Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! It’s our first WR post of May 2024. Here’s what we’re reading at SBTB HQ:

Lara: Shana inspired me with an idea to get out of a reading slump. I’ve returned to a series that is totally different to what I had been trying to read: GA Aiken’s dragon series. I’m currently devouring How to Drive a Dragon Crazy ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s a bloodthirsty, lusty adventure. Finally I can settle into a book and actually want to read it to the end.

Sarah: No one writes over the top shifters like Aiken/Laurenston.

Lara: She is in a class entirely of her own.

Sarah: I am torn between audiobooks and am sampling them all, a buffet that likely will create some very strange dreams. I’m starting The Night Raven by Sarah Painter ( A | BN | K | AB ) – The Ward Witch is a related book in the same world, but the Raven series came first. I’m also going to listen to Death in the Spires by KJ Charles ( A | BN | K ), and Marple: Twelve New Mysteries, an anthology of remixes.

Elyse: I’m re-reading Remarkably Bright Creatures ( A | BN | K | AB ) for book club and crying over the mortality of a fictional octopus

Oh I just downloaded The Ward Witch! ( A | BN | K ) You’ll have to let me know what you think, Sarah.

Sarah: I liked it a lot! Very atmospheric, and a really neat mix of spooky, weird, and sweet.

Shana: I finished The Marquis Who Mustn’t by Courtney Milan a few days ago and I’m obsessed by how much I loved it. I even convinced my mom to read it (which hopefully won’t be weird once she gets to the sex).

Now I’m reading Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola on audiobook and I love it just as much! Although, as a contemporary enemies to lovers romance with British college students it couldn’t be more different. Maybe it’s the banter in both? I’m a sucker for banter.

Claudia: I also taking a page from reading something radically different to combat at reading slump! I’m reading T. Kingfisher’s The Saint of Steel series, and I’m on the third book, Paladin’s Hope. ( A | BN | K )

Sarah: Update: Marple: Twelve New Mysteries in audio is EXTREMELY GREAT. Alex Kingston, Adjoa Andog, Miriam Margolyes, and others are reading the stories. I’m SO HAPPY.

Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!

Hello, everyone! I’m back and big thanks to Sarah for driving the Whatcha Reading party bus in my absence. I loaded up my ereader and my Libro.fm app for my long flights and of course, barely did any reading. Ain’t that just the way.

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Shana: I’ve been reading Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar ( A | BN | K ) on audiobook. I’m halfway in and loving it so far! It’s got two of my favorite tropes: a fake engagement and grumpy/sunshine. There’s a lot of kindness and I am completely in love with both the main characters.

Elyse: I’m reading A Letter to the Luminous Deep. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a slowly unfolding epistolary romance with mystery elements and it’s so lovely that I’m reading it slowly and just savoring the beauty of the writing.

Lara: I just read You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian ( A | BN | K ) and it wasn’t my favourite of hers which makes me a bit sad. It’s getting rave reviews elsewhere so this might be a me thing.

I’m currently reading The Hunter’s Daughter by Nicola Solvinic and so far it’s a really interesting mystery with the potential of a romantic subplot. But it’s early days yet.

Sarah: I am listening to The Ward Witch ( A | BN | K ) after so many people recommended it in the comments this week (thank you). And I’m reading Persephone in Bloom ( A | BN | K ) via KU, a recommended series from the podcast discord.

Whatcha reading, friends? Tell us about it in the comments!

Hey y’all! I’m driving the Whatcha Reading? bus this week, as Amanda is traveling the globe.

Spring has SPROINGED around me. This is a picture I took recently of my neighbor’s camellia (I think that’s a camellia) against the sky. In a truly dorky move, I’m trying to match the colors for a quilt in progress because I love blue, green, and pink together.

Here’s what’s on the currently-reading list at SBTB HQ – with a mild TW for some discussion of depression.

Elyse: It’s FINALLY spring here so I assume it’s my brain telling me to get outside. I downloaded the audio of Ghost Station by SA Barnes   to accompany me on walks.

Lara: I’m struggling to find a book that sticks around. I’m DNFing pretty often lately.

Elyse:  I think I’ve started and put down 5 books this month. My brain is tired and restless.

Lara: I need a word that describes the unsettling sadness of not being able to find joy in reading because none of the books you pick up are hitting the spot.

