Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown
This was excellent, definitely recommend.
~ remreader
Water Weed - Ben Aaronovitch
No one wants to be dragged into their partners family drama especially when it’s a legal issue and you’re the police. Weed grown using magic wouldn’t be something most cops would be aware of but most cops aren’t also wizards.
The defence for the grower/dealer/supplier was that she was doing it all to pay for specialist care for her disabled uncle which while true didn’t defend her violent attacks on others.
~ Robotpinemarten
Cry Fox - Ben Aaronovitch
The idea of a reverse fox hunt is something I’m not against the issue is when the people being hunted aren’t actually involved in fox hunting itself and the collaborator is a borderline sec offender and all round creep and pervert fae.
I enjoy the graphic novels fitting into the main series with reoccurring characters but still having a separate storyline in each edition I just would have preferred it if the ‘fox’ had been the hunted and not left to carry on chasing little ‘bunnies’
~ Robotpinemarten
Moonflow by Bitter Karella
This one was recommended by my friend. It was a wild ride. Some parts were ROUGH but I just could not stop reading. Trans author, transfem lead, egg cracks, some fuuuucked up gore.
~ lem0nb0iii
Cry Out Loud by Tara O’Connor
Time travel, banshees, Ireland, cults, and lesbians. This book has it all.
~ killerweasel
Stone and Sky - Ben Aaronovitch
Everyone loves a summer holiday until a dead Selkie turns up on the beach and you end up working on a case in a different country.
One thing about these books is that they show that humans will take advantage of and exploit anyone for financial or political gain especially vulnerable fae and anyone on edge of society.
Previously I’ve not been keen on the books set outside of London but I can’t dislike a book featuring a sapphic teenage romance with a mermaid.
~ Robotpinemarten
Shapes of Love by L.V. Peñalba
I will admit I'm pickier about ace and/or aro rep in books than I probably ought to be given there's still SO little of it out there but I really liked this one!
~ remreader (bluesky)
Blank Canvas - Grace Murray
This book wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a kind of thriller where I got to enjoy the protagonist being terrible, or some dark academia vibes, but instead it was quite, tender and deeply sad. A great exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and others, with a focus on the way we connect with, and isolate ourselves from, other people. Also, it was lesbian, so extra points for that.
~ rueforyou
A Lady's Guide to London by Faye Delacour
A bit cute, a bit silly, a bit spicy. Historical romance for the modern reader.
~ improperdepression
A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour
Rarely have I met a more annoying protagonist, on both sides of the relationship. Luckily for everyone involved, these two idiots were made for each other
~ improperdepression
Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell
This reads like fanfiction (extreme compliment).
~ improperdepression
What Mother Won't Tell Me by Ivar Leon Menger
A book that's terrifying till about 60% in.
~ improperdepression
Game Changer by Rachel Reid
Alright, okay I get the hype now.
~ improperdepression
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Phryne is my new favorite hero.
~ improperdepression
Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood
Once again, Phryne proves the best.
~ improperdepression
Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
No one does it like her.
~ improperdepression
Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood
You WILL love Bert and Cec
~ improperdepression
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Viktor Frankenstein might be the worst protagonist ever written. This man could not take accountability if it'd chased him across the world and nearly killed him.
~ improperdepression
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
An absolutely fascinating story that I cannot praise without spoiling everything.
~ improperdepression
The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
how to find a wife: a tutorial by Hastings
~ improperdepression
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
He's the GOAT for a reason! Keeps you on your toes, even so many years later.
~ improperdepression
Wish On A Willow by Maria Oka
My friend wrote this book! It's a really sweet middle-grade novel about family and friendship and dealing with hard things, plus a tiny bit of magic.
~ @alimasin.bsky.social
The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn by Dave Zirin
I don't know how much I liked the book as a *biography* - it at times hovered at the edge of feeling hagiographic about its subject while at the same time not offering enough information/detail/etc. about Zinn's life story outside his work to really get a feel for him as a person (which may have been unavoidable, it was repeatedly emphasized how private he and his wife were about personal stuff) - BUT I found it to be a fascinating look into many of the social and political movements he was a part of and definitely well worth reading.
~ remreader (bluesky)
Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry
That was a really fun read!
