What Are you Reading? Showing 15,751-15,800 of 16,523

[Josh]

Brenda wrote: "Josh wrote: "Not everyone recognizes autistic people as autistic--and that can be good or bad (being someone fiercely antagonistic to any kind of labeling for any reason, I actually think it's good..."

Yes. Absolutely. I see that.

[Jordan]

Yeah, I see how labels are a bad thing on one hand. But on the other, sometimes labels help people to realize they’re not alone, which is a good thing.

[Jordan]

My mom grabbed a copy of Outlander from the library at her nursing home. I’m not sure she’s reading any of the books she takes, but I peeked inside to see what all the fuss is about and ended up reading some of it aloud. Now I’m hooked and I see why so many people like the series. The audiobook sample is good too. It’s too bad I didn’t have time to read more than seven pages. I may have to read it for myself!

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "Yeah, I see how labels are a bad thing on one hand. But on the other, sometimes labels help people to realize they’re not alone, which is a good thing."

Yes, I know there is a bright side to them. ;-)

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "My mom grabbed a copy of Outlander from the library at her nursing home. I’m not sure she’s reading any of the books she takes, but I peeked inside to see what all the fuss is about an..."

LOL

[Antonella]

Shadows & Dreams, book 2 of the Kate Kane Paranormal Investigator series by Alexis Hall, is out today: buy link

And I haven't yet managed to read book 1...

[Brenda]

Josh wrote: "And sometimes a character starts out one thing and gradually (or not so gradually) reveals himself. So an author may begin a character and a series thinking one thing, and then the book--like life--changes. That's the creative process."

Yes, absolutely! And I think that's really exciting when it happens (and I had assumed that kind of trajectory with Sam... though please don't take that as me saying that Sam *is* autistic, I would sincerely never presume). And that's why I said I think both situations happen.

With Ann's Matthew though, it *feels* much more deliberate, because of the context of the whole book. And with how beautifully she's portrayed so many different aspects of the disabled community (right down to Jonathan's inclusive community center). I was trying to note passages related to Matthew as I was reading and it felt like I was highlighting half the book! LOL.

And in this case, it absolutely makes story sense that Matthew is *not* identified, so I'm not in any way saying that Matthew should be (if that wasn't clear, my whining was just general frustration on my part about not getting to specifically 'claim' an awesome character).

I think it's possible that his husband Jonathan may know, but it's a very tricky thing when you suspect something about someone else, about whether to tell them or not, so it makes story sense to me that even if Jonathan suspects, he wouldn't say anything to Matthew. But because of his personality and his professional background, he knows how to support Matthew, even if he doesn't tell him.

It was just a really wonderfully written story and I'm looking forward to seeing how her characters are going to progress, if she does continue this series (and I have all possible body parts crossed that she does!).

[Josh]

Brenda wrote: "Josh wrote: "And sometimes a character starts out one thing and gradually (or not so gradually) reveals himself. So an author may begin a character and a series thinking one thing, and then the boo..."

I love when a book can deliver that to a reader. <3

[Josh]

Antonella wrote: " Shadows & Dreams, book 2 of the Kate Kane Paranormal Investigator series by Alexis Hall, is out today: buy link

And I haven't yet managed to r..."

I have the first one and I really do plan on reading it! It sounds exactly what I love.

[WMD]

Just a reminder, the second book of the Kate Kane series is a reprint/not new. However, the new third book will be out in Feb 2020

[Jordan]

I just reread Gender Queer for the second time this year and am now in the middle of Doomsday Book, which I got at a holiday bookswap last year. Next, I'm reading Little Women for my library book group which meets in two weeks. So many books I'd said I would read by the end of the year!

[Antonella]

Thanks to someone on A Shot of Ginn I've just watched/listened to an interview with Ginn hale about new, old and future books. And much more... (video, 45 minutes, but it is so interesting that you don't notice that it is so long):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lnRy...

[Josh]

Antonella wrote: "Thanks to someone on A Shot of Ginn I've just watched/listened to an interview with Ginn hale about new, old and future books. And much more... (video, 45 minutes, but it is so interesting that you..."

Oh! I must watch this.

[Jordan]

I must watch that too! But not right now. Must walk the dog first.

