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willaful

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Romancelandia mod. Contact @mom with technical issues.
#AutisticParent and mom of a #transgender and #ActuallyAutistic adult I adore. She/Her

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willaful , to bookstodon group
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Book Challenge: 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers (don't forget the alt text). Day 2.

@bookstodon

The original paperback cover for the Witch Family by Eleanor Estes, Illustrated with line drawings by Edward Ardizzone. A gnarled witch sits in a rocking chair on the porch a house on top of a glass hill. A black cat perches on a railing. A young witch girl flies by, with a kitten on the back of her brown, while a bird with a letter in its beak flies down the hill. The cover is largely green with black & orange colored letters
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    • willaful , to bookstodon group
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    Book Challenge: 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers (don't forget the alt text). Day 1.

    @bookstodon

    I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. I'm cheating, I guess, because this is not an actual book cover but an art print by Simini Blocker, but it's certainly my favorite interpretation of the cover and I own a copy. The cover depicts a girl writing in a large book by the light of a candle. She looks away thoughtfully through a large arched, barred window towards a full moon above a tower in the mist.
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    • willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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.

    @romancebooks

    JBrianCoyle , to bookstodon group
    @JBrianCoyle@mas.to avatar

    I didn't use the app on my Kindle tablet much, but I recently noticed the icon disappeared from my 'Books' folder.

    I managed to track down this bit of
    https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/Changes-to-Goodreads-on-Fire-tablet

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @deirdrebeth It's an absolute mess, I see issues every time I look something up. @JBrianCoyle @bookstodon

    dickrubin716 , to bookstodon group
    @dickrubin716@bookstodon.com avatar

    Is it too soon to Covid times from 2020 in a fictional story? I’m thinking about including that as one of the plots in an upcoming book. @bookstodon @mastodonbooks

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @dickrubin716 I kind of like reminders of our shared experience in fiction these day (depending on how it's done.)

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @leapingwoman Could it have been Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld?

    @dickrubin716 @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @dickrubin716 I would have no trouble reading that.

    @mvilain @leapingwoman @bookstodon

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

    It's Friday and I'm celebrating with my pick!

    High Energy by Dara Joy better be bananaing!
    https://whiskeyinthejarromance.blogspot.com/2024/06/reading-update-tbrchallenge.html

    I'm a little excited, if you couldn't tell :)

    @romancelandia

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @WhiskeyintheJar I think that's a safe bet! @romancelandia

    wendypalmer , to bookstodon group
    @wendypalmer@mastodon.au avatar

    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.

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @wendypalmer How annoying for the author. @bookstodon

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? I finished Bass-Ackwards by Eris Adderly, which would be an excellent choice for this month's "Bananapants" . (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.

    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    Came across an odd sentence in the Harlequin Presents I'm reading for the . 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.

    Weird.

    @romancebooks

    willaful OP ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @Dagwood222 published in 1979. English writer, I think.

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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

    willaful OP ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @wendypalmer Ah, the good book hangover! A Marvellous Light is so satisfying! I don't know The Mars House, will have to put it on the TBR.

    @romancelandia @romancebooks

    willaful OP ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @wendypalmer Good to know, thanks!

    @romancelandia @romancebooks

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

    ? I'm buddy-reading A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo, which isn't really grabbing me the way Last Night at the Telegraph Club did. I'm probably not the audience for it.

    Read oldie Reluctant Relation by Mary Burchell (on KU) which is not one of her more interesting books, but a pleasant time passer. I like it when she writes an Other Woman and you can actually see what the appeal is instead of wondering WTH is wrong with the dude.

    @romancelandia

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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.

    @romancebooks

    StonerMetal , to bookstodon group
    @StonerMetal@mastodon.social avatar

    Choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just covers
    @bookstodon
    Day 2

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @StonerMetal Awwww!

    @bookstodon

    filmfreak75 , to ActuallyAutistic group
    @filmfreak75@mastodon.social avatar

    @actuallyautistic has anyone tried this and if so, how did it work for you…

    Autism & Emails Does A Disclaimer Help Misunderstanding

    https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/autism-email-problems

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @filmfreak75 Interesting piece. I'm not surprised she decided not to continue with it.

    @actuallyautistic

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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.

    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    kimlockhartga , to bookstodon group
    @kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

    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

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @kimlockhartga @bookstodon

    Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

    Terry Pratchett, a Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins

    The Shape of My Name by Nino Cipri

    Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

    Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor

    The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborne

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    I once again had mixed feelings about one of the "Amazing Alpha Tau" fraternity romances.

    https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/the-amazing-alpha-tau-pledge-project-by-lisa-henry-and-sarah-honey/

    @romancebooks
    @romancelandia

    willaful OP ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @NathanBurgoine Yeah, and it's creeping way too close to Copaganda for me here.