~ lem0mb0iii
The Lionhearts by Mike Lawrence
Two boys team up with their former hero grandparents to rescue their parents from a group who are up to no good. Enjoyed this. Looks like a fun start to a new series.
~ killerweasel
The Great Orchid Heist by Eleanor Vendrell
It was cute but unfortunately not something that has particularly stuck with me! Maybe I need to be more garden-pilled.
~ Highwaystars
Viper by Bex Hogan
In my nautical era so this kinda hit. Extra cute because I borrowed it from my husband's younger sister. Fun enough adventure book! Excited for rest of trilogy
~ Highwaystars
Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi
This one was a slog for me. I don't really need to be reading a whole story from the pov of an ignorant colonizer to learn about unbalanced power relationships 🫠🫠🫠 how are these stories still getting awards lol
~ Highwaystars
A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou
I didn't know I felt so strongly against publishing fanfic until I read this. It feels kinda icky to make a whole story with so much clearly lifted from OFMD and pretend it's an original work. Womp womp.
~ Highwaystars
Klara and the Sun (2021) by Kazuo Ishiguro
I wanted to read it as soon as Taika became the screenwriter and director. Thinking about OFMD as I read and a fun thing that stood out was the mention of a “Jenkins Report” (although I don’t know what it is). Anyway…
There’s an overall sadness, due to loneliness and grief, and each reveal is delayed. Unhappy with the past, worried about the future. There is illness that makes the present unfulfilling.
Josie’s friend, Ricky, is referred to as “unlifted.” Since it’s deemed a privilege, he doesn’t have the same prospects in life as Josie and her other friends.
In OFMD 1-01, Olu said, “we don't do this because we like it. We do it because... we don't have any other choice.”
There is an “interaction meeting.” It’s just a social gathering, but Rick says it’s a meeting for “lifted kids.”
JOSIE: The AF who lives in the house usually attends. Especially if they're new like you. They'll all want to inspect you.
KLARA: So Josie would wish me to be present.
JOSIE: Sure I want you to be present. It might not be so great for you though. These meetings stink and that's the truth.
In OFMD 1-05, Ed learns about passive aggression…
STEDE: Pirates, they attack with force. The upper crust, they strike with cutting remarks disguised as politeness.
Ed: That's fսkking diabolical.
STEDE: It is.
Frenchie brings in an invitation he found “to some kind of fancy party for hoity-toity people.” Stede reads it’s for a “stuffy, swanky formal affair tonight,” and Ed is intrigued…
ED: We may as well, maybe, just go. Give me a chance to practice my massive aggression.
STEDE: Passive aggression.
ED: Passive aggression. I know.
STEDE: Well, I think you'll hate it. It's just a whole bunch of posh nobs hobnobbing with other posh nobs, drinking champagne, and exchanging glances, and talking about nonsense. Fashion, all that kind of stuff.
ED: We're going.
~ Cindyb5
What Feasts at Night, T. Kingfisher
I was really excited to find out that the Sworn Soldier books existed, I thought it was just "What Moves the Dead," which I read awhile ago. This was a super fun and creepy read as expected. It takes a lot for me to enjoy a first person narrator, but Alex Easton is such a good character that I enjoy getting in their head. This is my least favorite of the three books, but it was still a really enjoyable adventure.
~ michellethestan
What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher
I am obsessed with this book. The combination of horror and absurdity and folklore was just perfect. Without giving anything away, the new character introduced was so ridiculously good and strange, I didn't want the story to end. I have a soft spot for Appalachian folklore and it was great to see Alex Easton grappling with that world.
~ michellethestan
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai
It feels like forever ago since I read a whole graphic novel! Loved the bright green colours in this. This is definitely a genre I am not used to so the slow pace kinda took me by surprise, lol, but maybe I will keep up with the series!
~ Highwaystars
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
It is a really weird and idiosyncratic book, in a good way. Also unexpectedly funny at times! And gay. People are not joking about that. I enjoyed the poetic language in a lot of it, and the pithy way Melville likes to end his chapters. Now I need to go to Nantucket.
~ SpaceCadetGlow
Pseudotooth by Verity Holloway
Dreamy portal fantasy that blurs realities, with distinct and unique characters. Themes of illness/disability, trauma, and memory. The kind of lush and vivid sensory descriptions that I love in fiction. Highly recommended!
~ SpaceCadetGlow
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