[Jordan]

Guess I’ll have to pencil that into my todo list. I’ve been sucked into Doomsday Book, and I can’t get out of it! This is the first time in a long time that I’ve spent most of my day doing nothing but reading, and seriously enjoying what I’m reading! Only about 70 pages left! Might not do anything else I’d planned for today.

But hey, I did manage to throw my sheets and towels into the washing machine and to sweep my floors in prep for future mopping... little by little, I’m getting this place back to its former glory. Lol

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "Guess I’ll have to pencil that into my todo list. I’ve been sucked into Doomsday Book, and I can’t get out of it! This is the first time in a long time that I’ve spent most of my day doing nothing ..."

I love that feeling of being lost in a book world. It's such a rare experience now. I think that's one of the downsides of writing. It's so much harder to simply lose yourself in a story without focusing on the mechanics and thinking how YOU would do everything.

[Jordan]

Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "Guess I’ll have to pencil that into my todo list. I’ve been sucked into Doomsday Book, and I can’t get out of it! This is the first time in a long time that I’ve spent most of my day..."

Too true!

But OMG, I spent all day yesterday lost in this book and the day itself almost matched that of the world, weather wise, so I really felt like I was in it. And I was sad to finish the book this morning... I laughed and I cried over character deaths, and I yelled at dumb characters... I'm still pissed at Colin's mom for not caring enough! All the feels in this sci-fi novel that I wasn't expecting... yeah.

[Karen]

I've been listening to Ben Aaronvitch's Peter Grant series, re-listening to books 3 (Whispers Under Ground), 4 (Broken Homes), and 5 (Foxglove Summer), and now starting 6 (The Hanging Tree). I found that I can (weirdly) multi-task listening to audiobooks while playing Merge Dragons... which makes me question what part of my brain is used for the dragon game. ;)

I'm also reading Alexis Hall's Iron & Velvet and some holiday novellas.

[SamSpayedPI]

Karen wrote: "I found that I can (weirdly) multi-task listening to audiobooks while playing Merge Dragons... which makes me question what part of my brain is used for the dragon game. ;)"

LOL I've been playing Merge Dragons too!

[Haldis]

I made myself swear that I would not buy any new books (unless they are on sale, of course) until I have read a few from my list of already owned books. I have, like, ten started and none of them are catching me. None of them are bad, either, so it shouldn't be a problem.... We'll see how long I last.

#BookWormProblems :-)

[Antonella]

You can pre-order «Bitter Pill» (PsyCop Book 11) as e-book here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

Jordan Castillo Price stresses that it is not the last PsyCop novel.

[Jordan]

Antonella wrote: "You can pre-order «Bitter Pill» (PsyCop Book 11) as e-book here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

Jordan Castillo Price stresses that it is not the last P..."

YAY! And LOL, it's not the last. Everyone keeps thinking each book will be the last. :-P

[Jordan]

Haldis wrote: "I made myself swear that I would not buy any new books (unless they are on sale, of course) until I have read a few from my list of already owned books. I have, like, ten started and none of them a..."

That's tough! I've been there before. Hopefully something will pan out soon for you!

[Philipp]

I am currently reading R. Coopers Taji from Beyond the Rings and it is great. Cooper shows two of her strengths:
1. Portraying a relationship where both are obviously in love, but are blind to the (extent of the) feelings of the other, in a way that is cute and believable.
2. Inventing realistic non-clichéd cultures, just this time in a sci-fi setting, instead of fantasy. There is a strong focus on linguistics and it is fascinating seeing Taji figuring out the nuances of the alien language.
One thing to note is that this is a story full of politics and intrigue, so it is not a cozy, relaxing read like a lot of her other books.

[Haldis]

Philipp wrote: "I am currently reading R. Coopers Taji from Beyond the Rings and it is great. Cooper shows two of her strengths:
1. Portraying a relationship where both are obviously in love, but ..."

I love this book! I definitely need to do a reread at a slower pace to pick up on all the details I missed the first time around.
I hope she decides to write more from this universe.

[WMD]

I loved it...particularly the cultural misinterpretation between characters. It tilted into political intrigue but stayed adventurous, I felt. I definately could have done without the whole "biologically uncontrollable lust" trope as a feature...(how did that work cross species, anyway?) but I managed to work around it.

