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herhandsmyhands

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Reads (mostly genre romance). Crafts. Rabble rouses. Rants. She/her. Doesn't look like Rita Hayworth. Sweary. Blocks with abandon.

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herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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@romancelandia @bookstodon

I positively inhaled David S. Pederson's Puzzles Can Be Deatly, a most excellent fairplay historical quozy mystery. Here's hoping the author writes more books with these protagonists.

https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/puzzles-can-be-deadly-by-david-s-pederson/

herhandsmyhands OP ,
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@romancelandia @bookstodon

ICYMI: I thoroughly enjoyed David S Pederson's Puzzles Can Be Deadly, and I hope hit's the beginning of a series with the two protagonists.

https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/puzzles-can-be-deadly-by-david-s-pederson/

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@romancelandia @bookstodon

Felicia Davin's NOWHERE trilogy is on ! right now. The first book is here: https://books2read.com/edgeofnowhere

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/edge-of-nowhere-by-felicia-davin/)

Second book is 99c here: https://books2read.com/nowhere2

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/out-of-nowhere-by-felicia-davin/)

Third book is $1.99 here: https://books2read.com/nowhere3

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/nowhere-else-by-felicia-davin/)

herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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@romancelandia @bookstodon

Felicia Davin's NOWHERE trilogy is on ! right now. The first book is here: https://books2read.com/edgeofnowhere

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/edge-of-nowhere-by-felicia-davin/)

Second book is 99c here: https://books2read.com/nowhere2

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/out-of-nowhere-by-felicia-davin/)

Third book is $1.99 here: https://books2read.com/nowhere3

(my review: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/nowhere-else-by-felicia-davin/)

herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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Covers have a purpose: they signal the genre within.

A cartoon cover of two people dressed casually for camping does not--and I cannot stress this enough--signal EROTICA to anyone.

Holy jumping WHAT THE HELL, , WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL--you are setting that book (and its author) up to fail.

@romancelandia @bookstodon

screenshot of NetGalley page showing the cover for _Hot Pursuit_ by Cassie Connor; the cover shows a white woman with long light brown-reddish hair up in a high pony tail, weaing boots, yeans, and a long sleeve shirt, and a white man with short dark brown hair, wearing caqui pants and a short sleeved shirt, somewhere outside with mountains in the far background and a body of water near their feet. The NetGalley tags say "erotica, romance, women's fiction" and the publisher is Harper Collins UK, imprint One More Chapter
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    • herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    For this month's , I attempted to read Kelly Oliver's Wolf (first in her Jessica James's series) Spoiler: DNF review.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/wolf-by-kelly-oliver/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    Because I didn't feel right with my DNF review for this months' , I dug up another ancient ARC from the digital shelves: Nalini Singh's Rock Wedding

    Amazingly, it worked quite well!

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/rock-wedding-by-nalini-singh/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    I read Ashley Weaver's Locked In Pursuit, the most recent Electra McDonnell (released today); good but not as good as the rest of the series.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/14/locked-in-pursuit-by-ashley-weaver/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    ICYMI: I reviewed Ashley Weaver's Locked in Pursuit, the fourth novel in the Electra McDonnell series.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/14/locked-in-pursuit-by-ashley-weaver/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    I finally read the third Electra McDonnell's book, Playing It Safe; perhaps not the most interesting mystery-wise, it's nonetheless a fantastic entry in the seires.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/11/playing-it-safe-by-ashley-weaver/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    After seeing multiple books in the Lyon's Den Connected World in NetGalley, I read one; this is also my introduction to the author, Ruth A Casie, and it didn't go well. Here's my review for The Lyon's Gambit

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/09/the-lyons-gambit-by-ruth-a-casie/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    ICYMI: After seeing multiple books in the Lyon's Den Connected World in NetGalley, I read one; this is also my introduction to the author, Ruth A Casie, and it didn't go well. Here's my review for The Lyon's Gambit

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/09/the-lyons-gambit-by-ruth-a-casie/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    If a book is part of Kindle Unlimited, it is NOT free; not any more "free" than something you watch as part your streaming service subscription.

    Marketing a KU title as part of "FREE" promotions is utter bullshit.

    @bookstodon @romancelandia

    KitMuse , to bookstodon group
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    With the most likely imminent loss of my day job, I'm thinking of changing my patreon back to my writing.

    Would it be too confusing if I had people able to subscribe either by my website, Patreon, or Ream? (Either same benefits each place OR same benefits with bonus short stories on my website.)

    I've got a serial idea in the works and I hope to dive into it no later than June.

    @bookstodon

    herhandsmyhands ,
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    @KitMuse

    Reader here; as someone with a very limited budget who needs to pick and choose who and where and how to support creators, the suggestion of "same benefits everywhere (for the same $$), with a bit extra offered at the place YOU get the most back" makes the most sense and feels the most fair..

    It allows people to make the choice to support you either on the platform they already have or where it does you the most good, being assured they aren't missing out elsewhere.