Elyse: Rich calls it “book ennui.”

Sneezy: Well now!!! I’m stealing that. My book ennui is making me appear saintly while I shelve my books. (Yes, aftershocks [from the earthquake in Taiwan] are still being drama llamas, but fuck it I want my floor space back.)

Sarah: My brain is restless, too! The book that seems to be tempting my brain the most is Happy Medium by Sarah Adler ( A | BN | K ), because I can’t stop thinking about it.

Lara: The book I’m currently trying is Gator Queen by Tara Lush ( A | BN | K ). I think it’s a comedy but it’s very early days yet.

Susan:  It’s seasonal depression new years for me, so I’m listening to the audiobook of Dana K. White’s How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind ( A | BN | K ) while I try to unfuck my house from its depression pit state.

I find her stuff great for helping me not focus on the shame of letting things get this bad, because her attitude is “whatever you do is progress.”

  Sarah: Oh, heck. I hate the depression pit and I’m sorry you’re there.

Susan: Thank you, it sucks here!  I’m doing the most scattershot job of sorting things out and booking workmen, but it’s progress.

Tara: I’ve been reading A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland ( A | BN | K ) and it’s beautifully written.

It takes place in the 1800s in Nova Scotia and is a sapphic retelling of the folk tale The Selkie Wife. It has a romance, but is not a romance, and has a gothic vibe to it.

Some of you might be wondering if it has a happy ending or not, because queer stories in this era are often heartbreaking.

Shana: I’m reading Shadowlands Omega by Elizabeth Stephens. ( A | BN | K )

It’s a standalone in a dark fantasy romance series and I spent the first chapter flailing about trying to figure out the world building. But I got totally sucked in and now I’m having trouble doing anything else but read this book. It comes out April 18.

Also, the heroine is bald which is delightful!

Kiki:  I’m listening to The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). I tried one of the other books in this series before and was put off by what felt like a very bad ratio of internal narration vs actual conversation between the characters, but I’m liking this one better so far.

Sneezy: I’m rereading Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage on Tappytoon. I forgot how funny it is!

The main story is completed and smutty versions of the side stories that are coming out alongside the non-smut version. Fellow Smut Demons, please note you HAVE TO buy the smut chapters from a separate link and all smut is only available on browser. If you buy the wrong chapter, you’ll have to pay twice!

What about you? Whatcha reading? Tell us everything in the comments! 

It’s our last Whatcha Reading of the month! There are five weekends this March, and that tends to throw some scheduling off.

Sarah: I’m about to start The Duchess by Sophie Jordan, ( A | BN | K ) part of the Scandalous Ladies of London series. I’m curious on levels: first, this sounds like it will include an exploration of social power and the leveraging thereof, and two, I want to see if I can read a historical, as it’s been awhile.

Elyse: For me, historicals are comfort reads probably because that’s how I started reading romance. I just picked up Icebreaker ( A | BN | K ) to see what the social media hype is about.

Lara: I’m reading Emily Henry’s upcoming one: Funny Story. I gotta say, I’m charmed! Full review pending.

Sarah, please let us know how you get on with that book. I very nearly picked it up.

Carrie: I’m delighting in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. ( A | BN | K )

Shana: I’m reading Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert. ( A | BN | K ) It’s an angsty novella that I’ve never read before.

Tara: I just finished London Ever After by Clare Lydon. ( A | BN | K ) It’s the final in a series all set in London and it was a sweet way to cap off everything. I also liked that it shows someone’s journey becoming a drag king, which I haven’t seen in sapphic romance before.

Sarah: OH Hell Yeah!

Sneezy: I recently finished Mystic Prince on webtoon and I’m just awashed in feels.

Whatcha reading this month? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Hey there! It’s time for our first Whatcha Reading of the month. This is where we invite you to tell us what books you’re reading or finishing right now.

Here’s how we’re kicking off our own month of reading:

Sarah: I read Night for Day ( A | BN | K ) in two days and really liked it. If you like fantasy and mythology and escape rooms you’ll like this I think.

Next is the new Veronica Speedwell, ( A | BN | K ) which I have an audio ARC for (thank you thank you thank you) and I am Very Excited.

Elyse: I have been waiting for The Devil and Mrs. Davenport ( A | BN )to come out and it was released today so I’ll start that at lunch.

