#romance books with baking

[joytri]

In the end, it's the memories you make

[somebooksbelonginthesinbin]

If you haven’t it’s in the realm of the Ella Enchanted style (historical but also modern). It’s very silly and dramatic and you should watch it with some friends.

[dabookgoblin]

I don't say this to start fights or anything, but I've been watching a lot of booktube videos lately by creators I'm new to and I've been hearing a lot of the same complaints-- and MAYBE this is bc I honestly haven't been on top of the latest releases (in my niche or outside) the past two-ish years-- but every time I hear people talking about how samey publishing is, in particular for the romantasy and romance genres... I feel like it's bc none of y'all complaining are actively reading as diversely as you pretend to be.

I read queer fiction/sci-fi/fantasy almost exclusively and there is a lot of diversity in that genre (tho it is a niche not without its own criticisms) I see people who read a lot of these 'book-tok darlings' that are all these cis-het allo-normative books by (predominantly) cis white women and then complain how everybody is "using the same tropes" "every romantasy is just a SJM clone" "romance books are just thinly veiled erotica anymore" and how even the online book community/creators all fall into the same ruts and like, BABES. YOU ARE LITERALLY READING ALL FROM THE SAME POT.

I'm in the community, I read a lot and often, I was even on (queer) booktok and my experience could not be any different. If you just went out of your way to follow people that promoted and read things that are different LO AND BEHOLD they often don't fall into a lot of these issues and complaints???? Like at all?

I'll be listening to these people vent and even tho they talking about books and the community I feel like I'm only allegedly in at this point, it always feels like finding one of those rant/gossip videos from some niche potting hobbyist community you've never even heard of.

IDK, I want to hear what other people think.

[theprayingteacher]

#Prayer Against #Negativity

[trans-cuchulainn]

internet discourse is really good at giving you new guys inside your head to have hypothetical arguments with it but i also don't think my brain needed any help on that front and i wish i didn't feel such a need to defend all of my choices from hypothetical interlocutors who think it's morally bankrupt to enjoy escapist fiction in a stressful world because it means you're a privileged child who can't tolerate reality, or something

[arsene-fixates]

mimimi does the informant perchance like 2 kiss ur knuckles . i feel like mayhaps he's more about practicality and maybe directness but idk knuckle-kisses feel like smth he might do if he is feeling soft....

he is actually!!!! so indirect!!!!!! he is so so so scared of being affectionate or vulnerable (i think it is the most fascinating thing about him ever)

but yes… knuckle kisses, or simply holding my hands close to his lips (or collar, masked up ver) and then i feel his little breaths against my hand AAAHAAHAGGH💥💥💥

[aroaessidhe]

2022 reads // twitter thread    

When The Angels Left The Old Country

historical fantasy

follows an angel and a demon as they search for a young person from their small Jewish village who emigrated to America, helping others along the way, alongside a young adventurous lesbian

queerness & magic & immigration & workers rights

obsessed

[siobhanmuirromance]

Who's hungry and wants gluten-free goodies? Head on over to the #RomancingTheVote auction page and get your chance to win one of my two auctions to defend democracy. #GlutenFree Goodies freshly made plus a #signedbook to read while munching. Good luck! #romance

[writeinspiration]

Hi there!!

I am BACK!!

I have had some very frustrating and odd mental barriers these last several years.

One of those is that my dad died in 2020. My family has always spent a lot of time with each other, so it’s been an incredibly difficult adjustment period.

It also didn’t help that I began grieving years before his passing. I’ve basically been in a tornado of suffering since 2016. There have been easier patches here and there, but the barriers are slow to come down. So, that’s a work in progress.

I’m really trying to start living my life again. Very few people have made the effort to reach out to me after I didn’t respond to them through my grief. I can’t blame them.

But that’s why I’d like to give a MASSIVE shout-out to @jfictitional for regularly tagging me in posts meant to cheer me up and let me know that I was being thought about.

I cannot understate how thoughtful that has been. It really means a lot to me. So, THANK YOU, jfictitional, for believing in me and thinking about me when no one has. I’m literally crying as I write this.

But that’s enough about my feelings for the moment.

Something else that slowed down my ability to post is that I had my fingers in too many pies. (Is that a phrase? I sure hope so.)

One exciting development is that I got a job working with a small publisher. It’s basically contract work, so it allows me time to do my own writing and to spend time with my loved ones. In addition, I’m resuming doing freelance editing because I finally have the willpower to do so.

Regardless of my outside work, I fell into a trap many other bloggers have: the second I decided to try making a book of my best content, I fell off the face of the planet (I’m looking at you, @textfromdog).

