#reading roundup

[xiaq]

I had a pretty excellent reading month, what with all the global travel and then impersonating a sickly Victorian waif upon my return. My favorites (excluding the Rowland re-reads) were Most Ardently (charming YA re-write of Pride and Prejudice), You Should Be So Lucky (Banter!! Sweetness!! Happy endings all around!!), and The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich (ADORABLE).

B’s mom sent me a (frankly excessive) amount of birthday money so I purchased a (frankly excessive) number of books off my TBR. I’m most looking forward to getting through all of Julian Winters, Alexis Hall and Cat Sebastian’s books, The Sweet Sting of Salt, Winter’s Orbit, and When the Tides Held the Moon. I also pre-ordered Hazelwood’s Mate and Knightley’s The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy which I shall wait very impatiently for.

[eastwindmlk]

Just like tracking my monthly writing, I am going to try to track my monthly reading! I am an exceptionally slow reader. So... You know! You've been warned.

Two Left Feet Lead Me to You by LesbianKJ || Popscotch 1.6k words Soulmates

Rage Against the Dying Light by @tedwardremus || Jily 100k words Jily lives || Still reading

December Valentine's by @stonecoldhedwig || Jily WIP Modern Muggle AU

for what it's worth by @giggles-and-freckles || Jily 1.7k words Pre-relationship

Method Acting by @yallthemwitches || Jily WIP, mutual pining

Bad Egg by @annabtg || Jily 1.1k Crack treated seriously

It's the Rising by @itstherisingdaylight || Jily WIP, long

maybe it was egos swinging (maybe it was her) by @apalapucian || Jily 11.1k, academic rivals

All of @goldenlionprince's HP works

Approx. words read: 119.883

[harriertail]

reading roundup spring 2025

'im not reading anymore american authors' she says 'i need to stop consuming modern american culture' she says.

to gaze upon wicked gods, molly x chang- this was a hate read becoz i hate ya romantasy but needed to like, actually read it to prove i did. this also just sucked the prose was bad the worldbuilding was not there at all (the bad guys are just called Romans??? you cant even make a fucking new name omfg??? and they all have anglicised names instead of latin?? ANTHONY and DAWSON?? be SO serious) the romance sucked the plot was full of contrivances (oh the emperor WANTS to die so she doesnt have to feel bad about killing him. okay) the enemies to lovers sucked. also the chapter lengths did not work; you can't do a fanfic style like that for this novel. a shame becoz i felt like there was huge potential here for a sort of 'self fulfilling prophecy' or downfall arc for her to become a villain due to her powers but no. im never touching this genre again fr

they shoot horses, don't they?, horace mccoy - recommended by my mum, i think a lot of it went over my head int he first reading but after thinking about it, the sheer misery that is Gloria's life and the passive Robert, how he shoots horses, doesn't he? a quick little read, with odd pacing, but hugely impactful and a show of how tragic the Great Depression was, and how we all participate in human suffering.. brutal!

five days at memorial, sheri fink (non fic)- yeah this was fucked up. a great read for the history of new orleans hospitals and a day by day of katrina but jesus christ. the absolute incompetence of the medical company and everyone ignoring the 7th floor. jesus christ.

jurassic park, michael critchon - this ate, literally lol. don't fuck with nature (or corporate sabotage) anyway i couldn't unsee the cast reading it, great time 10/10. Loved the pacing and the differing POVs. Im a huge geoligic time nerd so understanding the occassional geologic time phrase or stuff about the earths atmosphere being different back then etc was great :3 I always come back to the realisation that 99% of science nowadays which they claim is 'progress' is actually profit, especially in the medical field. the girlies are out here dying for BBLs and implants and a new 'revolutionary' medical procedure every year to fix some insecurity made up by social media. don't get me started on what i think about the next few years of ozempic and the likely horrendous side effects that are going to crop up. but hey! its progress! don't get in the way!

to read; same as last time lol; the humans, tokyo express, cryptonomicon,

[thereadingmoon]

Cover Art by littlestpersimmon!

main genres: queer, SF/F, BIPOC, horror, graphic novels

favorites: How Long 'til Black Future Month? by NK Jemisin, Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui, Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

last year, I told myself I'd read more from writers of color, and i'm still working on that! 49 out of 115 books I read this year were written by writers of color, and they were predominantly east asian. i also want to read more disabled fiction.

other than that, i need to stop forcing myself to read to fill up space, boredom, or silence. i can really feel the fatigue coming onto me! i'm glad i read a lot this year, but i need to avoid overloading myself.

