#2024 goodreads awards | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ofmdrecaps · 3 months ago

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11/23-24/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Republic Of Pirates: Airport Con! - Rhys, Con, Nathan, Vico, and Kristian; Photo Dumps on Tumblr; Positive Comments from the Con; ROP: Fan Spotlight!; More Cast & Crew Sightings: Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Zayre Ferrer; Voting Reminders; Love Notes!

Hey all! Sorry after tumblr killed my drafts I lost all motivation because I was very grumpy so this is much later than intended-- but it did let me get a hold of a few more lovely folks so it worked out!!

= Rhys, Con, Nathan, Vico, and Kristian =

So many of you got to make it to the Republic of Pirates Con this past weekend with Starfury Conventions! It sounded like a completely bonkers, amazing con! So many cool pictures from cast and crew, and fans alike!

Sources: Con's Instagram, Starfury IG/Twitter / 2

Some shots of Kristian's awesome concert with the cast!

Source: Vico's IG Stories

And that video of Rhys and Con from Rhys---Thank you @sherlockig for bringing it over to tumblr!

Source: @sherlockig's Tumblr

== ROP Photo Dumps on Tumblr ==

There were some awesome folks who attended the convention that posted more photos if you wanna check them out!

= Crimson & Clover =

Super huge thanks to the extremely kind @crimson-and-clover-1717 for sharing these uplifting pics!!

Rhysie Pics

Message and Pic From the Crew

Source: @crimson-and-clover-1717

= London Spirit =

Also major thanks to the darling @londonspirit who was kind enough to let me share her photo dumps and this cast photo! She's going to be doing a write up and another dump soon (but needs a much deserved break!) so keep an eye on her blog for more fun stuff in the future!

Photo Dump 1

Photo Dump 2

Source: @londonspirit's Tumblr

== Some Uplifting Convention Comments ==

Source: TrixnTreats Bsky

(Also by Rhys!)

Source: Comedy Nerd Bsky

== Republic of Pirates Fan Spotlight! ==

= Unicorn Death Race =

One of our incredibly talented crewmates @unicorndeathrace cosplayed as the absolutely devastated (and devastatingly gorgeous) Widow Olivia! The cast gave a standing ovation and everything! So well done hon!

Source: @unicorndeathrace's Tumblr

PS: Does anyone know who else placed in the competition? I'd love to reach out to them!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

Are you going to be in LA on the 6th of December? Well Rhys will be there at his RD Saying Funny Things Society! You can get tickets here: Tickets to the show on December 6, 2024 in Largo Los Angeles (Note: I could have sworn he was going to Galaxy Con Columbus that weekend but it sounds like he's not (either anymore or ever?), sorry if I gave the wrong info previously!)

Source: Rhys' Bsky

Rhys got a new phone pen and the Darby Daily Doodles are back!

Source: Rhys' Substack

= Taika Waititi =

More pictures from kokocamden from a couple weeks back!

Source: Julien MaxP Instagram

= Zayre Ferrer =

One of our Fab writers, Zayre Ferrer has been doing an "Imaginary Spin Off Series" set of posts where they are coming up with amazing spin off ideas for shows that have ended/been cancelled. Their latest is Nana-- but if you arent already following along, there are some pretty bad ass ones in there!

Source: Zayre Ferrer's Bsky

== Voting Reminder! ==

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, and audiobook narrated by our beloved Lucius, Nathan Foad has made it to the final rounds of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards. If you enjoyed it and want to support it, can you please give it a vote when you have a moment? Thanks!

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! I hope those of you who got to go to the convention this past weekend had such an amazing time! Those of us on the opposite side of the world, or who couldn't make it really appreciate all the love and sharing you did! It sounds like you had such a blast! One thing I want to send is many many hugs because I know there's always the post-con funk that can happen, and I know coming down from that high can be a bit rough! Just remember to be kind with yourself and give yourself some extra grace if you're having some big feelings this week okay? Prioritize you! Things will look up again, and I hope you have those beautiful memories keeping you warm while they do <3

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A post shared by Katie Abey 🌈 (@katieabey)

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Source: KatieAbey's Instagram

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elumish · 29 days ago

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(Cross-posted with Instagram because for some reason you can't embed Instagram links cleanly on Tumblr)

If you ever feel like popular romantasy books feel very different from other fantasy books worldbuilding-wise yet remarkably similar to each other but you're not sure why, I may have an answer for you (or at least part of one).

