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checkoutmybookshelf · 1 year

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A Surprising, Cozy Comfort Read

Ok, so something that is very important to know for this post is that I do not play DnD. I have never played DnD, and I have no real desire to play DnD. So how the hell did I end up not only reading but also loving Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes? I run in a ton of circles with extremely enthusiastic TTRPG players (including but not limited to DnD, CoC, and Delta Green), so I'm at least conversant in DnD. On top of that, my theatre circles run nerdy, so very dear friends of mine have been involved in productions of Of Dice and Men by Cameron McNary and She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. To top it all off, I edit the Supplementary Case Files available to patrons and fans of The Redacted Reports: A Delta Green Podcast.

Given all that background and a desperate need for somethig genuinely cozy to read, it's not that much of a stretch that I picked up Baldree's debut. Let's talk Legends and Lattes.

This book was impressive in that it beautifully balanced the DnD conversant audience with worldbuilding and lore in such a way that even with things I didn't know, I never felt excluded from the world or the characters. I could go look things up if I wanted to (and there were a few I did, because goddamn, DnD lore is expansive, y'all), but I never felt like I had to in order to understand the story. That was an automatic plus in my book.

What was surprising to me was how much I loved Viv and Tandri and the supporting cast of characters. Viv and Tandri are complex, nuanced characters who effortlesslessly pulled me into their lives--and for a novel of supposedly low stakes, I was as invested, if not more, than I have been for life-or-death stakes. I probably shouldn't have been surprised by this, given how character-focused DnD and TTRPGS are in general, but one of my personal character arcs has been unlearning ivory tower snobbery around different types of storytelling, TTRPGS included. So I was happily surprised by how much I loved literally everyone in this book, as well as the casual but crucial representation for female characters and LGBTQ+ characters. I would extremely love to be adopted by a dire-cat.

The sense of place in this novel is also stunning, and the comfortable ambiance of everyone's favorite local coffee shop is made magical through Baldree's descriptions, word choice. And overall tone. Reading this book scratched my itch for College Coffee House (sadly defunct now) and the Roast in Alaska, my college coffee haunts, and I didn't think anything short of a trip home would do that. It's no wonder that Legends & Lattes the coffee shop was famous in Thune and the hearts and minds of readers.

As far as cozy comfort reads go, I literally do not have a better recommendation than this book.

#legends and lattes #legends & lattes #travis baldree #dungeons and dragons #a novel of high fantasy and low stakes #dnd #d & d #ttrpg #viv #coffe shop #books and novels #books and reading #books & libraries #book recommendations #cozy reads #comfort reads #cozy books

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jbk405 · 6 months

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You know how sometimes you pick up a book and are instantly sucked in? I purchased Legends & Lattes earlier today and I have already finished it. I was intrigued instantly by the descriptive blurb on the cover by Seanan McGuire: "It's sweet, beautiful, and, most of all, kind."

I needed to read a kind story.

It delivered on what it promised. This was a charming and heartfelt story that lives up to its tagline of "A novel of high fantasy and low stakes". Viv, an orc adventurer, decides to retire from her life of violence and death to open a coffee shop. That's her only goal, there is no secret treasure she wants to win or a plan to use this as a cover. Defying the preconceptions of both her species and her personal history, she resolves to start anew. She makes new friends, some of whom are likewise trying to escape the expectations of others, and others who are also just looking for small-time success and contentment.

Look, I don't drink coffee. At all. I never have. When I was a kid, even the smell made me ill (I would wait outside whenever my parents went into Starbucks). But what coffee represents for Viv, that internal peace and freedom and that ever-illusive "clean slate", makes me want to drink a cup of coffee.

The romance between Viv and Tandri, the succubus whom Viv hires as general help for her coffee shop, is adorable and manages to somehow be refreshing and new even though it's also predictable. It's refreshing and new because there is no false drama or conflict, no frustratingly cliche Third Act Misunderstanding. And it's predictable because you know from their first interaction that they're going to fall in love. You know. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Kellin, the stuck-up half-a-thug hanger-on for the local crimelord who has been stalking and harassing Tandri, is so punchable and it is beautiful to see how everybody despises him. Even the other criminal muscle -- the real muscle who will kill you if you don't pay your protection fees -- despises him. And Viv eventually gets it over on him not by beating him up (Which she could do, because she's an orc adventurer), but by pointing out that his violent, bloodthirsty crime boss would side with Viv over him because he's such a little shit. I cheered so hard at that, and he never showed back up in the story again.

