Oh, I *love* that book!!

What was the book?? *nosey*

For actual genre romance, KJ Charles is great. She writes a lot of historical/fantasy, and there is sex, but the plot never revolves around it. Jordan Hawk and Harper Fox (Tyack and Frayne series) are also great. And Alexis Hall's Prosperity series is lovely and very fantasy-focused.

I really love Daryl Gregory for this, especially Afterparty. Natasha Pulley also--The Mars House is very romantic. Currently reading The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson and loving it. Most of Becky Chambers' books have touches of lovely queer romance. And Karin Lowachee's books are amazing.

Yes, so true! I love a standalone, and she always delivers.

Was going to reply with this sentiment. It's such a good one.

I completely agree! Bookstores are the best.

Yeah, I only ever see glowing reviews for it.

Hi, just a reminder that when you use Libro.fm for your audiobooks, you support independent bookshops vs. large corporations that drive them out of business.

We also pay taxes. And so do indie bookshops.

I get this! I thought the ideas and writing in Vicious were so good, but I just didn't care about any of the characters, so I didn't care about the story. It was my one and only V.E. Schwab and it didn't make me want to pick up another. 🤷‍♀️

This is such an incredible (and weirdly underrated) book!

I will! Thank you for the rec!

I'm always here for a weird story, so I'm definitely going to have to check this out!

I've never heard of this (and I read *a lot* of manga!) The cover is so pretty!

I AM SO BEYOND EXCITED!!

Sounds a little like Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire books, starting with Primary Inversion.

I did! My intro was the Divergent series (which I still love) and then Arch-Conspirator. I have Poster Girl but haven't read it yet--now I'm even more excited to.

I loved the audiobook of this!

Made 6 calls to my senators and representative today. Statistically, conservatives call 4x more than liberals. On big issues, conservatives call about 11x more. Calling works. It sways people on the fence. You have a voice! Calling doesn't seem like much, but it's something actionable.

#political

Those look so cool!

I like Fable--I don't use any reading apps a lot, so I'm not sure how it is for heavy use, but it's a pretty clean interface and I like that you can make your own lists and search within them.

Now is a very, very good time to buy hardcopy books. What are some of your favorite book covers that you're happy to have on your shelf? Two of my favorite covers are Matelots by W.A. Hoffman and the early cover for Into This River I Drown by TJ Klune.

Oooh, I didn't know about the extras!

What did everyone read/play/listen to/watch/enjoy this week?

I'm still going w/ Heated Rivalry and loving it--it's uncomplicated and fun, with juuuuust enough angst. For games, Dark Echo--scary, quick, and excellent. And I'm slowly rewatching Arcane because I may be a tiny bit obsessed.

The Reanimator's Heart is *so good! Looking forward to reading the next books in the series!

Was able to call both my Senators today and thank them for voting against RFK Jr. I also asked that they protect the EPA and the rights of LGBTQ+ people. I asked them and my rep to demand oversight hearings to defend the constitution. You can too, by making some quick calls.

5calls.org

#political

As someone who worked in a US city library, this is not the case in the US. Ireland's library system sounds awesome, though!

Hey everyone, if you buy manga and you're looking for good prices/avoiding Amazon, can I recommend themagesemporium.com? I buy from them every few months and they're always great.

I absolutely love this.

Seriously, creative folks: Don't be afraid to let people know your stuff is out there for them, or worry that "now is not the time for that." People are stressed and freaked out and looking for the things that will give them a moment of rest and joy. It is EXACTLY the time for what we do. Tell them.