Claudia: I’m on to the second Alexandra Vasti novella, among other stuff, and loving it!

That’s In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint

Tara: I just finished Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton ( A ) and it’s the first book to make me cry in a very long time. It has a lawyer and her celebrity client falling in love, but my lawyer friend assures me that the situation is handled ethically. This will probably be one of my faves this year.

Sarah: I and my dragon stitchalong cross stitch are delighted to inform you that the new Veronica Speedwell is a cracking good time.

Most especially in audio. They are delectable as audiobooks.

Shana: I’m listening to the audiobook of Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle and it is just delightful. The hero is the greenest of green flags! He’s a teenage boy who’s the caregiver for his chronically ill mom, is a consent checking superstar, and plans dates more thoughtful than most grown men.

Carrie: I am about a third of the way through Fathomfolk. ( A | BN | K ) Love the setting and concept. Struggling to stay engaged with characters and plot.

Sneezy: The English translation of Only Hope season 2 is just coming out and hooooooooohhhh boy. Messy and intense and hot right out of the gate. Didn’t expect shades of dark romance in this one.

I’m normally not a suspense reader, but… I didn’t read the signs and now I have to know what happens.

Lara: I’m reading My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long ( A | BN | K ) and is it scorching me, not just because the lust is palpable, but because it feels so genuinely real. I am being allowed to look in as two very real people fall in confused love. It’s unlike any book I’ve read before.

So whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is our second and last one of February 2024. How are you ending the month?

Shana: I’m reading Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a Ramadan-Christmas-Hanukkah romcom set in a Canadian small town. I really love that it takes place in 2000, because there’s lots of cultural easter eggs to enjoy.

Lara: I just finished The Martian by Andy Weir ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) and it was completely different to my usual reading. Truly an action movie in book form.

Sarah: I am starting Night for Day by Roselle Lim, ( A | BN | K ) because the Ladyhawke vibes are very effective on me, it turns out

Claudia: DNF’ed The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George ( A | BN | K ) even though the synopsis was right up my alley, boo for me! I’m reading Alexandra Vasti’s In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation and really enjoying it so far.

Sarah: Oh I started that too! It’s very fun.

Claudia: Definitely stayed up too late last night!

Sarah: It’s so lively!!

Tara: I recently finished Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter, ( A | BN | K ) which is now my favourite romcom ever. The cover doesn’t do it justice at all, even if it’s showing items from the story.

Susan: I started reading NeuroQueer by CJ DeBarra, ( A | BN ) because the intersection of queerness and neurodivergence is where I live. Still only in the intro though, so I can’t say much about it yet

Elyse: I’m about halfway through To Cage a God. ( A | BN | K ) It’s reminiscent of the Grisha series but sapphic.

Whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

Welcome to Whatcha Reading! It’s our first one of the month and we want to hear about which books are at the top of your TBR pile.

Elyse: I’m reading Where the Dead Wait, ( A | BN | K ) which a horror novel about arctic exploration that includes cannibalism, so it feels weird to say it’s just incredibly beautifully written. If you like horror it’s a must read.

Lara: I’m reading At First Spite by Olivia Dade. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a bit silly that it’s taken me this long to pick up one of her books. So far, I’m really enjoying it! Full review forthcoming!

Claudia: I just finish Jane and Edward, a Jane Eyre retelling set in modern-day Toronto, and liked it quite a bit.

Carrie: I am reading The Course of History: Ten Meals that Changed the World ( A | BN | K ) and it is delightful.

Sarah: I’m reading Unlearning Shame ( A | BN | K ) and listening to it when I’m cooking or stitching. Wow. WOW. It’s good.

Tara: Ooh, I forgot it’s that day! Excuse me while I run to Audible now.

I’m still only in the prologue, but I’m reading You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden. ( A | BN | K ) The title is real cute and I’m kind of hoping it’s inspired by You’ve Got Mail, but I’m not sure yet.

So whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading? As we close out January (already?!), we want to hear what you’ve been reading, the good or the bad.

Sarah: Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold! ( A | BN | K ) New Penric new Penric!

Penric and Desdemona makes me remember Catherine fondly, too, since she and I talked to McMaster Bujold in a podcast episode about this series. I love that the series is her retirement and I hope she’s still having a good time writing them.

