#book recc

[radley-writes]

MY BOOK ARRIVED AND SHE’S BEAUTIFUL 😭 💗😭 💗😭

My eternal gratitude goes to Samira Iravani & the whole design team at Feiwel & Friends for making my debut so drop-dead gorgeous! 

I’m so thrilled to hold her in my hands omgggggggg <3

BUY MY BOOK HERE!

UK version here!

#debut #publishing #tradpub #my novel #original writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #creative writing #novel #writing #reading #book recc #book reccomendation #radley writes #radley rambles #AIEEEEEEEEIEIEIIEIEIEIEIEIEIIEEE #strictly no heroics

[inkcurlsandknives]

I'm not a ginger, but Marmalade is!! So here's our joint #BookLook for Wakeworld by Kerry Scafer

I've been all about dragon books lately and Wakeworld does not disappoint

Plus!! A blooper cuz I think it caught Marmalade's best angle

#book look #writeblr #book recc #dragon books #fantasy books #fantasy #caturday #cats #marmalade

[effervescentnonsense]

Alright Book Lovers

I have a series recommendation for all of you.

If you like:

- Second World fantasy (as in, not our world)

- Magic

- Edwardian/Victorian aesthetics

- Complex stories that will have you cracking out the Red String Board

- Canonically/explicitly Queer characters (including Shield Lesbians, Ace detectives, Bisexual retired spies, healthy polyamorous relationships involving 7 or more people, and even trans characters!)

- So many female characters that one of the books even fails the Reverse Bechdel Test

- a wide array of sub-genres

Then may I present to you,

The Maradaine Saga

The Maradaine Saga is 14 core books that take place in the city of Maradaine, plus two novellas and one full length novel taking place in other parts of the same world. AND COUNTING (this series is still ongoing!)

The core 14 books contain Four main casts and their respective genres:

The Thorn of Dentonhill stars Veranix Calbert, magic student by day, vigilante hero by night, determined to rid his neighbourhood of efitte, the toxic drug sold by crime lord Willem Fenmere, who killed Veranix's father, and deliberately overdosed his mother. Aided by Kaiana, whose father also succumbed to efitte, and Delmin, his fellow magic student, and his cousin Colin, the street gang member.

A Murder of Mages follows Minox Welling, an inspector for the Maradaine Constabulary, a genius, if socially awkward, and considered a jinx around the station, because he is secretly an untrained mage. Assigned to be his partner is Satrine Rainey, mother of two, struggling to make ends meet with her husband who was gravely injured in the line of duty. Formerly of Druth Intelligence, she is 15 years out from her time as a spy, and forges her paperwork to get the only job she can do that will pay the bills- becoming the first woman inspector on the force.

The Holver Alley Crew- when Holver Alley goes up in flames, killing dozens of people and destroying the homes and businesses of many more, brothers Asti and Verci Rynax discover it was arson, and are determined to use their skills as thieves to track down who destroyed their neighbourhood. Asti, a former spy for Druth Intelligence, retired because of his recent escape from an enemy prison where he was tortured until it broke his mind, and Verci, husband and father and inventor of all sorts of gadgets. Recruiting old friends and new, they set to perform daring heists to make the arsonists pay.

The Way of the Shield- Dayne Heldrin is easy to spot in a crowd- towering at 7ft tall, and in his blue Tarian Uniform- he is a veritable Knight of the Modern era. He is a candidate in the Tarian order, a historic organization upholding values of Chivalry and Defending the Innocent, Shield on arm. He has just returned from being overseas, where his mentor was killed by the Gearbox Killer, a maniacal murderer who builds elaborate clockwork contraptions, designed to kill. Dayne barely survived, and his advancement to an Adept Tarian is in doubt. He befriends a young Initiate, Jerinne, and begins to mentor her, pushing her to be stronger, and uphold the values of the Tarians. Political Conspiracy is afoot, however, as a shadowy organization has fashioned themselves after the Grand 10, ten historic figures that helped turn the country of Druthal into what it is today.