[pasta-pardner]

Reading Roundup: "Partners"

Written by Robert Wayne, 1987. Read January 2025.

Hey y'all! My goal for the year is to read more often, so I think I'm gonna start posting book reviews in addition to the other fannish stuff on my blog. My review for this novel is under the cut!

I picked up this novel while on a trip with my husband in Tombstone, Arizona. I haven't seen much info about it online yet, probably because it's a few decades old and it appears to be self and/or indie published.

Apparently, the author of "Partners" cowboyed professionally for years, and his main goal with the novel was to tell an authentic story in a contemporary western setting that resonated with his own experience. Wayne lists his work as a combination adventure and romance novel, but I would argue that the romance elements were very back-seat. I'm willing to bet that far more pages were devoted to the bounty hunt plot and the platonic friendship dynamic than any of the romances.

I read the first edition from 1987 (not the newer edition from 2005). This version of "Partners" came with a sticker referencing old western bootleg laws. Neat! I feel lucky to have found a copy, seeing as I doubt this book ever got widespread release-- and I don't live in the west.

Anyways ! Here are my thoughts on Mr. Wanye's novel:

Firstly, the easy-going chemistry between the two leads is definitely the soul of this novel. I really, really enjoyed RC and Curtis-- in pretty much all of the strange situations they got caught up in.

The novel's prose is pretty good too. This may be a strangely specific compliment to give, but I think "Partners" is at its strongest when it comes to describing old people. Scenes at the nursing home and at the grandparents house were incredibly vivid. Every elderly character in this novel pops off the page like a real flesh-and-blood person.

The descriptions of the natural landscapes and the horse care & tack procedures were also quite vivid, but sometimes to the point of feeling a bit formulaic. As much as I love detailed descriptions of locations, sometimes just listing the species of shubbery felt too face-value.

But the weakest part of this novel is definitely the plot. It feels kind of aimless and meandering, like a strange amalgamation of western subgenres thrown together. It's hard to explain, but this feels like a story that was written without an outline. I figure the author sat down at a typewriter, week after week, writing the chapters piecemeal-- without an overarching idea of why or how they were going where they were going.

Lots of elements (like RC's dad, wanda, the fixed up shack, gold panning, etc) have almost zero payoff by the end of the book. Removing these characters/locations wouldn't affect the plot in the much, so they end up feeling extraneous. The chapters are fun to read while they're happening, but the big-picture plot certainly could've been stronger. Though I was invested in the characters and the prose regardless of what was happening, everything outside of the bounty hunt plotline felt like an episodic event with not much of a resolution.

Tldr; character-driven, likeable leads, multiple sections with colorful prose... but a meandering, low-payoff plot. I definitely recommend "Partners" if you'd like to read some cowboy slice-of-life, though.

[emsprovisions]

Hi y'all! I read so many Tarlos fics this past month so I wanted to do a little highlight of some of my favorites! It was honestly very hard to narrow down the one shots but I tried 😂

Oneshots

Rain on Me by @ironheartwriter Rating: Explicit Word count: 6,622 Why I liked it: Lana has become such a dear friend in such a short time and I said one little thing in a tumblr ask response and something like two days later she busted out 6k words of pure magic! I love this fic, it's so sweet. We get to see our boys have some downtime to themselves and they truly truly deserve it!

breathing deeper than i've ever done by @your-catfish-friend Rating: Explicit Word count: 4,693 Why I liked it: This fic is so hot! This fic is heavy on senses, particularly the sense of smell. There's a part towards the end that really makes me insane where TK and Carlos are taking a shower together and it smells like "TK-and-Carlos" which makes me insane because they really are One.

Butterflies and Sky-High by @paperstorm Rating: Teen and up Word count: 8,031 Why I liked it: Demi!Carlos my beloved. I strongly subscribe to this headcanon and Andie, as always, you have executed it so beautifully! I loved this exploration of Carlos's labels, his spiral, his conversation with Paul, how he finally talked to TK about how he feels, it was all so beautiful.

This is The Sound of You Here and Now by @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut Rating: Mature Word count: 3,040 Why I liked it: I was sick with a cold and asked for sick fics of my boys to get me through those trying times. J, thank you so much for delivering! This was beautiful and genuinely it made me cry. I love how they take care of and love each other.