It's appropriate that I discovered this at the start of November, because it is apparently a product of NaNoWriMo 2021. That alone makes me want to start writing for the current NaNoWriMo.

This was a fun, easy read that I am so glad I stumbled on. I purchased Bookshops & Bonedust, its prequel, at the same time on a leap of faith that this would be good enough to continue. Now I am debating whether I should start it tonight, or wait until tomorrow so I can read it straight through in one sitting.

#Legends & Lattes #Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes #Literature #Bookshops & Bonedust #Travis Baldree

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kunoichi96 · 1 year

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Page Turner: Legends & Lattes

A good book is like a good cup of coffee as it warms you up and makes everything feel better for a little while. Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree is a fantasy novel about Viv, leaving behind her adventurous life to start a coffee shop. As you know, start-up culture can be ruthless enough, but try adding magic and foes who lurk in the shadows. Thankfully,…

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#Book Blog #Book Blogger #Book Recommendations #Bookworm #Fantasy #Fantasy Book #Fantasy novel #Legends & Lattes #Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree

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fahye · 2 months

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a note on 'high heat, low stakes'

it's been interesting already seeing people react to 'low stakes' as part of the tagline and as a selling point for swordcrossed, because in this particular context it does NOT mean 'no conflict, no angst, all fluff'.

it's signalling expectations for where this particular book falls in the marketing category of romantasy.

low stakes for romantasy means that there are no fates of nations or armies or the very nature of magic hanging in the balance here. nobody is the crown prince of anywhere or a magical assassin sent to kill them. this is a romance novel about falling in love with your wedding vendor and trying to make it in the wool industry. there's conflict. there's angst. there's intrigue. there is fantasy worldbuilding. there are even sword fights!

the stakes for the characters involved feel monumental and very personal.

however, the stakes for the world as a whole are.......low.

which will mean it won't appeal at all to some readers, and some other readers will say THIS SOUNDS LIKE EXACTLY MY CUP OF TEA, THANK YOU, and that means - hopefully! - there's less chance of someone picking it up and getting a very different sort of book to what they expected, and being disappointed.

(if they manage to not expect the explicit sex scenes with that cover design, my existing reputation, and the words 'high heat'... well, we can chalk that one up to a failure to Read the Clues.)

#swordcrossed #as for COZY as a descriptor #I'm never sure of the scale here #but let's say #MORE cozy than a marvellous light #LESS cozy than legends and lattes

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the---hermit · 1 year

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Legends And Lattes by Travis Baldree

Ever since I first heard of this book I was intrigued. It's described as an high fantasy with low stakes, people who read it defined it super cozy, so I had to try it. Especially because in the past few years I have read less fantasy than I'd like to admit, mostly because I felt like I didn't have enough mental energy to follow a complicated high fantasy world, I don't like to get into books just because and not dedicate each of them the right amount of attention and energies. This book was the perfect lighthearted and cozy story with a fantasy setting that just made it so much better. This has definitely entered my comfort books shelf, I will definitely pick it up again in the future when I need something cozy to feel better about everything in life. The story is quite simple, Viv, an orc, decides she has had enough advenutres and decides to open a cafe. It's the perfect story for autumn and winter because it is indeed very cozy, and it will make you want to bake every food you read about. I highly recommend this novel, I think it would work amazingly for those who want to read fantasy without getting into a super complicated world of politics, it would also work very well if you want to get into fantasy but are intimidated by the genre, this could be a very light-hearted start. I also think it could be the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump.

This is one of the books I read for the studyblr w/knives autumn reading challenge for the anticipated release prompt.

#studyblr #studyinspo #bookblr #booklr #book #books #book cover #fantady book #pretty books #legends and lattes #travis baldree #book rec #book review #book recommendation #studyblr w/knives reading challenge #reading #mine #the---hermit

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freshlybrewedbookreviews · 7 months

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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

I adored this book. It felt like a warm hug; a cozy blanket wrapped around me on a chilly day; the first sip of hot cocoa/tea/cocoa after a cold walk; fuzzy socks…basically, all of the things that make me feel calm, held, and cozied up.

The premise is an orc opening up a coffee shop. Other things happen, but that's the delight of it: the tagline of "high fantasy, low stakes" completely delivers on its promise. As someone who reads entirely too many high stakes novels, this was a refreshing departure, and it was extremely enjoyable. I'm looking forward to Baldree's next novel.

