What Are you Reading? Showing 16,251-16,300 of 16,523

[Antonella]

Jordan wrote: "I've been trying to post more book covers to Instagram to officially recommend some of the best books I've been reading..."

Dear Jordan, thank you for the Instagram link, but are you sure it works?

[Karen]

Antonella wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I've been trying to post more book covers to Instagram to officially recommend some of the best books I've been reading..."

Dear Jordan, thank you for the Instagram link, but are yo..."

I found it at https://www.instagram.com/qotu33/. :)

[Antonella]

Karen wrote: "I found it at https://www.instagram.com/qotu33/. :)"

Thank you, dear Karen! This works.

[Jordan]

sorry about that! I forgot the .com. duh.

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "I found this really interesting and fun resource just now and I thought I would share it with you all. This is called the Literature Map. You put in an author and the closer other authors are the m..."

Huh. That's a really weird map and makes me think the overall definition is romance rather than mystery.

[Antonella]

30 Incredible Black Children's Books Illustrators in form of a useful slide show where you see their different books covers and some information.

For sure I'm going to buy When Aidan Became A Brother, about a transgender boy's life.

[Jordan]

Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I found this really interesting and fun resource just now and I thought I would share it with you all. This is called the Literature Map. You put in an author and the closer other au..."

Yeah, it probably is!

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "30 Incredible Black Children's Books Illustrators in form of a useful slide show where you see their different books covers and some information.

For sure I'm going to buy When Aidan Became ..."</i>

That's awesome! Thanks, Antonella. I know so many of those books from work and it's fun to learn a bit more about the illustrators. I read [book:I Am Every Good Thing recently and it totally made me cry from awesomeness and gorgeous artwork.

[Alison]

Uh oh, GR is doing the random italics thing to me again.

[Alison]

Jordan wrote: "I've been trying to post more book covers to Instagram to officially recommend some of the best books I've been reading. I got behind and forgot, so this week I'm pretty much posting 1-2 covers a d..."

Nice, Jordan! It's good to see sweet Adrien. I bought Murderbot for Christmas and I'm excited for it.

[Alison]

My favourite books I read in 2020:

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Latinx trans own voices ghost romance.

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht. Completely awesome queer revenge fantasy and difficult to describe.

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold. From my beloved Vorkosigan classic SF series.

Agent Bayne by Jordan Castillo Price. Loved it!

The Hanged Man by KD Edwards. Amazing queer urban fantasy!

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened and Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh. Both wonderfully funny and also heartbreaking.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Kickass queer space necromancers!

Slippery Creatures and The Sugared Game by KJ Charles. Brilliant new queer historical romance thriller series.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Excellent graphic novel.

Wyldingwode by J. Tullos Hennig. The end of an amazing historical fantasy series.

Out of Time by CB Lewis. The end of an amazing time travel series.

Master of Restless Shadows: Book One by Ginn Hale. Lord of the White Hell 5. So wonderful.

Drowned Country by Emily Tesh. This is cheating because I haven't quite finished it yet (almost!), but it's amazing!

[Karen]

Some 2020 favorites (some crossover with Alison's list):
A Chain of Beads by M. Arbon
Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton (ebook & audiobook)
Bitter Pill by Jordan Castillo Price (ebook & audiobook)
Blue on Blue by Dal Maclean (ebook & audiobook)
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (ebook & audiobook)
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
The Hanged Man by K.D. Edwards (ebook & audiobook)
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (ebooks & some audiobooks)
Slippery Creatures and The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles (ebooks & audiobooks)
Spooky Business and Principles of Spookology by S.E. Harmon

I also loved/read/re-read these series (many with ebook & audio):
Big Bad Wolf by Charlie Adhara
A Charm of Magpies by K.J. Charles
Death and the Devil by L.J. Haywood
Hazard and Somerset and Hazard & Somerset: A Union of Swords by Gregory Ashe (except The Keeper of Bees which I'm timorously reading this week)
Whyborne & Griffin by Jordan L. Hawk

Graphic Novels/Manga
Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Flamer by Mike Curato
Our Dining Table by Ori Mita
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

And last-but-not-least, loved/re-read these series (ebook & audio):
The Adrien English Mysteries
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Secrets and Scrabble

[Jordan]

I hope you like it, Allison! My book group will be reading it in February!

