#WhatchaReading ? I enjoyed the dated charm of Across the Counter by Mary Burchell, where the up-and-coming shopgirl gets promoted and gets to eat in the assistant buyers dining room! Which begs the question, how many separate dining rooms did they have?! No huge fireworks, just a nice, slightly angsty fake engagement romance.
#WhatchaReading ? I finished Bass-Ackwards by Eris Adderly, which would be an excellent choice for this month's "Bananapants" #TBRChallenge . (Alas, I already read a truly terrible Harlequin Presents.) This is very fun smut if you can get past the premise (not everyone can.) The strong characters and sharp writing also make it work as romance.
Came across an odd sentence in the Harlequin Presents I'm reading for the #TBRChallenge . It says the heroine's dress makes her look "very feminine, but hid none of her curves."
Might just be a careless way of writing but it implies that the "femininity" of the dress comes from an air of modesty and that demonstrating you have curves is generally considered unfeminine. Unless you do it just right.
#WhatchaReading ? I'm halfway through Behind These Doors, a queer historical (with some polyamory) involving class issues and women's suffrage. One main character is a "nob," the other a reporter who was raised "above his station" and feels like neither fish nor fowl. It was edited by K.J. Charles so you know it's good. :-)
On KU, supposed to be part of a series but I think there's only the one so far.
I adored The Mars House but—assuming you’ve not read Natasha Pulley before—might be better to start with one of her earlier books. She’s previously written literary historicals with a mild fantastic element and understated gay pining, whereas the Mars House is science-fiction, also with the understated gay pining, but also all in on her tendency to zigzag all over moral grey areas. I love her, she’s my favourite author, but she’s not traditional romance genre as such 🤷♀️
If you ever wanted a version of Dionysus in Wisconsin that was short, set in 2010, and replaced most of the magic with discussions of philosophy, I've got a new short story out! It's free and full of whimsy (and existentialism). It's a slow burn, friends-to-lovers, dealing with depression, café AU version of DIW. You can find it on my website in both epub and pdf formats: http://ehlupton.com/extras/
#WhatchaReading ? I found Level Up by Cathy Yardley a bit of a slog. She's reworked some of the same themes (career vs love, introversion vs isolation) in later books more successfully, and the geeky elements feel more authentic in her later books too, IMO. (Though perhaps that's just because game design isn't my thing.) Also needed some editing. Not sure I'll continue this series.
@willaful I am listening to the audiobook of On the Move by Oliver Sacks and reading Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves, so I guess it's a memoir-heavy week for me. @romancebooks
@willaful@romancebooks I just started The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen in audio. I enjoyed the first in the series so I have high hopes for this one. I keep starting and putting down books lately because I just can’t figure out what I’m in the mood for.
#WhatchaReading ? I read The Wedding Dress by Mary Burchell, one of the follow-ups to Under the Stars of Paris and inevitably a bit meh in comparison. The great design house setting is fun but the romantic relationship seems largely based on Daddy Issues.
@willaful I'm listening to Rebecca Yarros's "The Things We Leave Unfinished" which has an interesting dual timeline structure, 1940 and present day, but I'm still not sure I care about the present-day characters very much. Reading Tarah DeWitt's "Savor It" in which not much is happening but I could read the characters (especially the FMC) bantering all day. I like the style. @romancelandia@romancebooks
@willaful@romancebooks@romancelandia I always have similar reactions to sports romances. Like, especially when so many sports have zero out currently playing gay or bi male athletes, I just get annoyed. I can’t suspend my disbelief.
(Of note, all my experiences of Frats in uni were pretty much homophobic awfulness, so…)
Been reading Forever My Girl by Heidi McLauchlin but giving up and deleting it because the MMC can't have a single thought about a woman that isn't misogynistic as hell. They all want him, they're all trying too hard, they all make him sick. He makes me sick.
#WhatchaReading ? I was up all night 🥱 finishing You Should Be So Lucky. Amazingly, it's somehow not a letdown after the gorgeousness of We Could Be So Good.
The themes are around living an authentic life in a highly closeted time, and it's complex and believable. There are tropes too but not obnoxiously or pointlessly. And really well drawn, relatable characters. And pretty swoony romance too. 😂
@willaful@romancelandia@romancebooks sounds cute! I'm listening to Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood and so far it's keeping my attention, which is not easy these days!
#WhatchaReading ? I enjoyed Lunar New Year Love Story, an intriguing, slightly mystical #YoungAult#GraphicNovel romance. I loved how it incorporated elements from different cultures and mythologies into its theme, and that the art is really important to the story, not just illustrating the words. It would make a fantastic animated movie.
#WhatchaReading ? Wow, the bleak moment in The Breakup Lists was even worse than I expected, though actually worked really well with the story arc. I found it overall a good read, though too repetitious and with a bit of a deus ex machina ending; I would've like to see the main character really pursue what he wanted.
Has what seems like very good #deaf representation, is very #queer , and very geeky about high school theater. And a sweet romance.