Looking at the 80 total Goodreads Choice Award nominees in romantasy and fantasy (20 per category per year) across 2023 and 2024 (the two years so far when those were separated out), I saw some really clear trends.

Across the two years:

47.5% (19 books) of romantasy nominees had Fae characters. For fantasy it was .75% (3 books).

40% (16 books) of romantasy nominees had dragons. For fantasy it was .75% (3 books).

62.5% (25 books) of romantasy nominees had royal/noble main characters and/or love interests. For fantasy it was 20% (8 books).

If we look at books with all three, 17.5% (7 books) of the romantasy books have that. For fantasy there were 0.

Given the popularity of fae (especially in 2024) and dragons (especially in 2023) in particular, I can't help but think that these are primarily capitalizing on the popularity of ACOTAR and Fourth Wing respectively, just like we saw with dystopian novels post-Hunger Games and sorting into vague personality type groups post-HP.

There are a lot of other trends that I found (fantasy has more retellings, Greek mythology is the most common/popular mythology), and I'm going to keep looking.

#elumish blogs #fantasy #romantasy #media analysis

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literary-illuminati · 3 months ago

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2024 Book Review #56 – Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

At the start of the year, I set out to try and read more proper literature. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was not a book I had ever heard of, or by an author I knew anything at all about. But it was on my local bookstore's and local library’s staff pick lists, and has a bunch of awards, and I think showed up on some list of Goodreads recommendations. So 9 months later I finally worked down the list to it and went in totally unprepared and with zero expectations or preconceptions.

The book’s well-written and well-executed, but I can’t say it really worked for me. Or properly, it absolutely was working for the first two thirds or so, but by the end just felt like it lost a lot of the touches that had made it interesting and was just drowning in its own sentimentality.

The book follows Sam and Sadie, two Californian wunderkunds growing up in Los Angelos in the 1980s. They meet in a children’s hospital, where Sam is being treated for a foot the was nearly shattered in a car crash and Sadie is visiting her elder sister as she’s treated for cancer. The two of them instantly begin bonding over playing Super Mario Brothers and begin a friendship and a creative partnership that will - as they grow up and found an artistically and commercially successful video game studio in the late 90s – define the shape of both of their lives, no matter how turbulent and conflicted it at points becomes.

For reasons that probably boil down to the audiobooks my mother played on road trips as a child, I’ve always had a fondness for books that track the broad sweep of a life or lives, zooming out and stretching across the years and decades. So I actually digested this a decent bit more easily than I do a lot of modern litfic that I’ve tried. For the first few hundred pages, it all even holds together very well, bouncing around the timeline and providing childhood episodes and context as it's relevant and making the central relationships compelling and emotionally plausible. Unfortunately a couple of experiments in form (one worked for me, one really didn’t) eat up a lot of page count in the final act, and entirely kill the sense of flow and structure. Not at all helped by the narrative voice losing a lot of its charm and the story growing wholly predictable (and a bit saccharine) in the closing pages.

I say ‘central relationships’ and not ‘relationship’ because describing the book as being about the relationship between Sam and Sadie is just, basically false advertising? Marx – Sam’s college roommate, later Sadie’s boyfriend, the business manager of their video game studio - is for most of the book at least as important a character as the two leads. He’s a much less interesting character – entirely too much of a natural saint, compared to how very flawed and petty Sam and Sadie are both allowed to be – but he’s a key part of the dynamic and most of the book is properly about different permutations of the trio bouncing off of each other. No other character gets a tenth of the focus and exploration of those three, and are really more props for narrative and to incite development than anything else.

The book has (until the end, anyway) a strong narrative voice that I really enjoyed, but which also may have caused me to set my expectations entirely wrong for what the book was actually planning. The only way I can really describe it is that the book reads like one of those New Yorker longreads that are trying very hard to convince you they’re not just rubbernecking some fascinatingly dysfunctional relationships and personal drama among some semi-notable creative figures. Your Bad Art Friends and similar. Deeply opinionated and gossipy, but making a show of seeming detached and objective, always making asides written from the perspective of the modern day and quoting interviews from years later about events as they occur in the narrative. As someone who is a slightly guilty fan of exactly those kind of longreads, it did make for a very fun reading experience.