Maybe tomorrow when I’m working from home and not rushed to get hundreds of bookmarks mailed out to 21 branch libraries by the end of the day, I can really go through my 2020 reads and post a proper list! I saw Agent Bayne got a mention, and I’m not sure that got recommended on Instagram, so I may need to fix That!

[KC]

Favorite books this year:

M/M:
- Josh's Requiem for Mr. Busybody - this was my very favorite Josh story this year.
- Julian Stuart: Alone and Palely Loitering, Hex Code (speculative fiction)
- M. Arbon: all the short stories, especially: I Am the One Who Has You Now, Cup of Tea, A Chain of Beads
- Dan Skinner: The Art of the Heart (so very lovely)
- Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt: Vespers

YA:
- Simon James Green: Alex in Wonderland
- Alice Oseman: Solitaire

Historicals:
- KJ Charles: Gilded Cage, Proper English, Slippery Creatures, Band Sinister
- AJ Demas: One Night in Boukos (not sure if this fits here exactly)

Fantasy/SF:
- T. Kingfisher: Clockwork Boys
- Martha Wells: the Murderbot Diaries series 1-4.

Fiction:
- Margaret Atwood: The Blind Assassin (excellent, but also a bit depressing)
- Balli Kaur Jaswal: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (lots of fun despite some heavy themes)
- Bryan Washington: Lot: Stories (excellent, with difficult themes)
- Kevin Wilson: Nothing to See Here (thoroughly enjoying this author; the book is funny, heartfelt, heartwarming, and weird in the best way)

Mystery:
- Josh Lanyon: Secret at Skull House
- Tom Ryan: Keep This to Yourself
- Richard Osman: The Thursday Murder Club
- Louis Bayard: The Black Tower (historical)
- Donna Leon mysteries

Comics/graphic novels:
- Alice Oseman's Heartstopper: Volume One (all volumes are awesome)
- Reza Farazmand - all his books; love his quirky sweet/dark humor
- Allie Brosh: Solutions and Other Problems, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, both amazing.

[KC]

Alison wrote: "...I bought Murderbot for Christmas and I'm excited for it..."

Enjoy! :-)

[KC]

Karen wrote: "I also enjoyed the Irene Preston/Liv Rancourt paranormals.
The Hours of the Night
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1868...
and
Haunts and Hoaxes
https://www.goodreads.com/series/2999...
The series overlap a bit and both are well-written"

Thanks! Good to know. :-) I'll try the Haunts and Hoaxes too.

[Karen]

For those who've read the Murderbot series (spoilers for others):
The Montrous Machines of Corporate Capitalism
https://www.tor.com/2020/10/26/the-mo...

[Alison]

Nice lists, KC and Karen! Yes, there is a lot of crossover! High five! :)

[Jordan]

Thanks Karen! I’ve not seen Blade Running, surprisingly. Might have to someday. But Murderbot... yep. :-D

[Jordan]

Also, thanks for these great lists! I promise to get mine out in proper form soon!

[Karen]

Jordan wrote: "Thanks Karen! I’ve not seen Blade Running, surprisingly. Might have to someday. But Murderbot... yep. :-D"

Neo-noir released in 1982, set in a 2019 that wasn't.

One important thing to know about Blade Runner is that there are different versions. I have The Director's Cut and also a four-disk collector's edition which includes The Final Cut (2007) and two 1982 theatrical cuts (U.S. and international) and the 1992 Director's Cut. Crazy yes, but this was an iconic film for me. And there are different endings! The Wikipedia article describes this.

"...Seven different versions of Blade Runner exist as a result of controversial changes requested by studio executives. A director's cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to test screenings of a workprint. This, in conjunction with the film's popularity as a video rental, made it one of the earliest movies to be released on DVD. In 2007, Warner Bros. released The Final Cut, a 25th-anniversary digitally remastered version. This is the only version over which Scott retained artistic control."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_R...

The amazing "tears in rain" scene with Rutger Hauer and Harrison Ford is one (pre-Youtube) I would "rewind" and play over with each viewing.
Don't watch if you haven't seen the film yet! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU7Ga...

[Jordan]

Ooohhh, good to know! I’ll likely see whatever the library has. I’ll have to add it to my for later watch list. :-)

[Karen]

Audiobooks of A.H. Lee's The Knight and the NecromancerThe Complete Series available through BookFunnel/the author's site (not on GR yet and not playable on the Audible app). For about $13 you get the trilogy, a prequel, and a coda, read (beautifully) by Kirt Graves. https://www.abigailhilton.com/audio-b...

