What Are you Reading? Showing 15,351-15,400 of 16,523

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

I have been reading Heartstopper: Volume One. It is also a lovely free webcomic. https://heartstoppercomic.tumblr.com

[Jordan]

I just finished Unmasked by the Marquess!! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly recommend it!

[Alison]

Jordan wrote: "I just finished Unmasked by the Marquess!! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly recommend it!"

I also highly recommend it. I totally loved it. It's a Bi M/NB historical romance by the very awesome Cat Sebastian.

[Haldis]

Alison wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just finished Unmasked by the Marquess!! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly recommend it!"

I also highly recommend it. I..."

Also highly recommend! Love the NB representation!

[Karen]

The first book in the new Gregory Ashe series (Borealis Investigations), Orientation.

Ashe’s two MCs are partners in a St. Louis detective agency that specializes in cases for the LGBTA community. North is the agency owner, but his license has been suspended for actions taken defending his partner, Shaw, in a physical altercation. Shaw is... complicated. The back-story is slowly revealed, and those familiar with Ashe’s Hazard & Somerset series will notice a number of similar elements. Ashe writes some of the very best, albeit often over the top, dialogue/banter.

[Alison]

Haldis wrote: "Alison wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just finished Unmasked by the Marquess!! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly recommend it!"

Also highly recommend! Love the NB representation!"

Excellent NB rep. Arguably my most favourite NB rep in romance.

[Josh]

Looking for people willing to read and review Footsteps in the Dark. :-)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1be8c...

[Jordan]

I just finished reading Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge, book three in her Seven Of Spades series. I quickly jumped into book four, then realized I need an emotional break! Anyway, here’s my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[KC]

Karen wrote: "The first book in the new Gregory Ashe series (Borealis Investigations), Orientation.

Ashe’s two MCs are partners in a St. Louis detective agency that specializes in cases for the..."

I have this one at the top of the tbr list. I still haven't read the 6th Hazard & Somerset yet, but unlike with quite a lot of books, with this one I remember vividly everything that happened in books 1-5. So I think that can keep for a while, and I will be starting the new series soonish, and looking forward to it. With a bit of trepidation as well...

[KC]

Jordan wrote: "I just finished reading Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge, book three in her Seven Of Spades series. I quickly jumped into book four, then realized I need an emotional break! Anyway, here’s my rev..."

This series was absolute perfection until the last book, which, though still very good, I felt it didn't have the same energy and focus as the previous ones. Book four, however, was most awesome, so enjoy when you pick it up again :-)

[KC]

At the moment reading:
- Thrown to the Wolves (book 3 in the series) and enjoying it lots!
- Blacksad - graphic novel about a feline PI; noir, 1950s. Very good so far.

And in between, rereading Josh's short stories, which is such a delight.

[Jordan]

So far I’ve been reading them one a month, so at the very least, sometime next month I’ll pick it up again. I’m loving these books, but three was too much of an emotional downer for me, since some of Dominic’s self-depreciating thoughts were too familiar.

[Alison]

Recently I read Time Taken, third in CB Lewis' awesome queer time travel series, and I absolutely loved it. It's an intense adventure with a charming romance. First time I've read a queer romance with a practicing Muslim as a main character, which was lovely. I wrote a review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is a cracker of a series which takes place mostly in a near-future London where time travel is possible and used for research purposes. Smart people have adventures and fall in love while saving the world when the time travel goes wrong. I love it!

[Marge]

Jordan wrote: "I just finished reading Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge, book three in her Seven Of Spades series. I quickly jumped into book four, then realized I need an emotional break! Anyway, here’s my rev..."

I took that same emotional break--and it's been a few months now. Much as I liked the first 3 and 1/8th books, I keep moving past them when I'm looking for a new book to read. Not quite ready for the emotional wringer again.

[Josh]

I was--don't judge--sampling some mpreg by Aiden Bates. It was Kindle Unlimited and I have no idea what the titles were but it was super weird. The weirdest part being there was no pregnancy in these books. :-D

What the heck?

The "heartwarming" baby stuff seems to be relegated to a passing paragraph at the end.

So bizarre.

[Jordan]

That’s really bizarre!