#book review #freshly brewed #Legends & Lattes #Travis Baldree #books #reading

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pomrania · 2 months

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I want to talk about some books I've read recently, "Penric's Travels" and "Penric's Labor" by Lois McMaster Bujold.

First, that author is always a treat. When I saw those books by her at the library, ones I hadn't read before, I didn't even bother to check the back cover for their description; I knew I'd enjoy them, simply based on the author. And I was correct. (Also it turns out that the back cover didn't really give any useful information about the stories therein, so it wouldn't have mattered.)

I don't know how to best describe what I like about how she writes, but I'll try. Her stuff is very character-driven, with… it's not right to say "low stakes", because the stakes are very high indeed when you care about the characters things might happen to, but it doesn't have the super-high stakes you normally see in fantasy or science fiction. The characters and the relationships feel mature; the three main couples I can most remember offhand, from three different series set in three different 'verses, one half of the couple had been a widow/er, and the other half had had previous relationships of their own. (The Vorkosigan saga does admittedly start with a "young male protagonist", but it follows him as he matures.) And she's very adept at worldbuilding, which is honestly my favourite thing in SFF. If this sounds like the kind of thing you want to read, I recommend checking out her work.

Now, the specific books I mentioned at the start. They're more properly collections of three novellas each, written so they could be read in any order; which is good, because my library didn't have on the shelf the book which collected the earlier ones. Each novella is like 100-200 pages long, which might be a benefit over a novel-length story because it provides an obvious stopping point with a resolution for what's happened. Those books also include a 'reading order' at the end, for pretty much everything the author has ever written; I of course hadn't followed that, having gone by the time-honoured method of "whichever book I could get my paws on first", but if that's not how you do things, that guide might be of interest to you.

Finally, the reason I wanted to talk about these books (stories, more properly) specifically, and it's that the magic system is almost everything I've ever wanted in fiction; and it's so perfectly worked in with the religion/theology of that world, which itself is done way better than I normally see in fantasy. (Which, I suppose I hadn't mentioned it earlier; these stories are in the fantasy genre.) There is a REASON why somebody can't kill using magic; or, to be more accurate, they can do it, once. There's magical healing which isn't just "it's magic", but requires knowing what you're doing with each structure, and sometimes things just can't be healed. And there's the converse as well, using that same "healing magic" offensively; but with greater creativity than "burst someone's heart", since it must not be used to kill; the titular character's main method of disabling an assailant is "temporarily shut down the relevant nerves, very carefully". There's a cost for magic, in both "disorder" and "friction". It's just really good.

I won't try to give a comprehensive list of content warnings. However, I will say that if you're sensitive to "healthcare worker's burnout", you should avoid the novella "The Physicians of Vilnoc" entirely, as that's a major element in that story. (Also in the main character's backstory, but I don't know if there's a story which goes into depth with that.)

#filler tag #not a reblog #rambling

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inthe-afterglows · 1 month

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A Court of Thorns and Roses Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses - 3 stars -Was boring and repetitive for the first twenty chapters, second half redeemed it but overall I didn't really get the hype. Tamlin lovers ... I will never understand you. Feyre was in that place for three months and Tamlin only attempted to see/speak to her alone once and they didn't even talk. They just made out after she'd been traumatised for months. How about some words of encouragement? How about trying to get her out? How about sending someone to heal her after Lucien was injured? Rhys played the villain to help her and you know what? It worked. She's only alive because of Rhys.

A Court of Mist and Fury - 5 stars -Was actually really good! Romance was 10/10, fantasy and action was 10/10. Chapter 55 really did live up to the hype and I loved Rhys and Feyre's banter and tension leading up to it -- they had so many good moments in this book and Rhys gatecrashing Feyre and Tamlin's wedding will forever be iconic. The last 100 or so pages had me so hooked with every plot twist gagging me. Also why is Tamlin pretending to sleep whilst Feyre is vomiting her guts up every night due to PTSD so funny and yet so sad? The ending of this one really cements him as a piece of shit. TBF he is not THE villain but he is Feyre's villain and I hope she makes him pay.

