.

One of the main topics explored in this book was social justice and how it can affect and divide a community. The number of micro-aggressions in this book was staggering. I'm glad the MC had such great character growth that she recognized them and also decided to use her voice to stand up for what was right.

Some people might think that this book is "too woke" or "too busy", but I thought it was both a wonderful representation of how the MC's brain works and a reminder that younger generations are becoming more aware and outspoken about the social justice issues happening in their communities. I find that books like EACH TINY SPARK is an important reminder to kids reading (and some older readers too) that it's okay to be outspoken when you see an injustice taking place.

We also get to see a family that might look a bit different from the traditional families in MGLit and again, I saw this as something a lot of readers might be able to relate to--especially Latine readers!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the friendships, the complex relationships that the MC has with her grandmother and father, and the exploration of the Cuban culture in a setting that isn't Florida.

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191. The Stars Are On Our Side by Jennifer Hartmann--⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE STARS ARE ON OUR SIDE was a heavy, heavy book to read. The prior two books in this series were also heavy, but something about them felt a bit different than this one. While I enjoyed the core of the story and of course, Hartmann's amazing writing, this story felt a bit long and the pacing felt a bit off.

I devoured the last two books in this series, but this one felt like it dragged on a bit. I wonder if it was because it was so similar to book one, or because these two characters had so much going on. I loved them together, but I sometimes wished that this was told in a more linear way, rather than the flashbacks.

Every time I picked TSAOUS up to read it, I immediately felt the incoming heaviness of the pacing because I couldn't stop wondering how much longer it would take me to finish. I feel awful saying this because all of the Hartmann books I've read, I've absolutely devoured in only a couple of days. I think this one missed that addictive quality I always find in Hartmann's writing.

While this one wasn't a hit with me, I do think it's still an important part of this series--especially if you're like me and you love to see all of the important characters getting their own HEAs. I will definitely read another one of Hartmann's books in the future, though, because I DO love her storytelling.

For example, I LOVED the chemistry between the two MCs and how they slowly find their way to each other--even though the FMC has a long journey ahead of her. I loved their intimate moments and communication that (for the most part) happens between them. I loved their vulnerability and personal journeys. The story itself was enjoyable, it's just that pacing that just didn't really resonate with me.

Pick up Hartmann's books, especially if you love dark romances full of trauma and emotional healing, sprinkled with some seriously spicy scenes.

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192. Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read June 2024!

Phew, I have no idea why this book took me so long to re-read! I think I started reading it when I was in the mood but just on the verge of said mood ending. So, a year and a bit passed and I FINALLY finished my re-read.

I still enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I loved the bickering between the two MCs and how they were with their families. I loved their soft moments together and how they emotionally supported each other.

The one thing I didn't remember until I did this re-read was how frustrating the FMC was. I know it was her personality trait, but man, she was so annoying sometimes with just how stubborn she was. She would yell and throw little tantrums and it would take me right out of the story.

But other than that personality trait, I really enjoyed the rest of the re-read. I loved the side characters and I'm excited to check out the other books in the series!

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193. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I won't lie, this was my least favourite book in the series. BUT this didn't stop it from being hilarious and enjoyable! I also really liked the surprise twist and what was revealed after two books of adventures.

I think one of the things I love about these books (besides the covers, the titles, and the diversity) is how devoted the MMCs get once they know they've found their mate, but how they also let them just be themselves. I love the sass these characters always share and the chemistry between them.

I like that the MMC finally found his other half after being so sad about it in book two, even if it was in the most unexpected way.

This trilogy was such great fun and if you decide not to take them too seriously, I think you'll really enjoy them. They have great adventure, fantastic banter, spicy romance, and a not-too-serious fantasy world that will immediately suck you in!

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194. Mindy Kim Makes a Splash! by Lyla Lee & Dung Ho--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another Mindy Kim adventure!

This time she's learning to swim and I loved seeing their little family come together to help Mindy's goals come to fruition. The dynamic of the dad and stepmom sitting with Mindy in the before-bedtime routine was adorable and bittersweet, especially when it was just her and her dad for so long. I love that this little family is feeling a little more complete, especially after their grief.

I also really, really liked how Lyla Lee handled the bullying situation. I like that this author doesn't shy away from the realities of bullies and how disruptive they can be, not just socially but also for one's self-esteem. The way Mindy overcame her bully situation was empathetic, patient, and kind. She also sought to better herself--despite it starting with ulterior motives, she ended up really growing as a character.

This series will always amaze me and I truly do think more people should be checking this series out!

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195. Cherry Magic! Vol. 11 by Yuu Toyota--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This series continues to be sweet! However, I think I expected more from this volume? Don't get me wrong, we got some great development for the side characters and their relationship. But I would have liked more of the main couple during their regular life now that they're together.

Regardless, this volume was still sweet and I still love the artwork. I am still anxiously waiting for the next volume! I just want moreeeee. I'm going to be so sad when I finish this series.

The side characters' relationship should also teach us about the importance of communication in a relationship, especially when one of the characters is an awkward goose when it comes to love. I loved those moments of advice and the glimpse into the wildness of the one character's obsessed mind LOL.

Already impatiently waiting for the next volume LOL

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Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

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Happy reading!

[moonlightreal]

"Why doesn't she self publish?"

Why haven’t we gotten Strange Fate? Why hasn’t Ms. Smith just self published it? A question posed by Jen on Goodreads and hey, it got me thinking!

Short answer: we don’t know.

But I can think of a few possibilities.