Elyse: I’m reading House of Sky and Breath ( A | BN | K )

Tara: Not in the Plan by Dana Hawkins. I’m not very far, but I’m enjoying it. Owner of a coffee shop that’s close to closing inspires an author with big time writer’s block.

Carrie: I’m about halfway through Marry Me By Midnight. I love the premise and author’s note but I’m having a hard time with the characters.

Shana: What is it called when you read a bunch of books in a row and you hate all of them? It’s not a slump, but it’s not fun either. Anyway, Sarah reminded me that I’ve been hoarding Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAllister. ( A | BN ) I just started it and the curse has been broken!

Claudia: I’m still on a slump…

Lara: I’ve just started Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs ( A | BN | K ) and I’m really enjoying it. It’s an unusual magic world which makes for fun reading.

Maya: I’m listening to That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming and narrated by Hazel Addison. I love that Hazel Addison chose to go with a southern accent, but I’m struggling a bit with the subplot about slavery. I got this book because it was on a list of cozy fantasies, but for me, it’s a bit hard to get cozy vibes while there is slavery involved.

Whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

It’s our first Whatcha Reading of 2024! Are you starting off strong or taking a more casual approach to your TBR pile?

Sarah: I’m listening to the Kurland St. Mary Mystery series by Catherine Lloyd, which I learned about in the December 2015 issue of RT. We’re talking about it in this week’s episode, in fact. BUT. BUT!

I learned about book three. So like a weirdo I started with book one, and then listened to book two. Now I’ve arrived at the book reviewed in the Dec issue, and it’s an Audible Exclusive and I’m so annoyed. I cancelled my audible membership last year because there are only three series of audiobooks that I re-listen to, and using credits to “own” audiobooks I won’t listen to again seemed wasteful when I could borrow from the library.

I’m so peeved.

Carrie: I just finished reading The Hidden Language of Cats by Sarah Brown. ( A | BN | K ) My big takeaway from it was that we don’t know much about the hidden language of cats. But it was written in a funny, conversational style, speculation was noted as such, and I did pick up a few things. My cats seem unimpressed by my new techniques.

Elyse: I just finished The Scarlet Alchemist and it’s so amazingly good, but it ends on a cliffhanger and the sequel won’t be out until late this year.

Shana: I had a lot going on in December so I’m celebrating holiday romance season in January, instead. I just finished Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell ( A | BN ) which has more sex scenes than any other Hanukkah romance I’ve read this year. Now I’m reading Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a f/f enemies to lovers romance and there’s a lot of snow. I think Tara might have recommended it, and I love it so far so I’m happy to give her credit.

Lara: My best friend has influenced me to read Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series ( A | BN | K ) and I’m absolutely hooked.

Kiki: I’m reading Once Bitten by Heather Guerre and have been openly weeping for the last hour or so reading it. It’s the third book is the Tooth and Claw series, all of which have been phenomenal, but this one is…wow. I haven’t been this emotionally destroyed in a long time.

Susan: I’m reading Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding, ( A | BN | K ) and… Hm. Can I put it down? No. Am I enjoying it? I don’t know! I wasn’t expecting the unrelenting twenty-six consecutive chapters of trauma.

This is absolutely a me problem, I keep forgetting that thrillers aren’t structured like mysteries. The trauma needs to be explained up front so I understand where the characters are coming from, rather than revealed in the endgame to recontextulise the story up to that point

…Or something.

How are you kicking off your reading this year? Sound off in the comments!

It’s our last Whatcha Reading of 2023! Can you believe it?! Here’s what we’re reading right now:

…

Sarah: I started the The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport ( A | BN | K ) and it is terrific so far.

Shana: I just finished Love in the Liner Notes by Katta Kis. It gave me a taste for angst so I’m reading Unnatural Fate by JR Gray. ( A ) It’s a m/m fated mates romance between a werewolf and a vampire on opposite sides of a war. So far, there’s a lot of hate sex.

Sarah: You know like nine different people read “a lot of hate sex” and immediately opened a new tab.

Shana: I hope they also like pining and moping!

