#f/f historical and contemporary

[cubistemoji]

My Personal F/F Book Rec List

being an entirely subjective collection of things I personally liked with reasons why I liked them and why you might like them as well!

Science fiction and fantasy

This is How You Lose The Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar

Science fiction, time travel, epistolary, novella -- very short in all. Tight, poetic language. If you like star-crossed lovers and households both alike in dignity, no one is more star-crossed than rival time war soldiers Red and Blue. It is very romantic.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Do you like your lesbianism as a spice that flavors a dense political drama examining the machineries of imperialism through the lens of space colonization? Did you have a Homestuck phase in your past? You'll like this one. The romance is not the focus of the story, but it's there, and it's f/f.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark

Honestly this book wasn't my favorite plotwise (a lot of situations where it seemed like the characters were less intelligent than the reader), but the main character is a lot of fun as a lesbian who wears suits in an alternate-history 1910s Cairo and has a cool catgirl girlfriend, and the worldbuilding and character dynamics were fun as well. Not that kind of catgirl. In a world where the discovery of djinn propelled Egypt to the top of the world stage about a hundred years ago, the guy who did that in the first place is suddenly back in town and murdering people. It's up to Fatma to get to the bottom of it!

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Beloved by Tumblr, it's Lesbian Necromancers In Space! Another book for the Homestuck phase havers. Very very lesbian, although Gideon and Harrow... well they get together in a way... anyway it's about a space empire composed of 9 Houses of necromancy, and the house's representatives have to complete a series of trials to become Lyctors. Ancient Rome inspired but also full of stealthy meme references, if you enjoy the juxtaposition of elevated, old-fashioned language and "Did you know your name contains the words 'Sex Pal'", you'll like this one. The characters are just so fun. Gideon Nav is Horny Butch Representation.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Supernatural horror thriller this one is not fluffy or cute it is dark and scary and also pretty long. Girls on Sawkill Rock have been disappearing for decades, and it's up to the new girl, the outcast, and the queen bee to figure out how to end the cycle for good. Also I'm pretty sure all of the viewpoint characters are girls who like girls? Themes of grief and trauma and also a big scary monster! Oooh!

Contemporary and Historical Fiction

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

In 1920s Britain, a young woman and her mother take in a lovely young married couple as their lodgers. And then there's a murder. Recommended for fans of murder mysteries and thrillers.

Fingersmith also by Sarah Waters

Inspiration for the film the Handmaiden by Park Chan-Wook (which transplants the Victorian setting to Korea under Japanese occupation), this is a story of cons and crimes and lesbianism! A lot of plot, eventual happy ending.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

"Disaster bisexual" August just moved to New York to try going to college again, and she meets a hot girl in a leather jacket on the subway. The hot girl turns out to be from the 70s and trapped on the train forever for some reason... unless August can figure out how to help her! I like McQuiston's writing style, and I thought the descriptions of queer life in the city felt believable.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Yes I had an Uglies phase in middle school that made me into an eternal Westerfeld stan leave me alone. Afterworlds is a pretty fun sendup of the YA publishing industry. Indian-American Darcy Patel wrote a YA book and got a book deal at 18, so she deferred college for a year to live in NYC and work on editing her first book and writing the second book. And then she gets writer's block, Manhattan is expensive, also, the fellow writer she eventually gets into a relationship with turns out to have her own dark and troubled past. It's really long because half of the book is the novel Darcy writes, but it works.

Pulp by Robin Talley

Part historical fiction about an imagined lesbian author of lesbian pulp novels from the 1950s, and part contemporary fiction about a teen activist researching said author for a project while still not over her ex. I like learning about queer history, and I thought this was a clever way to frame that kind of narrative and show why it's relevant today.

Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

Iranian immigrant teenager is successfully dragging herself through high school without having to deal with liking girls until a hot new girl shows up and might be into her, maybe? Reviews saying said hot new girl is an over-the-top predatory bisexual caricature are I think somewhat valid, she didn't read as bisexual to me because I don't think she was actually interested in Leila at all besides as a source of attention but I can understand why that would be offputting to readers. Still, Iranian representation!

#for people disappointed at the cancellation of first kill #wlw book rec list #sapphic book recs #book rec list #f/f books #f/f science fiction #f/f sff lol #f/f historical and contemporary #list #long post

[earl-grey-love]

Every time I think I'm over the L.A. No!re madness I end up thinking about it for more than 10 seconds and I fall to my knees once more.

#its not even about my f/os. #its about how brilliantly the plot is woven in with all the finer details #but how the plot is not about being a cool sherlock holmsian super detective #its about the inescapable flaws of society and the untouchable powers that orchestrate and abuse it willingly #and how that quite literally kills the good in the world #its art #not the greatest execution of it but its definitely up there and it owns me #mind body and soul #i wasnt even thinking about it in the first place I was thinking abt the gorgeous artistic cinematography in bcs #and that lead me to consider the strongest points of each of my fave current shows #with Mad Mn its the dedication to historical accuracy/portrayal of the 60s #i would say that all 3 of these are linked cus while they are contemporary media #they are all very much rooted in film noir #levi speaks

[profiterole-reads]

This is a very interesting rec list.

I’ve read C.L. Polk’s Kingston Cycle (m/m, f/f, f/nb) and highly recommend it.