A Court of Wings and Ruin - 4.5 stars -Was really good, Feyre really delivered on her threats to Tamlin and I lived for it. Rhys and Feyre were both in top notch form in their final novel and all the action was great. And again to Tamlin lovers who say Feyre went to far in destroying his Court, let's not forget that when given the chance to be civil to Feyre, he double downed and basically called her a slut in front of all the High Lords in Prythian after thinking of her as property he could bargain for. I personally lived for Feyre taking down the Spring Court, it really showed how far she'd come since the last time she'd been (trapped) there and shows how worthy she is of being High Lady of the Night Court. Just remember, Rhys built her up whilst Tamlin tore her down. Again, he's not THE villain but he is the villain in Feyre's story.

A Court of Frost and Starlight - 3 stars -I liked the insight into their 'quieter' lives after the war but this was essentially a Christmas special. Nothing actually happens in this book plot wise and I actually really begin to loathe Nesta in this one. Kinda sad in this one that Rhys and Feyre weren't having their own little adventure like they talked of in acowar. I would've enjoyed it more plotwise if they had taken a week off to hunt Bryaxis or something (low stakes but still action-y) and they could have cute moments/convos whilst camping on the hunt.

A Court of Silver Flames - 3 stars -It made me understand Nesta more but I still don't really like her as a person. I think there was a bit where someone said she didn't fail Feyre and I wholeheartedly disagree. Elain and Nesta BOTH failed Feyre as older sisters when they were living in that cottage. They were both happy to sit at home and spend the money Feyre earned whilst Feyre was the one who went into the dangerous woods and kept them fed and clothed. I also didn't love the romance in this one because it wasn't a romance. Nesta and Cassian fucked and were friends but there was hardly any romance. Another issue I have with this one was the lack of anything really happening. This was more a mental health journey than a fantasy action / adventure romance which isn't really what I was looking for from a series like this. I think this one might've been improved with a Rhys or Feyre POV or even a Mor POV so we could have at least seen more of the politics going on in the NC at the time and with Nesta's mental health journey / training being contained to the first 30-50% of the novel instead of the whole thing. I would have liked to see her being involved more in missions and making amends more because her hating on her sisters and Rhys for over 80% of the book was really getting old and she really did not have a leg to stand on so it was infuriating to read. At one point I was really only reading for the Feyre x Rhys crumbs.

Overall: As a series this is really average for me. Out of 5 books I only really liked 2 which is less than 50% so I really didn't understand the hype for this series which was really sad because I really wanted to like it. I will say the world building was fantastic. I think the world SJM created was done so well but unfortunately the plot or lack thereof in a few of these novels really bumps it down for me and the pacing novel to novel really sucks. I also would have been more invested if the books following the first four still had Feyre and Rhys as main characters. As it stands, I feel SJM has mostly sidelined them from a storyline perspective for future books. I would have enjoyed seeing more of their adventures that they spoke of at the end of ACOWAR before they started having kids.

As for the Fourth Wing vs ACOTAR debate .... FOURTH WING all the way! I am convinced that people only like acotar more because it came first. To me Fourth Wing has the better romance and overall books (it certainly had the better first novel). This could change as more books from Fourth Wing come out but as it stands, in my opinion, Fourth Wing has given us 2/2 really good books (rated 4+ stars) so far, and acotar 2/5 so y'all do the math lol.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acosf #acomaf #acowar #acofas #fourth wing #iron flame #book review

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pharawee · 2 months

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🖇️BL WATCHLIST MARCH

🎬To Be Continued - 3PLUS | NETFLIX - I won't be able to watch this as it airs which doesn't stop me from making heart eyes at Fluke Pongsapat. 🥰

🎬Close Friend 3: Soju Bomb - GAGAOOLALA - I really like this one so far actually.

🎬1000 Years Old - GAGAOOLALA - New favourite show detected.

🎬Two Worlds - IQIYI - Here for my cheesy mystical fantasy lakorn with Gun and Pak.

🎬Deep Night - IQIYI - This show is taking over from Playboyy (same slot, different company) and that hopefully means we won't go thirsty on spicy Thursday.

🎬City of Stars - IQIYI - This is going to be my new low-stakes comfort BL - in best Star Hunter tradition.

🎬A Secretly Love - WeTV - My long awaited oldschool uni BL with Kut and Kimmon is finally coming. If this doesn't have an inter release I'll cry.

🖇️COMING UP

⭐High Demand - YOUTUBE - I have no recollection of wanting to watch this. Apparently it's a movie (?) by Jinloe. Yikes.