Sneezy: I fell HARD into Bad Decisions Book Club when I started Guardians of the Lamb. I skipped a bunch of chapters (there are 150+ and counting so far) and I still did next to nothing over the weekend. It’s a thriller mystery, there is so much violence, murder and mayhem, there’s memory loss and cults, the art blows my mind, it needs ALL THE CONTENT WARNINGS and I have such a massive book hangover already I’m still basically a zombie.

This is SO far outside my reading zone, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here. But it’s SO well done and I just HAVE to know what happens. It’s so good it beat out several webtoons I’ve been reading throughout the year for top three in my Best to Me in 2023 list.

Also this comic goes to show how bogus the no-sex rule is for phone apps. This webtoon is extremely violent, but because there’s no sex depected, it can be read on phone apps. I think stories like this with so much violence and gnarly content needs careful handling MUCH more than a fluffy smut.

Elyse: I’m currently in the midst of pre-holiday, down to the wire, gift knitting so I haven’t been reading much. I did listen to Hogfather by Terry Pratchett this weekend in the car on the way to and from family gatherings

Tara: I’ve been listening to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte. I could do without some of his asides, but I’m learning a lot! It makes me want to go back to the dinosaur museum that’s a few hours away from me.

Sarah: Y’all have some SRS BSNS dinosaurs in Canada, too.

Tara: Oh for sure. And Alberta’s politics might suck, but our dinosaur museum is legit awesome and a must-see if you’re ever in the province.

What books are you reading to close out 2023? Tell us in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading? Here’s how we’re starting December:

Tara: I’m reading a very cute f/f holiday romance novella called A Flight to Love by Frankie Fyre. ( A ) It has a second chance situation and the leads are going to be stranded in an airport together. I’ve heard good things and so far it’s delivering.

Sarah: I’m listening to A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher ( A | BN | K | AB ) based on a recommendation from a podcast listener who said it made their year very happy indeed.

Elyse: I’m reading The Fiction Writer. A wealthy man hires a struggling author to ghost write a book for him. He claims he has proof Daphne du Maurier stole his grandma’s story when she wrote Rebecca.

Sarah: I also just realized that I have about four different TBR lists in different apps and locations and I need to figure that problem out.

Shana: Can I guess where they all live? In a spreadsheet, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and a little pink notebook that you carry next to your heart.

Sarah: All digital, alas! Spreadsheet, another spreadsheet tab I mistakenly started, wishlist on Libby, favorites on hoopla, and probably stashed somewhere else too

Kiki: The idea of having a coherent TBR of any form sounds like a mystical, magical dream that I dare not ever dream

Lara: I tried to love Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer ( A | BN | K ) but in the opening pages there’s wasn’t enough description for me to create the scene in my head so my brain replaced it with the setting and cast of Despicable Me. Then I couldn’t get into it being a romance at all. (I’ve never watched Despicable Me, so I’m not sure why my brain subbed that in). Then I read the utterly charming A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen. historical mystery with a touch of romance. Lovely stuff (with content warnings for racism and bigotry).

Shana: I just finished Mickey Chambers Shakes it Up by Charish Reid ( A | BN | K ) and damn, this might be in the running for my favorite romance of 2023. It’s such a sweet love story between an adjunct professor who takes a bartending job to make ends meet and the hot zaddy bar owner who is a) taking her class and b) extremely good at cunnilingus. The double power dynamic works so well!

Carrie: I just started my annual re-read of Hogfather by Terry Pratchett!

I reviewed it during a re-read back in 2014 and I still re-read at least some of it every year.

Elyse: Rich does too!

Kiki: I’m also doing a re-read! I’m just starting Erica Ridley’s One Night with a Duke, ( A | BN | K ) which is an interracial historical and is very Christmas-y and winter-y and light. Very much the mood I want to be in right now!

Whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading? Here’s how we’re wrapping up November:

Lara: I just started Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban ( A | BN | K ) and so far I’m charmed!

Shana: I’ve been wanting to read that, Lara!

I just finished Game On by Seressia Glass. ( A | BN | K ) It’s about a gamer and who streams her scathing critique of a game that lacks racial diversity…and the hot, nerdy CEO of the game company who responds to the public rebuke by enlisting her help in diversifying the company’s offerings. I’m not a gamer, but I loved this book so hard!

Sarah: So System Collapse came out on the 14th and I’ve read it twice now – once in print and then the audiobook. Kevin R. Free does a superb job of the narration, and there were jokes I missed the first time reading through that I caught in audio.

