lizard-reads-the-world

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Speaking of books it's been a while since I've seen one of these posts going around & I'm curious so everyone could you tell me what you are reading rn in the tags please

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Güveç is a family of earthenware pots used in Balkan, Turkish, and Levantine cuisine, and various casserole or stew dishes cooked in them. The pot is wide and medium-tall, can be glazed or unglazed, and the dish in it is cooked with little or no additional liquid. Güveç dishes can be made in any type of oven-proof pan, but clay or earthenware pots are preferred of the earthy aroma they impart. src.: Wolfert, Paula. Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share. Wiley. p. 133, "Güveç is a satisfying meal that is surprisingly easy to make". Zaman. December 22, 200

[lizard-reads-the-world]

The Gifts #2 and 3

Author: Caroline O'Donoghue

I finished up the GIfts series that I started for as a world read for Ireland. I liked it! The witchiness and the use of tarot pulled me into the first one. (Did the illustrations ever get turned into a real tarot deck? I'd like to have the deck. The illustrator is credited so I guess I could go find out.)

The finale wasn't one of those breathless, twisting rides (it didn't need to be), but what I loved about the series anyway was the character portrayals and how flawed and realistic they are (Maeve and her insecurities <3). The narrative also gives Aaron a complete 360 and makes us consider redemption and trust here, which I wasn't expecting like that after the first book (I'll admit, the Children probably triggered some religious trauma there 😐)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.5 stars

Reps: nonbinary love interest, Filipina sapphic/bi? character, hard of hearing/hearing aid user character

Setting: Ireland

[lizard-reads-the-world]

If you are ever trying to find That One Book about This and maybe That that you read ages ago, I highly recommend using worldcat.org. Use "su:" for subject when you can't remember the title.

I put in "su:mystery su:deaf" and narrowed it to the ninties and immediately found a book I read as a teen and would probably never have found otherwise. 😅

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Read Queer in 2025: A Storygraph Reading Challenge!

Love reading queer books? Love low-commitment chill reading challenges? Us too! Join the Duck Prints Press 2025 Queer Book Challenge!

Want to win an easy reading challenge? Then we’ve got the challenge for you: all you need to do is read one (1) queer book anytime in 2025 and log it with the challenge, and you’ll win our queer book challenge! Once you have done that, the fun begins: we’ve got 39 other themed prompts related to common tropes, character representation, author demographics, and more! You can also add books to each category, see what other participants are reading, and find some inspiration to expand your to-be-read pile.

Check out the full list of 40 prompts here! We hope you’ll come read with us.

If you joined us in 2024, you’ve only got 5 days left to log reading you’ve done and/or read a few more books like the wind to meet more of the prompts. You can check out the Duck Prints Press 2024 Queer Book Challenge, too – a few of the prompts for 2025 are repeats, but most are new. There’s lots of amazing books in the 2024 challenge, so even if you weren’t a participant, you might want to check it out.

And, looking for a supportive, friendly community to chat with about all your new reads? Come join our Book Lover’s Discord, too! Joining is absolutely not a requirement, but it is a great way to make some new bookish friends!

[lizard-reads-the-world]

As we say hello to 2025, i wish you

sunny days full of warmth

rainy days full of comfort

good books

mugs of warm tea

encounters with stray cats

gardens full of flowers

hugs and laughter with friends

fun adventures to local spots

an abundance of love

in the new year ✨🖤🌿

[lizard-reads-the-world]

2025 tbr bingo card!

Since last year I completely failed at keeping up with my tbr list and post, this year I decided that instead I'm going to have a bingo card! I tried to tailor it to my still unread physical tbr i also made it vague enough that anyone can try to follow as well!

Happy new years guys, I hope this 2025 is kind to all of you <33

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Panta bhat is a simple rice dish prepared by first cooking the rice, rinsing it, and then soaking it in water overnight. The dish is rich in minerals, and it is believed to have health-beneficial effects. Because it is usually enjoyed chilled, it is a favorite summer treat, and apart from being a typical everyday breakfast, it is also regularly prepared for special occasions such as Bengali New Year and Pahela Baishakh festivity. The dish is usually topped with fresh green chili peppers, salt, and onions, and when served with fried ilish fish it goes under the name panta ilish. src.: https://www.tasteatlas.com/panta-bhat photo ref.: Insomniac Cook

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Welcome 2025!

Dusky Sea Snake (Aipysurus fuscus) AKA Timor Reef Snake

Timor Sea between Australia and Indonesia

Status: Endangered

[lizard-reads-the-world]

I’ll be honest. I read a lot more books (3) this month after I made this but it’s too late now. I also DNF’d one of them because I had the book through Libby and read too slow.

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Books I read in 2024

Here is my eclectic and very random-looking read list! The first two images are World Challenge books. I read 27 books and checked off 25 countries for the challenge, for a total of 80 countries read since 2022.

Other than that, I managed to read two Brontë sisters, four graphic novels, one memoir, and a few others I picked up. (Vā is a Pacific anthology even though it's in the graphic novel line) I did more picking up random stuff for the fun of it and as expected got some that were interesting and some meh.