But it also made me get my hopes up. Which is to say, the early chapters make quite a few references to how latter in life Sam and Sadie wouldn’t be on speaking terms, and how ‘something’ happened at Unfair Games in 2005. I was looking forward to something some messy and newsworthy interpersonal drama of the kind that doesn’t leave either of them (or anyone) looking good. The falling out does occur, but in a way that’s mostly just piles of misunderstandings and a stubborn refusal to communicate from both of them. The company always stays ostensibly together, and things never get much worse than quietly cherished bitterness and a refusal to speak. Which feels very emotionally believable, as incredibly frustrating as it is. The dramatic rupture that happens in 2005, well-

The book’s use of violence always feels slightly unreal. It intrudes on the narrative in ways that, like, they are things that happen, but feel so exaggerated and on-the-nose they took me out of the reading experience, at least a bit. A woman jumps off her balcony to her death and happens to land right in front of a young Sam. His mother stops her car on an LA highway to avoid hitting a dog, and he asks her something that keeps her talking and not moving for the crucial moment before an SUV slams into them, killing her and permanently damaging his foot. And the great end-of-second-act rupture that occurs in 2005 is a pair of homophobic gunmen storming into their office and shooting Marx because their cozy MMO lets gay people get married. Any one would have been fine, but combined they make the illusion of violence as random and capricious wear a bit thin and the writerly artifice underneath a bit too clear, at least for me.

As far as period pieces go – the story isn’t nostalgia bait, but it isn’t not nostalgia bait, either? It’s a few years before my time, so I suppose I just don’t appreciate it properly – the experience of growing up in and living through the late ‘80s through 2000s is one the book cares deeply about replicating. It generally does an excellent job making things feel of-the-moment, if occasionally by having the narrative draw pretty heavy-handed comparisons to what would be different in the present. The aesthetics (fashion, public art and marketing, fads and consumer trends) are all there, and the characters experience them like people to whom they’re novel and trendy. (Personally I could have done with a bit less effort spent describing every single outfit, but if I had memories of what people actually looked like wearing them I might appreciate it more.) It does similar things with LA and (to a far lesser extent) Boston – every other place the book touches on feels vague and a bit unreal, but LA is rendered with a real sense of place and love for the city and it’s little eccentricities.

The area where the book is absolutely nostalgia-bait is video games, and the whole heroic era of rapid changes and improvements to the medium where new boundaries were being crossed every year and a handful of sufficiently talented and dedicated first-time devs could create something genuinely revolutionary. The book even manages the neat trick of making almost every fake game the protagonists create a) plausible for the era and technology and b) actually seem like something I would want to play (less so the Pioneerville MMO created in the final act, as with many things). But I do genuinely want to play Master of Revels quite badly.

The book does share a common failing with what feels like almost every period piece, where by complete coincidence the major characters all conveniently happen to be on the Right Side of History for every really major (that is, from the perspective of the present, character-defining) political issues. This is made a bit more irritating by the fact that despite all being quite radical on the issue of e.g. gay marriage (or just not being even slightly homophobic) from the vantage of the early Bush administration, none of Sadie, Sam or Marx ever even conceive of it as being political.

The book doesn’t conceive of itself as really having politics at all – but again, in the way of a New York Magazine feature where having certain sets of liberal convictions is just a matter of personal decency and morality. A certain unexpressed but present sexual conservativism, a view of class where Sam’s grandparents owning and running a successful restaurant counts as being from the wrong side of the tracks, hyper-conscious of race but without much to really say about it. You’re all familiar with the style, I’m sure.

Anyway yeah, not a bad book by any means, but one that lasted long enough and ended weakly enough to expend any real passion or affection I’d built up for it.

#book review #tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow #gabrielle zevin #literature

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doubledaybooks · 3 months ago

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Goodreads Choice Awards: Vote in the Opening Round of 2024!