[Haldis]

WMD wrote: "I loved it...particularly the cultural misinterpretation between characters. It tilted into political intrigue but stayed adventurous, I felt. I definately could have done without the whole "biolog..."

I agree with you about that, and at the beginning, I was like, oh, Taji will be immune cuz different species, but then I got the impression there was something (bodily fluids, maybe) because Trenne kept talking about being careful....

[Antonella]

Philipp wrote: "I am currently reading R. Coopers Taji from Beyond the Rings and it is great.."

Thank you for the rec. I love R.Cooper and I had missed this last book.

[Antonella]

I've decided to buy Red, White & Royal Blue after Casey McQuiston wrote: «trans people are real. trans people deserve to be protected, recognized, supported, and loved. if that infringes on your idea of feminism, you’re not actually a feminist at all. you’re a bigot.»

Basically she was answering to J. K. Rowling:
J.K. Rowling’s Support of Researcher Fired for Being Anti-Trans Sparks Backlash

The whole story here.

[Jordan]

That’s supposed to be a very good book, though I have yet to read it.

And poo on JK Rowling.

[Jordan]

Currently reading Lord of the Last Heartbeat by May Peterson. I think I need to read more to determine its worth, as I’m a bit overwhelmed, or maybe just confused, about what’s going on.

[Marge]

I highly recommend Kaje Harper's holiday freebie, free at Prolificworks and part of Alexa Jane's Rainbow Advent Calendar. I gave it five stars, but one other reviewer described it best--Die Hard in the forest! LOL

Shooting Star

[Jordan]

Book Riot has a list of their most anticipated LGBTQ books of 2020!

https://bookriot.com/2019/12/27/most-...

[Alison]

Jordan wrote: "That’s supposed to be a very good book, though I have yet to read it.

And poo on JK Rowling."

It's one of my top favourites for this year. I bought it in print as an xmas gift for myself. Yay!

The whole JK Rowling thing is so disappointing. A lot of people are understandably very upset. I was making an effort to read the whole HP series and I got through book 3 and I won't be continuing. I don't want to support an author who is outspoken about being anti-trans. Such a shame.

[Alison]

This is somewhat old news, but since it's come up--Red, White & Royal Blue won Best Romance for 2019 in the Goodreads Choice Awards and also Best Debut Novel. Queer romance by queer author wins prizes! Here's the story and a great interview with the author about the book and about writing queerness and a little tease about the movie (did you know the movie is in pre-pre-pre-production?).


https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...

[Alison]

So it's the very end of the year...does anyone want to tell us about their favourite books they read this year? Favourites of 2019?

[WMD]

Favorites are always hard for me to pick, here are a bunch of recommends from 2019

Skin and Bone (TA Moore, book 2 Digging up Bones series)
The Bone Rider J. Fally (new to me 2019) (aliens, action, mafia)
Tallowwood by N.R. Walker (murder mystery)
Murder House (Psycop 10) Jordan Castillo Price (para, myateryg
Hither Page by Cat Sebastian (historical, mystery)
Lots of mm short stories by K L Noone (fantasy and not fantasy)
How to (not) train a fire at R. Cooper (short, fantasy)
Sweet Clematis R. Cooper (fantasy, Beings series)
Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton (mystery/para)
Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory (historical, spy)
Somewhere over Lorain Road by B. Gundy (mystery)
Footsteps in the Dark (anthology)
Rat Catcher's Daughter K.J. Charles
The Monuments Murder by Josh Lanyon
Mainly by Moonlight by Josh Lanyon
Time Waits (series by C.B. Lewis, time travel, New to me 2019)
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (fantasy, historical)
Ramen Assassin (Rhys Ford) (fantasy, mystery)
Thrown to the Wolves (Charlie Adhara, Big Bad Wolf series 3, fantasy, mystery)

Completely out of romance, mystery and mm zone, I highly recommend Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. book 1 of a series new to me in 2019

[WMD]

Looking forward in 2020 to:
Jordan Castillo Price's Bitter Pills (Psycop 11)
Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material
Alexis Hall's Fire and Water (next Kate Kane book)
Anna Butler's The God's Eye (Book 3 of Lancaster Luck!)
Allie Therin's Starcrossed
Rhys Ford's Back in Black (McGinnis Investigations)
Josh Lanyon's Mystery at Pirate's Cove
Josh Lanyon's Blind Side

What else is ahead?