Favorites (in no order):

The Cat I Never Named - fictionalized memoir of a teen surviving a siege during the Bosnian war West of the Jordan - interconnected stories of family members in Palestine, Jordan, and the US in the early 80s Here the Whole Time - A warm hug of a story about two gay teens falling in love while sharing a room and overcoming their insecurities Home is Not a Country - novel in verse about a Sudanese teen longing for a country and a life she doesn't have American Street - intense and realistic story set on the streets of Detroit All Things Seen and Unseen - a unique psychological thriller-ish book with a trans coupling and a disabled protagonist Navigating With You - super-cute sapphic romance about teens bonding over a manga series, also with a disabled protagonist

Countries completed:

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina - The Cat I Never Named, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess

🇧🇷 Brazil - Here the Whole Time, Vitor Martins

🇧🇬 Bulgaria - Wunderkind, Nikolai Grozni

🇨🇲 Cameroon - A Long Way From Douala, Max Lobe

🇹🇩 Chad - Told by Starlight in Chad, Joseph Brahim Seid

🇨🇬 Congo, Republic of - The Lights of Pointe-Noire, Alain Mabanckou

🇸🇻 El Salvador - The Volcano Daughters, Gina María Balibrera

🇫🇮 Finland - True, Riikka Pulkkinen

🇩🇪 Germany - Boy in a White Room, Karl Olsberg

🇬🇪 Georgia - Giorgland Fables, Tamuna Tsertsvadze

🇭🇹 Haiti - American Street, Ibi Zoboi

🌺 Hawai'i - Lei and the Fire Goddess, Malia Maunakea

🇭🇳 Honduras - Libertad, Bessie Flores Zaldívar

🇭🇰 Hong Kong - Stuck in Her Head, Kylie Wang & Liana Tang

🇮🇩 Indonesia - The Songbird and the Ramubutan Tree, Lucille Abendanon

🇯🇴 Jordan - West of the Jordan, Laila Halaby

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan - Jamila, Chingiz Aitmatov

🇱🇷 Liberia - She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore

🇲🇺 Mauritius - Eve Out of Her Ruins, Ananda Devi

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea - Tales from Faif, Baka Barakove Bina; Emily Sekepe Bina

🇷🇼 Rwanda - Our Lady of the Nile, Scholastique Mukasonga

🇰🇷 South Korea - A Magical Girl Retires, Park Seolyeon

🇸🇩 Sudan - Home is Not a Country, Safia Elhillo

🇺🇬 Uganda - A Girl is a Body of Water, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

🇻🇪 Venezuela - The Sun and the Void, Gabriela Romero Lacruz

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Imbuljuta tal-Qastan is a traditional Maltese drink made with chestnuts, cocoa, sugar, tangerine rind, mixed spices, and cloves. Traditionally, it is served piping hot in mugs or small bowls after the midnight mass and on New Year’s Eve. The chestnuts are soaked overnight, drained, rinsed, and then placed back into the saucepan with enough liquid to cover them completely. The rest of the ingredients are then added and brought to a boil. The drink is ready when the chestnuts are soft and tender. src.: https://www.tasteatlas.com/imbuljuta-tal-qastan photo ref.: https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/sweets/

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Thanks! Ha, maybe romance is not my genre either if I'm trying to avoid the tropes.

Your recs look interesting, I will check them out! (Also, so funny that #2 has a Jane Eyre character when I read the novel this year just so I could read some of the retellings)

For your ask request—an adult queer contemp. romance (preferably sapphic) that doesn't have a gimmicky setup (i.e. they're "forced" to work together for some weird reason, etc. etc.)

If that's more specific than you meant, than just rec me anything! :)

haha you kinda got me there, cause I don't read a whole lot of romance and I haven't read much contemporary recently either. I think the last one I read was One Last Stop several years ago, and I really didn't like it due to the immense amounts of exhibitionism and full on fucking in a crowded train car which like, I know it's fictional but still makes me livid because no one else is consenting to be in this situation you assholes.

ANYWAY! A couple of similar-but-not-exact recs instead:

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist - modern-day gothic horror about a med student who goes to work for a wealthy family and becomes embroiled in their secrets. not super gimmicky, and with a little romance at the end. Has a queer MC and a queer/trans author.

Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste - horror set in the late 60s, the story follows 2 women who were made immortal by their ex-lovers and have been hiding out in California. They must confront their past in order to finally move forward. Queer romance.

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link - okay, these are fairy tales retellings so they are kind of gimmicky, but they're really weird for one, and several are set in the modern day and feature queer romances.

[lizard-reads-the-world]

For the ask game, thrillers :)

Sorry, I was just reblogging it, I didn't mean for people to ask me. XD Thrillers isn't something I've read lately, so nothing comes to mind. 🤔

Please ask @sixofravens-reads !

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Okay, let's bring back ask games for a minute: send me any random trope, genre, keyword, etc. and I'll recommend you a book!

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Anoushabour is an Armenian dessert that is traditionally consumed on Christmas and New Year's Eve. The skinless whole wheat (gorgos or korkot) is cooked separately or with various fruit and spices until it develops a porridge-like consistency. Once prepared, it is served in a bowl and can be garnished with hazelnuts, almonds, and pomegranate seeds. src.: https://www.tasteatlas.com/anoushabour

[lizard-reads-the-world]

This post is for those of you who didn't reach their reading goals this year. For those of you who didn't even set reading goals this year. For the slow readers. For those of you who were unable to read a lot, or read at all, for one reason or another. This is for those of you who did not participate in challenges. This is for those of you who read non fiction, and for those who read obscure books. This is for those who reads just for the sake of reading. This is for those who read because they have to. You're doing great! Reading doesn't have to be a competition, not against other people, not against yourself. Be proud of your personal achievements!