[Jordan]

Interesting that you haven’t gone back to it, Marge. I’m chomping at the bit to get back to it, at the same time, I recognize that I’m not in the right place for it yet. Such an odd feeling. But I remember what Glitterland by Alexis Hall did to me during a particularly bad weekend, so I’m trying to find something else, and it’s not easy. Angsty fanfic is probably not the best replacement, but it’s what keeps coming up.

I am also reading Austin Kleon’s Keep Going, about being creative, even when life is tough. I like it. So far his books, Steal Like An Artist, and the one I can’t remember the title of, have been fun, and a little bit inspiring. Even if they’re not exactly new ideas for me.

[KC]

Alison wrote: "Recently I read Time Taken, third in CB Lewis' awesome queer time travel series, and I absolutely loved it. It's an intense adventure with a charming romance. First time I've read a..."

Can't wait to get to this one! I'm waiting for the right moment and mood when i can immerse myself properly in the story. Loved the previous two books.

[KC]

Josh wrote: "I was--don't judge--sampling some mpreg by Aiden Bates. It was Kindle Unlimited and I have no idea what the titles were but it was super weird. The weirdest part being there was no pregnancy in the..."

I find that to be a plus ;-)

[Haldis]

Alison wrote: "Recently I read Time Taken, third in CB Lewis' awesome queer time travel series, and I absolutely loved it. It's an intense adventure with a charming romance. First time I've read a..."

This looks intriguing. I'll have to add it to my tbr

[Haldis]

I found the Falls Chance Ranch series from another group about a month ago and haven't been able to escape. Completely sucked in. It's main focus is on domestic discipline relationships, but also polyamory. FYI: First sex shows up in the second story and is of the fade to black variety, and there is absolutely nothing sexual about the discipline.
The stories are available for free on their blog or you can download from their forum. I'm working on the short stories now.
But I absolutely understand about having a hard time finding something else to read. My brain doesn't want to transition out of these stories. :-)

[Jordan]

I’m really curious about Falls Chance. There are several reviews that liken it to a conversion therapy camp because the MC isn’t able to give consent or to leave the place after he’s blackmailed into going. This is probably why I never read it when I first heard about it years ago. But so many people like it. So, what’s the deal?

[Haldis]

Jordan wrote: "I’m really curious about Falls Chance. There are several reviews that liken it to a conversion therapy camp because the MC isn’t able to give consent or to leave the place after he’s blackmailed in..."

So, yeah, the MC can't really leave without the threat of being fired. The clients that come to the ranch are usually kept apart from the domestic discipline part of the family however a much watered down version is used on the clients. It's the mc that realizes that he fits into that relationship. It works for him, so you don't get the impression that this is against his will. It's an unspoken consent (it's discussed in one of the stories, don't remember which) and the MC pushes for what he needs, and the discipline really works for him.
I read the reviews before reading, too, but once i actually read the stories for myself, I didn't have any problem with it.

[WMD]

The Falls Chance Ranch books are really great and addictive, I find. Haldis, have you signed up for the fallschanceranchforum, to start following the new one they are working on? These stories are long slow ranch tales, with some high adventure and some working through hard childhood memories/re-evaluating yourself and building important alternative family.
The books were originally written on a piecemeal basis, starting maybe 8 years ago? A monthly chapter (plus or minus). In this world (basically set in reality except) they have this thing that tops and brats amenable to a discipline lifestyle (not bdsm) recognize each other on sight. This recognition isn't a big part of the story, but I think its what throws some readers off. So the main character has a nervous breakdown and gets sent to the ranch to adjust his work/life balance. The ranch is usually for top executives and does not involve disciple for them. However, for the mc, he is recognized as a brat, and discipline is some part of his regimen (spanking or the like). The characters don't do the whole contract_type point by point consent discussion with him...and the authors do a pretty good job of making you feel his nervous breakdown. So, my sense is the first incident of discipline gleeks people out who need a formal healthy
consent/thorough discussion in their fiction...and I think that many don't read on to get the feel of people's motivations and they get very ranty in their reviews. Now, yes, it is irritating to me that the main character is told that he won't keep his job unless he completes the ranch program successfully. Nothing to do with conversion therapy, practically every character in the books is gay, but the mc is a pretty out of it at the beginning, so no explicit or implicit consent there. The books as a whole are really a long slow smooth comfort read for me, but you have to get over the first hump and buy into the positive...if you can't the guy feels coerced...if you can, you see him much happier and healthier. The authors never seem interested in going back and tweaking the beginning, they have moved on by a number of books. Polyamory household, alternative family, tackling attachment issues, great consistent characters, cowboys and ghost stories, some dramatic ranch adventures and dealing with old childhood issues. No sex in the first book, fade to black for all sex scenes.