1) Simon & Schuster owns rights to the series and is blocking publication in some way. Maybe they’re saving it in hopes that paranormal romance becomes the big thing in YA again. YA has its fads, there was girl meets vampire, then dystopian, and right now on my library’s suggestion page it looks like a “loads of representation, possibly too much representation” fad is fading into a “books for girls who love true crime podcasts” fad. So Strange Fate really missed its popularity window so there’s no need to rush, maybe the publisher prefers to save it and see if it fits the next fad better.

The problem is that I don’t know enough about publishing contracts to know what rights a publisher has.. I have read that the publisher of a series gets “right of refusal” on any new books in it, but if S&S had a chance at Strange Fate and said no, would Ms. Smith be free to shop it around or self publish, or would S&S be able to just sit on it? I don’t know. Anybody know a successful published author they can ask?

2) Strange Fate isn’t finished. We’ve heard that it’s finished… a bunch of times… but it has also been rewritten a bunch of times. There was the 1999 Strange Fate with Blade the vampire, the Strange Fate with Brionwy’s story in Sarah’s dreams, the Strange Fate with the Night World characters in Sarah’s dreams, and the latest update we have is that Ms. Smith is “rewriting it completely” in 2022. With all of these rewrites Strange Fate may just be starting over and over and never quite getting to all the way done and publishable before it needs to start over again.

3) Strange Fate isn’t any good. LJ Smith is a good writer. But she went through family illness stuff that was bad enough that she wasn’t able to write for 10+ years and then had a major medical emergency that left her in a coma. Meaning her brain was not doing ok, and the brain is where the writing happens. Strange Fate has also been in development hell for 20 years, with multiple changes and rewrites. Oh, and during this time teen life and YA literature went through some really big changes. If this kind of thing happened to a hundred writers with a hundred books, most of them wouldn’t be able to overcome it! We want to see Ms. Smith overcome it because she seems cool and the universe has been unkind to her and we want to see her succeed, but if she doesn’t there’s no shame in being defeated by impossible circumstances!

4) Maybe Ms. Smith doesn’t know about the self publishing options available today. She was a writer in the nineties when stuff like ebooks, patreon, kickstarter and lulu.com were not a thing yet. Does she know she has all these options? Does she have an editor to explain them all? We don’t know.

5) And if she does know about them she may not want to take advantage of them. Ms. Smith was a full on very popular published author in the 90s, and self publishing would be a step down in pride. It would also be a step down in money; self-published books don’t usually make it onto the shelves at B&N or at libraries., and a self publisher won’t handle the marketing for you like the teen branch of Simon & Schuster will. I have no idea how well off Ms. Smith is, she must be making some kind of royalties from the TV series and reprints, but she had major medical issues that must have cost a lot.

So that’s my guesses. I don’t know the truth but I bet it’s one of these, maybe more than one together. What do you think?

[riceball1759]

Personal Library TBR *Shelves*

I love having my own personal library -FINALLY!!! After almost 2 decades of keeping my "library" in the sturdiest boxes I could find (including shoe boxes for my mass-market size guys and manga), moving 3 TIMES, and dreaming about my glass cabinet library, we found the perfect bookcases -in the perfect color- and finally started to make my "book nook" dreams reality. Seriously, it was hard to say goodbye to that og-Chegg box...best box I could ask for to hold my pristine hardcovers.

I never actually posted the finished product -well, 80%ish done- mostly because I wanted it to be "perfect". Nothing really changed in the visual dept except I bought some more books lol. Really hoped I could have a proper seating arrangement by now, but that hasn't worked out both with money and the practical-vs-wishful. What I want is too expensive and too big. Instead, we ended up partially finishing 2 other 'quadrants' of the basement: we have an air hockey table and a 'gaming quarter' where the Nintendo systems, board games, and whatnot have their home. All we need is a small coffee table and some additional wall art/hangings. My Tohru Honda and Grimmjow wall scrolls are perfectly displayed where all can admire them^_^ Hubby's bar will be the remaining quadrant (he can't wait, but he has to). I'LL POST PICTURES SOON!!!

Now, to the reason for the title of this post... I think I'm fairly unique in my organizational methods due to the fact that I actually have shelves dedicated to books I haven't read that I probably will not keep. This includes titles that I have either been given, got as giveaways, purchased, and brought home from my library (my job) because I weeded my collection -we can talk about that at a later time or you can look it up. Not getting into the particulars of my personal collection's "weeding policy", it's safe to say that I know I need to read what I have in order to not expand the not-here-to-stay shelves. Thus, I have dubbed them the TBR Shelves. How many do I have? There are 3 dedicated shelves that only consist of what I haven't read: 2 YA and one Harlequin LIH (double-stacked). The rest of the shelves have a mixture, but they're genre-fied and 'author-betized' and they're perfect the way they are...mostly, but that's not today's problem.

Problem: I'm having a bit of a crisis in my reading preferences lately and I need to force myself to read what I've been ignoring so I can stop feeling that poking feeling every time I go down to find my favorite thing to re-read again. See my problem? Not yet? I've been very stressed and that leads me to re-reading. I'm also coming to terms with the changing YA market and I need to start reading what's coming out now so I can honestly tell my kids, "yes, I've read that!" instead of, "I started it, but didn't get around to finishing it...><". This habit of reading maybe 5 chapters of a new book and then moving on to the next is truly the worst. It's horrible. I need to stop and that's what I'm working on right now.

Solution: Honesty. I started talking to my kids about it because I can't just keep saying, "Well I can't read everything". They're at least as blunt as I am about it and I need that. Trying to come up with a way to get them involved with what I'm currently reading without giving them access to my Goodreads (because minors) and maybe even giving them control of my next read... that makes me cringe every time I think about it. Anyway, my goal is to read a mixture of new and fairly recent YA within my other reading habits. My additional goal is to make a significant dent in the unread LIH shelf. It became a back-burner TBR since they stopped publication of the imprint and I didn't have as much pressure to read through them. More recently, it's gotten annoying to the point I'm almost reading 3 a week (if I don't pause). Only just started, but I already finished 6 lol. It takes 3-4 hours to read through one -easy, right? Consistency is key, so my best is all I can offer.

