Soulless by Gail Carriger The narrative voice in this is a mix of snarky and florid. The characters were interesting, but extremely lusty. The number of times they were interrupted! In danger, in public, any time they were alone, their brains disengaged. Not for me. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff

Gotta be T.Kingfisher / Ursula Vernon I've been a fan since the digger days - diggercomic.com - a long running webcomic that won a Hugo in 2011. Now I've got books to read. Wonderful characters, a lot of weirdness, a touch of creepy, and all around some of my favorite books.

Kobo is doing a 30 day free trial promotion for their Kindle Unlimited competitor service Kobo Plus for new subscribers (not sure if this is US only), if you like queer indie books, small press SFF, and backlist SFF from large publishers there's a lot to choose from on this service that's not on KU!

Usually i don't think animals should be classified as evil. Animals can be malicious, but I don't want to read about it. Except. Okay, *spoilers* for T Kingfisher's A Sorceress Comes to Call OMG the horse. The horse in this is absolutely essential. 😱

A woman (30s?) is taking a selfie of herself while holding a big blowsy lettuce next to her cheek. Her grin is Cheshire Cat wide. The lettuce doesn't seem to have an opinion on the matter, but it's putting its best leaves forward anyway. (2)

Shadow Deal by Michael La Ronn Lester's a retired necromancer with a bad knees, a lot of remorse and self loathing, and some very angry people after him. He's very much a guy with only one way to solve problems, luckily he's very good at the whole spirit realm thing. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 ♿️♾️📚

New Review of Series Review: The Suitable 'Verse by R. Cooper #BookReview #BookSky 💙📚

Nghi Vo's The Singing Hills Cycle is fabulous. The intersections between myth and truth and history are always fascinating. Very character driven, often with a spooky or horrific bent.

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K. J. Charles Very Epic Showdown, strong family bonds, and the thing with the beetles. It's a very satisfying read.

R. B. Lemberg's Birdverse. Various books and short stories and poems that come together to form a complex world. Each piece that comes out has me sorting out where it fits in the puzzle of the others. Really unique magic and characters. #BookishQOTD

Witchmark by C. L. Polk Slow building mystery. Enough clues laid out to sort out some of what's going on - but the ending was still unexpected. Miles' persistence and drive made him likeable, but it's a good thing he wasn't in this alone. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

I'm at odds with the idea of a universally female experience. So I'm going with Lois McMaster Bujold, for her varied women. Cordelia Vorkosigan, Ekaterin Vorkosigan, Elli Quinn, Tej Vorpatril, Kareen Koudelka, Elena Bothari-Jesek - all unique in personality and ability and goals. #Bookvember

I don't do audiobooks - my brain processes audio differently. I don't get the same kind of immersion or impact, it doesn't feel like the same experience to me. That doesn't mean that it's not reading. Reading isn't about the mechanics, eyes or ears or fingers. It's about words into brain.

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa There are a lot of unhappy people in this book, and we see POVs of many of them. An isolationist, crumbling empire, with racist castes and oppressive control over knowledge, it's incredibly dreary. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 1/

God, a thousand times this. That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis. I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.

Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen, The tale broken into Myth, Song, Legend, Story and History, and seeing the places they line up and the places they don't is fascinating.

Apt to Be Suspicious by Celia Lake There's a sense of isolation here, things out of reach. Edmond has lot of family support - but is also trying to blend in with non magical society while doing an excessive amount of work. Pen's been trying to reach for more - 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 1/

Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default. Here's how to turn it off. First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner

It would be quite rude and cruel to yank someone out of their life and entire world, so I'd have to go somewhere else. No idea where, need that perfect mix of available health care, ability to be useful (or my mental health will suffer), and not in the midst of death and disaster... #BookishQOTD

When my caveman brain thinks doing chores is as dangerous as touching a crocodile

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin I loved the tea based magic in this one. Ning's so out of her depth, the princess is in love with her handmaiden, and Kang shows some of the palace's secrets. Great range of characters, though the villains are a bit one note. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫

I've read everything by: Lois McMaster Bujold, Michelle Sagara / Michelle West, Intisar Khanani, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Grace Draven, James Alan Gardner, Celia Lake, Nalini Singh, Wen Spencer and Megan Whalen Turner - though there a lot more I'm like 90% on. 1/

Flare and Bind by Lilian Zenzi The tech in this is always interesting, with various artificial intelligences and symbiotic implants no one quite understands. Meri clearly doesn't quite feel they have escaped their past, while Xavia is more a cypher. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

Like many others, I had a large and detailed book that covered natural history - dinosaurs, horse evolution and more, with tons of illustrations.