Which reminds me the second book to K.D.Edward's series came out this month The Hanged Man,(Tarot Sequence book 2)..anyone started it yet?

[Alison]

Lots of great choices, WMD. And many (hopefully) good things coming up!

Haven't gotten to Hanged Man yet, but I am damn excited about it. Soon! :)

[Alison]

I didn't read as many books this year, but I still read a boatload of amazing books.

Top favourites of 2019, in no particular order:

--Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The mainstream feel-good queer rom-com the world has been waiting for. I absolutely loved it to pieces. (M/M contemporary romance)

--Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. Simon Snow #2. Amazing queer contemporary fantasy. Maybe better than the first book. (M/M NA fantasy romance adventure)

--The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall. Bonkers queer fantasy Sherlock Holmes re-telling. Extremely funny, extremely queer, extremely weird. Loved it! (Queer fantasy mystery--non-romance)

--Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. Gorgeous fantasy novella about a man who lives in the woods. Beautifully written and totally compelling. (M/M historical fantasy romance)

--Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian. Spectacularly good post-WW2 mystery romance. Really well done. Maybe the best thing she's written. (M/M historical mystery romance)

--Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox. Gorgeous post-WW2 romance with a bit of a mystical element. Beautiful writing and truly heartwarming. (M/M historical romance)

--Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks by 'Nathan Burgoine. Delightful YA contemporary about a kid who can teleport. Charming and queer and real and funny. (M/M YA contemporary sci fi romance)

[WMD]

Hey Allison, I agree about Cat Sebastian's Hither Page: I thought it was her best work.

[Karen]

WMD wrote: "Hey Allison, I agree about Cat Sebastian's Hither Page: I thought it was her best work."

I'm on board with you two. Also, I thought of it every time I heard Good King Wenceslas this season. :)

[Alison]

Karen wrote: "WMD wrote: "Hey Allison, I agree about Cat Sebastian's Hither Page: I thought it was her best work."

I'm on board with you two. Also, I thought of it every time I heard Good King Wenceslas this se..."

As it was her first self-published book, I was curious to see what she did without a publisher, and it was a total knockout!

[Jordan]

okay, here are my favorites that I read this year, regardless of when they were published or what genre they are:

The Last Sun - (MM fantasy) OMG, Ginn Hale worthy MM fantasy!!!! I can't wait to listen to this in audio in prep for book two which just came out!!!

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - (self-help nonfiction) Best self-help book!!!

The Golem and the Jinni - (Historical fantasy/fiction) Such a beautifully written book!

Kill Game - (MM Mystery) I liked this first book, but didn't like the later books in the series. :-(

Salt Magic, Skin Magic - (MM Fantasy) Wow! New things that don't normally pop up in MM fantasy! Love this!

Resurrection Bay - (Mystery) The mystery here was not as good as I would have liked, but the author did a great job with handling the deafness of the main character!

People of Darkness - (Mystery) This series is really well written. The landscape comes alive, the mysteries are good, and the Native American cultures seem well represented. (This is book four, and I'm working on reading one book a year.)

Witchmark - (MM Fantasy) This was really good. I liked the world building. But, when it came to determining which was better, this one or The Last Sun, The Last Sun won out for our We Are Pride booklist at the library.

Becoming - (Memoir) I mean, do I really need to explain why this book was so good? I like her writing style, and I like her as a person. She's so down-to-earth, it's very refreshing. And I miss her and her husband in office.

Fadeout - (Mystery) I listened to this in audiobook! I'm sad to say I have not yet gotten beyond this book in the audiobooks, but I LOVED it when I read it a few years ago, and the audiobook was amazing! They got such a good narrator who really feels like he is Dave. Also, by the end of twelve books, Dave really feels like a friend and I was sad to see the series come to a close.

Footsteps in the Dark - (MM Mystery) This anthology was great because even though I didn't love every story, I liked them all, or could see why they were good and it was just a personal thing that kept me from liking one or two. This is one not to be missed!

The Book of Joy - (nonfiction) A very enlightening read that was a lot of fun and full of laughter. I do highly recommend this!

Unmasked by the Marquess - (historical romance) The cover might be horrid, but the romance between a nonbinary person and the marquess was great!

Hidden Figures - (nonfiction/biography) I learned so much that I didn't know that was amazing and shocking here. Everyone should know the story of these black women!