Currently reading: The Dark Becomes Her by Judy L. Lin. Really liking it so far and I hope I'll be done by the weekend so I can post the review to NetGalley and Edelweiss. It comes out Oct 1st and I want to be able to be that Teen Librarian and boast my opinion of it fully -mwuahahaha.

Thank you for reading!

What are you reading? [OR] What are your goals for the rest of the year?

[sommerlyrik]

I've been pretty good at Getting Shit Done this week, and if I'll keep it up over the next three days I'll reward myself with a whole day of ... sorting things!!!

As in: going through my drive folders. Making sure all my highly specific spreadsheets are up-to-date. Maybe even treating myself to a hard and studious look at my close to 400 Goodreads shelves & 1500 books. Updating and disentangling my collected reading lists.

[compleatlybonkers]

What’s on My Reading List

Not long after my liberation from the list of mundane “must-read” books, I’m already equally overwhelmed by another list of interesting ones! It’s not so much about the list management. I’ve tried many tools available for reading lists (Goodreads, Excel, or a simple piece of paper), and I prefer simply using the “shelves” in Google Play Books (“1-Reading, 2-Next, Philosophy, Fantasy,” etc.). Nowadays, it isn’t hard to find new books, and in fact rather easy to get carried away by the many! Of course, it’s not a bad idea to try something different when the same ones get boring. The problem is, as a wise friend once pointed out much to my dismay, “you can learn something from any book, but you will never read them all!” Naturally, being the geek I am, I did the math — how many books will I read before I die? No one knows exactly, but a generous estimation suggests that it’s possible to read a few thousand. But more realistically, I think even getting to one thousand is an accomplishment (of course, one can do much better by starting early, reading fast, and living long enough). The point isn’t so much what or how big that number is, but the fact that it unequivocally pales in comparison to the how many books there are (Google says it’s well over 100 million, so mine is at best 0.01% of them). It’s not the end of the world though — the real tragedy would be not to have enough books to choose from.

Choose Ruthlessly

No longer held hostage to reading assignments (I was never a good student), I’m free to read as I choose and find my interest revitalized. Still, old habits die hard — I have to vigilantly stay away from books I think I “should” read. That already saves a lot of struggle or procrastination, since all I read now either satisfies a curiosity or is so thrilling that can’t be put down. I dedicate my morning reading time to tackle the more serious (e.g. philosophy), and my bedtime for good stories (yes I’m still a kid at heart). Throughout the day, I also listen to audiobooks while driving. It’s said that reading is like having a conversation. I think it’s rather convenient since I get to choose who to talk to, what to talk about, how fast it goes, and to even leave without hurting anyone’s feelings! I might be interested in a topic but not a particular book (maybe it’s too difficult or poorly written). For example, I used to find history boring until I read Sapiens. Ideally, every book I read is fun and enlightening. In reality, we make do with what we have. But do away with the rest — there’s always more out there!

[thislookinyoureyes]

1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 17, 19, 22, 25! :)

also, what is your #1 book recommendation? And, do you read in French only, or English novels too? :)))))) <3

1- How many books did you read this year?

So I don't really keep a clear count, but according to my book shelves and my memory I can find 23 of them

2 and 4- I answered to those questions here

7- What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate?

I don't use goodread so I can't tell

8- Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones?

I don't have any reading goals, except maybe for reading as many classics as possible, so I guess I acheived that. The only "goals" I fix are of very short term, like reading a certain amount of page for a day.

17- Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I'd say that Don Quichotte really impressed me. I didn't know a lot about this novel, but I enjoyed it a lot. It is written in a clever way and with a great sens of humour.

19- Did you use your library?

Yes ! Book shopping is one of my favorite activities

22- What’s the longest book you read?

It clearly was Les mille et une nuits (One thousand and one night). The edition I own has 700 pages, put the book is so big that you could easily fit four of five regular pages in one. It took me three months to read it, but I was reading other books meanwhile.

25- What reading goals do you have for next year?

Read the books I own and that I haven't xD But as I said, I don't really fix goals, so I'd say just to enjoy myself.

And for your personal question, I do read in english sometimes, but not as much as I used to. I really prefer french as a language, because it's my first language obviously, but I also prefer its aesthetic and deepness (I guess I still struggle in english too)

Thank you so much Rao !

Book ask

[mmorgshopper]