Super U (m/nb, m/m, m/gf, m/m, m/m) goes to my to-read list. Many others look great, I’ll come back later for more.

#lgbt sff #lgbt books #sff books #mlm #m/m #wlw #f/f #non-binary #m/nb #f/nb #fantasy #sci-fi #contemporary #historical

[fahye]

your book reccomendations are always excellent, do you have any favorite queer romance authors? looking for the standard “trashy” romance vibes but with queer people if possible, thank you so much!

let's see! romance vibes but make it queer.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (f/f contemp small town romance)

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny (m/m medieval historical, fluff and identity shenanigans in a forest)

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner (f/f contemp 'oh shit I banged my roommate's hot mum')

basically anything by Alexis Hall but start with Boyfriend Material (m/m contemp romcom) or A Lady For A Duke (m/f regency with a trans heroine) for classic romance vibes

Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell (m/m contemp about a teacher and a student's dad) is extremely sweet

I can't imagine you've spent any time around my tumblr without hearing me yell READ EVERYTHING BY KJ CHARLES!! but today I will rec Any Old Diamonds (m/m historical, thief/aristocrat with HEIST SHENANIGANS)

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (m/f contemp with trans heroine and lots of kink) is scorching hot and heaps of fun

I have heard great things about An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (f/f historical, SEX PACT WITH A DUCHESS) but my ordered copy hasn't arrived yet

ditto The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (contemporary f/f celebrity marriage of convenience/fake dating), which I JUST got my paws on today and am excited to read

fuck it, Gaywyck by Vincent Virga was the first m/m gothic romance (1980!) and it's Truly The Most Gothic so if you like oldschool romances where the vibes are problematic but extremely delicious, check it out.

...and then read this great article by chels about Problematic Queer Books and why we need them

#ask replies #book recs

[aroaessidhe]

Queerplatonic book recs, that actually have QPRs, inspired by me seeing someone listing qpr books that were literally just queer people being friends 🤦‍♀️

These all have the main characters in queerplatonic relationships,  explicitly and/or unambiguously in most cases.

The Thread That Binds

solarpunk-fantasy about queer bookbinding witches, 2/3 MCs are an aroace & an ace in a QPR

Baker Thief

superhero fantasy with a bigender aromantic superhero / demisexual woman QPR 

Not Even Bones

YA supernatural trilogy where the main characters initially seem to be developing a romantic relationship, but eventually realise neither actually feel that way, and settle into more or less a QPR (without labels, but it’s pretty clear)

Two Dark Moons

YA fantasy where an arospec girl & ace lizard kid accidentally get fantasy-married & develop a friendship/qpr

The Wolf Among The Wild Hunt

dark fantasy novella with an aroace wolfman & nonbinary knight qpr

Our Bloody Pearl

NA fantasy with a siren & ace pirate, originally marketed as a romance, but it is pretty much a qpr and that’s what the author intended!

The Reckless Kind

historical YA with an aspec girl becoming a family with her best friend and his boyfriend

Fire Becomes Her

YA, 1920s inspired fantasy world, demiro girl breaks free of her relationship and instead ends up in a QPR with a nonbinary transmasc ace.

If It Makes You Happy

YA contemporary about a girl navigating her queerplatonic relationship with her best friend, and a possible new romantic relationship.

Royal Rescue

high fantasy with an amatonormative royal marriage system, where the aroace MC has had enough, rescues himself, and starts to dismantle the system, finding a QPR on the way

The Heretic’s Guide To Homecoming (duology)

slow introspective high fantasy following two characters on a journey, doesn’t explicitly have them define their relationship in a QPR-like way, but undeniably focuses on complex platonic relationships and narratives

Mindtouch

this is one that’s been on my tbr forever - a sort of cozy/slice of life sci-fi that centres a platonic relationship between two aliens, which is quite reminiscent of a QPR. apparently there’s like 5 books now, I’ve only read the first so far!

Archivist Wasp / Firebreak

honorable mention because it’s not explicitly a qpr - but all of the author’s works focus on platonic m/f relationships in a very aspec way, and have absolutely no romance anywhere. one of the central relationships is very much platonic soulmates/ qpr vibes (postapoc ghosty sci-fi/fantasy YA & dystopian anticapitalism)

#queerplatonic books #aromantic books #aromantic #ace week #laya talks

[theophan-o]

360th Anniversary of Bohun's Death

17.02.1664 Ivan Bohun was executed in the Polish military camp

Ivan Bohun (Іван Богун) was a real person, an authentic Ukrainian Cossack hero from the mid-17th century and one of the most important Cossack commanders during the uprising of Bohdan Chmielnicki (Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Богдан Хмельницький), which started in 1648 ('Ukrainian Independence War').

As such, he has many diverse appearances in the Ukrainian culture and in the Polish culture (in literature, folklore, visual arts, music, opera, theater, cinema, etc.). Perhaps, the most famous worldwide (or just Tumblr-wide) of them all is the novel "With Fire and Sword" ("Ogniem i mieczem") by the Polish writer, Henryk Sienkiewicz, from 1883/1884. H. Sienkiewicz changed Bohun's name to Jurko, but described some of his authentic deeds, i.a. the role, he played during the battle of Beresteczko, 1651. The novel itself, as a part of the well-known "Trylogia" (which occupies an important place in the Polish culture), has many adaptations in art, theater, radio and cinema. The most famous of them is the Polish film from 1999, directed by Jerzy Hoffman. So...