Vote in the opening round of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards! We're thrilled and honored by readers who nominated our authors this year:

Fiction: SAME AS IT EVER WAS by Claire Lombardo

Audiobook & Historical Fiction: JAMES by Percival Everet

Historical Fiction: THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon

Romance: LIES & WEDDINGS by Kevin Kwan

Debut Novel: VICTIM by Andrew Boryga

Nonfiction: FRAMED by John Grisham

History & Biography: THE WIDE WIDE SEA by Hampton Sides

History & Biography: WHEN WOMEN RAN FIFTH AVENUE by Julie Satow

#goodreads #goodreads choice #book awards #ficiton #fiction #nonfiction #history books #memoir books #historical fiction

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bookaddict24-7 · 3 months ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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353. The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I actually really enjoyed this book--more than I was expecting. I was wary at first, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Is this book a bit quick on the attraction? Sure, but these people have known each other since they were kids. And the FMC gets to live that fantasy a lot of us have had of that older guy who finally sees you for who you are (at an appropriate age) and falls madly into love with you.

But you know what this book has that I absolutely adored? COMMUNICATION. The characters communicated and knew immediately what they wanted. If the MMC waffled a little every once in a while, he had a legitimate reason for it.

This book deals with trauma, an abusive parent, and the pressures of living a very public life and still trying to maintain some semblance of privacy. I think the MMC dealt with things in the best way he could and the FMC was very strong against those who tried to control the way she lived her life.

Was this an award winning read? No, but I was entertained and it had some good spice. If you want a sort-of surface level romance with some heavier topics on one side of the characters, then this might be the read for you. It was a very quick read (and granted, this could be because it was, again, a bit surface level), and I sometimes just need books like that.

I know I'll be trying the next Ferguson book!

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354. Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think Ruby Dixon is one of those authors that is under-appreciated. Her ability to blend spice with really well thought out fantasy is impressive. I thought this when I read a different series by her and now I'm thinking it again after having read BULL MOON RISING.

This wasn't what I thought it would be, especially going off that gorgeous cover (and trust me, this book is aesthetically GORGEOUS.) What I was met with was a pseudo-historical-fantasy novel. It took me a little bit to get into the story because, again, it wasn't what I thought it would be, but when I did, I couldn't stop reading.

The cast of characters were so fun and had such different personalities that they easily came to life in my mind. I think one of my favourites was the character who kept licking his eyeball LOL. I'm excited to see where this world takes these characters and what their arcs will look like (if we get more of their stories!)

The FMC was the type of woman who took zero shits from anyone and made her own path, despite everyone telling her that she couldn't. She was one of those women that you want to warn and protect, but who will always do her own thing and speak her own mind--I loved her. And I especially loved how accepting and curious she was. Her love story with her husband of convenience was surprisingly sweet and very spice (which I'm not surprised about because Dixon is a smutty queen.)

The MMC was one of those male characters that had to grow on the reader because he had that asshole attitude down to a tee. But as I learned more about him and he becomes softer and more loving, I started to empathize with him and understand why he is the way he is. But I also loved how protective he is of the FMC. They were great together.

The concept of the book is really interesting and unique. I am very excited to see where this series goes! If you love romantasy novels that are also monster romances, then you need this. There is great character development, an adventurous sense to the story (especially when the schooling starts), and some fun characters that will have you either laughing or wanting to smack someone. Also, if you love a good marriage of convenience and the only one bed trope, then you should probably add this to your TBR...

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355. The New Recruit by Moscareto--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I think this is the first time I haven't 100% loved a manhwa, but it wasn't entirely because of the storyline. The artwork took me a while to get used to. I don't know what it was about it, but it felt so...unoriginal? It also made me think a lot of the old school yaoi hands LOL.

The story itself was fun! I liked the little reveals here and there, it kept me hooked and wanting to read more (hence why I read it in one sitting). I wanted to see what else would be revealed and how the story would progress.

I will say, however, that I was surprised by how quickly the stern boss changed, but I was invested and loved seeing them get to know each other better. I want to see their relationship develop throughout the upcoming volumes and I'm a bit excited for that! I'm more intrigued, too, because of the hints of envy and those subplots that popped up near the end of the volume.

And excuse me, that cliffhanger??? I want to see the MC's reaction LOL. I need more.

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356. The Off-Limits Rule by Sarah Adams--⭐️⭐️.5

THE OFF LIMITS RULE had its cute moments, but it also had quite a few frustrating moments. I did enjoy it for what it was and I'm glad I read it because sometimes I just need cute and mindless fluffy romance reads.