⭐The Star - YOUTUBE - Another wayufilm indie production. If you like realism and grounded stories then be sure to give this a try.

🖇️FINISHED

🎬Dead Friend Forever | DFF - IQIYI - And maybe they're still trapped in that house to this day. The End.

🎬Time - GAGAOOLALA - I still don't understand what this series even was.

➕ MDL | ABOUT | ALL WATCHLISTS | COMMENTARY TAG | THAI BL NOVELS

#jane watches stuff #bl watchlist #looks like march will be a cozy month #maybe i can actually catch up with some older stuff???

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torpublishinggroup · 1 year

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Travis Baldree on Legends & Lattes and Writing

Legends & Lattes is a novel of high fantasy and low stakes, the perfect comfort read to grab a warm mug of coffee and curl up on your couch with. Today, we’re giving you the opportunity to learn more about the mind behind the masterpiece, Travis Baldree! Check out our sit down here.

#legends & lattes #travis baldree #video #fantasy #cozy fantasy #cozycore #author q&a

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smallgraygames · 1 year

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The Salt Keep

Demo: The Salt Keep

Status: Complete (on sale now on Mac/PC, Android, & iOS)

Genre: Fantasy/horror text adventure (think text-based interactive fiction with CYOA and RPG mechanics)

Set in a high fantasy world with low fantasy stakes, the character-driven story of The Salt Keep follows a struggling merchant named Doyle who stumbles into a life-or-death mystery. During the last legs of a months-long journey as a traveling salesman, Doyle stops in the seemingly deserted village of Cardwyke to meet a friend who has promised to help keep him financially afloat, but what he finds is even more dangerous than the crushing weight of debt.

The world of The Salt Keep should be familiar to any fan of fantasy — it has breastplates, and swords, and other fun stuff like that — but is shaped by the vaguely industrial creep of bastard feudalism. Sprawling merchant conglomerates and faceless business structures pull the levers of power as much as dukes and knights.

The world is meant to be both a reflection of traditional fantasy settings (the England-coded sword and sorcery and D&D-style locations we're used to) and an answer to some of the tropes I find most frustrating about them. It's not a world of prophesied heroes doing Great Man Theory or of grimdark anti-heroes exposing the essential evil of humanity, but of ordinary medieval schlubs trying to survive within alienating and oppressive political systems.

In other words, it's not a world a character like Doyle has any hope or intention of changing; he only means to survive.

The Salt Keep is a text-based game, so the action is described through text and the player navigates and makes choices via button inputs. Through these basic mechanics, you'll be able to:

Guide Doyle through the village and the towering keep that looms above it as he searches for a means of escape.

Collect items and discover their uses.

Equip gear to improve Doyle's ability scores.

Succeed or fail at percentage-based challenges.

Earn experience and level up based on those challenges.

Talk to and work with NPCs to make progress.

Uncover secrets and missable areas.

Risk grievous bodily harm.

Despite the prevalence of choices and risks, there is no chance of death or dead-ends. The story always moves forward. In turn, you'll change the outcome of Doyle's story (as well as those of the NPCs) not just through the things you choose to do, but through the things you fail to do, and the things you choose to ignore.

The demo includes the prologue and first chapter of five total chapters. It should provide around two hours of gameplay, though it'll vary depending what you choose to do and how thorough you are.

The full game is novel-length — roughly 260k words — and is now available on Mac/PC, Android, & iOS, and the demo should provide a good sense of both gameplay and the direction the rest of the narrative will take. If you want to help support development or keep track of progress:

Follow here for dev blog updates

Become a patron on Patreon

Follow on Twitter

Please enjoy!

WARNING: The narrative includes all sorts of violence and generally negative emotional states, which can vary based on your individual play-through, so please keep that in mind.

#text adventures #interactive fiction #horror #fantasy #indie games #indiedev #cyoa #fantasy fiction #rpg #if #if wip #indie dev #interactive novel

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wormwoodandhoney · 2 years

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some books read in 2022: legends and lattes by travis baldree

a novel of high fantasy and low stakes.