Bohun's appearance in that film is not everything, in fact, it is only the tip of the iceberg of Bohun's myth. There is much more to explore and admire.

More information about artworks presented in this post you can find here:

It is a fan&didactic account, existing only for the Cossack Heroes glory and promoting Ukrainian heritage worldwide. Copyright belongs to the Artists/Museums.

#ivan bohun #jurko bohun #ogniem i mieczem #with fire and sword #trylogia #trylogia sienkiewicza #ukrainian history #cossacks #cossack heroes #ukrainian heritage #ukrainian culture #polish culture #ukrainian art #ukrainian literature #polish art #polish literature #trylogia sensem życia

[stesierra]

Writeblr ReIntro!

I'm posting a new intro because now that I've been on Writeblr a little while, I realize how much information I left out! Hi, I'm Stephanie, I live in the desert with my husband and baby and three cats, and I'm an ace, bipolar fantasy writer! When I was a kid, they said I had ADHD but then I got my Masters degree in biology, so they claim I can't have it. Online tests say I'm probably autistic.

I used to write sci fi twelve years ago but only low tech sci fi about weird aliens, which nobody likes. Now I write fantasy novels! Lots of fantasy novels! I am beginning to post them on my website so if you want to read them, please keep an eye on this post.

My books often but not always have some romance (either m/f or f/f because I prefer female protagonists.) Since I'm ace (and demiromantic), my interpretation of romance and attraction is not exactly what you'd expect from, say, a romance novel.

I am not going to tell you about all my books! I've written eighteen! Four of them are shelved forever! Here's some recent ones (written or revised since 2018) that I haven't given up on. Please ask me questions about them! I LOVE talking about my books! Also, if you want to be added to my taglist for writing samples let me know! Please also tell me if you're interested in alpha or beta reading and for which book! Mutuals only, please!

My books are beneath the cut! As I add WIP intros, I'll update this list with links.

Cast Out

YA fantasy! On her sixteenth birthday, Zisha is cast out of the Plenary Cities for the crime of being born deaf, like her grandmother before her. In the wastelands, she meets Thesil, a depressed and bitter young woman. Zisha wants nothing to do with her — until she sees Thesil's face in a vision. But before she can find out what the visions mean or reach her grandmother's holdings in the wastes, the plague returns to the Plenary Cities. If the disabled really caused the plague thirty years ago, and were cast out to stop the spread, how can it be back when all of them are outcast?

Status: Finished. Being serialized.

WIP intro here.

Now being serialized here. First five chapters up, one posted weekly.

The Bone Queen

This is my NA fantasy about the aftermath of freeing an undead queen and her skeleton army. They take over the kingdom, of course! The main character, Elise, is trapped in Bandrum palace by Aubrey, the ghost who tricked her into falling in love and freeing him (plus everyone else.) He's an animated skeleton now with plans to marry Elise and force her to carry his children. The bone queen has promised him she'll make it happen. Too bad no one cares what Elise wants. If only she had magic of her own...

Status: undergoing a rewrite after developmental edit. Was 109k before revisions. Not available for beta reading.

Draft number? Hahahaha. It has two complete sequels (The Spellbound King (106k) and The Matriarch's Daughter (96k)) I must also rewrite. This series is going to kill me but I love it. My mom, who loves everything I write, complained that it was weird. I'm very proud.

WIP intro here.

First chapter here.

School of Souls

This is my YA contemporary fantasy about a boarding school in the Bighorn Mountains! It's supposed to be a place parents can send "bad" teens to have their problems sorted out, but secretly the founder is using it to train the kids as sorcerers. Even more secretly, the school devours the souls of the students sent there, and the teenagers who graduate aren't the same as the ones who arrived... Warning: does include teenage addiction to sleeping pills and ghosts and and parental death. It's going to have sequels but I haven't written them yet.

Status: Complete first draft. 83k. Available for alpha reading.

WIP intro here.

First chapter here.

The Many-faced Princess

This is YA fantasy with a historical vibe but set in a made up world. Vaguely inspired by ancient Phoenicia. It's about Princess Ameryi, who was blessed by the genderless trickster god, Akihel, to be able to change her face. If her father the king ever found out, he'd have to execute her, of course. Akihel is just plain evil. All the other gods say so. A daughter who's their champion? Impossible. An abomination. So Ameryi will just have to make sure her father never finds out. That was easier to do before the Asirtinsa Empire threatened to invade and her father sent her to secure an alliance with a neighboring king. She's supposed to marry him. Not steal his face and frame him for murder. But sometimes plans just don't work out.

This book was supposed to be about two lesbian princesses who frame the king for murder so they can elope, but both princesses decided to be ace and there was nothing I could do.

Status: Complete first draft. 83k. It's going to have sequels but I haven't written them yet. Available for alpha reading.

First chapter here.

Map here.