    @bookstodon

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    I finally read my first Kelley Armstrong: A Rip Through Time, the first in the series of the same name. So good!

    mBkBlog

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/06/a-rip-through-time-by-kelley-armstrong/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    ICMI: I read Kelly Armstrong's A Rip Through Time; this is both my introduction to the author and the first in the eponymous series--and it is very, very good.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/06/a-rip-through-time-by-kelley-armstrong/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    You are reading a book by a new-to-you author, narrated from the point of view of a woman on a first date that's been set up through an online dating service. She's shown to be wary, as she's had prior bad experiences even with men she's known for years.

    She's also a cop in her thirties.

    And yet.

    She lets him order her drink at the bar and bring it to her at their table.

    This is how you can be sure the author is a straight cis man.

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    I didn't think it could get worse but here we are: at about 42%, we learn that the protagonist/narrator only because a cop because of what happened to her as a teenager.

    Obvious inference: she was assaulted.

    May be wrong, but if it's correct, the whole "let strange man order her drink and bring it to her, giving him opportunity to tamper with it" is even more egregious than it seemed at first (it was bad enough already)

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    Here's the review, for my sins: The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle, by Nick Louth

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/04/the-two-deaths-of-ruth-lyle-by-nick-louth/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    ICYMI: here's my review of Nick Louth's first in the Detective Jan Talantire series, The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle, in which I call out a number of issues with the writing and editing.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/04/the-two-deaths-of-ruth-lyle-by-nick-louth/

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    I read Nora Roberts' Shelter in Place

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/shelter-in-place-by-nora-roberts/

    herhandsmyhands , to bookstodon group
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    I read Emily Royal's Oddity of the Ton; unfortunately, not for me.

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/oddity-of-the-ton-by-emily-royal/

    Illustrated cover for _Oddity of the Ton_, showing the back view of a white woman with dark hair worn in an updo, dressed in an empire waist Regency gown in like mauve, looking through the gauzy drapes of a window; in a table close behind and to her left there's an artist palette and painter's brushes. The whole is a symphony of mauve and pinks.
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    • herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia

    By Kelly Jensen at Book Riot:

    Common Myths about Book Bans.

    https://bookriot.com/common-myths-about-book-bans

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia

    If you care about books, about libraries, and about your own freedom to read (and write) whatever the hell you want, it behooves you to pay attention. Currently, Kelly Jensen is the only journalist devoted to this beat, 24/7, for several years now.

    Here's her call to action: pay attention and show up locally; don't hope for someone else to stand up for your rights.

    @bookstodon
    https://bookriot.com/how-public-libraries-are-targeted/

    The ways to respond have been outlined in the several years we’ve been covering book banning and censorship here. The long and short: show up and vote — only 18% of my county’s eligible voters even bothered in last week’s election, meaning that fewer than 1 in 5 adults decided the fate of the entire county (I’m in a state where we have some of the easiest access to voting nationwide, so imagine the numbers where barriers purposefully erase voices); show up and use your library; show up by writing everyone who represents you and tell them the value of the library; show up and run for boards; show up and write and speak at board meetings; show up and find as many library supporters as you can to do all of these things and more, regularly. If you work in libraries, you can do all of these things, as well as ensure your collection management policies are airtight; that you are advocating for yourself and not just hoping outside groups do so; use the data to continue emphasizing how trustworthy you are seen in your community — it is leaps and bounds more than the politicians in your community.

    Book bans in public libraries continue to increase. Per numbers released by the American Library Association (ALA) this month, there was a 92% increase in requests to ban books in public libraries over the last year. These numbers are nowhere near accurate in terms of quantity and scope, as they only showcase reports acquired or received by the ALA, but they offer a solid perspective of what we know to be true. Public libraries are not immune to the book banning which has taken hold since 2021. Book banning is not limited to school libraries. But something that needs to be addressed more plainly is that censorship in public libraries does and will continue to look different than in school libraries. Yes, people will and do complain about individual titles or lists of titles. The destruction of public institutions remains at the core of the agenda, but when it comes to public libraries, things look different because they are different institutions than public schools. Here are several ways we’re seeing public libraries being targeted.
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    • herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    April is sexual assault awareness month, and Kelly Jensen, who has worked tirelessly for years to document and fight book banning and the destruction of libraries, has a searing piece on how these two things interest, over at Book Riot (CW for mentions of rape, sexual assault, forced prostitution, etc)

    ries

    https://bookriot.com/sexual-assault-awareness-month-book-banning/

    Text from the linked piece: Banning books not only violates the rights of young people to read. It violates their right to safety, as books that explore tough topics like sexual assault and rape help young people to understand that potential abuse might be happening inside their homes. That the biggest threat to their freedoms of life and liberty are those who are closest to them — people they see every day or every week. Perhaps even the very people eager to get those books out of their hands so they remain in the dark.
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    • herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    Double the in half the time, via BookRiot:
    "PEN’s report confirms that book bans are happening nationwide. The state’s political leanings don’t matter: 42 states, both red and blue, reported book bans in public schools over the three years of PEN’s record keeping."

    https://bookriot.com/pen-americas-latest-book-ban-report/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    Via BookRiot: Google is killing its "news" tab--before the election. And because it's the biggest search engine, a monopoly as it were, we are fucked.

    https://bookriot.com/google-is-destroying-your-access-to-news/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    A few weeks ago, a school board in Millburn school district 24, in Illinois, voted to end their participation in the Rebecca Caudill awards, declaring the award to be "woke" and "have a political agenda". Since the books are selected by middle school readers--students in the district--you can see the right wing bullshit coming.