Elyse: I’m getting caught up on Harper St. George’s Gilded Age Heiresses before her new series comes out next year. I’m reading The Duchess Takes a Husband.

I’m very much in a gilded age mood since I started watching The Buccaneers.

Sarah: Have you watched The Gilded Age aka Real Housewives of 1882?

Elyse: I have been yes!

Sarah: How do you like it?

Elyse: It’s ridiculous and fun.

Amanda: A new series by Harper St. George?!

Claudia: Oh that is news to me too! Meanwhile I’m on a reading lull.

Tara: I’m reading a really cute f/f holiday romance called Make Her Wish Come True by A.L. Brooks. ( A ) It has a single mom and a woman who’s recently finished raising her sister.

Whatcha reading right now? Let us know!

Welcome to November! A brand new month of reading! Here’s how we’re kicking things off:

Lara: I just finished the utterly delightful Alis Hawkins book, A Bitter Remedy. ( A | BN | K ) Historical mystery with a fearsome female protagonist. Yes please!

Tara: I’m reading Tempted by the Bollywood Star by Sophia Singh Sasson and I’m really enjoying it! It’s a second-chance f/f romance between a closeted Bollywood star and a Hollywood producer, a decade after their initial kick at romance. I’m finding it especially fun because I’ve watched more than a dozen Hindi films this year, so I’m already fan casting one of the leads. CW for homophobia, but I find it makes a lot of sense and isn’t gratuitous a quarter of the way in.

Susan: I’m rereading The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco ( A | BN | K ) and it’s still so good. Okiku’s semi-omniscient perspective and the way the layout of words changes with her narration makes me so happy. And the chapters where Rin Chupeco just goes all in on the horror are amazing! Super evocative and disturbing.

Sarah: I just read System Collapse ( A | BN | K ) and have a happy book hangover. A big one.

Shana: I gobbled up Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom ( A | BN | K ) and it was definitely my favorite poetry book that I’ve read this year.

Whatcha reading, folks? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is where we talk about…well, what we’ve been reading. Pretty self-explanatory!

Claudia: I’ve started Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston. ( A | BN | K ) I heard good things about it so I’m excited.

Lara: I read two books this weekend. A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley ( A | BN | K ) which I’ll need a whole review to unpack my feelings on because they’re so mixed. Then I absolutely devoured Katee Robert’s Hunt on Dark Waters. ( A | BN | K ) I’m an absolute sucker for a pirate adventure romance.

Elyse: I was just about to start a new book and my friend asked me to please read the door fucking book and report back, but I’m not sure I can handle it.

Unhinged by Vera Valentine

Lara: Handle it… ba-dum-tish.

Shana: I’m on an Amish romance streak this month. I just finished Their Secret Courtship by Emma Miller, ( A | BN | K ) which was surprisingly feminist. The heroine doesn’t want to give up her gardening business to get married and is tempted by the delicious freedom afforded to women in her cute Mennonite neighbor’s church.

So whatcha reading? What books are wrapping up your reading month?

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re kicking off October:

Claudia: I’m reading A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles, after weeks of waiting for my library copy to drop. It’s book 2 of her new series and I’m glad to be back to the marsh (posh side) now.

Lara: I’m trying to get myself back on track with my reading challenge after a major diversion into Alice Coldbreath territory. So I’m reading a palate cleanser: the first book in the Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg series by Fred Vargas. ( A | BN | K | G ) It’s quirky and odd and utterly charming.

Sarah: I’ve been listening to The Belle of Belgrave Square, which is read by two narrators, something I don’t always enjoy but works very well in this case because the chapters switch POV between the heroine and the hero. I thought I’d downloaded it for a recent plane trip, and I was in midair when I noticed it hadn’t, and I was SO BUMMED not to be able to continue listening!

Claudia: I’d be curious about your thoughts on some of the resolution once you get to the end!

Kiki: I’m listening to A Fatal Thing Happened On the Way To The Forum by Emma Southon which is about murder in Ancient Rome and is interesting (even as someone who never thinks about the Roman Empire) and funny. I love when nonfiction authors are able to make their personality shine through the facts of something they’ve dedicated their life to studying and Southon is really good at that. She’s serious when it’s called for in talking about Rome as a slave state and snarky when comparing whiny men of old to whiny men of today.