[WMD]

Haldis wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I’m really curious about Falls Chance. There are several reviews that liken it to a conversion therapy camp because the MC isn’t able to give consent or to leave the place after he’s..."

Yes, what Haldis said :)

[Haldis]

WMD wrote: "The Falls Chance Ranch books are really great and addictive, I find. Haldis, have you signed up for the fallschanceranchforum, to start following the new one they are working on? These stories are ..."

Yes, I have signed up for the forum and have made it up to the latest chapter (12b) of Mary Ellen Carter ....now I am reading the short stories while waiting for more chapters....

[Antonella]

Jordan wrote: "I’m really curious about Falls Chance. There are several reviews that liken it to a conversion therapy camp because the MC isn’t able to give consent or to leave the place after he’s blackmailed in..."

IMO this is a weird analogy. I read the series, and liked it so much that I read it twice already. I agree with Haldis and WMD.

[Jordan]

I think there was mention of Stockholm syndrome too. But thanks for clarifying it for me. I might reconsider reading it in the future. At this point,it’s just a bit too long.

[Josh]

KC wrote: "Josh wrote: "I was--don't judge--sampling some mpreg by Aiden Bates. It was Kindle Unlimited and I have no idea what the titles were but it was super weird. The weirdest part being there was no pre..."

hahahahaha.

[Jordan]

I’m currently reading The Book of Joy by the Dali Lama and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu for my library book group! This should lead to some interesting reading at dinner for sure.

[Karen]

Teal's listing of The Persian Boy on the Ebook Freebies thread reminded me that I'd purchased a copy of Renault's Alexander Trilogy awhile back. So I read/re-read Fire from Heaven over the past two days.

I found it hard to put down, although I also sorely felt my lack of a classical education. I have no Greek or Latin beyond root words and dashes of taxonomy. :)

Still, it reminded me that as a child Greek myths were a favorite flashlight-under-the-blanket-past-bedtime treat. Now when I try to examine why that is, it's a mystery. The gods are monsters, awful (in all meanings of the word), and so often petty and vengeful. Maybe this explains my need now for stories with happy endings.

In the mid-1990s, I found a passion for Alexander the Great and spent a good year or more finding everything I could to read about him. This was not so much as you might imagine, given my limitations of English-only text, no university library privileges, and those early days of the worldwide web (and no ebooks). Nonetheless, there was a time I could recall the chronology of battles and describe some of the discrepancies and disagreements among scholars' interpretations of the writing of historians who recorded this story 300 or 400 years after it took place. My memory of all those details is gone now, and when I read Fire from Heaven this time, it was like a first time... but with the added realization of how little I know.

[Antonella]

Today is release day for The ABCs of Spellcraft 3:
Something Stinks at the Spa

Here the buy links:
https://books2read.com/somethingstinks?

I still have to read book 2, but I liked book 1

[Antonella]

((Seen thanks to Mark Fleischhauer))

100 LGBTQ+ Books Every Teen Should Read

I admit a feel overwhelmed when I see this kind of compilations.

On the other side I've already read some of these books, and some are in my wishlist, so it is a reminder.

[KC]

A cute/fun short story/novella (I'm halfway through it, atm) - Lucky Charm.

And read a gay mystery by a new-to-me author - Let's Get Criminal. The mystery itself was fine, and everything to do with the setting - academia, English department - was depressingly accurate, but I couldn't stand one of the main characters. So for now i'm filing this series under maybe-keep-in-mind, alas.

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "((Seen thanks to Mark Fleischhauer))

100 LGBTQ+ Books Every Teen Should Read

I admit a feel overwhelmed when I see this kind of compilations.

On the other side I've already read some of these b..."

Nice list. Thanks for sharing. I've probably read half of them and there's lots of favourites on that list, and lots more I want to read, and some brand-new things that I bet they are really trying to promote (it's a bookstore blog, after all). Nice to see a couple of not-popular titles I love in there getting a boost. YA (as well as fantasy) is where the really big strides in mainstream queer rep are happening right now.

