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Currently reading: What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

This is the second book in the Sworn Soldier series, following What Moves the Dead, and I have to say I think I’m enjoying it even more.

T. Kingfisher books are always short and fun and spooky in the best ways, and What Feasts at Night is no exception. Alex Easton and Miss Potter and Angus are such fun characters.

As a side note, I must admit that the US covers of the Sworn Soldier books are way cooler than the UK ones, which are the ones we get over here in Australia.

#so many posts in the last week! #I’m reading lots because it’s the holidays and Autumn is here in earnest #Which means tea and candles and books #t kingfisher #what feasts at night #what moves the dead #sworn soldier #books #bookblr #book recommendations #currently reading #book review

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Currently reading: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H.

I’ve waited for over a year for my library to get this book in, and I’m so excited to finally be reading it. Hijab Butch Blues is a complex memoir about Lamya’s experiences as a queer Muslim, and how they’ve navigated identity, belonging, and community, both in regards to their religion and sexuality. It’s helped me challenge how I view the relationship between religion and queer identity.

#bookblr #books #currently reading #hijab butch blues #lamya h #book recommendations #book review

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Just finished reading: The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith

This book will rip your heart out. It's detective fiction, but not as you know it. It's lesbian fiction, but not as you know it. It's a love story and a thriller but it's so much more than either of those things.

Aud Torvingen is going to stay with me a long time.

#books #book recommendations #currently reading #nicola griffith #the blue place #the blue place nicola griffith #aud torvingen #book review #bookblr

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Currently reading: Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

I love short stories, and Come Rain Come Shine from this collection really exemplifies everything I love about the medium; an interesting concept, lowkey unlikeable characters, and a Situation that just gets worse as the story goes on. (See also We Can Get Them For You Wholesale by Neil Gaiman)

Overall I think this is a nice little collection of stories from an accomplished author. It’s not going to be for everyone, but it’s certainly for me.

#bookblr #books #book recommendations #currently reading #kazuo ishiguro #nocturnes #short story #book review

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Currently reading: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

I stand at the window of this great house in the south of France as night falls, the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life.

There is nothing I can add to the discussion around this book that has not already been said by someone much more erudite than me. It's beautiful. Go read it.

#bookblr #book recommendations #currently reading #giovanni's room #james baldwin #books #book review #classics #penguin classics

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Currently reading: The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

I’ve waited a while to pick up the sequel to The Jasmine Throne because I felt that the first book didn’t entirely live up to the hype. Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy it, but I felt like the pacing was quite odd and very slow in places, and given that it was over 500 pages this was something of a problem. This doesn’t plague the sequel though! The Oleander Sword is well paced, beautifully written, and arguably much stronger than the first novel. So far, it’s been a joy.

#currently reading #Tasha suri #the oleander sword #the Jasmine throne #the burning kingdoms #bookblr #books #book review #book recommendations

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Currently reading: An Education In Malice by S. T. Gibson

A dark academia novel based off Carmilla, the original problematic lesbian. And oh boy, you want problematic lesbians? This book’s got plenty. It’s a quick read, I picked it up this evening and I’m already halfway though it, and it’s very atmospheric and very very sexy. Definitely check the content warnings if you’re thinking of picking it up - I don’t think anything is particular gratuitous in terms of violence/gore but there is some detailed sex and a very questionable teacher/student dynamic.

#just looking at the photo now and it really doesn’t do the gold foiling on the cover justice #An education in malice #st gibson #a dowry of blood #books #bookblr #currently reading #book recommendations #book review

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Currently reading: Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I’ve been waiting for the paperback that marches my copies of Gideon and Harrow to be released in Aus, so that I could buy a physical copy, but it’s still not in bookstore shelves and I’m impatient!! So I’m making do with a library ebook for now.

Obviously Nona the Ninth is amazing, you don’t need me to tell you that these books are absolutely mind blowing, show stopping, incredible.

#the locked tomb #gideon the ninth #Harrow the ninth #nona the ninth #books #bookblr #currently reading #book recommendations #book review #Tamsyn muir

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Currently reading: Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

#Second day reblog bc I really like this pic and had a nice time at the lake #Also my nails match the cover lol #Juniper and thorn #ava reid #bookblr #books #currently reading #book recommendations

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Currently reading: Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

#bookblr #books #currently reading #book recommendations #Juniper and thorn #ava reid #current read #read in 2024

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Currently reading: Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher

After a month spent reading the absolute masterpiece and mammoth that is Nicola Griffith’s Hild, I needed something short and sweet as something of a palette cleanser. So of course I picked up the only unread T Kingfisher book I own. I think ‘sweet’ might be something of a misnomer here, as there are sentient tattoos that will eat you, dancing rat corpses, and the main plot centres around a suicide mission. But it’s funny and the romance is silly and I’m having a good time dammit.