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - (nonfiction) This and the two books that follow in the series are fantastic and great for inspiration, whether you write or draw, paint, sculpt, whatever. Read it!

Murder House - (MM paranormal) This book had me realizing how much I really like Agent Bly. I wish he was gay. He needs to have his own romance novel. :-) Also, as has been pointed out before, this series is still going strong, and that's amazing. I love Vic, so, so much. :-)

Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 1 - (Crime/Sci-fi/graphic novel/manga) I read this for a second time the other day, and it's just as good. A very violent story, but it's unique, I think.

Lord of the Last Heartbeat - (MM fantasy/horror/paranormal/mystery) There's so much happening in this! But it was really good, even with all the cofusion about what was going on. The MC is also nonbinary. :-)

Practical Meditation: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide - (nonfiction) This is a really great, basic introduction to meditation for everyone, and I loved the fun layout that doesn't make it a boring read.

Doomsday Book - (sci-fi) Wow. Not what I was expecting. This book had me laughing and then crying. So much detail, and everything was well written and handled amazingly.

Gender Queer - (Memoir/graphic novel) For the most part, this is ME! The author is nonbinary and asexual!

Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color - (Memoir) I didn't know just how much Gilbert Baker did for the LGBTQ movement while he was alive, aside from creating the rainbow flag that we all know and love. This was eye opening and informative.

Telling Tales - (Mystery) This is book two in the Vera series, and I'm really enjoying these books. They're not my usual cup of tea, but I like the way they're written and I can only assume the series gets better after book one. :-)

... Well, there were a few others that got 4+ stars from me, but I'll stop here. lol. I still read less than my usuall number of books this year, I think mostly because I discovered a new fandom (Person of Interest) and spent a good amount of my time reading, and enjoying, a lot of really good fanfiction for it!

[Jordan]

Oh, and I'm currently reading Heart Scarab! And I was sucked in almost immediately. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get back to this series after we read the first book for our BOM. It's soo good!

[Haldis]

Jordan wrote: "Oh, and I'm currently reading Heart Scarab! And I was sucked in almost immediately. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get back to this series after we read the first book for our..."

I love this series. My plan had been to space them out, but I devoured all five books in less than a month. DEVOURED!

[Johanna]

Alison wrote: "So it's the very end of the year...does anyone want to tell us about their favourite books they read this year? Favourites of 2019?"

Thank you for asking! And thank you for reminding us of this "tradition", Alison. :-)

I haven't had a lot of time to read this year—only 13 finished books. More than one third of those were Josh Lanyon books: Seance on a Summer's Night, The Monuments Men Murders, Mainly by Moonlight, I Buried a Witch and the anthology (with other wonderful authors!) Footsteps in the Dark. I enjoyed hugely each and every one of these!

Off the rest 8 books I liked the two biographies the best (both non-mm): Michelle Obama's Becoming and Ruth Bader Ginburg's My Own Words. Both inspirational in many ways.

[Johanna]

Thank you for the lovely mini reviews, Alison and Jordan!

[KC]

My favorites this year, in no particular order:

- my top favorite of Josh's books: I Buried a Witch and Mainly by Moonlight - so much fun, and I adore the moments between Cos and John.

- KJ Charles: Any Old Diamonds

- Cat Sebastian: Hither, Page - this was one of my absolute favorites in every way

- top fav of Gregory Ashe's: the Hazard and Somerset series.
And I warmly recommend his fantasy series starting with The Weeping Lore (historical, fantasy, with a m/f romantic sub-subplot, and queer MC)

- Footsteps in the Dark

- Charlie Adhara: the Big Bad Wolf series, the first is: The Wolf at the Door - these just get better and better.

- Lily Morton: The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings - mystery, paranormal. Different than her usual, which i've enjoyed as well, but i find them to get a bit...similar, so this was a lovely change of pace. Still with an awesome sense of humor, but there's something more about it, which resonated with me.

Also (not m/m):

- Caimh McDonnell - everything! - this is mystery/suspense with wonderful characters and humor.

- Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

- Steve Hamilton: The Lock Artist - suspense, but also so much more.

[KC]

Johanna wrote: "Ruth Bader Ginburg's My Own Words."

I have it on audio. Eventually I'll get to it. :-)