[Jordan]

That is a great YA list!

[Jordan]

I used to like YA a lot more than I do now. These days I read the queer books about underrepresented queer kids, so Let’s Talk A out Love was one I read last year for the Ace character. I’m just very tired of YA. Just one more reason I switched from being a Teen Librarian to an Adult Librarian.

[Brenda]

I tend to be hit or miss on YA, but one I read recently was White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig... really enjoyed that one.

Most recent finished book was the Footsteps in the Dark anthology. I love anthologies to find new authors I haven't read before (and there were a couple here that were new to me), and usually there might be one or two stories that are maybe not in my wheelhouse, but I loved every single story in this one. And now I have some new authors to check out!

[Brenda]

Mymymble wrote: "Brenda wrote: "I tend to be hit or miss on YA, but one I read recently was White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig... really enjoyed that one.

Most recent finished book was the Footsteps in the Dark antholo..."

Ah, thanks for pointing that out! I didn't realize that... I'm still learning how to use GR for more than just keeping track of my books!!

[Jordan]

Yeeesssss... join the BOM..... *gives hypnotic eyes* ... you must join our book discussion... :-)

[WMD]

Out today:
Alexis Hall's The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Cat Sebastian's Hither, Page

[Alison]

WMD wrote: "Out today:
Alexis Hall's The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Cat Sebastian's Hither, Page"

I know! New Alexis Hall! I am jumping up and down inside. And new Cat Sebastian! Two pre-orders out in one day. And I've just had three holds on brand new books come through at the library and I'm drowning in new books I'm super excited about. Just started Amnesty the other day, the final book in Lara Elena Donnelly's Amberlough series, and it's starting out a cracker. What to read next?!

[KC]

Alison wrote: "New Alexis Hall! I am jumping up and down inside."

Lol, me too! It's been a while since his last book (well, one before last, since i'm waiting for that trilogy to be complete before reading books 2 and 3). So yay!

[Alison]

KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "New Alexis Hall! I am jumping up and down inside."

Lol, me too! It's been a while since his last book (well, one before last, since i'm waiting for that trilogy to be complete befor..."

I was going to request it for my library system and I just looked and they've got ten copies on order. Very cool. Getting published by Penguin will do that, I suppose.

[Alison]

Here's a great queer book list, seen thanks to KJ Charles (she's on it a lot): Book Recommendations for All Your Queer Moods. For instance, queer books for...when you are angry, when you want to remember that we've always been here, when you want to chill, when you are feeling murdery, when you don't want to deal with sex, etc. It's great and full of awesome books. I'll admit I've read the majority of the books on this list and loved most of them to bits, and most of the rest of them I want to read, so of course I think it's a good list. :)

https://imallbookedup.wordpress.com/2...

[KC]

Alison wrote: "Here's a great queer book list, seen thanks to KJ Charles (she's on it a lot): Book Recommendations for All Your Queer Moods. For instance, queer books for...when you are angry, when you want to re..."

Great list! :-)

[Brenda]

Alison wrote: "Here's a great queer book list, seen thanks to KJ Charles (she's on it a lot): Book Recommendations for All Your Queer Moods. For instance, queer books for...when you are angry, when you want to re..."

That is a great list! Several I've read or am familiar with, but definitely bookmarking that for later reference!! Thank you!!!

[Jordan]

Alison wrote: "Here's a great queer book list, seen thanks to KJ Charles (she's on it a lot): Book Recommendations for All Your Queer Moods. For instance, queer books for...when you are angry, when you want to re..."

I love this list!!! Thanks for sharing!

[Jordan]

Has anyone here read Lay Your Sleeping Head and The Little Death by Michael Nava? Or have you listened to the podcast version? I’d love to know peoples thoughts and opinions as I’m currently listening to it and might blog about it for work.

It also looks like books three, four, and five will be rereleased next month. The descriptions I read made it look like they are the original novels and have not been rewritten like a The Little Death was. This is interesting!

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

It is an interesting list but a bit limited. I dont see any of Josh's books there but I suppose the list is limited to the blogger's favourite books. I do like lists of books just so I can see if anything catches my eye. I always check the lgbt lists on listopia here on Goodreads.