All of these books take place in the same city, at the same time, and as the series goes on, recurring characters and crossovers begin to appear as these ragtag bunch of do-gooders find allies in each other.

I cannot stop talking about this series, its so good! The worldbuilding is immaculate (after all, the author, Marshall Ryan Maresca, is one of the hosts of the podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists), the pacing will keep you gripping your seat for dear life!

#maradaine saga #maradaine #marshall ryan maresca #holver alley crew #thorn of dentonhill #murder of mages #way of the shield #worldbuilding for masochists podcast #wfm podcast #books #reading #book reccomendation #book recc

[monstersandmaw]

I didn't realize we were meant to send these here... These were the only ones I could remember. [I keep losing my lists of books I've read] There is romance/sex in all these, to varying degrees. Some are hetero, some are lgbt+. Half are pure fantasy, the other half are [I guess] Modern Fantasy or Science Fantasy. Coldfire is an outlier. While it is technically fantasy, there's a LOT going on behind the scenes and in the worldbuilding. ALL of these are series. Each is no less than 3 books and Tamír / Nightrunner collectively are 11 books [I think].

Dante Valentine - Lilith Saintcrow

Warriors of Estavia - Fiona Patton

Tamír Triad - Lynn Flewelling

Nightrunner - Lynn Flewelling

Meredith Gentry - Laurel K Hamilton

Sarah Beauhall - J.A. Pitts

Coldfire Trilogy - C.S. Friedman

Oooh, much appreciated! I'm happy for folks to comment on the original post or send me asks - whatever's easier for them.

#book recc #ask me anything

[miraculoustrashblogger]

Alright, in the wake of the boops having dragged my dead blog back to life...

Hello friends! Many of you followed me because of my Miraculous Ladybug ficlets while we desperately awaited season 2 to drop. I've falled off the MLB train, but I am not out of the fandom scene yet

Mostly, I'm gonna start using this blog for my new Fandom Fixation

The Maradaine Saga by Marshall Ryan Maresca

Its a book series, and if you like:

- second world fantasy

- miss the days of reading about magic school students (and are intrigued by a magic student who goes vigilante hero on drug dealers in dark alleys)

- enjoy Procedural detective stories

- knights, Shield Lesbians, and political intrigue and conspiracies

- reformed thieves being forced back into performing heists to find out who burned down their neighbourhood

It has all of the above. There are 15 books and 3 novellas (and counting!) in this world. 4 main casts that the books follow, alternating, and slowly we begin to see their lives collide and they meet and interact! Its such a good series! It also gets Queerer and Queerer as the story goes on (i cant even count the number of queer characters, theres so many)

Book 1 is The Thorn of Dentonhill, which stars Veranix the magic student vigilante hero.

I'm obsessed with this series and I hope you'll join me!

#maradaine saga #marshall ryan maresca #books #book recc #book reccomendation #fantasy literature

[1evilboi]

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know Recommendation

Title: Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know 

Author: Cyan Wings 

Genre: Adventure, Drama with comedic elements, Romance, Xianxia, BL 

Published: 2019

Chapters: 80 + 2 extras 

Brief synopsis: 

One day, the heartless Devil Venerable, Wen Renhe, suddenly receives a book named “Abusive Love Affair: You are the Only One I Will Never Change” when it inexplicably falls onto his lap. The sect leader finds that the book tells a tale of a woman named Baili Qingmiao and her perilous quest of stealing the male lead’s heart. But this is not just any romance novel, its set in his own world! After reading over a million words of drivel, one blaring question sounds within his mind: “How could this this venerable fall in love for the female lead?” 

Various schemes and chaos ensue. 