#bookedit #legends and lattes #travis baldree #photoshop hard #this was delightful

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pagesandpothos · 2 months

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Whisper Wells by Ali Woods

Whisper Wells is the first in an upcoming series called "Legends of the Whisper Woods" by Ali Woods. It's a romantasy debut novel set in a world that feels contemporary (cars and cellphones exist) but beings of all kinds (witches, vampires, dragons, centaurs...) are real. Some magical beings have integrated into human society, but many live secluded within a vast woodland known as Whisper Woods. The two main characters are Caelan and Tor. Caelan is part-Shifter (but mostly human) and lives in a homestead on the edge of Whisper Wells, a small town that borders Whisper Woods. Tor is Fae and lives in the large city of Loqueaur. Caelan and Tor meet on a dating app and develop a meaningful friendship until a disappearance brings the two together on a journey into Whisper Woods.

The story is light and reminds me a little of the cozy fantasy books I've read. There is that mystery but nothing is too dark and the stakes are low overall. The spice level, however, is high! Caelan and Tor are smitten with each other from the beginning and the story mostly focuses on their developing relationship as they adventure through the various perils of Whisper Woods.

The story is also filled with a host of really great characters. Tor and Caelean are, of course, fantastic, but they also encounter a lot of other fun characters during their journey. Towards the end of the book, there is even some potential setup of Book Two with two of the supporting characters!

Whisper Wells is perfect for any m/m romance fans who are looking for a lighter, fluffier story with a quest-style plot and great characters. The book is enjoyable, smutty, and funny. The main relationship is charming and has a lot of depth and emotion along with the spice. The ending is satisfying and the setup for future books left me excited to read all upcoming additions to the series. I'm especially hoping for a future book about Seff!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes/Tags: Achillean, queer, romance, romantasy, spicy, Fae, Werewolves/Shifters, Fated Mates, jealousy, protectiveness, found family

If you liked this I think you will like Whisper Wells: I think fans of Lily Mayne's "Monstrous" series will enjoy this. It reminded me a little of Soul Eater but with a cozy fantasy background instead of a sci-fi dystopia background.

Whisper Wells will be available on Kindle Unlimited on April 3, 2024 and is currently available for pre-order!

This book was made available to me in advance thanks to BookSirens! I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for this review. The above are my honest feelings on the provided book.

#book review #arc review #whisper wells #ali woods #queer books #books #booksirens #kindle unlimited

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agaycabbage · 1 year

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hi, tumblr

I never actually did an intro post, and I realize I have none of my links or info here so...probably time to change that.

I’m Charlie. They/them pronouns, please. Super queer, super nerdy, super awkward and apologizing for that in advance. I’m an editor and an author, a gamer, a brand new narrative designer trying to break into game writing, and a bit of a chaos demon. But in the fun way. I hope.

I'm an editor for indie authors with +10 years of experience and actually affordable rates. You have stories to tell! Money shouldn’t be what keeps you from the professional editor you deserve. Find me and learn more: cknightwrites.com

I write! As of now: I have a very large, very smutty, angsty as hell Shakarian fic that is posted every week. Best friends to lovers kicking ass in space—you don't ever need to have played Mass Effect to get into this story. Read that here.

I also have a Dragon Age: Inquisition fic and (less frequently updated, sorry) Horizon Forbidden West fic.

My debut novel is coming out in 2023, too! RISE OF THE TEMPEST (the novel formerly known as Butt Pirates) is a low-stakes, high heat fantasy romance features two trans MCs. More on this later, but you can see character arc on my blog already and a little more here!

On my Patreon, I provide customized and functional editing and writing advice, education, and coaching. I've covered everything from how to use em dashes properly to world building and purple prose. New posts weekly!

My Patreon also has an Editor in Training tier! I'm delivering education on what being a freelance editor is actually like (and how to make it work for you), building that business, and hands-on coaching on editing practices.

(And as a bonus, my Patreon is how I pay for chemo, so subscribe here.)

I am disabled and sick, which is a costly life, and my editing rates are set to be more affordable for you than profitable for me. My Patreon goes directly to my medical bills every month, and my ko-fi is another great way to help with that.

I will cheer on and help my mutuals however I can. My messages are always open, and I encourage you to use them if I can help you with anything. But you're not welcome here if you gatekeep the writing or queer communities in any way. I'm not nice to bullies.

FIND ME ELSEWHERE!

IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & Twitter: @ CKnightWrites Discord: enbycabbage#0401 linktr.ee/cknightwrites

Any support is appreciated, but just getting to know my mutuals is a damn joy. I want to know your characters, your hyperfixations, and your favorite kind of pie.