Court Phoenix

This is my NA fantasy! Kerra is a blacksmith's apprentice. Not because she wants the job, but because her mother sold her future to him when she was still a toddler who crawled into live fires and giggled as the flames consumed her clothes. Now she's a woman, trapped by the expectations of her family and her village. Until one day, a phoenix crash-lands and dies in her arms. When it's reborn, it chooses Kerra as its keeper. Soon, her dreary future is swept away. A princess from Skyfire, the moving city, offers her a job in the royal court. How could Kerra refuse? Her family's claims that she'll die if she ever leaves the village are just manipulative lies. Aren't they?

Status: Complete third draft. 104k. Available for beta reading.

First chapter here.

The Revenant Trilogy

Adult fantasy. Solving a murder should bring good fortune, but all it brings Mindral Thideet is disaster. Her fame and peaceful life as head researcher at the city of knowledge end abruptly. In retaliation for her investigation into his crimes, Payar Cheref, the head of the powerful Cheref family, burns her beloved cousins alive and scars her face. The scar marks her as a revenant, a body possessed by a godkin, one of the gods' evil children. Her life as a researcher is over. All that's left is revenge.

No one believes her when she denies that godkins have any power over her. But godkins, real ones, are far closer than she realizes. Tearing down Payar Cheref could destroy Mindral, her family, and the nation itself.

-The Halfway Revenant (rewriting draft 4) 120k. Not available for beta reading.

-The Soul-Seer (draft 2) - 130k

-The Godkin's Gambit (draft 2) 121k

First chapter here.

As Immortality Fades

Adult fantasy. Five hundred years ago, one of the immortal and unpredictable Valteifur visited the kingdom of Kathild and granted the young queen Nelone immortality. But there was a catch. She'd live forever, youthful and strong, just so long as her subjects were happy. For centuries, she's met her part of the deal. But when the Valteifur returns to check on her progress, he grants her a new gift: the resurrection of every single person in Kathild who's died in the last two hundred years. Then he disappears.

There aren't enough houses for them all. There's not enough food. And winter is here.

Status: Complete first draft. 98k. Available for alpha reading.

Bi MC, enemies to lovers.

First chapter here.

Stitches and Memories

This one's adult fantasy. Antea's father ripped her mind apart, left her for dead, and vanished twelve years ago, and she's going to find out why. But when constables try to kill her and strange truth magic grows inside of her, hunting her father starts to look like suicide. Too bad going home isn't an option.

Status: I exchanged this with a critique partner and now it embarrasses me. Fourth draft. 122k. Available for beta reading.

Trigger warning: magic seizures

First chapter here.

WIP intro here.

Triangle Park

Contemporary Fantasy. I have no idea who it's for. An elf exiled to the middle of nowhere ends up stuck with an unexpected child. It's about reluctant parenting and protecting the needy. And elves and faeries slumming it in a mobile home.

Status: Complete first draft. 86k. Available for alpha reading.

First chapter here.

Mud-Child

Adult fantasy. Rebeka has always heard that a woman who goes through menopause loses her spark (the magic that lets her create children). If she's had children, it just makes the neighbors a little more fertile. But Rebeka never wanted a man, and she never wanted to raise a child. Not since her twin sister died and her beloved Suza left her for a man. The problem is, the spark leaves a childless woman differently, everyone says. A bitter hag? She'll curse her neighbors. A sweet dim biddie? She'll give her spark to inanimate objects and create a monster. Rebeka doesn't know which she is, but she believes it's a myth.

That was before the clay in her clay pit woke up and called her mother.

Status: Third draft. 109k. Needs a rewrite! Not available for beta reading.

First chapter here.

WIP intro here.

I GUESS I'M WRITING A NEW BOOK

The Giant's Gamble

First chapter here.

I started writing this on Friday the 13th, 2023. LET'S SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO WRITE WITH A BABY.

Short stories

The Unfamous Dead

VERY OLD CRAP

The Scribe and the Sphinx

Adult historical fantasy

Status: second draft. Shelved for good. 85k.

The Adrift series

The River's Drift. 100k.

The Waking Mountain. 106k.

Low-tech alien sci fi. Shelved for good.

My first book whose name I forget. About 50k. Exists only as a hard copy in my parents' house.

Taglist so far (tell me if you want to be added or removed)

Tag list for everything

@harleyacoincidence

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@the-dragon-chronicler

@teacupsandstarlight

@vorskra

@wrenofthewords

@amostdelectablescribbler

@mysticstarlightduck

@phantommill

@gracewritesbooks

@aziz-reads

@owlsandwich

@symbioticsimplicity

@squarebracket-trick

@koala2all

@rmgrey-author

@atomatowriter

@cheerfulmelancholies

@delusionisaplace

@janec23

@writing-is-a-martial-art

@authortango

Just chapters and snippets

@da-na-hae

For The Many-faced Princess

@deadlyessencewhispers

@serenanymph

The Halfway Revenant

@acertainmoshke

For Stitches and Memories

@space-writes

@acertainmoshke

The Bone Queen

@janec23

@holdmyteaplease

@digital-chance

@thecrookedwriterspath

@tea-and-mercury

@coven-archives

I love you all!

#writeblr intro #oh my god this is long #why did I write so much #why did I do this to myself #writeblr #writing #writing community #creative writing #fantasy #writers of tumblr

[netherfeildren]

Vic! I must ask - do you have any erotic romance and/or erotica book recommendations?