Couple: Cold-blooded and scheming sect leader x psycho-baby arsonist subordinate 

Review: 

I have just finished the story, and I already cannot wait to read it over again. “Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know” is one of the best danmei’s I have read thus far (and I think I have read quite a few inn my opinion)!! It’s got the adventure elements, the drama, comedy, the angst/tragedy we all yearn for, and it’s also got the gushy romance. This series also explores themes such as: good and evil, destruction and life, the meaning of love, obsession, abuse, perspective, and fate. 

What I really appreciate about this story is that it subverts a lot of tropes found in xianxia romance novels; there is flushed out female characters (wowie zowie); and both the MC and ML are both interesting characters in their own right, but are delicious together! And If you are in the market for twisted, crazy evil blorbos, “Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know” is the story for you! Both the MC and the ML are unconventional nutcases, but I think you’ll love them for it! As well, if you really liked SVSSS, this may be an interesting read for you because there are some parallels, but there are also many interesting differences. 

However, there are some aspects of “Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know” that I was not fond of. There was a lot of time jumps that I thought deprived the reader of learning more about a character, a dynamic between a group of characters, and/or deprived the reader of learning about more lore of the world. I am just not a fan of time skips, but that is just a personal preference. Also, if you are a horndog like I am, you may be disappointed that there is no explicit sex scenes. They are few and far between and are all ambiguous and fade to black. But I guess that is what fan fiction is for… just get creative guys! 

Overall “Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know” is wonderful and I definitely recommended it to all danmei lovers (especially if you’re into xianxia)! It’s a crime that the story has such a small fanbase. I hope that more readers discover this awesome series. 

#devil venerable also wants to know #book recc #danmei

[coffeebooksandmore]

You know when you read a book and have no idea where the direction of the book is going, but you’re there for all of it. Monarch feels like a small fire, one that completely engulfed me by the end. This book is covered in darkness.

The way it starts to the way it ends up confounds expectations. It is part thriller, part some of the most beautiful lines I’ve read, part making me re-examine how I see myself because even though this story is incredibly unique, Jessica felt so familiar to me. This book is so damn smart I’m not even sure I understood everything. I also learned so many new words and so many new facts! I had no idea Coco Chanel helped the nazis and made tanning popular for the rich. I have never read a book like this, which is so fucking exciting (reading is the best!). It’s smart, weird, unhinged, and I can’t wait to force everyone in my life to read it.

IG: coffeeandbookss

#book review #book reccomendation #book reviewer #book reccs #book recc #bookworm #book recommendations #book excerpt #books and reading #reader #life #love #readreadread

[noraephronsmother]

virginie despentes

#also known as owner of my ass #virginie despentes #feminist #book recc #feminist theory #king kong theory #king kong théorie #vernon subutext #apocalypse baby #people tag #bye bye blondie

[voidingintotheshout]

A Black History Month Reading List

OK, so I have a different post which is about books in the public domain by black authors you can read for free on project Gutenberg among other places. Think: writers like Jean Toomer, Zora Neale Hurston, Alexandre Dumas, Phillis Wheatley, etc.

Well I was giving one of my friends a care package and she wanted to be more well-read. To read more important books by writers of color, specializing in female writers of color. So I threw together some ebooks that I thought she might like. I'm not going to be doing that here. I'm no fool.

These are books by black writers who are still collecting royalties and it would be so stupid and evil to steal from black people during black history month. So instead, I'm giving you a list. Get them from the library, from Amazon, used from ebay I hear is decent. Whatever.

Anyway, here's a list for you to consider a starting off point. Feel free to reblog and add books by other African American writers you think should be included.

bell hooks:

Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism

Feminism Is for Everybody

Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center

Isabel Wilkerson:

The Warmth of Other Suns

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

James Baldwin:

The Fire Next Time

Giovanni's Room

Go Tell It On The Mountain

Going to Meet The Man

If Beale Street Could Talk

Native Sons

Octavia Butler:

Earthseed 1 & 2: Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents

Kindred

Xenogenesis 1-3: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, & Imago

Roxane Gay:

Bad Feminist

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture

Toni Morrison: (Start with these)

1970's Novels: The Bluest Eye, Sula, & Song of Solomon

1980's Novels: Tar Baby & Beloved

1990's Novels: Playing in the Dark, Jazz, & Paradise

#black history month #black writers #book recc #bell hooks #Isabel Wilkerson #roxane gay #toni morrison #octavia butler #james baldwin #TERFS are not welcome on this blog

[btwnseaandsun]

I cannot for the life of me find where I saved a post about a book about women that lived with dracula and were gay?? I think they were like either under his watch or rule maybe?? And found comfort in each other??