Thus, I need to get back to my roots. It needs to be fun again. While I don’t know what exactly this will entail for all of you, I am just looking forward to this being something for fun that doesn’t have any pressure attached to it.

Well, I started this blog roughly a million years ago. If you’re still around, THANK YOU!!!!! You are amazing, and I salute you.

So, welcome back to “Why Aren’t You Writing?” Thanks for reading, and I love you so much. You are so valuable and awesome and loved.

And if you need a sign to stay alive, here it is. Sending all my love to each and every one of you.

[cuntylittlesalmon]

i’m finding it really hard to take more media discourse seriously right now because a lot of it tends to be hinder by emotional fragility. the “if something make me feel this type of way (namely the escapist, or the horny) it is inherently above criticism, and any attempts to critique (even if said critique is coming from a place of endearment) is an attack on my morality” stuff.

[saturdaynightghostclub]

I get your point and I also think tropes have done an outrageous amount of damage and have saturated the market in such a weird way. And I also understand the frustration about there being so many great stories that people aren't reading because it's not what they like. (I personally don't really read romance but this applies to books in general.) I think the way I deal with it is just understanding that people have preferences and that those likes and dislikes are valid. I'm sure there are stories that are great that I'm never going to read because of one thing or another. People are allowed to be picky when it comes to what they read. Additionally, I think working at the library and seeing what circulates at my branch vs what me and the other staff read has also helped further that acceptance. Am I ever gonna be happy that people read James Patterson, Stephen King (I just read The Shining actually), or Colleen Hoover over XYZ author? Who knows? Am I going to be glad that they're reading? 100x yes

Oh totally, agreed on every front! I’m mostly frustrated with the attitude toward books that I’m seeing on social media lately (specifically tiktok) which seems very dismissive of anything that doesn’t fit into a very narrow conception of what you might think you “like”—it’s not so much the concept that people have preferences, but the way those preferences are being used to influence others’ reading and consumption habits if that makes sense.

Basically if you’ve discovered that you’re only into xyz niche genre, good for you, but I’m bummed to see the over-saturation of the lit market with tropes that might discourage people from branching out. Like, I saw a Tweet yesterday where someone was asking if The Poppy War had any romance and it confused me; I guess I’m mostly frustrated by the idea of someone who’s otherwise interested in that book potentially not reading it because it doesn’t contain whatever trope/subplot they’re thinking of.

Edited bc I realized: I’m also reading a book rn featuring a shitty love triangle that undermines the (very important) point of the story so maybe it’s personal for me lmaoooo

[these-detestable-hands]

Had to be around people with no hobbies or passions today. I feel sick

[theprayingteacher]

#Restoration

[noctem-novelle]

Book: A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey Genre: YA Romance Rating: ✩✩✩

Review below the cut!

This book was so sweet (haha) and the perfect antidote to my ~sad vibes~ a few weeks ago. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow follows Lila Reyes, soon-to-be co-owner of her family's Miami-based Cuban bakery, as she is sent overseas to visit family in England after a...less than stellar reaction to a trifecta of personal tragedies: the death of her beloved abuela, a breakup, and being abandoned (in her opinion) by her best friend. When she arrives in Winchester, Lila is determined to have a bad time and to do whatever she can to get herself an earlier flight back to sunny Florida. But she's not counting on a dreamy inn kitchen, new friends, or the sort-of infuriating boy who runs the local teashop. I really loved the characters, the plot, AND the setting. Winchester reminds me of Buxton and I miss it so much! The whole time I was reading, I was having flashbacks to rainy walks through the park or up Green Lane to High Street, probably heading to Scrivener's. I'm telling you, if you ever want the quiet English town experience, skip London and head straight to Derbyshire. I felt so bad for Lila, dealing with the weight of so much loss, and I definitely understand why she reacted the way she did. Sometimes you just need to feel in control of SOMETHING, you know? And Orion??? His endless knowledge about superstitions was v endearing. While I enjoyed the book overall, I'm giving this one three stars (a high three stars!) because the writing itself just wasn't my thing. There were times when the baking references were very overdone (hahahaha) and there were a few instances where it really pulled me out of the story. BUT, if you wouldn't be bothered by baking puns, and you're mostly here for the plot and characters, definitely read this one! I can’t wait to see the film adaptation!

TW: loss & grief

IG: @noctem.novelle

[fairytales-magic]

Watching Labyrinth again for the first time in years, how did I not know George Lucas produced it??

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan A Wedding

Romance about two lesbians on a reality tv show where they have to pretend they’re engaged and plan a wedding in 6 weeks

one is a butch influencer, and one using the show to come out to her family