    Thanks to enthusiastic community involvement, the board reversed course.

    https://bookriot.com/the-rebecca-caudill-awards-unbanned-by-millburn-school-district-in-suburban-chicago/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
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    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    You know shit is real when the topic comes up in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42xZB80sZaI

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    @romancelandia
    Brit friends, help? Would someone from a good family--not aristocracy, but perhaps landed gentry--refer to themselves as "a posh" when talking to someone else? As in, "I may be a posh from (place), but..."

    (please share for reach)

    ETA: question answered; thanks!

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    Help?

    In the book I'm reading, someone "extruded a smile". Is this a British expression? (setting is Devon)

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
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    Hey, @romancelandia, please boost and share!

    , a genre romance authors-led effort that raised over US$750,000 for the 2020 and 2022 elections, mostly through silent auctions and funneling donations to Democratic candidates.

    They're ramping up their efforts again, but since Xitter is, well, shitty, you can sign up for email notices here:
    https://forms.gle/h4yHf8VKQmsGaNQS8

    For more context, here's a write up of the group from 2022:
    https://www.themarysue.com/romancing-the-vote-stacey-abrams-fair-fight-midterms/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    ICYMI, @romancelandia:

    , a genre romance authors-led effort that raised over US$750,000 for the 2020 and 2022 elections, mostly through silent auctions and funneling donations to Democratic candidates and voter registration initiatives, are ramping up their efforts again, and you can sign up for email notifications here:
    https://forms.gle/h4yHf8VKQmsGaNQS8

    Want context? Here it is:
    https://www.themarysue.com/romancing-the-vote-stacey-abrams-fair-fight-midterms/

    Please share and boost!

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia ICYMI:

    are ramping up their efforts again, and you can sign up for email notifications here:

    https://forms.gle/h4yHf8VKQmsGaNQS8

    Context:
    https://www.themarysue.com/romancing-the-vote-stacey-abrams-fair-fight-midterms/

    Please boost and share.

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia

    Romancing The vote, 2024 edition

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/romancing-the-vote-2024-edition/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia

    And they're back!

    , 2024 edition

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/romancing-the-vote-2024-edition/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    ICYMI: is back! Find out the details and sign up for notifications, to donate items or just to bid when they go live again.

    @romancelandia

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/romancing-the-vote-2024-edition/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia

    Reminder: is back! You can register to receive notifications when the auction starts (or to donate items/help) by filling a simple google form.

    Don't know what I'm talking about?

    Find all the context you need here:

    https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/romancing-the-vote-2024-edition/

    herhandsmyhands OP ,
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    Romancelandia, assemble! is back, baby!

    Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's some historical context for the 2020 and 2022 elections: https://herhandsmyhands.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/romancing-the-vote-2024-edition/

    Sign up for updates here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKJol1hZsq-4GfyKHbALii5X4K06byHffIGRFAgmBEmsv5lA/viewform

    Text of the update email I received today: Hello, friends of democracy! We're reaching out today to officially announce the timing of this year's auction, so you can start your planning and crafting now. This year's auction will run from Monday July 1st to Friday July 5th! We will be reaching out in June to start soliciting official donations. We are also nailing down our final list of beneficiaries for this year. As in past years, we will be focusing exclusively on organizations that help fight voter suppression and make it easier to get to the ballot box. Once we have our final list, we'll send an update! Thank you so much for signing up to be a part of this tradition, and we hope that with your help, 2024 is the year we break $1,000,000 raised for voting orgs! And if you have any friends who didn't get this email but who want to get future ones, please let them know about our sign-up form! - The Romancing the Vote Team
    Header from the notifications/updates sign up form: Hello, fans of Democracy! Now that it seems clear that we may keep doing this, we'd like to organize our contact list once and for all. If you'd like to be a part of future auctions (whether as a donor, a bidder, or both!) please fill this out form and let us know when & how to contact you! We will not sell, share, or transfer your information from this list beyond what is necessary to facilitate auction and fundraising activities!

    herhandsmyhands , to Romancelandia group
    @herhandsmyhands@romancelandia.club avatar

    Via @Shelflove: a crossover podcast with WhoaMance on shame: is it productive at all?

    @romancelandia

    https://shelflovepodcast.com/episodes/season-2/episode-151/shame

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