Long fics

Right Before Your Eyes by Goody Rating: Teen and up Word count: 19,894 Why I liked it: This one is so much fun! It feels like watching an episode, it is that realistic. Your characterization was amazing! Also poor TK, he suffers so much already and we just put him through more! But this was still really good! (and if anyone knows their tumblr, please let me know so I can properly tag them!)

to build a home by @freneticfloetry Rating: Explicit Word count: 63,872 Why I liked it: I don't think I will ever recover from the feels this one gave me. I love Carlos exploration fics. I love how well the angst was balanced with fluff and spicier scenes! I'm working on a wip rn that has definitely been influenced by the layout and flow of this gorgeous fic. It's melancholic in the best way, beautiful, and true to character. I won't stop thinking about it any time soon.

Series

Missing Moments by @paperstorm Works: 34 Complete: no Why I liked it: special shoutout to the fic from this series, Homeward Bound because I think about it often. I really, really love this series. Sometimes I confuse details from canon with details from these fics because they feel so canon to me. We needed the background scenes and you have more than delivered, Andie! Love this series so much and I can't wait to see what you do with the rest!

wherever you stray, I follow by @strandnreyes Works: 2 Complete: no Why I liked it: My latest obsession is this series. TK and Carlos are soulmates and now they get to live for eternity. Sometimes it's a bit bittersweet, especially in the second part, when Carlos thinks about all the changes that will happen to them someday, but they have each other and all the love and time in the world and it is beautiful. I love the setting, I love author Carlos, and I love how you adapted all the other characters and how seamlessly they fit into their roles in Castine. This au is gorgeous and I found myself wishing I didn't have to leave that world so soon. I can't wait for the next installment! I am excited to see where you might take it.

[toomanytookas]

March Fic Madness: Reading List

Thanks again to @the-blind-assassin-12 for creating the March Fic Madness challenge!

I've already posted my stats for the challenge over on this post, but here's a list of what I read!

I find that, for me, lists without any description end up leading to decision paralysis/having to click a lot of links without knowing where you're going, so I've tried to provide a super brief summary of each fic as a taster (obvs more info is provided by the author on each fic’s actual page). If you're an author whose work is listed here and feel I've misrepresented your fic, let me know and I can change the little blurb, it's obviously not my intention to do your work dirty! <3

List is alpha sorted by character then by author.

Dieter

stay sexy and don’t get murdered - @chronically-ghosted- oneshot > Against the backdrop of a murder mystery, the reader and Dieter resolve some relational conflict and lean into their mutual feelings.

vamp!dieter drabble - chronically-ghosted - oneshot > Vampire!Dieter permits journalist!reader an interview. There’s a “Say it. Out loud.” moment.

the howler monkey - @covetyou - oneshot in series > Dieter struggles with some strong feelings and is comforted by his PA.

Laminated - @katareyoudrilling - oneshot > Dieter’s asking around the hotel for sex and his vasectomy seals the deal for the reader.

Go Play Your Video Games - @kedsandtubesocks - oneshot > Reader is a cozy video game streamer and Dieter, still a famous actor, is a fan.

One Day at a Time - @rebel-held - chaptered (ongoing) > Reader is a tutor for a young actor on the set of Dieter’s current flick.

The Kit Kat Trilogy - @schnarfer - series (complete) > Reader and Dieter hooked up 10 years ago and meet again at Christmastime.

Purple Haze - schnarfer - oneshot > 60s fashion photographer Dieter does a shoot with model!reader.

lost, found - @sp00kymulderr - oneshot > Reader comforts Dieter when he is (re)confronted with his family's homophobia.

dieter x poppy oneshot - @wildemaven - oneshot related to chaptered fic > Smutty lil’ footjob after a long day. Part of the Sweet Creature universe.

Ezra

A Girl Walks Into A Bookshop - @oonajaeadira - chaptered (complete) with an open followup series > Post Prospect. Ezra owns a bookshop and he and the reader fall in looooooooooove.

Frankie

frost on the windows, flowers in the bed - @5oh5- chaptered (ongoing) > Both reader and Frankie have travelled to Paris for a reset. They hook up at a bar on NYE.

in another life - chronically-ghosted - oneshot > Smutty, domestic slice of life oneshot.

All For You - @goodwithcheese - chaptered (complete) > Childhood friends reconnect at their 25 year high school reunion.

Hold Fast - @jeewrites - chaptered (ongoing) > Reader is a physician by day, powerlifter by night and meets Frankie through Pope’s gym.