#seasun says #book #book recc #booklr #bookblr #did i make this up #where did i see it

[radley-writes]

That's wild that your book was written in 2016?! I didnt even think about that

Indeed! I started writing Strictly No Heroics in 2016, after the Panama Papers came out (remember those? They, and the public response, was - as readers may be able to tell - a pretty big inspiration for the story). Iirc, I didn't finish until early 2017.

Strictly No Heroics was the second novel I ever wrote (third, if we count the 200K atrocity I pumped out at 14). Still, it had big Baby's First Novel vibes - there is so much that I would do differently if I started from scratch today! I tried to cram in every plotline under the sun, and as a result, it took an agonising amount of editing and rewriting, with the help of Betas, my agent, and my editor, to polish up to a publishable state.

The resulting product, I have been reliably assured,is a fast-paced non-stop adrenaline-fuelled dash of a book. I kinda love that! Blame the ADHD.

But that's why some of the setting and the queer culture may feel a little dated - it's very much 'set' in the mid-late 2010s!

Oh, and btw, you should all buy it xoxoxoxo

:BUY MY BOOK HERE!:

UK version here!

#book recc #novel #tradpub #writeblr #my writing #reading recc #my book #radley writes #radley rambles #strictly no heroics

[inkcurlsandknives]

Y'all this Mayumu #BookLook may be my favorite yet! You need this Filipino American remixed dessert cookbook in your lives. These colors were so fun and I cannot wait to make the Kare-Kare cookies with bagoong caramels 🔥🇵🇭🔥, I can already tell Abi Balingit is gonna bring my desert game to a whole new level.

#writeblr #filipino food #filipino author #filipino food movement #pinoy food #dessert cookbook #cookbook #book recc #book look

[ships-and-saints]

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the debut novel in the Inheritance trilogy, a fantasy series written by N.K. Jemisin, and published in 2010. The novel starts off strong as we dive headfirst into the complicated life of Yeine Darr, a half-Arameri, half-Darre woman who seems to be recalling the timeline of her life. In the beginning, Yeine is summoned to the Arameri palace in the city of Sky by her estranged grandfather, who names her the heir to the Arameri throne. However, the position of heir was already being fought over by a pair of siblings, Yeine’s aunt and uncle who were niece and nephew to her grandfather. Yeine is suddenly thrust into this succession war for the Arameri throne, and we follow her on her journey as she adapts and acclimates to palace life, the Arameri, and their harsh ways. She encounters many humans and gods who all seem to want different things surrounding the succession and will do anything to get them - including using her. The pace of the book is set right from the start, as we try to decipher what the other characters want and whether it is in line with what Yeine wants for her own life - which she must figure out soon. Something is always happening to further the story, even during the lulls in action, and the constant twists and turns quickly pull you to the end of the book. To avoid any spoilers and maintain the suspense, I’ve tried to avoid giving too many details!

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has many well-developed, complex characters that we grow to love and hate and who inspire a broad spectrum of emotions within the reader. Throughout the novel, Jemisin explores many important societal themes including culture, oppression, morality, and sexuality. Many of her characters do not conform to the traditional conventions of gender and sexuality, as for example, the gods that are worshipped in the novel are polyamorous and genderfluid. Jemisin does a wonderful job methodically constructing a vast fantasy universe with great attention to detail, and she includes many developed cultural histories and character backstories, which helps to really immerse the readers in the world she has built. Black female authors are often underrepresented in the fantasy and science fiction genres, and N.K. Jemisin’s works really speak for themselves and are definitely worth the consideration of anyone looking for a new fantasy novel series to throw themselves into. Notably, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and several awards for gender expression, including the Sense of Gender award and the Tiptree award.