Runaway Royals: Well, I've got to bring up Ista from Bujold's Paladin of Souls. Very much an ex-princess, with her daughter now Royina, freed from a curse and struggling to break out of her place in the world. A favourite read! 1/

"Hush, Horatio. Did you not hear the Dark Lord's call? Go now and summon the others, for it is the time of The Reaping. Soon we shall be bathing in the blood of our enemies." "I don't know, Max. I'm pretty sure that was just a can opener."

Gotta love that ADHD feeling that you're losing interest in a hyperfixation or project and you know for a fact that you aren't going to finish it before the passion dies and it languishes in the closet of DOOOOOOMMMM for the rest of time

Bumping my database of intersex ownvoices books + a bonus list of ALL books by Black intersex authors, for #IntersexAWarenessWeek!

The unicorn listened intently. Somewhere in the forest, someone innocent was singing. The unicorn followed the sound, found the singer, and laid down with their head in the singer's lap. "bottles of-" The young orc fell silent, smiled shyly, then resumed singing. "Beer on the wall..."

A Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell A 2018 book about a near-future USA in the midst of a civil war is a heck of a thing to read in 2025. The characters are sharp, the dystopia is real, and there is a grimness here, but also survival - 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 ♿️♾️📚 1/

It’s time…

Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose Wrexford and Charlotte solve another string of murders. Some interesting suspects, clever urchins and slow changes in their relationships, this series has me hooked. ⏳📚💙 ⚡️📚

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery Anne gets most of the press, but Emily is my favourite LMM child. Book loving, cat loving, and sometimes bewildered. It all felt very true. I don't remember a lot of other bookish characters from then, certainly not girls. But clearly, girls could write.

How to Steal a Galaxy & Last Chance to Save the World by Beth Revis Two this time. Ada spends a bit too much time being smug in the first one. While there are some attempts to insert some action in all the waiting and talking, it's not quite as sharp as the others - 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

Overall a lackluster nature photography day, but this first year Bonaparte's gull CAPTURED MY HEART 🥰 🪶

Radiant by Karina Sumner-Smith Excellent post-apocalyptic fantasy, with a well realized world and interesting magic. Definitely want to read the rest - though this works fairly well as a standalone. Xhea is a survivor, and interesting to follow. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older The crime on this is very specific to the setting. It's a bit eerie to read, all the compensations for living on a gas giant, warmed chairs, various tech like "atmoscarf" to help with breathing, 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong This was surprisingly gloomy for me. There's a lot of cooking and eating description, before it veers off into the philosophical. Not for me. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff

I like it one of two ways 1. The 'monsters' are ultimately people, with their own thoughts, cultures and motivations. 2. The 'monsters' are uncaring forces of nature, without malice or evil. Like geese, but nicer. Pure evil races, not my thing

Slight change: I think the role of the -monstrous- in spec fic is to take something that is already feared and dreaded, and look it at in a new context. Sometimes it's defeated, sometimes it wins, often it's acknowledging it or simplifying it or re-framing it for new thoughts and responses.

Fated by Benedict Jacka This series has been out for a long time, and I thought I'd give it another try. I liked the dressmaker, and Alex's future-seeing powers. The characters were a little bland, though presumably there will be growth as the series progresses. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff

We are on a South African adventure and had the privilege of spending a bit of time with some very well dressed friends. This African Penguin was returning from a quick swim in the ocean and seemed quite happy about it! Listed as a critically endangered species. #Birds #photography #wildlife

Unbroken by Jordan L. Hawk I think the characters are the best part of the series - Sebastian and Ves, Noct & Irene. Even Mortimer has shown a lot of growth. Mr. Quinn continues to act like a member of the Addams family. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

The stem is hollow, and huge, and grows deeper into the ground than I'd believed you could go. Deeper than light. Hades deep. I prepare for the descent: backpack, and a little food, some water, a rope, and the only lantern. Just before I start off, I mutter, "Wish I'd planted them right side up."

Love this dress, but the mannikin's expression makes me think things are gonna start bleeding real soon

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho Jessamyn feels young, in that "I've gone to university, why do I not feel adult yet" sort of way. There's family pressures to balance, a new home, a job hunt, and well, the ghost... 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫 1/

On the one hand, monday. on the other, emotional support flan.

A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo Famine is a terrible thing, and this is a good scary tale, touching on it's horrors. There's a lot of food in this story, set in an aftermath, and the characters are vivid and unflinching. 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 📚🌎 🌈📚 🌈🚀💫

Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold Penric and Princess-Archdivine Llewen work well together here, and it's clear to see how much her support has allowed him to find his place. Desdemona has her moments here as well - 🪐📚💙 #specfic #sff 1/