#indie author #intro #writer #writing community #writeblr #bookblr #talking about myself is a nightmare #i have no idea what im doing with tumblr #sorry in advance #im awkward #its the neurodivergency

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carriagelamp · 1 year

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Man I got lucky this month, I got to read a bunch of excellent books, including some really neat queer novels. Nothing like a break to really get to kick back and enjoy reading for the sheer pleasure of reading rather than a desperate escape

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua v1

Unsurprising to absolutely anyone who’s been reading these, I picked up the first book of the manhua adaptation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. It covers the first part of the first book, which basically amounts of Wei Wuxian’s revival and his flight from Mo Manor to the mountain and the Night Hunt. Besides for WWX, we get to meet Lan Wanji, the juniors, and Jiang Cheng, all of which have great designs. Like the rest of this series, it was a pleasure to read, the adaptation was done really well, and I’m excited for the next volume.

The Ice Monster

This book was very… meh. I was pretty disappointed, because I’ve really enjoyed the other two books I’ve read by David Walliams so far, and this was probably the one I was most excited about, but it was… incredibly middling compared to the others.

The Ice Monster is about a Victorian orphan, Elsie, who escapes from the brutal orphanage she had been raised in and was making her way on the streets. During this time, a great mammoth that had been found in the Arctic was being transported to the museum for display. Elsie feels a kinship for this “monster” and begins a series of events that lead to it being freed from the ice and set loose in London.

There were good moments in this book and I’m sure a kid would enjoy it, but ultimately it felt like way too many fart jokes and not enough substance compared to Walliams’ other books.

I Think Our Son Is Gay v2

A very sweet manga series I’ve been reading from the library. It follows the POV of a mother who suspects that her son is gay but who isn’t quite ready to come out yet. It’s a nice balance of humour — the art is cute and the characters have fun reactions to various silly things that happen in their lives — and love while still asking what it must be like to be gay in a homophobic society. A good read.

Legends & Lattes

SUCH a fun novel, it was exactly what I needed this month.

The story is about an orc mercenary called Viv who, after 20 years of fighting and killing, has had enough and is ready to settle down. Using the mysterious reward from her last adventure, Viv leaves her old company to find what she hopes will be the perfect city to open a coffee shop. Which is a daunting task in a part of the world that has never ever heard of coffee before and is suitably leery of this “bean water”.

If you want an action-packed, edge of your seat adventure book… don’t read this. This is the epitome of “cosy” fiction — its tag line is “high fantasy and low stakes”. If you want a dnd coffee au in novel form that’s about friendship and food… then this is THE perfect novel. It made me feel so warm and happy (and hungry).

Lucky Luke: The Oklahoma Land Rush // The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke is a BD series I’ve heard a lot about, and after seeing a couple episodes of it on Prime I decided I needed to actually pick up a volume or two. I’m delighted I did and I think I’ll need to read more now!

The general premise is that of a western. The titular character, Lucky Luke, is a clever and nearly unflappable gun-slinger who can “shoot faster than his shadow”. Luke gets into a range of silly, comedic Wild West adventures and inevitably comes out on top for the sake of justice. Naturally, the genre being what it is, the whole First Nations thing is… rough, but the books were enjoyable if you can look past that.

The first book I read was The Oklahoma Land Rush which is fairly indicative of the series I believe and is about Luke being hired to help police the desperate rush of settlers to claim land in Oklahoma. The second was The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke which was written by Matthieu Bonhomme instead of Morris and is a slightly grittier, more serious take on Luke. I enjoyed this one just as much — it still managed to be funny, but the stakes felt much higher. And the art was just stunning.

The Night Gardener

A fun, creepy middle grade horror. A story about two young Irish immigrants trying their best to survive in the absence of their parents. In a last desperate attempt to get work they find themselves way out at a desolate, crumbling English manor that has been almost completely consumed by a strange tree. The family there is as desolate and strange as the grounds, pale and sickly and carrying a mysterious secret. The siblings realise just how strange and dangerous this estate might be as they’re drawn deeper into the secrets and begin to suspect that there’s something else living and working on the grounds…

I really like Jonathan Auxier's writing and I’ve been meaning to try this novel for years. I was glad to have finally done it.

Doctor Who: The Runaway Tardis

Just a cute little picture book. Pop Classics does some fun work and the art style really worked for Doctor Who. It’s about a little girl who has moved and is struggling with needing to make whole new friends in a place she doesn’t know. The themes of loneliness and goodbyes and needing to move on and make new friends was actually perfect to pair with Doctor Who; despite being quite simple and silly looking, it actually made me feel things for both the Doctor and the little girl.