Barnes and noble website

It might take sometime for all of the stores to receive a supply of e-readers, but they should all get them sometime this week. There is signage advertising the new device in some retail spaces and many employees have reached out and said they have seen it and also have the spec sheets available in an internal database. It will be available on the main Barnes and Noble website, and also in retail stores. Chat with or text Barnes & Noble: via the help page. Call Barnes & Noble customer service: 1-80 Monday - Friday 8am to 11pm ET, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 11pm ET. The Nook Glowlight 4 should be coming out in the first week of December. Stay connected with Barnes & Noble to enjoy the latest coupons. The premium soft touch case will both retail for $19.99, which is a solid price. Since the problem no longer exist on this website, I will mark the problem as solved but really nothing changed. I have re-enabled all protections and I can still sign-in. They will open and close with a magnetic tab and have water resistant interior lining. Since posting this problem, I have now been able to sign-in to my Barnes and Nobles account. After that (and for balance transfers that do not post within 45 days of account opening), a variable APR will apply, 13.99 or 24. Balance transfers - 0 introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. For inquiries regarding online orders placed at BN.com or NOOK & digital content support: (800) THE-BOOK. The official cases for the new Nook are now available to purchase on the B&N website and come in black and silver. Congrats on the gift card, I hope it’s enough to buy your next favorite book, audiobook, or NOOK ebook I’m always reading one book or another and you can find me on Goodreads so I know the joy that a gift card to Barnes & Noble can bring. Purchases - 13.99 or 24.99 variable, based on your creditworthiness. For inquiries regarding Barnes & Noble Membership: (866) 238-7323. Weve been to the store, were wondering maybe this is a good idea or maybe this is a bad idea to publish on there. Theres just an unlimited number of sites that we can put our books out onto. As a temporary employee tasks you may be expected to complete include assisting customers with locating products, answering questions, shelving and restocking the sales floor. We can publish on Barnes and Noble, Lulu, Amazon, Ingram Spark, Smashwords, etc. It will be running a quadcore processor, 32GB of storage, USB-C and physical page turn buttons. Barnes & Noble College is seeking dynamic, friendly, and customer-focused team members to work as Temporary Booksellers for a period of 90 days or less in our stores. This new e-reader will be six inches and have a 300 PPI screen. We neither support nor deny its message, we simply make it available for those who wish a copy.Barnes and Noble is getting ready to announce the Nook Glowlight 4 in the next few days. The description justified its sale as “an interesting book which deserves to be studied in the same way the ‘War of the Worlds’ radio broadcast duped many thousands…. Shop Rowan University Official Bookstore for men's, women's and children's apparel, gifts, textbooks, and more. Reading on the go has never been easier with our convenient NOOK eReaders and tablets. You can also find information on curbside pickup, store events (and virtual events), store hours, Barnes & Noble Café menus and more. Find a bookstore near you using our store locator. Twitter users also objected to the description of the book on the site, which summarized at length the book’s fictional description of a Jewish plan for global domination and suggested that its authenticity is still an open question. Barnes & Noble has over 600 stores throughout the United States. But publishing directly on Barnes and Noble Press can get you a bit more royalties as well. Amazon KDP offers distribution to Barnes and Noble thanks to something called expanded distribution under Ingram Group. The retailer said in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the book was fed automatically to the website from “standard industry databases” and that the company took “prompt action to remove” the title. Barnes and Noble is the third-largest self-publishing platform, reaching millions of readers on its website BN.com and e-reader NOOK. We are available to assist you seven days a week from 9 AM - 9 PM EST. Twitter users began tweeting January 25 about an online listing on the booksellers’ site, which had been offering the famously fabricated antisemitic text for $24.95. Barnes & Noble Reopens Cincinnati store with a New Location in Deerfield Township on Wednesday, January 19. We are available 24/7 to assist you: If you prefer, you can contact us by phone at 1-800-THE-BOOK (1-80). JTA - Following a social media outcry, Barnes & Noble has removed “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion“ from its website.

[booksofkingdomsandcourts]

Thinking About Nesta and Lucien Friendship Hours

(Modern AU version)

Nesta can’t fucking stand Lucien at first, but the longer he and Elain are together and the more Cassian mellows her out, the more they start to get along

And you know, maybe they’d still hate each other if they, like, lived together, but only seeing each other at the occasional family function? A highlight in both of their books, though neither would ever admit it

Eventually, Lucien becomes Nesta’s favorite brother-in-law (though she’d never say it out loud both because Lucien would be insufferable about it and because Rhysand’s dramatic ass might decide to die of heartbreak)

Their relationship sort of has Gay Best Friend vibes but instead they’re just “my sister’s husband who is totally secure in his masculinity and thus is always ready to do a face mask at the drop of a hat” vibes

Like Nesta LOVES her girl gang but “The Valkyries,” as their group chat is called, are ride-or-die, happy yelling and late nights and loud laughs and hoe behavior. Lucien provides a counterbalance, a Treat Yo’ Self, self care vibes kind of friend

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t ALWAYS down for gossip. Cassian caught Rhysand and Feyre doing it WHERE? (Lucien would never look at Feyre’s art the same way again) A sleazy guy at the club said WHAT to Gwyn? (And Azriel lost his shit about it, wonder why) Emerie is supposedly in a secret relationship with WHO? (Rhysand’s cousin Mor)

Lucien loves manicures, but much to his dismay, Elain actually doesn’t care for them since she’d just mess them up gardening. Lucien tried to insist that even without getting her nails painted it’s still good for her skin, but she’s not interested. But she insists he goes and enjoys it, since they make him happy

So Lucien invites Nesta once, on a whim, and pretty soon they have monthly manicure appointments together that they DO NOT miss

As they talk and gossip at these appointments, they eventually realize they share a mutual love of books. Generally speaking, they have different tastes—Lucien likes nonfiction and historical novels and the occasional realistic fiction or fantasy classic. Nesta is all smut, all the time, but she does like it when her porn has plot. That’s not a requirement though.

But that doesn’t bother them. They’re both voracious readers, and soon they’re practically in competition for how many books they read a month on Goodreads

Then they start trading recommendations, and pretty soon each month when they see each other they assign the other a book to read and report back on the next time

Since their friendship is carried out mostly in their monthly manicure book club that’s just the two of them, the others don’t even realize they’re actually pretty close

But it’ll show in moments like when Elain asked Nesta to bring Cassian over to help her set up her new vertical-growing hydroponic something-or-other and the new shelves she bought for her tools

And when they come back inside Nesta and Lucien are sitting on the couch, lavender candle burning, hair back, face masks on, drinking wine and arguing about the latest Sellyn Drake novel Nesta made Lucien read

And they just have to accept that whatever that friendship is, no one will ever really understand but the two involved

[ofliterarynature]

Mid Year Reading Update

tagged by @asexualbookbird, thank u!