Tommy’s Party - @luxurychristmaspudding - chaptered (complete) > Angsty (ANGSTY) roommates to lovers.

Lions Ain't the Kind - @qveerthe0ry - chaptered (ongoing) > Developing early relationship ft. subby!Frankie.

Dial Drunk - schnarfer - oneshot > Childhood friends who shared one intimate night reconnect and begin to dream of a better life together.

Jack

Cognitive Dissonance & Decoherence - @prolix-yuy - chaptered (complete) > WestWorld injected with a sentient host Jack.

losin' you - wildemaven - oneshot > The beginnings of reconciliation between exes at a rodeo.

Javi P.

Paranoid Heart - goodwithcheese - chaptered (complete) > Two souls who are a bit too worldly wise for Laredo meet through their parents and fall for one another. [Still working my way through this one!]

Seen - katareyoudrilling - oneshot > Older reader refuses to take Javi’s flirty attitude at face value, but finds the man behind the bravado appealing.

Go Your Own Way - schnarfer - oneshot > The development and decline of a complicated romance with young fuckboy Javi.

Joel

No outbreak/fully alternate universe AUs

Maintenance Request - @burntheedges - chaptered (ongoing) > Lit prof reader and [official title redacted] Joel meet as he works on facilities maintenance and landscaping around campus Helen - @kiwisbell - chaptered (ongoing) > John Wick AU but where the wife character lives and angst about revelations of the past ensues. nervous joel oneshot - wildemaven - oneshot > Joel is feeling anxious about satisfying the reader during their first time together.

Jackson AUs

Seams - @fuckyeahdindjarin - chaptered with additional series oneshots (ongoing) > Seamstress reader meets Joel when he needs help with his pants and the flirty beginnings of a relationship bloom. baby, i'm yours - @joelsgreys - oneshot > Joel has insecurities about being good enough for the reader. You Brought Me Poison Flowers - @ohforficsake - chaptered (ongoing) > OC Lennie runs the Jackson apothecary. we've got one thing in common, it's this tongue of mine - @youcancallmeelle - series (two parts, of which this is one) > A fun clandestine relationship.

Post-Outbreak AU

safe and sound - @janaispunk - chaptered (ongoing) > Joel & Ellie crash land at the reader’s home post Joel getting stabbed.

Lucien

this high of you & me - kedsandtubesocks - oneshot > Dealer!Lucien shotgunning with reader.

Hungry Eyes - @missredherring - oneshot > Ex!Lucien observes the changes in reader's confidence at a party where she’s with her new beau.

Marcus P.

Only for you - burntheedges - oneshot > Established early relationship. Reader has a variety of piercings that Marcus finds exciting.

All About the Bass - katareyoudrilling - oneshot > Musicians!reader and Marcus meet at community orchestra rehearsals.

Headshots - @secretelephanttattoo - series (complete) > Photographer!reader is hired to take headshots for the FBI and meets Marcus. Series covers their relationship over several years.

Wash Day - secretelephanttattoo - oneshot > Established early relationship. Marcus washes the reader's hair.

Third Time’s the Charm - the-blind-assassin-12 - series (complete) > Marcus and reader navigating their early relationship while he travels for work and settles into life in DC.

Shane & Tim

bloody kisses by @perotovar - chaptered (ongoing) > Shane’s gay awakening is full of angst and a bit of getting into trouble. He gets help (and eventually help? 👀) from one Det. Tim Rockford.

[dsudis]

May reading roundup

Books:

Derring-Do for Beginners - Victoria Goddard (reread)

The Nine Tailors - Dorothy L. Sayers (reread)

Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers (reread)

Busman's Honeymoon - Dorothy L. Sayers (reread)

Clouds of Witness - Dorothy L. Sayers (reread)

Over My Dead Body - Rex Stout

Wilding - Isabella Tree

The Book of Wilding - Isabella Tree & Charlie Burrell

Fic (a sampling):

The Accidental Warlord and His Pack by @inexplicifics (yes all of it) (yes in under a week) (look it was that kind of week) (reread) (mostly)

Fingers Crossed That I'm Something You'll Keep by @thefourthvine (IT Movies, Eddie/Richie)

the fourth dimension by @the-apocrypha (Dreamling) (for meeee!!!)