I listened to the prequel after reading ebooks 1 & 2 and starting book 3, and liked it that way. In fact I'd suggest listening at least after you've listened to/read Book 1 because there's information that isn't exactly a spoiler, but I enjoyed starting the series with less information... if that makes sense.

You need to download the BookFunnel audiobook app and it took me a few minutes to figure out exactly how it all works, but it was totally worth it. I listened to the prequel and about half of Book 1 before making myself go to bed... after 2:00pm. :)

[Antonella]

2020 Members' Choice Awards winners of the Goodreads M/M Group:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Josh]

Antonella wrote: "2020 Members' Choice Awards winners of the Goodreads M/M Group:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

These are always so interesting. :-)

[Antonella]

Josh wrote: "These are always so interesting. :-)"

Especially when I don't know several of the winners...

[Josh]

Antonella wrote: "Josh wrote: "These are always so interesting. :-)"

Especially when I don't know several of the winners..."

I've heard several theories on that very point. :-)

[Marge]

Josh wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Josh wrote: "These are always so interesting. :-)"

Especially when I don't know several of the winners..."

I've heard several theories on that very point. :-)"

Hmmm, if you are going to get your friends or an algorithm to stuff the ballots, perhaps you shouldn't win in SO many categories. Pfft!

[Jordan]

Started listening to the audiobook for The Automatic Detective last night. It's really good! My only complaint so far is that she uses an incorrect definition of asexual, claiming they have no interest in sexual or romantic relationships. Otherwise, this is a fun read and reminds me a lot of Murderbot, but Murderbot as a noir, hard boiled detective. The narrator is certainly giving off that vibe. lol.

I do think it's interesting that here she claims bots are asexual and gives them he/him pronouns while Martha Wells does not claim bots are asexual, by name, and gives them neutral pronouns, mostly "it".

[KC]

Jordan wrote: "Started listening to the audiobook for The Automatic Detective last night. It's really good! My only complaint so far is that she uses an incorrect definition of asexual, claiming th..."

I remember starting the book a long time ago, and then I didn't finish it for some reason. I'll add it to my list again. :-)

[KC]

Read an excellent (mainstream) mystery: Lucy Foley's The Guest List. Very atmospheric, well constructed, and compelling.

Also really enjoying a short stories collection (fiction) by Kevin Wilson: Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories. It's really, really good.

[Jordan]

KC wrote: "Jordan wrote: "Started listening to the audiobook for The Automatic Detective last night. It's really good! My only complaint so far is that she uses an incorrect definition of asexu..."

I'm still really enjoying it and having fun reading it. So far I'm wanting to Staff Pick it for the library, which is a good sign. lol. I hope you get around to finishing it!

[Jordan]

I'm looking to start Heresy next when I finish our BOM, Honeytrap, this weekend. It's a western about a female gang, and I think there are queer characters in it too. It's a monster of a book, but I'm excited by the premise.

... Then I found Hello, Habits: A Minimalist's Guide to a Better Life on my way home from work today, and I can't put it down. lol. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, is one of my favorite self-help books, as I have a difficult time getting into good habits. Hello, Habits, comes at habits in a different, more biological way, and I'm just eating it all up because it makes so much sense to me.

My new way of not trying to read too much on purpose is working so that I can be more relaxed and read random things when I want to read random things like this. :-)

[Antonella]

I've just got and read When Aidan Became A Brother.

Absolutely delightful transgender story. It's a children's story, but I warmly recommend it for everybody!

[Antonella]

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur inspired Ani DiFranco latest album Revolutionary Love: “It’s about carrying the energy of love and compassion into the center of our social movements and making it the driving force,” DiFranco said of the new album. “It’s about finding it within ourselves to stay curious about our opponents instead of shutting down.”

You can read an excerpt here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

I'm very tempted...

[Alison]

I've read the first couple of books in JCP's ABCs of Spellcraft series and it's great. It's fun and silly and lighthearted and just the thing I feel like reading right now.

[Jordan]

Alison wrote: "I've read the first couple of books in JCP's ABCs of Spellcraft series and it's great. It's fun and silly and lighthearted and just the thing I feel like reading right now."

Oh good! I keep meaning to get into it, and I just haven't started it yet.

[Jordan]

Antonella wrote: " See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur ins..."

This is supposed to be very good!

[Karen]

Alison wrote: "I've read the first couple of books in JCP's ABCs of Spellcraft series and it's great. It's fun and silly and lighthearted and just the thing I feel like reading right now."