LITEROTICA!!!!!!!! my favorite! I am finally finally getting to this, apologies for the delay. I'm not doing blurbs or anything and just going to list them, but I'll include a ⭐️ if they're a favorite. This is a mix of erotica and romance, and don't forget to check trigger warnings carefully for all books!

I'll also mark C for contemporary, HR for historical romance and F for fantasy just for ease of perusing.

In no particular order:

The Crossfire Series, Sylvia Day, C, ⭐️

Scounders of St. James series, Lorraine Heath, HR

Travises series, Lisa Kleypas, C

Little Birds, Anaïs Nin, C, ⭐️

Rules for the Reckless series, Meredith Duran, HR

The Duke of Shadows, Meredith Duran, HR

Bellamy Creek series, Melanie Harlow, C

Things We Never Got Over, Lucy Score, C, ⭐️

A Spy in the House of Love, Anaïs Nin, C, ⭐️

Cloverleigh Farms series, Melanie Harlow, C

The Pale Court duology, Liv Zander, F

Master of Salt & Bones, Keri Lake, CF

Of Flesh & Bone series, Harper L. Woods, F

Promises and Pomegranates, Sav R. Miller, C

The Made series, Danielle Lori, C, ⭐️

At Your Pleasure, Meredith Duran, HR

The Dressmakers series, Loretta Chase, HR

Scandal & Scoundrel series, Sarah Maclean, HR

Victorian Rebels series, Kerrigan Byrne, HR

Wicked Becomes You, Meredith Duran

The Ravenels series, Lisa Kleypas, HR, ⭐️

The Hathaways series, Lisa Kleypas, HR, ⭐️

After We Fall series, Melanie Harlow, C

Anti-Heroes in Love duology, Giana Darling, C

Dark Deam Duet duology, Giana Darling, C

Lord of Scoundrels, Loretta Chase, HR, ⭐️

Love By Numbers, Sarah Maclean, HR,

Girl Meets Duke series,Tessa Dare, HR

Castles Ever After series, Tessa Dare, HR

It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey, C, ⭐️

A Wicked Kind of Husband, Mia Vincy, HR, ⭐️

Playing with Monsters series, Amelia Hutchins, CF, ⭐️

Legacy of the Nine Realms series, Amelia Hutchins, CF

Aspect and Anchor series, Ruby Dixon

Wallflowers series, Lisa Kleypas, HR, ⭐️

The Gilded Age Heiresses series, Harper St. George

Dark Arts series, Bec McMaster, F, ⭐️

Markham Hall series, Sierra Simone, HR, ⭐️

Priest, Sierra Simone, C

The Villain, L.J. Shen

Delta of Venus, Anaïs Nin, C, ⭐️

#vic's recs #book recs

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: New and Upcoming Fiction with Autistic MCs

For backlist titles, click here for YA and here and here for others. Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde (Sci-Fi Adventure MG) The Problem with Gravity by Michelle Mohrweis (Contemporary MG) Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos (Contemporary YA) The Spirit Bares its Teeth and Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White (Historical YA Horror, Paranormal YA Thriller) Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings (F/F…

View On WordPress

#Andrew Joseph White #autism #Autism Awareness Month #Autistic #Compound Fracture #Jen Wilde #Late Bloomer #Mazey Eddings #Michelle Mohrweis #Paige Not Found #Sonora Reyes #The Broprosal #The Problem with Gravity #The Spirit Bares its Teeth

[bimboficationblues]

what are the differences between marxism and anarchism?

one is based on the writings of Karl Marx and the other is based on the writings of Jean-Luc Anarquis

the respective ways in which they annoy me

it's difficult to get precise because anarchism is notably more expansive, which is sort of inherent to its nature. Marxism is thoroughly modern and often emphasizes its breakage with the previous radicalisms and socialisms that influenced it (while also being explicitly based on the models and preoccupations of a specific guy or set of guys). and although a lot of anarchism is to some extent also modern and similarly birthed out of 18th-century radicalism, it has a claim - much like communism outside of Marxism - to a longer, more extensive intellectual and political history. not to mention these two are, both being forms of socialism, kind of on a gradient (communization theory is a good contemporary example of a synthesis of the two). any attempt to kind of boil down either, and framing it as a binary in the first place, is going to miss a lot.

to bang my metapolitics drum: goals should be derived from values, and strategy and tactics are derived from both. I feel like you're probably familiar with the strategic/tactical disagreements among Marxists and anarchists (parties, cooperatives, state power, etc.) because they're...fairly obvious, so I'm more interested in emphasizing that first process.

there are (or at least can be) a number of overlapping values between Marxism and anarchism, even if the substantive content can vary. I think a notable breaking point is the central object of their ire. Marxism is interested in the rule of capital and its representatives, how this distorts and deranges social life, and more broadly how class conflict emerges from different methods of organizing social needs in ways that are destructive/irrational/restrictive on flourishing. I think anarchism's attention is towards processes of obedience and submission, how is it that people come to be positioned in hierarchical and coercive dynamics and either lose or surrender their personal and collective liberty, and how the state/political organization act as the chief source of this repression. I think there's obvious linkage here, and I wouldn't say they're mutually exclusive, but where you place your emphases matters and is going to lead you to different assessments of goals.