Amount of books you’ve read so far: 88! Goodreads says I am very ahead of schedule on my reading challenge lol.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2022: Ancillary Justice, there's no question!

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022: I can't NOT mention The Grief of Stones or The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul, but I'd like to give a special shout out to Marie Brennan's Onyx Court series, which only got better after the first book.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: Nothing I'd call a top priority tbh, I've already read those! I am very bad at keeping track of anything else. But I do have library holds for Loveless, The Cartographers, and Flying Solo.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard, I am s h a k i n g omg, I need it. And Nona the Ninth, of course.

Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you): it takes a lot more work for me to name someone a favorite, but I'll probably be checking out some more Olivia Atwater and Frances Hardinge! Though if I hadn't already read The Raven Tower I'd have said Anne Leckie.

Newest fictional crush: A crush? Never heard of her. (but like, maybe Breq? I am making heart eyes at least 😍)

Book that made you cry: I'm sure more made me teary, but the only book I actually made a note about making me cry was A Star Shall Fall, which is the third book in Onyx Court series. Look, if you give me a good boy and do *that* to him, what do you expect?????

Book that made you happy: I've previously mentioned how absurdly giddy just starting The Grief of Stones made me lol. But Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales have left a very warm feeling in my heart.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received):

there's not many to choose from but I HAVE to say Chilling Effect, since the covers were what pushed me into buying my own copies. I've actually been meaning to replace the second one since it arrived with some damage to the cover.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I don't treat my reading in a way that I *need* to read anything - except maybe book club, and right now we've got Witchmark and My Volcano scheduled for the next two months. Mostly I'd just *like* to read enough of my physical TBR to get it down to two shelves, and probably reread Gideon and Harrow in prep for Nona and The Hands of the Emperor for ATFOTS.

If you haven't done this yet, I'm tagging you! Yes, you! I want to know what you've been reading, please @ me when u post! ❤️📚

[clumsyclifford]

I think u said that you’d still like some more prompts, so #89 “I noticed” with either muke or malum pls ♥️

well i asked pairing bot and it said muke, so there you go. thank you @allsassnoclass for helping me Establish The Setting of this fic. by which i mean Providing The Setting For Me. a gift to us all, that hazel

also as resident walking advertisement for @calumsclifford‘s fics i am contractually obliged to redirect you to her bookstore fic which is an absolute delight

read on ao3

-

Nothing hits quite like the atmosphere of a bookstore.

Shelves of books, racks of vinyls, displays advertising “Staff Picks” — the allure of the local bookstore will never not work magic on Luke. Even the pop music trickling down from the built-in ceiling speakers is charming, rather than annoying.

“Okay, go find your book,” Ashton says. “I’m gonna go in the nonfiction section if you need me.”

“Sure thing, old man,” Luke says. 

Ashton scoffs. “I like nonfiction. If that makes me an old man, then so be it.”

“Hey, I’m not judging.”

“You are judging so hard, and I don’t even care. I’m going to go browse autobiographies and I’m going to fucking like it.” With this final word, Ashton marches in the direction of the nonfiction books. Luke watches him, smirking, until he vanishes into the shelves, and then he makes for the young adult section on the other side of the shop. If this book is going to be anywhere, it’ll be there.

As always, he’s immediately drawn off-course.

The staff picks catch his eye. Normally Luke breezes past them, but this time he spies a cover he actually recognises: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a book he’d read only a few months ago. As his gaze shifts lower, it catches on the note underneath the book, identifying the name of the staff member whose recommendation he’s enjoying: Michael. Next to his name is a short note about his choice. Luke steps closer to read it.

Philosophy and boys in love. And a general distaste for wearing shoes. What else do you need?

Luke smiles and reaches for the book. He’s already read it and he has a copy at home; he’s not going to buy the copy, but it’s nice to hold it in his hands anyway, flip through the pages and feel the air shift as he does.

“Good choice,” says an unfamiliar voice. Luke lifts his head and almost drops the book.

Woah. Cute boy alert. Extremely cute boy red alert. The levels of cute on this boy are enough to make Luke want to call Ashton over for backup. He’s terrible with cute boys, especially cute boys that also look really cool like this one, with bright red hair and a pierced eyebrow and a Nirvana t-shirt. Add that to the fact that he evidently has some degree of good taste in literature, considering he’s just complimented Luke’s selection, and Luke is flailing out of his depth.

In the deeply awkward pause before Luke remembers he’s supposed to say something to Cute Boy, his gaze travels to the nametag pinned to Cute Boy’s shirt. MICHAEL, it announces in block letters, and Luke puts two and two together.

“Oh, you too,” Luke says, which is a surprisingly coherent thing to say. All things considered it could have gone a lot worse. Which it then proceeds to do. “You’re the Michael who picked this? I guess? You — your nametag says Michael, so— I was just assuming. Which I know you’re not supposed to do because it makes an ass out of you and me, but since you said it was a good choice…”

Michael slowly smiles. “Yeah, I’m the Michael. You are?”

An easy question. Thank fuck. “Luke. I’m Luke.”

Michael hums and nods at the book. “Have you read it?”

Luke tries to take a discreet deep breath. “Yeah, I did. A few months ago. I might be due for a reread.”

“Well, it’s one of my favourites,” Michael comments. “So I’ll always be on the side of an Ari and Dante reread.”

“Yeah,” Luke says, nodding like this makes perfect sense. It does, but God, he doesn’t have to nod like a crazy person. “Yeah. Good point.” Then, directly contradicting this concurrence, he sets the book back down on the display. “I’ve got this at home, though. I’m actually here for a different book.”