[bermudianabroad]

Everything I Read in 2024

*reread* didn't enjoy would recommend short stories, novella or multi-author anthology (with editor credited) listened to audiobook version

Favourites of the Year: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff; James by Percival Everett; Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh (Fiction) / Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham (Non-Fiction)

And, without further ado and in no particular order, the rest under the cut. Links to goodreads pages.

Thoughtful thoughts to follow.

Graphic Novels/Non-Fiction

1. Heimat: A German Family Album by Nora Krug (trans. from German) 2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, artist Renee Nault 3. Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh 4. Fatherland by Nina Bunjevac 5. Palestine by Joe Sacco

Fiction

1. West by Carys Davies 2. *The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy* 3. *The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster* 4. Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq 5. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart 6. All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby 7. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff 8. Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au 9. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan 10. The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee 11. Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford 12. Glitterland by Alexis Hall 13. These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever 14. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 15. Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang 16. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Mosfegh 17. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh 18. Greek Lessons by Han Kang (trans. from Korean) 19. *The Complete Short Stories by Muriel Spark* 20. Idol, Burning by Rin Usami (trans. from Japanese) 21. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh 22. The Mercies by Kiran Milwood Hargrave 23. The Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (trans. from Japanese) 24. James by Percival Everett 25. American Dirt by Jeanie Cummins 26. Open Secrets by Alice Munro 27. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell 28. The Question Mark by Muriel Jaeger 29. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 30. Olive Ketteridge by Elizabeth Strout 31. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (trans. from Palestinian Arabic) 32. There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak 33. Dark Constellations by Pola Oloixarac (trans. from Spanish) 34. Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Anthology of Dark Fiction ed. Shane Hawk 35. Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid 36. On Java Road by Lawrence Osborne 37. Recitatif by Toni Morrison 38. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 39. How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang 40. The Darkest of Nights by Charles Eric Maine 41. History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

Non-Fiction

1. Midnight in Chernobyl: The True Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham 2. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation For Failure (!!!!) by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff [emphatic exclamation points blogger's own] 3. Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London by Lauren Elkin 4. The Fall of Yugoslavia by Misha Glenny 5. Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster at the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham 6. The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, TREACHERY, and the HUNT for the PERFECT BIRD by Joshua Hammer [emphatic CAPITALISATION blogger's own] 7. What Does Israel Fear From Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh 8. The Anxious Generation: How the Great 'Rewiring' of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt 9. The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer 10. Don't Let's Go to the Dog's Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

[xiaq]

Reading Roundup: I started the month strong with Lights Out which has the (dubious?) honor of being my first “dark/stalker” romance. Considering the premise, I didn’t expect to spend much time laughing, but I legitimately lol’ed multiple times.

Next up was Don’t Let the Forest In, which is a YA story that’s dark and twisty in all the ways my teenage self would have positively salivated over.

I did a comfort re-read of One Last Stop (time travel! pining! found family!), and followed it up with Ninth House (mystery! intrigue! dark academia! And some of the most lyrical writing).

Hazelwood’s newest, Deep End, did not disappoint, featuring a delightfully complex female protagonist and a tall man who falls first and falls hard, as usual.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance has a really interesting take on the arranged marriage trope, some A+ world-building, and the sweetest slow-burn (mind the warnings on this one, as a significant component of one MC’s character development is dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault).

Finally, my favorite read this month was Yield Under Great Persuasion. If you’re looking for a book that’s enemies-to-lovers except they’ve been sleeping together for years and also only one of them thinks they’re enemies and the other has been quietly waiting for the former to get his head out of his ass (while engaging in some of the snarkiest yet simultaneously wholesome banter imaginable), this is the book for you.

Also if you’re looking for a book where the primary conflict is internal (personal growth! Self-care! Healthy mechanisms for dealing with loss!) rather than external, this is the book for you. Bonus points for a very neat and subtle take on small country gods/folklore. And for being explicit about the sex in a way that felt not at all contrived and very relatable in that “ah, damn, your body is magnificent but it seems I’ve developed feelings as well” sort of way. Rowland simply doesn’t miss.

And this concludes my March reading adventure. Please give me recs for my never-ending TBR!

[eastwindmlk]

February I made a real attempt at keeping up the reading momentum of the month previous, but we will see!