#bookblr #book recommendations #currently reading #t kingfisher #books #book review #clockwork boys #clocktaur war #The world of the white rat #ursula vernon

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Currently reading: Hild by Nicola Griffith

Starting the year right - with a hefty historical fantasy.

#bookblr #books #book recommendations #currently reading #Hild #nicola griffith #hild nicola griffith #menewood #menewood Nicola Griffith #the light of the world

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Top 10 books of 2023

My favourite books of 2023, in no particular order:

A House With Good Bones - T. Kingfisher I was so disappointed when this didn’t win the goodreads choice awards for horror of the year. It’s so creepy and unsettling but in a uniquely T. Kingfisher way that somehow manages to still be funny and kind of cozy.

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett Of all the Discworld books I read this year, this one was definitely my favourite. I feel like Pratchett started to find his stride in this one, which I noticed more reading chronologically. Also it’s a spoof of Macbeth, and I’m a sucker for anything with Macbeth jokes.

The Bone Season (10th Anniversary Revised Edition) - Samantha Shannon I’ve loved the Bone Season series ever since I binged it in 2021, but the first book always fell a little flat for me. This revised edition fixed all the problems I had with the original. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a really unique fantasy/dystopia.

A Day of Fallen Night - Samantha Shannon I love Priory of the Orange Tree, so I was a little hesitant about a prequel, but ADOFN somehow managed to surpass Priory. It’s a  perfect high fantasy that spans many countries and characters, and features multiple sapphic characters, as well as bisexual, asexual, and other queer folks. This was my absolute favourite book of the year.

Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg One of the most important queer novels of the last 50 years. So glad I read this.

Tell Me I'm An Artist - Chelsea Martin This book found me at just the right time. It asks what it means to be an artist, and explores the intersections between the art world and privilege, and looks at the age old question; what is art?

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir I am so late to the Locked Tomb hype, and I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up Gideon the Ninth! The Locked Tomb is quickly becoming one of my favourite fantasy series.

Heartstopper Volume 5 - Alice Oseman I waited all year for this instalment of the Heartstopper series to come out, and I devoured it in one day. Alice Oseman's work is always beautiful and heartfelt, and Volume 5 of Heartstopper is no exception.

The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson I dipped my toes into Sanderson's work for the first time this year, and I started with the Mistborn series. While the prose is not the most complex, the characters and setting are what truly drew me in. So far, The Well of Ascension is my favourite of the trilogy.

Nettle and Bone - T. Kingfisher I read six T. Kingfisher books this year, with the first one being Nettle and Bone, and it's still one of my favourites. A weird dark fairytale with goblin markets, a quest to kill a prince, grave witches, an evil puppet, and a chicken possessed by a demon. What else could you want?

#bookblr #book recommendations #books #currently reading #book review #t kingfisher #brandon sanderson #mistborn #discworld #terry pratchett #tell me i'm an artist #chelsea martin #nettle and bone #a house with good bones #the bone season #a day of fallen night #samantha shannon #stone butch blues #leslie feinberg #the roots of chaos #gideon the ninth #the locked tomb #tlt #wyrd sisters #heartstopper #alice oseman #heartstopper volume 5 #the well of ascension #wrap up

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Currently reading: Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

This is undoubtedly one of the most important queer books of the last 50 years, discussing the intersections between the lesbian and trans communities, and the experience of growing up butch in the 50s and 60s. This is the at-cost author edition, which you can order here, through Leslie’s website. It only costs you exactly what it costs to print. If you’d like to read it for free, you can access the pdf available through hir website here.

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part two of queer book recs because we need to start getting information on gay stuff outside of youtubers who can easily lie to us or plagiarize

note that i haven’t read these except christine jorgenson’s autobiography and allison bedchel’s graphic novels, the rest are either ones i’ve had recommended to me or have been cited in other things i’ve been meaning to read

#thought this probably deserves a reblog over here bc books

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Currently reading: The Bone Season (10th anniversary special edition) by Samantha Shannon

I wholeheartedly support Samantha Shannon’s decision to revise this book - the updates make it so much better and immensely improve upon both the story and the prose of the original. If you’ve been wanting to read The Bone Season, now is absolutely the time to start, as the updated editions of the later books come out in May.

This beautiful copy is The Broken Binding’s special edition, with fancy sprayed edges and a naked hardcover design that references the original covers. I’m obsessed.

#currently reading #book recommendations #bookblr #the bone season #samantha shannon #books #book review #the bone season anniversary edition

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Currently reading: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

A more accurate term here would be ‘just read’ because this book is really short, barely more than 100 pages.

Thornhedge is the story of a toad/fairy tasked with guarding a tower that houses a sleeping princess. You might think you know this story. You don’t.

It was wonderfully sweet, with Kingfisher’s trademark weirdness. Highly recommend.

#currently reading #book recommendations #t kingfisher #bookblr #books #book review #thornhedge