they primarily split on the question of what to do about political power, which I would suggest is related but non-identical to the break over what to do about political economy. assuming a revolutionary scenario (which not all anarchists do, see the individualist strain derived from thinkers like Stirner which I am somewhat influenced by, but this is the conventional tale of the Bakunin/Marx split): should political power, conceived as a weapon of class rule, be seized in some capacity before we seek its full abolition, or should this mode or conception of politics be abolished through the act of making revolution?

again, there's kind of a spectrum of answers here. I think how you flesh out the substantive content of specific values will inform where you land on this question, of exactly how to get to statelessness. fwiw, I think nobody has really cracked the problem of the state as a force with its own inertia and limitations for forming a desirable society vs. the demands of a defensive revolutionary position, but I think recognizing that it is a dilemma is more fruitful than just pretending it doesn't exist or like a clean answer has been handed down from on high by our predecessors.

and, to some extent, there's also a disparity (though not universal between the camps) on the matter of whether a post-capitalist society should have things like markets - not all anarchists are necessarily communists. not all Marxists are either but they usually at least pretend to be.

anyway, I think there's obviously a lot of other historical and ideological differences and tensions for a variety of reasons, but I think these are some of the most interesting threads right now. in conclusion,

[liesmyth]

I have been in a terrible reading slump and am looking for books to pull me out. Do you have any recommendations?

FRANCES HARDINGE. cool heroines, middle grade level that adults will love, cool fantasy premises, perfect balance of quality & light read. my faves are deeplight + cuckoo song.

If you don't like fantasy then my beloved herotic stories for punjabi widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. everyone should read it I'm not kidding I love it to bits.

more ideas:

beach reads!! these are all fun engaging types of books:

fantasy: a deadly education by naomi novik

thriller: the it girl by ruth ware

thriller but comedy: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

horror: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. the coldest girl in cooldown by Holly Black

litfic: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

romance (F/F): Hotshot byClare Lydon

romance (het): Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho (contemporary). Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (historical). Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (YA)

prose so good you want to eat it. (words are pretty but the book is a bit heavier to stomach! depends on your tastes)

matrix by lauren groff. into the woods by tana french. my dark vanessa by kate elizabeth russell. The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker.

engaging nonfiction

humble pi by matt parker. the code book by simon sigh. if you wanna go heavier, I really loved Black AF History by Michael Harriot

shorter stuff

short stories! I've loved everything I've read that was short by Tamsyn Muir, but the collection Heiresses of Rust (2016) she's featured in also has an incredible mix of short stories by various authors. the theme is lesbian fiction. another sff author I love for short stories is James Tiptree

tiny books! chaptered but on the shorter side. Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand. Houston, Houston, Do You Read? by James Tiptree Jr. One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir. The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

#ask #anonymous #book talk

[scotianostra]

Holy Rood Day is a religious observance celebrated on May 3rd each year.

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to give it it's more convulated name, celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.

So what is this got to do with Scotland? Well it ties in directly in with one of our fondest remembered Queens, Margaret, and one of Scotland's most treasured and enigmatic relics, the Black Rood, said to be a piece of the True Cross set in an ebony crucifix. Here's the story to date.

The Black Rood is said to have been brought to Scotland by Margaret who fled north in the years after the Norman Conquest and married Malcolm Canmore, Malcolm III. A bit of Margaret's background is relevant. She is said to have been born in Hungary but was in England during the reign of Edward the Confessor who was her grand-uncle.

On her death in 1093, Margaret is reported to have left the Rood, described by contemporary historians as a ''great national palladium'', check out the link for a great telling of how Margaret called for the rood as she lay dying in Edinburgh Castle.

To the Scottish people. It is recorded as having been taken south along with the Stone of Destiny in 1296 as part of Edward I of England's booty from his Scottish ''tour''. Its significance for the Scots is indicated by the fact it was only restored by special treaty.

Almost half a century passes before it surfaces again, this time as one of the relics carried by the Scots army in 1346 to the Battle of Neville's Cross near Durham where we were soundly drubbed and David II was taken into captivity, (Remember my wee post on this the other day courtesy f my friend Andrew Spratt)

The English considered the acquisition of the Black Rood almost as important as the victory itself and it was kept for the next 200 years in Durham Abbey ''on the pillar next to St Cuthbert's shrine in the south aisle''. During the chaos of the Reformation, like so many other religious artefacts, it disappeared.

You don't have to believe in all the religion surrounding the Holy, or Black Rood to understand that this was one of the most treasured relics from our medieval history, just rooting around in history and you can find other legends regarding pieces of the Cross, so much so the reformer John Calvin thought there were enough pieces of the "True Cross" floating around to build a battleship or I would add, perhaps an Ark.