“Oh, perfect,” says Michael, straightening up. “Then I can do my real job. What can I help you find?”

Luke does not need help finding this book, but he would be a complete idiot to refuse the help of Cute Bookstore Employee Michael. “Uh, The Cursed Child. I know it came out a while ago but I just haven’t had the chance to get it and I really wanted to get it from a bookstore, rather than online, you know?”

Michael brightens. “Oh, I can definitely find that for you. Follow.” He gestures, and Luke falls into step with him as they make for the young adult shelves, completing Luke’s aborted mission from earlier. “You want my opinion on the book, or you want it to remain a complete mystery?”

“You’ve read it? Are you a Harry Potter fan?” Luke asks, far too eagerly. Sheepish, he bites his lip, sneaking a glance at Michael to see him smile. “Uh, sorry. I’m— I really like Harry Potter, like, a lot.”

“I noticed,” Michael says, nodding at Luke, who glances down at himself. 

“Oh,” he says, chuckling at his Deathly Hallows shirt. “I honestly didn’t do that on purpose. I wasn’t thinking about it at all.”

“Your subconscious enabling your love of Harry Potter, clearly,” Michael says. “Yeah, I like it. Not my favourite series, but it’s good. I mostly only read Cursed Child because I was bored, but—” He breaks off. “Sorry. Won’t spoil it.”

Luke grapples with himself. On the one hand, he is the most averse to spoilers of anyone he’s ever met. If it’s a book he’s looking forward to reading, he will ban all family and friends from even discussing it in his presence, lest their opinions on it taint his before he’s able to read it and draw his own conclusions. And this isn’t just any book; it’s Cursed Child, the long-awaited spin-off, the first official continuation of the Harry Potter ‘verse in years. No, he doesn’t want Michael’s opinion on it. He doesn’t want anyone’s opinions. He hasn’t even read the summary for the book on Goodreads. The more blind Luke goes into this, the better.

On the other hand, though.

Well, on the other hand, Michael is a cute boy who’s offering to talk to Luke about a book.

As a compromise, Luke says, “Honestly, I would really like to know your thoughts, but not until I’ve finished reading it.”

Michael glances over at him as they slow to a stop in front of one of the shelves. There’s a smile playing at his lips, a slight raise to his eyebrows, like he’s pleasantly surprised by something Luke’s done. What that thing might be, Luke has no idea. “Okay,” says Michael. “That’s fair. How about I give you my number, and when you finish reading it you can call or text and we can discuss it then?”

Luke blinks. Then blinks again. Is Michael flirting with him? He must be, but at the same time there’s absolutely no way.

And — wait. Does Michael think Luke was flirting with him? Was Luke? Not intentionally, but that’s only because he doesn’t know how to flirt and he’s fucking awful at it. Somehow, he’s managed to unintentionally flirt his way into getting Michael’s number.

Woah. Bookstores really are magical.

“Yeah, yes, that sounds great,” Luke says, clumsily digging out his phone. He unlocks it and passes it to Michael, who has an amused look on his face. “We could, um…get coffee or something?”

“Works for me,” Michael says. While he enters his number into Luke’s phone, Luke turns to the shelf. His attention immediately snags on his target: a block of bright yellow covers. Luke tugs at one, freeing it from its siblings, and brushes a reverent hand over the brand new dust jacket. 

“I mean, say what you will, but it sure is a pretty fucking book,” he says, kind of to himself.

Michael chuckles. “Yeah. The second-prettiest thing in this bookstore, maybe.”

For the second time, Luke almost drops the book in his hands. Instead he tightens his grip on it, looks up at Michael, and steels all his courage to say, “First being you, right?”

The smile on Michael’s face is worth the risk of embarrassment, Luke quickly realises. And this, he senses, had clearly been the right thing to say. Michael hands Luke’s phone back to him an says, “I’m going to let you have the last word, because I think you’re cute and that was unexpectedly smooth. If you need me, I’ll be around, probably doing work that will be less important than anything you will have to say to me.”

Luke feels a blush colour his cheeks, but if Michael notices he doesn’t say anything. With a wave and what looks like a halfway bow, he backs out of the aisle, and Luke watches him until he veers off and disappears from view.

Everything from entering this bookstore onward feels like a fever dream. Luke glances down at his phone screen, and when he sees how Michael’s entered his name — Michael (The Real Cursed Child) — the giggle of disbelief building in his throat quickly turns to a laugh. If it is a fever dream, Luke hopes it never, ever ends.

[bookaddict24-7]

I said at the beginning of the year that I would share my reviews more on my blog instead of just on Instagram and Goodreads. I’ve been reading a lot so far this year, so my reviews will be delayed on here.

Friend me on Goodreads here to read my reviews in real-time!

___

81. Sweat & Soap Vol. 2 by Kintetsu Yamada--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m loving this series! The relationship between these two feels so pure and I’m excited to watch it grow. I love the concept of us being introduced to various sides of the characters as the story progresses. Especially the jealousy. The artwork isn’t my favourite style, but it’s still fun! I’ve already ordered the next few available volumes—here’s hoping it gets better and better!

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82. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelves for forever and when I saw the audiobook at the library, I knew it was time. While I’m definitely planning on reading the next book in the series, I thought this book was just OKAY. Maybe it’s because it’s written in the early 2000s when teenagers in books were written with this naive and innocent mindset, but this felt very young to me. It also felt like a weirdly simple story despite the complex theme. It’s hard to explain, but I guess I somehow built up all of these expectations for this book over the years. That being said, I can see why these were a hit when they came out and why they’re still a must-read for kids now. Save for a couple of scenes, this definitely reads younger and I’m comfortable recommending it to the younger teens who come into the bookstore (13-16). Especially, and I hate to say it, for those boy readers who are desperately looking for male MCs in YALit. And while I’m not a fan of giving books a gender, it helps that the MC is an accurate representation of a younger male teen in how he views the world. (Or at least I hope so, I know they’re very different now.) I recommend this for those who want a real world story with fantastical elements and magic thrown in! (Also for those who want a book with amazing friendships!)

