wendypalmer

kimlockhartga , 6 days ago to bookstodon group

@bookstodon on this #WorldRefugeeDay I'd like to both list and solicit recommendations for books about refugees. With the deepening Climate Crisis, each of us could find ourselves in such a position at any time.

My rec's:

The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Christy Lefteri

Illegal, Eoin Colfer

Welcome To The New World, Jake Halpern, Michael Sloan

What Strange Paradise, Omar El Akkad

The Best We Could Do, Thi Bui

Almost American Girl, Robin Ha

The Wrong End of The Telescope, Rabih Alameddine

Lark Ascending, Silas House

Feeding Ghosts, Tessa Hulls

wendypalmer , 10 days ago to bookstodon group

It’s a sad affair when the no-doubt-AI-generated summary of a book has a higher rating than the actual book.

The book itself, A Very Agreeable Murder, is a very fluffy mash-up of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, pure escapist fun…I can’t see what the point of reading a summary of it would be. You either want the experience of fluffy escapist fun, or you just don’t read it all, surely 🤷‍♀️

#books @bookstodon

wendypalmer , 13 days ago to bookstodon group

This series keeps catching my eye because they’ve done well with the evocative matching titles…but for the life of me I could not work why they’d messed up one.

A Court This Cruel and Lovely
A Crown This Cold and Heavy
A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

But, what, stuck in the middle there, A Kingdom This Empty and Cursed. Sounds so wrong! All they had to do was A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty and it would have matched!

Then I finally looked at the cover.

#Books @bookstodon

willaful , 16 days ago to Romance Books

#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.

@romancelandia
@romancebooks
#RomanceBooks

Schnuckster , 18 days ago to bookstodon group

I saw this dreadful neologism in Oxfam Islington. #CharityShops #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

wendypalmer , 23 days ago to bookstodon group

Queer Romance Club June pick: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (The Last Binding #1)

(QRC is open to all, read the pick at your own pace over the month and post about it under #QueerRomanceClub and @queerromanceclub — CW for spoilers if you’re going into details)

I particularly enjoyed this book (and the whole trilogy) the first time I read it (it’s another of my favourite queer romance historical/fantasy trilogies, more here: https://wendypalmer.au/2024/02/11/books-favourite-queer-romance-trilogies/), so I’m happy for chance to re-read. And I’m looking forward to a new Marske book coming out later this year.

I like the Edwardian setting: this feels like a relatively under-used era in (queer) fantasy, compared to Regency and Victorian eras. Off the top of my head, only CL Polk’s Witchmark uses the Edwardian (I’m sure there’s plenty more!). Every other early 20th example that occurred to me was actually between the wars (prohibition, bright young things)…This setting gets to maintain the 19th century formality of relations, class disparities and sexism that makes for good plot and character tension, but also use our knowledge of the coming Great War to cast a long shadow.

The opening chapters do a great job laying out the era, magical system, and opening dilemma, and introducing the two MCs and their problems and backgrounds.

Also:
Robin, about Edwin: he has a eminently punchable face
Edwin, about Robin: he’s half-witted and incurious, not enough wit, not enough sense
😊 It’s basically a nerd-jock dynamic, let’s face it.

I’ll post a bit more on the book in coming days (under spoiler warnings from here on in), but I have the audiobook reserved for later in the month, so I’m looking forward to reading it in a different way to see what strikes me differently.

#QueerRomanceClub #BookClub #FantasyRomance #books #bookstodon #TheLastBinding #FreyaMarske

@queerromanceclub @bookstodon @lgbtqbookstodon

wendypalmer , 26 days ago to lgbtqbookstodon group

As usual, my light fantasy romance books (LGBTQ+ characters, positive rep) are on sale for all of June at Smashwords. DRM-free, and I’m happy to virtually assist with sideloading to your ereader if you need it.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/wendylpalmer

And as usual, I will donate ALL my June royalties, not just from Smashwords sales, to an Australian LGBTQ+ charity (at the moment I favour the Equality Project, but am open to suggestions).

The Uses of Illicit Art (m/m romance) is my most popular book but I’d like to put in a good word for Fair Haven (m/nb romance) and Domesticated Magic (transm/m romance).

#pride #books #LGBTQ @lgbtqbookstodon

kimlockhartga , 26 days ago to bookstodon group

Since we are coming up on June, it seems like a good time to check in with everyone here on @bookstodon regarding favorite reads of 2024 so far. Whatcha got?

My top five reads of 2024 so far:

The Criminal series of graphic novels by Ed Brubaker (ten primary works)

James, Percival Everett

The Book of Love, Kelly Link

Poor Deer, Claire Oshetsky

Prequel, Rachel Maddow

wendypalmer , 30 days ago to bookstodon group

My favourite reads for May on the Everand subscription service (plus a few comments on the subscription service itself).

ETA I've updated my May list because I managed to squeeze in the DELIGHTFUL Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis. Thoroughly recommend this comedic fantasy.

#Everand #BookSubscription #Reading #Books #Reviews

@bookstodon
http://wendypalmer.au/2024/05/28/books-may-everand-reads/

wendypalmer , 1 month ago to bookstodon group

For fans of AJ Demas, she has a new book on preorder! It has felt so long since the last one, I was beginning to get worried about her 😊

https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/the-house-of-the-red-balconies

#romance #gayRomance #NewBooks #books @bookstodon

wendypalmer , 1 month ago to lgbtqbookstodon group

May the Fourth is also my latest book's birthday 🎉

Domesticated Magic is a romantic fantasy towards the cosy end of the spectrum, with The Feels, and a grumpy-sunshine-type m/m pairing.

Mateo and his family fled when their people turned to sorcery. Mateo’s own magic is tame but it’s still banned in their new home...yet they use it every day. But the sorcery seems to have followed them. They already lost their world once. Mateo can’t let them lose again.

Read more plus find buy links here (also on #KoboPlus and Everand):
https://wendypalmer.au/books/#domestic

#fantasy #romance #NewRelease #bookstodon #books #SelfPromo #indie @lgbtqbookstodon

Animated version of the cover of Domesticated Magic. The cover, blue border (half Greek-style tiles, half Viking-style runes), title and author name are split in two by a black lightning bolt. On one side is the outline of a bull's face made of curly floral-like lines. It glides in from the left, wearing a rather insouciant expression as it stares at the viewer. A green butterfly perches on one horn, gently pulses. It stands out against the cream background, black lines, and blue border and text. On the other side of the cataclysmic split is the helm of awe, a snake-like dragon biting its own tail to form a circle around magic runes. The dragon rolls in from the right to stare at the bull, and does not look impressed.

willaful , 1 month ago to bookstodon group

#WhatchaReading ? I haven't been posting about books much, been kind of in a meh mood. Still slowly reading Demon Copperhead, which is amazing but a LOT. Listened to Carrie Soto is Back, which was a bit of a hard sell because of the unlikable narrator but very enjoyable in the end. And just finished The Prisoner's Throne which I enjoyed but kind of forgot about as soon as I'd finished it.

@bookstodon
#bookstodon #AmReading