Elyse: I’m reading Night of the Witch ( A | BN | K ) and I’m really enjoying it so far

Maya: I’m reading Stolen Wealth, Hidden Power: The Case for Reparations for Mass Incarceration by Tasseli McKay. ( A | BN | K ) I just did a panel with Tasseli about her book and she’s brilliant and wonderful. I’m also reading Creep by Myriam Gurba. ( A | BN | K ) I continue to adore how she writes!

Shana: That sounds so good, Maya! I just finished some delightfully improbable tentacle smut by Rianne Burnett. Now I’m reading The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian. I’m pretty confused, probably because I didn’t read the first book in the series.

Lara: Oh no, Shana! I read the first book in that series and I was still confused when reading the second because I’d forgotten the detail from the first. The two need to be read really close together, I find

Sneezy: I’ve restarted Moonrise by the Cliff

The art is beautiful and the story well done so far. When I tried to read it before, the story made me too anxious. Maybe I’ll need to circle back again, but so far I’m loving it

Susan: I accidentally fell into a Baldur’s Gate 3 pit but I’m dragging myself out to read volume two of I Want to Be a Wall! It’s a lavendar marriage between a gay man and an asexual woman, and it manages to be both melancholy and so funny that my partner came to check on me because I was laughing so hard.

So, whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

 

 

 

 

 

We’re wrapping up September with our second Whatcha Reading. We want to know what you’re reading to close out the month.

Elyse:  I’ve been knitting more than reading lately, but I did just start Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone. ( A | BN | K )

Sarah: I have been listening to a book that KJ Charles recommended on the podcast – definitely not a romance: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer. He has a year to collect 100 souls for the devil so he can get his soul back (lack of a soul interfering with his science experiments you know) and has to do so by running a traveling carnival.

Elyse: I LOVE the Cabal series so hard.

One of my favorites.

Sarah: I was struggling to get into it at the beginning but Johannes is signing souls or whatever it is he does and I’m intrigued. The narrator for the audio is terrific.

Elyse: The second book is my favorite. Let me know when you get to the origami swan.

Sarah: The wat.

Shana: I just finished A Match for Bernadette by Parker J. Cole. ( A ) It’s an inspirational romance with a Quaker heroine which isn’t a genre I read often, but it was just the easy and short read that I needed. I adore mail order bride romances and it’s hard to find ones featuring women of color. Now I’m celebrating Sapphic September by starting Can’t Let Her Go by Kiana Alexander.

Sneezy: I had vertigo last week, of probably the inner ear imbalance variety, so I couldn’t lie on my side and only barely look at screens. And it turns out I got overstimulated easily, even though I was bored! A French podcast about baking turns out to be just the right amount, where I was only catching snatches of words here and there and can dream about cake. Not being able to understand most of what was being said kept the dreams vague and fluffy enough that they didn’t set off my nausea. Papilles by Léa Reverdy saw me through!

The idea came from Catherine, actually. She suggested I watch a French baking show that had no subs to practice listening for the rhythm of French while enjoying beautiful food porn. So not applied as intended, but that’s where the idea to listen to something in a foreign-to-me language came from. Since there are so many languages in the world, this trick will always be available! Thanks Catherine!

Now that I can have more screen time, I’ve of course been rolling around in webtoons again!

This story isn’t free of angst, but it starts off really cute and slightly ridiculous. I love the art! It’s a simpler style, softer colours, and the artist/artist team uses both very cleverly, I think.

Lara: I should be reading the next book for my international reading challenge, but I keep losing myself in Alice Coldbreath novels. Alpha men who are humbled by the love of a woman. I’m hooked.

Tara: I’ve been listening to Deep Work by Cal Newport, to see if it could help me focus better, but based on the names he’s dropping throughout, I’m expecting it to show up on a future episode of the If Books Could Kill podcast.

Sarah: Oooh it will I’m nearly certain.

The thing about Cal is that he can do all this deep work because he’s not doing any of the unnamed forms of labor. He’s offloaded that to other people.

Susan: I’m in the middle of Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, which is both very good and very stressful.

I love Lily discovering her queerness in 1950s San Francisco! It’s just that between the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare, and the social pressure on her, it constantly feels like there’s another shoe about to drop.