New

What the hell kind of answer is, 'Nah, She didn't,' Padfoot?  by @livelaughlovetoread || Jily, canon compliant

Strawberry Mentos & Black Liquorice by livelaughlovetoread || Jily, WIP, canon compliant

Strawberry Mentos & Black Liquorice by livelaughlovetoread || Jily, WIP, canon compliant

Chemical Fingerprint by livelaughlovetoread || Jily, canon compliant

I love, with extra credit by livelaughlovetoread || Jily, canon compliant

Dinner can wait by livelaughlovetoread || Jily, canon compliant

How to make your romantic intentions known by @goldenlionprince || Prongsfoot, Ravenclaw!Sirius

Castles made of Sand by @practicecourts || Jily, canon divergent, fake dating

Cool about it by @yallthemwitches || Jily WIP, sequel to method acting

Continued

These fics made a reappearance/an update in the past month but were also featured on the previous list.

December Valentine’s by @stonecoldhedwig || Jily WIPModern Muggle AU

Rage Against the Dying Light by @tedwardremus || Jily 100k words Jily lives || Still reading

Method Acting by yallthemwitches || Jily, mutual pining

Total words read: 88.842

[harriertail]

end of year reading roundup

Notes on a Scandal - i finished this in a night. fucking gripping but did i enjoy it? not sure. WEIRD... dickensian characters.... a somewhat rushed final section but an absolutely brutal look on class in the UK and the way we treat female criminals. full of awful, awful, people, and the system that failed a young boy. the film takes a different look at Barb but what a witch she is here, what an awful lonely bitter woman, love her character. i will definitely be checking out ms heller's other works.

Patrol - ugh SO good. incredible prose, incredible story and set up, the futility of war and the seemingly insignificant decisions made. While obviously a near play by play of mr majdalhany's experiences at war, some of the sections of the book describing his fear under attack and the expectations of his men, his encounter with an injured German, and the intense stress of the north african front, were so direct they added a vulnerability and a directness that could not have been written by anyone else. They say the war killed mr majdal in '51 and after reading what happened i can understand why.

Trial by Battle - AHHHHHH this was incredible. again a fantastic novel- I can't recommend the IWM's war classics collection enough!!! truly some gems in there showing the lesser known frontiers of the war. the setting was vivid and richly described, our narrator a man going insane over his beloved lettuce and where his class places him in the army. and Holl! What a fucking guy!!!!!! Nutcase!!!!! 10/10

The Power and the Glory - set after the first world war in socialist mexico as some crazed liuetenant chases after the whisky priest... beautifully written. i admit i maybe didnt get the full depth of it's morals and questions but definitely a good introduction to Mr Greene's writing and a somewhat overlooked time period.

Kibogo - set during the Ruzagayura in Rwanda during ww2, interesting. trippy POVs and myths throughout. deserves another read I feel.

The Terror - this just let me down. DNF and ended up skip-reading the last 50% lmfao. the racism + sexism felt less like the *characters* were racist/sexist and more like the author just wanted to repeatedly write those horrible things about 15 year old girls (ala Stephen King or Tarantino). plot was not actually that good because I couldn't get over the narrative repeating the same thing ad nauseum and the absolutely baffling pacing including the final August to October time skip ??? the choice to have multiple POVs and then have events crucial to one POV character's arc appear in a footnote in a different POV (ie Fitzjames' death being a fucking diary entry in Goodsir's POV and not Croziers?? the amputation that led to Mr Diggle's death being Crozier POV and not Goodsir??) poorly written imho. congrats to the show runners for adapting it i guess

2025 goal is definitely more female authors, no yanks, and to get through my stack of books + finish AVOS reread + more historical nonfic to read; When We Were Twins, Piranesi, Liquidation, The Geneva Party.

[myclutteredbookshelf]

All right, folks! Here are all the books I read to completion last year. How many have you read? (And are there any on your TBR lists?)

[toomanytookas]

Pedro Pascal Fandom Bingo (+ April Reading Roundup)

@burntheedges is a genius and the creation of this bingo game is proof! I love how this has been encouraging me to reach out to people and broaden my reading, Kate. I'm posting this even though I'm late to the party because it's also helping me realise that I was actually quite active this past month even though I've been feeling down about not being as engaged! Here’s to an eventual board blackout. 🥂✨

I definitely did not plan to somehow fill so many squares without getting a bingo, it’s kinda wild. 🤷‍♀️

Spaces I’ve Marked So Far (as of 30 April)

This is just turning into my roundup of April reading because I couldn't handle leaving out any of the wonderful things I read this month!

I’ve tried to provide a super brief summary of each fic as a taster (obvs more info is provided by the author on each fic’s actual page). If you’re an author whose work is listed here and feel I’ve misrepresented your fic, let me know and I can change the little blurb/status! <3

List is alpha sorted by character then by author.

