mfred
mfred loves to read
Elderly lesbrarian reading books and loving cats.
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May Reading Wrap-up
I read 28 books in May. I think. Goodreads is being wonky with my re-reads so it may be more like 29 or 30.
Of those 28 - 30 books, 7 were comic books or graphic novels. Benji Nate's Lorna and the Magical Beatdown zines by Jenn Woodall really stood out. I love Benji Nate's weird, weird, weird sense of humor.
May was really the month of re-reading. I re-read 8 Theodora Taylor books! I just can't quit her. From a recommendation in her newsletter, I also picked up a couple of Tiffany Patterson books that were pretty ok, a little repetitive in terms of plot and characters.
Another re-read was the Dream Team series by Kristen Ashley. I liked it better the second time around. Maybe because my expectations were lower?
Also re-read most of the Travises series by Lisa Kleypas. I wish she would write more contemporaries.
And I finally finished the Liz Danger series by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer! While it reaches neither the comedic or romantic heights of Agnes and the Hitman, the three books in the series were still enjoyable, funny, and featured a pretty decent romance. Plus, some plot twists I did not see coming. I'm pretty excited that Crusie and Mayer are writing again. Their next series is out later in June!
#book reviews#reading wrap up#romance novels#graphic novels#Theodora Taylor#Jennifer Crusie#Kristen Ashley#lisa kleypas#Tiffany Patterson#Benji nate#Jenn wodall
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An embroidery piece of the luggage from the Discworld series, ivory teeth, lolling red tongue and almost two dozen legs included. I somehow also managed to make it seem like it's grinning. Took me two months with two-thread embroidery. 馃槀
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I was reading a romance novel and the heroine decided to calm herself down by taking a deep breath, inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the other.
#is that even possible?#maybe if you've been doing yoga all your life and you also live on a mountain top and dispense wisdom to lonely seekers#romance novels
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"Darling, darling, I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so."
CARMILLA (1871)
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the whole point of life is being deeply moved by art. and bread
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If anyone here likes contemporary romance, Theodora Taylor has written a few bully romances that I actually liked.
Mostly I stay away from bully storylines for the exact reasons you specify but I have a soft spot for Taylor so I have read most of her books.
You also have to like completely over the top drama. Taylor never met a secret baby/ amnesia victim/ virgin heroine/ billionaires who are also assassins for the Mafia, etc., plot that she didn't fully embrace.
Anyway, I recommend Ruthless Bully and Keane: Her Ruthless Ex.
I've seen a lot of bully romances recommended lately. Do you have recs on where I should start?
I don't really have recs because I'm not much of a fan of bully romances. Like that is where I draw a line in terms of a power imbalance between the couple because it's like, one person just fundamentally disrespects the other and specifically looks DOWN on them (which is different from when they're enemies imo) and you expect me to be rooting for them to end up together? And bully romances in my limited experience tend to be either wildly childish or super dark in that way I don't enjoy (a lot of suffering for the sake of suffering like dark romances are).
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It's Spaghetti Sunday and I cooked! But I forgot to take a pic before eating almost all of it, so here are the paltry leftovers and the cookbook containing the recipe for scallion miso shells.
Scallions, garlic, miso, a touch of sesame oil, a shit ton of butter, and parmesan! And pasta! It's everything I ever wanted out of life. Savory and cheesy and amazing. 12/10, highly recommend.
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April Wrap-Up
Ah yes, Spring! Has sprung! At least in the southeast USA. The pollen actually got me this year and now I am on Flonase. There are flowers, bees, warm breezes, and of course, books!
But not as many. I only read 17 books in April. I went many days not reading at all. I just wasn't interested in anything. Except these three books:
Catboy by Benji Nate
I love love loved Nate's Girl Juice so when I spied Catboy on the shelves at a store in Raleigh, I swooped it up. And it was pretty great! Funny and a little silly. A perfect way to spend an afternoon. 4 stars.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
I haven't read anything else by Hazelwood but I did really like Bride. It was fun to return to my paranormal romance roots, which I don't really read any more. I liked the way Hazelwood embraced some PR tropes, but also made them her own. The heroine took a while to see the romance right in front of her face, which frustrated me a bit. 4 stars.
What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, trans. by Alison Watts
I was on the fence about reading this because it seemed very earnest and sentimental. But I am glad I did. It is sentimental, and also tender, a little sad, but overall full of joy. And what's so wrong with sentimentality, really? I found myself quite enjoying the book for its predictability. Each story has the same structure, which allows the nuances of character and setting to really stand out. 4 stars.
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All the things I ate in Raleigh over a long weekend:
Chicken and artichoke pizza from a Lebanese place called Sitti. Delicious but controversially, a little too much cheese. Something called Lebanese iced tea, which had passion fruit juice in it. Yum!
Fried brussels, a beet salad with apples & blue cheese & fried chicken, and two glasses of an amazing cava at Whiskey Kitchen.
A vegan black bean & roasted veggie tostada that was difficult to eat. Ginger peach unsweetened ice tea. At the NCMA cafe.
Roasted chicken over mashed potatoes and an incredible macaroni au gratin (fancy mac and cheese) at Poole's but unfortunately I got a cocktail that really upset my stomach and couldn't finish. Don't worry, I took the leftovers home.
A fajita taco salad at El Rodeo. It had refried beans at the bottom which really should have been whole beans.
Chicken lo mein and char siu bao at Brewery Bhavana, followed by a coconut cake that was, sadly, a tad too sweet. To drink, a rose lemonade.
Two amazing iced coffees with oat milk. One at Videri Chocolate Factory and one at Blackbird Books & Coffee.
Some chocolate caramel bars from Videri that I haven't actually tasted yet because I think they are going to be so good, I'll cry.
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"Well, good, you're a Tar Heel."
What the Uber driver said when he learned we're from North Carolina. It took me 28 seconds to remember that "tar heel" is a sports thing. Then he said,
"At least you're not one of those New Jersey people."
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At the JC Raulston Arboretum.
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Here's a lil something I got for myself on Independent Bookstore Day at Blackbird Books & Coffee in Raleigh.
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At the North Carolina Museum of Art.
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