Personally, I believe that The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms can be read as its own complete stand-alone novel, as the following two novels are no longer written from the perspective of Yeine and instead flesh out the stories of both new characters and old ones from the first book. It is definitely a novel/series that is high up on my list of favorites, and the first book was my favorite. I will likely briefly review the following two novels in the series as well sometime in the future :)

#book rec #book recc #fantasy #fantasy novel #n. k. jemisin #nk jemisin #inheritance trilogy #fantasy trilogy #trilogy #book review #book club #book

[monstersandmaw]

Hey, if you are still looking for book recs, recently finished "berry and greed" by lily mayne.

And it was an absolute fluff fest

Both MC grow together over the story.

Both help each other to heal from past trauma,

FMC with vaginism that doesn't get treated and still has a fulfilling sex Life.

Somewhat slow burn

Socially awkward MMC who is so effing adorable

No unneeded drama

So Much Love from both of them for both of them. Seriously. (And so much healthy communication)

I could ramble endless about this book.

It was balm on my stressed soul

Thanks for the rec!

#book recc #anon ask

[theyforcedmetogetablog]

“Six Crimson Cranes” by Elizabeth Lim Review

OKAY! FIRST OF ALL, THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. 5/5 STARS, WILL READ AGAIN. I borrowed it from the Library, but that just means I will buy my own copy... and get my hands on the sequel.

At first, I was really afraid to read this book because it’s a retelling of the Six Swan Brothers and I read a different retelling when I was in High School and THAT retelling was... Uhm... Traumatizing, for lack of better words. Mind you, I have read other books by this author so I KNOW she wouldn’t betray me like that.

This story stays true in the sense that the youngest of seven, a beloved princess and only daughter, finds out a terrible secret about her Stepmother and runs to tell her brothers. The Stepmother finds out and curses the six brothers into Crimson Cranes (ironically the symbol of their Family) and curses the princess to not speak or else one of the brothers will die. There is the same impossible, painful task to complete-spinning a net out of essentially magic nettles.

BUT THAT IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES TO THE OG STORY END. WHICH I AM THANKFUL FOR. It does have its own subplot which I won’t tell you, but its good.

We have Character Growth, Dragons, the Princess HAS MAGIC, we have people evil on the surface and good underneath, we have people good on the surface and evil underneath, we have just evil people, we have cavity inducing GOOD people, demons, Dragons, the little sister you always wanted, romance, and a sassy paper crane who can talk (Her name is Kiki and I Love Her).

Read it for yourself!

#Six Crimson Cranes #Elizabeth Lim #Bookblr #Ky rates books #fairy tale retelling #book recc #book review #book recommendation #books #Seriously this was amazing #Please read it #Kiki is the best

[marshamello13]

Book Review: “The Lying Season”

“The Lying Season” by Heather Christie

Disclaimer: I received the book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Piper Rose finds herself dragged into the cover-up of an accidental death along with her two brothers, her friend, and her crush. They vow to never speak of that night again. But the guilt is causing her OCD tendencies to intensify. After she fails her college ballet audition Piper knows they need to confess the truth. But will she be able to convince the others?

This book is full of so many twists and turns. It keeps you guessing till the very end. The main characters are well rounded and likeable despite the horrible thing they did. I could not put it down and ended up finishing in in one day. It ends on a huge cliffhanger, fingers crossed we get a second book. Overall I loved this book.

#book #books #book reading #book ramblings #bookaddict #bookworm #book review #book reviews #book rec #book recs #book recc #book reccs #book recommendations #book reccomendation #LibraryThing #The Lying Season