✅ Read and reblog a character that needs more love - Ben (my first!) visiting - @ladamedusoif - chaptered (ongoing) > Art history professor Lydia takes a visiting post that leads her to meet a certain lit professor, Ben Morales.

✅ Read and reblog a Dieter fic: park - burntheedges - oneshot > Reader encounters a snoozing Dieter in the park Recovery Road - @chronically-ghosted - chaptered (complete) > An epic-length tale of an ill-fated affair between actors (and their better-timed second chance at love). I'm Not in Love (If Wishes Came True) - @schnarfer - series (complete) > Dieter can’t help but sabotage his relationship with MUA reader (but first we get to enjoy the delightful, enchanting beginnings)

✅ Read and reblog an Ezra fic: be your hallowed ground - @kedsandtubesocks - oneshot (complete) > demon!Ezra lures reader off the beaten path and into a bit of delicious sin.

✅ Read and reblog a Frankie M fic: watch - @luxurychristmaspudding - series (ongoing) > Frankie and reader’s instant chemistry is brought back into play in their dynamic with Joel and Santi Be Good for Me - @pascalssbabyy - oneshot > Subby Frankie gets treated to some tasty pre-bedtime activities with reader. Up Sky, Low High - @undercoverpena - oneshot > Frankie and reader have a bit (a lot) of fun while on a helicopter ride. (Also a major shout out to Jo's Do Me Yourself. I'm an ao3 reader of Frankie & Rainy because of a weird mental hangup, so it doesn't count for bingo, but it's a story that means a lot to me!)

✅ Read & reblog a Javi P fic: Paranoid Heart - @goodwithcheese - chaptered (complete) > Two souls who are a bit too worldly wise for Laredo meet through their parents and fall for one another. 

✅ Read and reblog a Joel M fic: Maintenance Request - burntheedges - chaptered (ongoing) > Lit prof reader and [hey we know his job title now!] Joel meet as he works on facilities maintenance and landscaping around campus come morning light (safe and sound) - @janaispunk - chaptered (ongoing) > Joel & Ellie crash land at the reader’s home post Joel getting stabbed. Most Ardently (Nicest Things) - schnarfer - chaptered (ongoing) > Reader’s uncle’s neighbor, Joel, is everything her boyfriend isn’t—caring, attentive, and happy to help her read Austen while her hands are busy

✅ Read and reblog a Marcus M fic (my first!): Afterword - @secretelephanttattoo - chaptered (ongoing) > New-in-town reader makes an instant connection with local stationery shop owner Marcus

✅ Read and reblog a Marcus P fic: I'm Here - @davnittbraes - (open?) series > Reader discovers Marcus is the softdom she didn’t know she could ask for. in shades of gray and candlelight - @freelancearsonist - oneshot > Marcus meets reader at a gallery opening for a case. Raining in Baltimore - schnarfer - oneshot > Soggy Marcus angsts after a fight with reader.

✅ Read & reblog a Tim R fic: i don't wanna be me (bloody kisses) - @perotovar - series (ongoing) > Shane’s gay awakening is full of angst and a bit of getting into trouble. Good thing he has Tim Rockford to turn to as his gentle guide.

✅ Create & share a rec list: discovering lit through fic ✅ Send 3 people a fun ask: I passed this ask meme along! ✅ Send an ask to 3 people you never have before

The pie and bar charts are stowed away this month since I've got this bingo graphic instead, but for my own number-loving brain: In April, I read 320k words from 19 distinct works written by 14 authors. I made 47 comments across tumblr and ao3 (~13k words).

[thereadingmoon]

inspired by @wearethekat's listchallenge, i've created my own checklist of books i've looked at in 2023, rounding it up to a good 70. can't wait to check on this list in a year's time <3

i've also done a couple of others around tumblr and i'll link them under the cut. each list seems to say a lot about their respective readers and i've filled my TBR with books they recommended.

MAIN GENRES OF 2023: queer, science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, BIPOC, neurodivergence

READING GOALS FOR 2024: read more for, from, and about BIPOC. i need to diversify my reading list more.