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83. Blue Flag Vol 3 by Kaito--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Every volume, so far, of BLUE FLAG has been a gift. The messages, the slow burn, the friendships, and omg—the artwork. It’s extra special because I always briefly forget about how beautiful the artwork is until I open a new volume. Of all the manga series in reading right now, this one has my favourite artwork. While I am quietly rooting for a different couple, it was still nice to see the character development two of the characters experienced in this volume. Maybe that’s why I always leave this manga for last—because I know it’s going to leave me thinking about all of the amazing things it has to offer.

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84. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, my favourite part of this book (other than the big reveal) is that we’re finally seeing some potential interest between the two people I’ve been wanting to see together since the beginning of this series. The book as a whole wasn’t my favourite, but I’m still enjoying the story! Especially now that the seeds have been planted for this romance I’ve been waiting six books for. I can just feel that it’s about to pay off and I’m all here for it. Also, I can’t say much about the book because it’s super spoilery, but know that it’s true what they say: this series gets better as you read more of the books!

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85. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: Drug Abuse, Drug Overdose, Sexual Assault I was both scared and excited when I started this book. Scared because it was being hyped up so much, and excited because it would be a story from a perspective that is so rarely represented in literature (which I think is a big issue that needs to be remedied). But I'm really glad I jumped into FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER (blindly, as I do) despite my fear because wow. Just WOW. Pretty sure this is one of my favourites of the year. Boulley does such a beautiful job of creating this heartfelt thriller, while also weaving in parts of her Native American culture. Daunis is the MC of FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER and her voice begs to be heard as she navigates the mystery that is haunting her community. After a heartbreaking set of events (both happening before the start of the novel and during the events of the novel), Daunis agrees to go undercover for the FBI as they investigate a string of drug-related deaths. Not only does Boulley do a great job of writing about the prejudices and stereotypes Native Americans face--but she also comments on the racism within the community as well. One of her characters, Daunis's love interest, makes a really good point when he says, "It's hard when being Native means different things depending on who's asking and why." And he then continues with, "[...]It's YOUR identity, but it gets defined or controlled by other people." I think these comments are especially poignant because Daunis herself is half white and half Native American; we read about the racism she's faced as a woman who doesn't look entirely like those in the community. Also, when she mentions the darker skin colour of her uncle and how he is treated. But perhaps one of the most powerful messages I have taken away from Boulley's novel is how important it is to hear Native American women's voices. So many are silenced. There's a heartbreaking scene in this book where we're shown just how a Native woman's voice can be silenced and it is even more heartbreaking when you realize that this isn't entirely fictional--this happens all the time. If you get the opportunity to read this book, I highly recommend reading the Author's Note, where Boulley gives more details on this very real issue. I appreciate Boulley for writing this story for us. Yes, it has a great mystery, some thrilling moments, and romantic instances full of intimacy. But more than that, this book gives us an insight into the culture and traditions. We learn about the importance of family and daily prayers, how important it is to learn for yourself instead of believing stereotypes, and how scary some situations can be when they're completely out of your control. Daunis experiences so much and her strength is, in all honesty, inspiring. There's a scene where she straightens her back and makes a decision that will forever alter her life and it is one of the most badass things I've read this year. I highly recommend this book to all readers (over the age of 15 because of mature content). This is such an important read--one that I will always be happy to have on my shelf. FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER isn't just a pretty face (THAT COVER)--it offers a powerful story with a memorable main character.

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them? 

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Happy reading!

[ginnyzero]

Publishing vs. Marketing Category

Okay, so book and writing community on twitter tends to have these flare ups of convos about books being shelved wrong and authors pointing out reasons such as their gender, or race, or even the content of their books being say, fantasy for them being placed on the wrong shelves in libraries and bookstores. Now, there is a human bias element to this. There are librarians and book buyers for stores who do see a female fantasy author and assume they must be YA no matter the content. Plus, everyone and their mother tagging things incorrectly on twitter or shelving badly on Goodreads.

Let’s dive into the INDUSTRY side of this though. The industry has two different and at times clashing categorizations of books, there are the publishing categories and there are the marketing categories. And while some, specifically some age targets and genres the marketing and the publishing categories will align, there are others that the age target and marketing target may be under the same “name” technically and then their aims completely clash.

Yes, I’m mostly talking about YA. (Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance can fall in here too.)

So, the publishing category of Young Adult, is pretty much what you’d expect. Young Adult should have protagonists of the age groups of 12 to 18, and most likely dealing with “coming of age” themes and “finding their place in the world” and quite possibly “being the chosen one.” I personally find theme categorization for age groups to be really limiting. But I read Brian Jacques from third grade on... so. .. yay fighting mice. (And I was into Star Wars at grade 7, like Timothy Zahn Star Wars. I am not the typical reader.) It’s just something to be aware of if you are querying agents because agents deal with publishing categories and not marketing categories. (And agents have biases too. Like, come on, Unicorns should not be limited to MG. How dull. Agents though will look for anything to clear stuff out of their slush pile, I guess.)

Young Adult publishing category books range between 40K words on the low end and 80K words on the high end. I’d aim for 50K words depending on age group. Remember, YA readers especially read upwards in age groups. So you’re 12 year old is going to be reading about 15 year olds and your later YA readers will have aged out into the adult category of books (supposedly. This is where MARKETING categories become a thing. More in a second.)