Yes, I've also enjoyed these when I want something silly and lighthearted. The audiobooks are very good too, narrated by Nick Hudson.

Books 1-4 The ABCs of Spellcraft Collection Volume 2
Books 5-7 The ABCs of Spellcraft Collection: Volume 1

[Jordan]

Just finished Jake Wood's memoir, Once a Warrior: How One Veteran Found a New Mission Closer to Home and am just floored by everything that he's done with his organization, Team Rubicon. I'd never heard of them until I was putting together my library's biography and memoir newsletter and looking for recently published titles we owned that I could highlight. I'm so glad I got a chance to highlight this one. :-D

[Antonella]

I've just downloaded Saffron Alley by A.J. Demas.

But before reading it, I'll have to reread Sword Dance.

[WMD]

Antonella wrote: "I've just downloaded Saffron Alley by A.J. Demas.

But before reading it, I'll have to reread Sword Dance."

I just completed both items of your to-do list! I liked Sword Dance even more than I did on the first read, and Saffron Alley was a great follow up. Author notes that this will be a trilogy. Something unique about the gentle pace and tone of these mysteries set in a mediterranean alt.ancient time. Many of Demas' books are set in same general alt.history area with some crossover. One Night in Boukos being one of her best. In Sword Dance trilogy, one of main characters is a eunuch, which is true in another of her books as well, but in this case she is a gender fluid eunuch perhaps demi...complex.

[WMD]

Also, enjoyed Jordan Castillo price's latest in Psycop series, Other Half

And the next in Allie Therin series, Wonderstruck This is a paranormal superhero type story, mm romance, set in prohibition age. I am not sure, this may be the final one in the series.

Also, somehow I missed that a new Charlie Adhara book, fifth in her Wolf series was released, Cry Wolf. So rereading the series for that. Paranormal, secret FBI type agents in charge of werewolf crime. Mm romance murder mysteries plus some family drama, in the wolf/hierachy way and in just normal human way.

Coming out next week: a new K.J. Charles! The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting

[Jordan]

I still haven’t read beyond book one of Charlie’s series! I own through book four, so I hope I can get back into it soon.

[Marge]

Jordan wrote: "I still haven’t read beyond book one of Charlie’s series! I own through book four, so I hope I can get back into it soon."

It is very good. I just finished Cry Wolf and the Cooper and Park are still very interesting. She has a great setup for continuing the series.

[Josh]

ABE Books sent an alert for a book that I've been hunting for well over a decade. So even though I don't really read much in the way of Mills and Boon romances these days, I HAD TO HAVE IT.

If just to have scored a book so very scarce.

1974's A MAN CALLED MALLORY. I don't think it ever made it into US publication. But Jane Donnelly was a favorite of my mother and my sisters and me way back in the way back.

I haven't actually started it yet, but I hope to soon.

Meanwhile, I've started

I would not have bought the book if the edition I'd seen had this cover, which would have been a shame because so far it's a very charming and competently executed cozy mystery. I'm loving it.

[Karen]

WMD wrote: "Also, enjoyed Jordan Castillo price's latest in Psycop series, Other Half

And the next in Allie Therin series, Wonderstruck This is a paranormal superhero type stor..."

This is exactly my "TBR favorites list," meaning books I have and am greatly looking forward to, but have back-burnered while I quickly read some others (new-to-me authors, freebies and fluff). Not sure why I do this... it's kind of like a "saving the best for last" syndrome. :)

[WMD]

Karen wrote: "WMD wrote: "Also, enjoyed Jordan Castillo price's latest in Psycop series, Other Half

And the next in Allie Therin series, Wonderstruck This is a paranormal superhe..."

I understand, but I was already very thirsty for "the good stuff" it seems to have been fluff and freebies for quite awhile.

[Jordan]

Marge wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I still haven’t read beyond book one of Charlie’s series! I own through book four, so I hope I can get back into it soon."

It is very good. I just finished Cry Wolf and the Cooper a..."

Oh good!

[Johanna]

Josh wrote: "ABE Books sent an alert for a book that I've been hunting for well over a decade. So even though I don't really read much in the way of Mills and Boon romances these days, I HAD TO HAVE IT.

If ju..."

Congratulations on your A Man Called Mallory catch!

Which reminds me: did you ever find James Colton’s Hang-Up? I check certain sites every now and then—without any luck.