    @romancebooks @romancelandia

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? I liked Funny Story by Emily Henry enough to write a review, damn! 😂

    https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/funny-story-by-emily-henry/

    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    willaful , to bookstodon group
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    Wonderful news! Press will be publishing again!

    https://furrowedmiddlebrow.blogspot.com/2024/05/breaking-news.html

    @bookstodon

    willaful , to bookstodon group
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh which is very intriguing so far. Lots and lots of undercurrents, clueless main character.

    @bookstodon

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

    Hey @romancelandia and @bookstodon - I've got a cover reveal for you! :blobcatpeek: My historical romance Springtime Pleasures has got a brandnew cover! I hope you like it!

    In celebration of the new cover, the novel is currently on sale for just 99 cents! Grab your copy here:
    https://buy.bookfunnel.com/avwi2wh6th

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @ScribblingSandy Very nice!

    @romancelandia @bookstodon

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? I very much enjoyed The Wonder Engine, the sequel to Clockwork Boys. Suspense, romance, humor, redemption!

    I actually followed Ursula Vernon on the bird site because of her gardening posts long before I thought to read any of her books. Might be a lesson there... 😇

    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    @bookstodon

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    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.


    @romancebooks

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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. 😂

    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    Homebrewandhacking , to bookstodon group
    @Homebrewandhacking@mastodon.ie avatar

    Dear @bookstodon

    I would like recommendations for books where the main character is a mild villain dealing with much worse villains and is telling the story as they go. Fantasy and Scifi are always comforting genres but I venture out for the right books.

    I would also like books where men and women are doing things and are friends without a romance being shoe-horned in. But I concede I might as well be asking for a pony at this point.

    Thanks for any help and or boosts!

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @Homebrewandhacking If you're okay with YA, I Am Princess X is a fascinating book in which a boy and girl work together and there is no romance whatsoever.

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @ancah Seconding rec for Fingersmith, it's gothic writing at its very best.

    @Homebrewandhacking @bookstodon

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? I enjoyed Lunar New Year Love Story, an intriguing, slightly mystical 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.

    @romancebooks
    @bookstodon


    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    3 free months of ! Seems to be international. Works for returning subscribers but not current. Link in the link.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1cnzoii/free_3_months_kindle_unlimited/

    @bookstodon
    @romancelandia
    @romancebooks

    dickrubin716 , to bookstodon group
    @dickrubin716@bookstodon.com avatar

    I would love to get your thoughts and feedback on my from my latest book, The Challenges of Being Me. Do you like it? Does it capture your attention? Without knowing anything about the book, what genre would you say this cover best fits? @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @dickrubin716 It says "memoir" to me too. I think the font is too plain for fiction; it needs a little style.

    @benetnasch @bookstodon

    willaful , to Romance Books
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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 representation, is very , and very geeky about high school theater. And a sweet romance.

    @bookstodon @romancebooks

    willaful , to bookstodon group
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? I The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram (YA, theater kid, narrator is deaf) and have reached the part where I know exactly what is going to happen to screw up the romance and the anticipation is so painful I can barely read on.


    @romancebooks
    @bookstodon

    CultureDesk , to bookstodon group
    @CultureDesk@flipboard.social avatar

    "The pile beside my bed never shrinks; at the bottom of the stack are books I've been planning to crack open for months. My shelves remain full of lingering aspirations," writes the Walrus's Michelle Cyca. She looks at the problem of unread books, and the difficulty in offloading our libraries. What do you do with your unwanted books?

    https://flip.it/aLVxC5

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @Bodling That's what I mostly do these days. We have a lot of them in the neighborhood and it's a nice incentive to take a walk.

    @CultureDesk @bookstodon

    willaful , to bookstodon group
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    ? 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

    willaful OP ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @wendypalmer I have trouble getting started on those chunksters too, but they can be very rewarding. I'll put that one on my list.

    @bookstodon

    infinitesoleil , to bookstodon group
    @infinitesoleil@federatedfandom.net avatar

    Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.

    I’ve heard good things about this book. With AANHPI heritage month starting tomorrow, I felt this was a good time to start.

    @bookstodon

    willaful ,
    @willaful@romancelandia.club avatar

    @infinitesoleil It's a real page-turner.

    @bookstodon

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