Sandman v1/2

Everyone has been so hyped about The Sandman! I’ve been wanting to get in on it but I’m not very good at sitting down and watching shows so I thought I might try the original comics. Honestly I should have known better. I don’t really like this harsh style of American comics and if we’re being totally honest I don’t generally like Gaiman’s longer prose. This, unsurprisingly, combined two things I don’t like and ended up with a comic I didn’t like. Things only went down hill when fucking Batman appeared. It didn’t even really feel like it had the humour I would at least expect from Gaiman besides for a few brief glimmers. I appreciate that other people really like this series but oof. Not for me.

The Secret Garden

I love The Secret Garden, it’s one of those comfort books that I need to reread every few years. I was listening to it as an audiobook this time and it was so lovely to see the first signs of spring appearing while listening to this story. If you want something feel good I highly recommend starting it because we are in the season for it.

If you’ve never read The Secret Garden, the premise is of a young, spoiled, but horrifically neglected child who was raised in British-occupied India. She is a bad-tempered, sour, and demanding child known to others as “Mistress Mary quite contrary”. When her parents die of a cholera outbreak she is sent back to England to live at her uncle’s manor on the Yorkshire moors. This relative is also distant and bitter, apparently hunchbacked and widowed. Once more alone, Mary is suddenly expected to do things for herself and isn’t given her every demand — instead she begins to befriend the cheerful, plain-spoken maid and starts spending time outside, exploring and playing for what feels like the first time in her life…

Wallace & Gromit: Crackers in Space

I stumbled across this as an audiobook. After the fact I realised it’s also a comic. Oddly enough, the comic seemed profoundly bad — I’ve never really liked any of the Wallace and Gromit comics — but the audiobook version was a delight. It has the actual voice actor for Wallace, so it sounded completely like I had just put an episode on in the background that I had never watched before. They were also very clever about giving Gromit a “voice” despite him being a non-verbal character! It was actually a lot of fun!

Wallace decides to attempt making his own cheese out in the garden shed… only things go badly, as they’re wont to. Instead of making a lovely cheese, the whole thing ends up getting launched into the atmosphere because of a helium mishap… which might not be so bad if the zero gravity wasn’t making the Home Brew Cheese Kit kick into overdrive. They’re going to have to figure out how to deal with the massive, mutated cheese comet that’s now threatening all of West Wallaby Street.

Wave Me Goodbye

An absolutely charming book, I didn’t want to put it down. This book takes place at the beginning of the Second World War, when children were being evacuated from London (which was at risk of bombing) and being sent out to live with volunteers in the country. Shirley is one of the children being sent out, but right from the beginning she finds herself struggling with feeling like the odd one out. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with her rough-and-tumble classmates, and when she does make a new friend on the train it’s clear that she doesn’t properly fit in with the posh covenant girls either. Things only get worse when she is one of the only children not picked to go with a family, and suddenly she and two other unwanted boys find themselves foisted on the unwilling inhabitants of the Red House. But in wartime, one has to make due, so she, Kevin, and Archie begin to explore this strange, half-empty house and get used to a very different way of life way out in the country.

Shirley is a huge reader in the book, and it actually made me pause reading to go and read some of the books she references! It was a lot of fun! Some of the books I read last month that Shirley reads are Ballet Shoes and The Squirrel, The Hare, and the Little Grey Rabbit. It’s also what made me decide to reread The Secret Garden, since they feel like similar genres.

When the Angels Left the Old Country

I read some great books this month and it would be hard to say for certain which was my favourite since they were in quite different genres, but this would be a strong contender. Holy shit was it good. The tl;dr is that it’s a bit like a Jewish Good Omens but also nothing like that at all.

The Angel (as angels don’t have permanent names, but rather names that describe what they are currently doing) and the demon Little Ash have been study partners for centuries, happily existing in their little Shtetl without feeling much need to change things. But things are changing and with the press of poverty and rise of violent anti-Semitic feelings many residents of the Shtetl are now leaving for America in the search of work and safety. Little Ash is determined that they should join these immigrants, and when a member of their Shtetl goes missing on her own voyage it seems inevitable that they go and track her down to ensure she is safe and well.

At its heart this is an immigrant story about people and prejudice and love, and it’s really written beautifully, the way you see all the hardship that goes into such a voyage even for supernatural beings.

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