Check out the link for more info on the Black Rood here

#scotland #scottish #history #Religious history

[amarguerite]

i am so c o n f u s e d

ive been seeing u reblogging/talking abt the gilded age among a couple others of ppl I follow/talk abt JA and like............ITS LOOKS PRETTY. SEEEMS LIKE ITS A VICTORIAN ERA THING WHICH IS NICE. but but would it be as inapp as bridgerton?? I can just skip through fucking scenes so I can look at the prett dresses but if theres outright fucking itd be age inapp BUT I need smth to watch while crocheting and this seems like the perfect kinda trashy show to watch

so so as a person whos seen it like should i watch it or not? 😭😭

It’s set in 1882 in the first season and 1883 in the second! It’s very mild, in terms of sexual content. Clothed making out between George and Bertha Russell and then in the second season their son has an ill-advised fling with an older woman that results in them making out while fully clothed and a scene of them chatting in bed while under the covers. I think the most you see is Laura Benanti’s bare leg. ETA: there is a scene in the first season where one character tries to seduce another by being naked in his bed but he gets real mad and immediately makes her get dressed and leave.

It’s a lot of fun, but admittedly it’s fun for me for some very specific reasons. If any of these resonate with you, I’d give it a shot:

1) great costuming

2) nearly every contemporary Broadway star is there to chew on scenery, be witty, and wear hats

3) ridiculous gilded age nonsense where ultra-rich robber barons and “old money” New Yorkers fight over who gets invited to what party. The overarching plot of the second season is about the construction of the Metropolitan Opera House

4) neat subplots featuring genuinely cool female historical figures who accomplished an incredible amount given the societal constraints under which they existed. Last season there was a long subplot about Clara Barton founding the Red Cross and this season there’s a subplot about the female engineer who was actually responsible for constructing the Brooklyn Bridge instead of her husband

5) fantastic scenery

6) a look at the Black elite of New York at the time— a group I didn’t know much about until this show

7) Nathan Lane giving one of the strangest and funniest performances of his long and varied career.

8) on location shooting at big Gilded Age mansions in New York State and in Newport, Rhode Island. The house belonging to the character played by one of my fave Broadway prima donnas, Kelli O’Hara, is actually Lyndhurst House, the actual Gothic Revival mansion of actual Gilded Age robber baron Jay Gould.

9) an insanely high props budget that they use to buy such outlandishly delightful things as penny-farthing bicycles and magic lanterns

Is it a good show? Honestly, I don’t know if I can answer that question.

Is it great if you’re a musical theatre fan who enjoys being able to say, “oh my god that’s Douglas Sills from The Scarlet Pimpernel and Little Shop of Horrors playing the Russell’s chef!” Yes.

[qbdatabase]

trans male rom coms !! or any trans rom coms if there are not that many published !!! happy endings please !!!

so these might not all be romantic-comedies, but they are all Romances with a happy ending or Happily For Now, to the best of my knowledge; italicized titles are ones I've read myself and recommend as a transgender man

Contemporary Romance

(YA) Spy Stuff by Metzger, Matthew J.

Finding Your Feet by Lennox, Cass

(YA) Something Like Gravity by Smith, Amber

Don't Feed the Trolls by Kudisch, Erica (questioning masc NB)

(YA) Felix Ever After by Callender, Kacen (demiboy)

(YA) Stay Gold by McSmith, Tobly (hate crime, but happy ending)

Make a Circle by Joyce, Elliot

Cat's Got Your Heart by Zero, Jem

Life Underwater by Metzger, Matthew J.

Walking on Water by Metzger, Matthew J.

Reverb by Zabo, Anna

(YA) Meet Cute Diary by Lee, Emery

(YA) The Passing Playbook by Fitzsimons, Isaac

(YA) May the Best Man Win by Ellor, Z. R.

(YA) Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story by Patel, Sonia

(YA) A Million Quiet Revolutions by Gow, Robin (t4t)

(YA) Sharing Secrets by Metzger, Matthew J.

Coffee Boy by Chant, Austin

(YA) Rebel Boys and Rescue Dogs, or Things That Kiss with Teeth by Shrum, Brianna R.

(MG) On a Summer Night by Vidrine, Gabriel D.

Their Troublesome Crush by West, Xan

Acoustics by Price, London

(YA) The Feeling of Falling in Love by Deaver, Mason

(YA) Beating Heart Baby by Min, Lio

Welcome, Caller by Wright, M. Dean

Chef's Choice by Alexander, T. J. (t4t)

(YA) We Go Together by de Niverville, Abigail

(YA) If I Can GIve You That by Bulla, Michael Gray

(YA) Always the Almost by Underhill, Edward

A Shot in the Dark by Lee, Victoria

Historical Romance

The Companion by Ottoman, E. E. (t4t4t poly triad)

(YA) Self-Made Boys by McLemore, Anna-Marie

The Doctor's Discretion by Ottoman, E. E.

Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Paranormal Romance

(YA) The Heartbreak Bakery by Capetta, A. R. (NB x trans-masc)

(YA) Help Wanted by Emery, J. (questioning F, could be NB or ftm)

A Knight to Remember by Simkiss, Ceillie

(YA) Venom & Vow by McLemore, Anna-Marie

Mystery Romance

The Queer and the Restless by Ripper, Kris

(YA) A Fine Bromance by Moss, Christopher Hawthorne

full notes on representation and publishing info at qbdatabase.com

#transgender #trans rep #ftm #trans man #romance #romance books #adult books #YA books #ask #anon #answered

[thedisabilitybookarchive]

Disability in Books: International Asexuality Day

[ID: A poster. Large black text reading "International Asexuality Day" is in the centre. Above it, to the left, smaller black text reading "Disability in Books". The background is a straight diagonal version of the Disability Pride flag. In the upper right corner, the logo for the Disability Book Archive. In the lower left corner, the Asexual Pride flag. /end]