@wearethekat's How Many of Kat's 2023 Books Have You Also Read? - 4/242 books

@bookcub's Goose Girl Era - 1/24 books

@bookcub's All the Bi/Pan Books I've Read or Want to Read - 4/68 books

@ninja-muse's Scattered 2022 Reading List - 4/138 books

@linus-wickworth's Ben's 2022 Reading Wrap-Up - 11/123 books

@readsofawe's Recommendations - 3/181 books

@ofliterarynature's Books of 2023 - 10/174 books

[bermudianabroad]

2024 Reading Roundup

Finally getting around to (semi)thoughtful thoughts about the books what I read last year.

But first I'm going to indulge in some stats chat: one thing I'm interested in is how often I pick up works in translation and this year, only 8% were originally published in a language other than English (Japanese x2, Korean, Arabic and Spanish). Looking back at previous years, I've been hovering around 14% so this sort of surprised me. Have a loose goal of aiming for around a quarter of the books I read to be translated (for no particular reason, just keeps things varied and interesting).

And zero poetry this year. Usually I revisit old favourites, but nope. No change with number of non fiction books: just under 20%.

Still using the library more than any other means, but as usual, of the 18 books I purchased, I read... 7 lol. I'll get around to them eventually, I swear.

Started using audiobooks more often this year, but found I'd get partway through before swapping to print. Particularly for fiction. Spoken fiction just doesn't stick in my head. Non fiction does though. For whatever reason I find it easier to listen to and digest.

Now for opinions. Narrowed down my favourites to these:

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff: This was hypnotic. Read it in a day pretty much, just got sucked in and stayed there. Transcendental fever dream. And my view of it was probably shaped by going to see the author just after and hearing her thoughts about it. A little peak behind the curtain that inhanced the experience. I enjoyed how it subverted elements of the survival narrative (nature as something to be overcome; nature's 'cruel indifference' as it's own kind of freedom.) I'll be banging the Vaster Wilds drum for a while yet.

James by Percival Everett: I listened to the audiobook and the voice actor... (need to look him up) was fantastic. Really expressive in a way that wasn't.... encumbered by the weight of the subject matter. Still, it's one I would like to revisit in print as I found myself having to rewind and relisten often. Haven't read Huck Finn, but I don't think that was to my disadvantage. It stood on it's own. Strikes a fine balance with the humour in moments of profound darkness.

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh: delightfully weird gothic horror. Ergot poisoning wrecks havoc in a small French town in the 1950s. Told from the POV of the baker's wife, who becomes obsessed with the new ambassador's wife. Sensual shenanigans ensue amid uneasy visions. Non linear, and a touch confusing at times, but certainly worth the effort. Very memorable.

Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham: Non fiction. I came away from this feeling as though a) I truly understood how a nuclear power plant works, and b) I could talk intelligently about how a nuclear power plant works. That's a feat pulled off with no little skill, so kudos to Higginbotham's writing talent. He manages to make dry blueprint facts thrilling, while never sensationalising the very real human cost and impact of the disaster. Certified Higginbotham fangirl now, especially after reading Challenger as well.

And as an aside, I appreciate this very specific niche he's filling, writing about Major Events of 1986 That Happened Only Weeks Apart. Curious to know if he keeps it up with his next book.

Special Mentions to:

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli: Not an easy read, technically and in terms of subject, but it stuck with me long after I read it. At first the writing style comes across as very dry and... monotone, but even saying that seems deceptively simple. On a sentence level, there was something really interesting about how Shilbli maintains dread and tension. Maybe a difficult to recommend outright, but worth exploring all the same.

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford: more intrigued by the premise than the execution with this one. Homage to classic noir, and very well done in that respect, with some alternative timeline, branching history thrown in. Cahokia is a city state within the US, under indigenous government/monarchy, and our hard boiled detective becomes embroiled in grim and shady politics. Some plot points seemed lifted straight out of Chinatown (not a dig) and a great deal of it was compelling, but it sagged between striking visuals. Much focus ended up being on the movement of characters between scenes.

West by Carys Davies and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan were both polished little gems. West was charming, if ultimately tragic, and Small Things tragic, with an air of hope.

Glitterland by Alexis Hall was another audiobook and one that surprised me utterly. Chalk and cheese romance between a fluff headed model and a struggling in every sense of the word novelist. It goes BIG on the emotions but still managed to be sweet, not cloying.

And finally Special Mention, But Only Because I Hate Read Them: The Coddling of the Anxious Folk etc etc. by Haidt et al. Cherry picked anecdata galore! Basically sensible 'All Things in Moderation' advice dressed up as sneering moral panic. If Books Could Kill did focus episodes on each of these, so recommend listening to them instead.