New Adult is not a thing. Until it gets a spot in bookstores. It is officially not a thing. Querying New Adult will get you nowhere. Don’t bother.

So, you’ve written your MS and it hits what you think are all the Adult markers, from age of the protag, to theme, to having ‘adult’ content such as sex, drugs, and violence. (Violence is so weird b/c we’ve normalized violence while keeping sex taboo. So, if your book has sex, it might be considered Adult, more than if your book has violence. Even then... marketing categories.) You’ve queried it as adult. You’ve got it through an editor and it’s been pitched to a publisher and they’ve picked it up and your marketing materials come out. And they, meaning the cover, and the blurb, all read Young Adult in their style and tone.

And this may be confusing because you wrote an adult book, why are they marketing it to YA? Like A Crown of Thorns and Roses? (Fae court romance is... err, dead on arrival btw.)

It’s because YA is also a marketing category which no longer equals the age group category. And there are some very popular book series you can thank for this, Twilight, Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, and Divergent are among them. These books were not only popular among teens. They were popular among their mothers. So, publishing quickly pivoted from YA being this age group category with certain things, to a marketing strategy to try and keep the attention of the moms of the teenagers with sex, and love triangles, and I dunno, forbidden romance. By the time ACOTAR came out, publishing decided maybe they should try for this college age, New Adult category so they could market these “sexy fantasy” type books to older readers and get the sex out of YA. So, they used ACOTAR to try and make New Adult happen as a marketing category for book buyers. It didn’t work. Because no one, like with Harry Potter, wants to split a book series across 2 sections. (And lo and behold Young Adult was kind of born because they didn’t want to keep the later HP books in the children’s section.)

And because it didn’t work, YA is now a mess. Because they still don’t want to give up those sweet, sweet, mommy dollars.

There is one very large aspect of publishing the author has no control over. Their marketing. Especially, their covert marketing done by the publisher. Covert marketing is the type of marketing indies salivate over, b/c covert marketing is basically the publishing house deciding where on the bestseller list this book is going to be, how much advertising it gets, does it get a fancy book launch, what is the advance of the author, when is it going to be published and will it have competitors in its genre that same month, who among the reviewers gets to read it, the style of the book cover, and more importantly, what, where, and how much book shelf space it gets in stores. Is the cover turned out? Is it at the front of the store? Does it get it’s own display? Or is it in the “new releases display?” Which book buyer at the chains gets to see it. How do Librarians get a hold of it and which ones? Because the buyer of say, romance, is not the buyer of young adult. The Adult scifi/fantasy book buyer is going to be different than say, mysteries. Same for librarians! There are more than one librarian in your system choosing your books! It is very important who your book gets to be put in front of, what they think of it to how it is going to be received and pushed on bookshelves. There was a very infamous romance buyer of a major chain store who refused to buy POC romances because she thought they didn’t sell.

If your book chain buyer, refuses to buy fantasy books or scifi books by female authors b/c they think they won’t SELL. Then, the publisher feels like in order to get your book to sell, they have to put it into a marketing category where it will sell, Young Adult. Because what do most of those “Young Adult” books have in common, women writers. (Urban Fantasy was almost an exception to the rule on SFF gendered authors. Then... UF became dead on arrival as they thought the market was glutted and yeah. Good luck on getting an UF published, you’d be better off writing paranormal romance. Same type of setting, different genre rules.) It’s not about the content of your book, or the age of your protag, or the theme of your book at that point, it is “What will make this book sell.” Publishing is an industry where profit is not a dirty word. Their job is to make your book sell and if they think it will sell better as YA, they will pitch it as YA.

Even if the book is written for, uses language appropriate for, and has content really intended for adults.

Be aware that Young Adult scifi is a very, very rare buyers market. For some reason, publishers don’t think they can market it? Dystopian yes. Scifi... no. So, if your YA is scifi, like either rewrite for adult or keep your eye open for that very rare time they’re willing to TRY and publishing YA scifi. Or, publish indie. (Dystopian is also I think DOA.)

Is this confusing? Absolutely! Because there are plenty of readers out there who are in the adult category, who don’t keep up with publishing trends, and don’t realize if they want vibrant fantasy books, they may have to look in the YA section of their bookstore. They’re adults. They want vibrant fantasy adult books. And I say fantasy because you see this happening MOSTLY with fantasy. It happens with other genres too, but it is a huge problem in fantasy due to, well, the combination of publishing trends (white, older, male) and the human bias. So, many times, if you want that cool marketed as adult fantasy book not written by a white older male, you are going to have to order it through the ‘zon because you aren’t going to find it most likely on your bookstore shelves. (Science Fiction is another kettle of fish. Outside of some very established authors, it’s not really publishing. It’s a very small category outside of indie. Like, Military SF was a thing for a bit in indie! Just... yeah. Sigh.)

Conclusion: Publishing category does not always equal marketing category. Even if the publishing category and marketing category are named the same thing. And it’s probably not going to change until something major happens that the big four are FORCED to change their current publishing and marketing methods. (Yeah, big FOUR now. Scary.) It’s a complicated system with the author having the most at stake and the least amount of control (and often the least amount of pay outside of agents.) I mean, when Disney of all corporations, doesn’t want to pay Alan Dean Foster his legal royalties for a book they acquired when they got Star Wars, there is a PROBLEM in the system.

Just be aware if you are going into this publishing game. I cover this and more in my FREE PDF “I Finished a Book, Now What? A Tongue in Cheek Guide to What Happens Next.”  Everything from editing types to querying to social media for authors.

It’s available for download on my website. https://ginny0.wordpress.com/books/