[ID: The same poster. The flag and logo have shrunken slightly in size. The title has been removed, replaced with two book covers and some text. The first cover is for "Asking For A Friend" by Ronnie Riley and is in the upper left hand corner. Black text listed next to it reads "Middle-Grade", "Contemporary", "Anxiety, ADHD", "Additional Biromantic Rep", and "June 2024 Release". The second cover is for "Deathless Divide" by Justina Ireland and is down the lower right side of the poster. Large black text listed next to it reads "Young Adult", "Historical, Horror, Fantasy", "Amputee", "Additional Bisexual Rep", "Zombies", and "Series". /end]

[ID: The same poster. The book covers and text have changed. The first cover is for "Hazel's Theory of Everything" by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. Large black text listed next to it reads "Middle-Grade, Young Adult", "Contemporary", "Wheelchair User SC", and "Additional Questioning and Aromantic Rep". The second cover is for "Learning Curves" by Ceillie Simkiss. Large black text listed next to it reads "New Adult, Adult", "Romance, Contemporary", "ADHD", "F/F; Fat Peurto-Rican Lesbian MC x Panromantic Asexual MC", and "Novella". /end]

[ID: The same poster. The book covers and text have changed. The first cover is for "Our Bloody Pearl" by D. N. Bryn. Large black text listed next to it reads "Adult", "Fantasy, Romance", "Paraplegic, PTSD, Sign Language, Vitiligo", "Additional Non-Binary, Transgender, Agender and Aromantic Rep", and "Series". The second cover is for "Tarnished Are the Stars" by Rosiee Thor. Large black text listed next to it reads "Young Adult", "Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Romance", "Heart Condition", "Additional Aromantic, Lesbian and Queer Rep", and "Space". /end]

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠ [ID: 58 Ace of Spade emojis /end]

A small collection of books featuring disabled asexual characters in honour of International Asexuality Day!

Every book on this list features 1 or more asexual main characters. Honourable mention for the City of Spires series, which features a large cast of aspec characters, alongside characters who are deaf, have memory loss, PTSD, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and a main character with a condition that dulls his senses.

[ID: The same poster, with no text, showing 3 book covers. The books are "City of Strife", "City of Betrayal" and "City of Deceity", all by Claudie Arseneault. /end]

Books on this list:

♠ 'Asking For a Friend'- Ronnie Riley ♠ 'Deathless Divide'- Justina Ireland ♠ 'Hazel's Theory of Evolution'- Lisa Jenn Bigelow ♠ 'Learning Curves'- Ceillie Simkiss ♠ 'Our Bloody Pearl'- D. N. Bryn ♠ 'Tarnished Are the Stars'- Rosiee Thor ♠ 'City of Strife'- Claudie Arseneault ♠ 'City of Betrayal'- Claudie Arseneault ♠ 'City of Deceit'- Claudie Arseneault

Happy International Asexuality Day!

#books #disability books #disability representation #disability #disabled characters #lgbtq books #lgbtq+ #lgbtq characters #lgbtq representation #asexual #asexuality #asexual representation #international asexuality day #asexuality in books #images #described #the disability book archive #link

[aroaessidhe]

aro & ace book lists masterpost

#aspec books / aro & ace books database (tinyurl.com/aspecbooks)

A couple notes:

These are books I have read, with the occasional exception. I always state when I have not read a book I’m including in a post. May add to and edit posts when I read more relevant books.

I mostly include books I recommend, but to varying levels (and sometimes I'll include some I dislike but they might be worthwhile for someone else) There will of course be some of my personal bias to what I prefer (SFF, YA contemporary)

I prioritise books with aspec main characters. Will include the occasional side character if I have a gap to fill and it’s reasonably significant and/or the author is aspec. Like, would it be worth it to read the book just for this character?

The things I am choosing to group on are based on commonalities I’ve noticed. If I group by one thing but not something similar it's because there's not enough I've read to make a worthwhile post!

Most posts encompass ace & aro & the spectrums (because there's a lot of overlap in the books) but some are one or the other, and I've generally marked them as such here

under the cut, as I will be frequently updating as I post more

asterix* & smalltext means the same post is being linked for a second time (for example if it's gender and genre specific, it might be under both sections)

identity

gender/sexuality

trans part 1 / part 2

aroallo books

aroace girls (contemporary YA)

ace girls (contemporary YA)

ace girls (YA low sff)

relationship

queerplatonic

f/nb

m/nb

other

autistic aspecs

aro books by authors of colour

aro books by Black authors

genre

broad

Graphic novels

YA contemporary (aro)

YA contemporary (ace girls)*

YA contemporary (aroace girls)*

YA low sff (girls)*

YA speculative fiction (aro)

YA dark high fantasy

middle grade (aro)

adult: high fantasy (aro)

adult: historical/contemporary fantasy/etc (aro)

historical (1900-1990)

space (opera, or general space setting)

specific

assassins

dragons

fey

ghosts

multiverse/portals

robots/cyborgs

university setting

other/misc

some no-romance books centering a friendship

a few fav aro books

#aspec books #asexual books #aromantic books