Tara: That’s why I couldn’t finish that one. Beautifully written, made me too anxious.

So, whatcha reading? Let us know!

September is here and that means it’s time for a new Whatcha Reading! We want to hear how you’re kicking off this month, reading-wise.

Lara: I’ve returned to old habits and am reading multiple books at once. I’m about halfway through Therese Beharrie’s Ghost in Shining Armor ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s charming! And then coming in hot, I’m starting Book Lovers by Emily Henry ( A | BN | K | AB ) for my book club. It’ll be my first Emily Henry book!

Shana: I just finished The Second You’re Single by Cara Tanamachi. It’s a cute rom-com but had some weird diet culture stuff. And now I’ve started Kyr by Nikki Clarke, ( A ) which is a sci fi romance about a woman stranded on another planet. Luckily there’s a hot bird dude.

Tara: I just finished Aubrey Gordon’s latest book, “You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People. ( A | BN | K ) It was so, so good. Full of research, but still accessible, clearly laying out how anti-fatness is systemic and with specific recommendations for action for each chapter.

Sarah: She is such a fantastic writer and speaker. I really like listening to her think out loud or debunk things because her insight into a completely radical way of thinking has taught me a lot. Especially as someone who was a teenager in the 90s (to say nothing of the 2000s my gosh).

Tara: Same, same. I want to gift a copy of this to every person I’ve ever met. In lieu of that, I’m telling anyone who will listen to go read it.

Sarah: I am reading The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter – the chapters are VERY short and very fast so it’s a high-octane read, which means I don’t want to read it before bed because it isn’t a winding-down kind of book at the moment. I’m also re-reading Network Effect by Martha Wells. Did you know it’s really good and has Murderbot in it?

Susan: I’m rereading The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window ( A | BN | K | AB ) because I was sure that I misremembered the characters orgasmically touching souls, and yet I had not. After this I’m planning to dive into rereading Jeannie Lin’s Lotus Palace series because I have an absolute craving

Carrie: I am reading The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin ( A | BN | K ) which is a biography of Nelly Ternan.

Sneezy: The third season of Under the Oak Tree is back and AAAAAHHHHH MAXIMILIAN’S FIRST FEMME FRIEND! LEARNING MORE MAGIC! THE ART IS SO GOOD!

Whatcha reading this month? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! It’s our last one for August.

Here’s what we’re capping off the month with:

Lara: I’m more forgiving when comes to rereading books from the keeper shelf, especially when they divert from my current tastes. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder has more violence in it than I usually like now, some asshole behavior from the male lead, and less focus on the romance, but I adore this book. And rereading it always brings me joy.

Sarah: I am reading Lavender’s Blue, ( A | BN | K ) the new Jennifer Cruise (!!!) And Bob Mayer mystery. I can’t quite articulate what I think yet. In some ways my brain feels like I am putting on clothing from two jobs ago that fit but is strange and familiar at the same time.

Shana: I just started Praise by Sara Cate, ( A | BN ) an erotic romance where the heroine gets together with her asshole ex boyfriend’s hot dad. It came highly recommend as an age gap romance that will convert me into loving the trope. We will see.

Elyse: I just started Fourth Wing ( A | BN | K ) to see if it lives up to the hype.

Whatcha reading, everyone? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is where we gab about what we’ve been reading lately and we invite you to do the same!

Claudia: I’ve just started Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman, ( A | BN | K ) which is a Cinderella retelling in London’s Jewish community in the 1830s!

Lara: I’ve just finished the first book for my reading challenge – All In by Simona Ahrnstedt and I loved it! Will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Shana: I just finished Role Playing by Cathy Yardley ( A | BN ) thanks to Kiki’s recommendation. I absolutely adored every cozy, video-game-loving, middle-aged introverts in love moment. Then I started The Stand-up Groomsman by Jackie Lau on audiobook and it wasn’t working for me. But since I switched to an ebook, I’ve been devouring it.

Elyse: I started Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova yesterday at the beach. So far I’m really liking it.

The heroine is the lead singer of a girl group who grew up in show business. She’s finally taking some time off and goes “undercover” as a merch girl for another band to appreciate a more normal life, then of course has feelings for the lead singer.

Whatcha reading? We want to hear all about it in the comments!