To get the frustrating bits out of the way first--her brother. I didn't like the way he treated her or how he reacted to her love life. I think his way of thinking was antiquated and I get that she's his sister and he wants to protect her, but she's also a grown-ass woman who can do whatever she wants. And mentioning the grown-ass woman thing: the FMC is a mother who adores her kid, but Adams was so focused on the budding romance between the two MCs that we didn't really get a lot of her son. It took a few chapters before we meet him and I was thinking, "What about her kid?" I've read other stories where a single parent finds love and we meet the kids almost immediately (unless it's like…a work trip or vacation, or the setting is in another country). I just remember thinking "Will we have any scenes with him?"

The MMC was cute, but he was such a pushover LOL. Yes, let yourself be governed by this dude you've known for a year (even though he DOES make a comment about this, I still found it funny.) I liked having his POV because I like having dual perspectives of certain situations. He wasn't exactly memorable, but I did like how he had the FMC's back in certain situations and how cute they were together.

Listen, this book was…a surface level kind of adorable read. If I think too much about it, then I end up lowering my rating, but I'm rating it on my overall experience and it was fine? It was a bit insta-romance, it was a closed door romance (not a bad thing, but be prepared, the doors will close just before any spicy stuff happens).

If you want a fluffy read for a beach day, then this is definitely one to keep in mind.

Also, I DNF'ed the second book. It had potential but it was a clustercluck.

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357. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh, why am I crying?! I didn't expect this book to make me cry.

I had always seen this book floating around and never really gave it much thought. But then someone somewhere mentioned what it was about and I was immediately intrigued. And while it took me a while to get used to the storytelling, ODD THOMAS definitely grew on me. I think part of why I ended up actually really enjoying this book was because it gave me a similar vibe of so many other books printed around that time. They all have the "this is my life" type of vibe, which was something both in female-led and male-led stories.

The mystery aspect gripped me about mid-way through. The writing was a bit choppy at times and I felt like I had missed something here and there, but when the story kind of righted itself and all of the info-dumping was done, the mystery really set in. The extra touch of him being able to see the dead was both a little creepy and fun.

Odd Thomas himself was such an entertaining character. He's smart, but not very aware. I laughed at the scenes where it's so obvious how others see him (especially women), versus how he sees himself. He was truly one of those characters who jumps off the page and I'm intrigued to see how his characters grows and changes as the series progresses.

I'm intrigued and I'm definitely going to be picking up book two!

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358. Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was genuinely creepy.

I 100% would have had nightmares as a kid. There were some chapters where I was glad I had the lights on. And I know I'm probably a scaredy cat, but this book was actually really unsettling. I'd even say that this had moments that were almost TOO intense for a middle grade novel.

Gave me IT vibes, but for preteens. Especially with that sense of dread and the sightings of the creepy things that haunt the town. The way Henderson showed us the end of various characters also gave me that similar vibe because it went beyond the MC and her own experiences. I really liked how he did this because it involved the whole town. It was very creative and i loved how we got chapters from the victims' perspectives.

The monsters were a bit too well described and were actually so creepy. I can tell the author has experience creating scary stories that will haunt the readers long past "the end". This was almost masterful, especially for middle grade. I think this is one of those MGLit horror novels that will be a hidden surprise that kids will stumble on, not something that is going to be very mainstream--but I think adults and teens should definitely read this one.

Also, this would be a terrifying movie, to be completely honest.

One of the obvious signs, for me, that this is truly a middle grade novel was that ending. It was quick and a bit too easy? But that being said, this is a kids book and honestly, sometimes things are just that easy. I can't wait for book two!

If you have a little who loves horror stories, I definitely recommend this one but keep in mind that this one is genuinely scary LOL.

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359. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I REALLY liked PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Probably my favourite Adams book so far.

I loved the connection between the two MCs and how the FMC found her voice by the end, even though it was a bit of a journey. I liked that we got to see her overcome those difficult barriers, especially because she had spent so long in just letting them fester and grow. She was one of those characters that everyone thought they knew because of the mould they had created for her, but watching her find herself and her voice made this book even more satisfying.

The MMC also had some serious character growth, even if his was a bit less obvious. His trauma really came to light as the story progressed and was an interesting and sad revelation alongside the FMC's own struggle with her grief. I love seeing characters who work so well off each other, because them helping each other makes me feel their chemistry even more.

The third character that I loved in this book was the town itself. Everyone in this town is so nosy and opinions are always flying all over the place. The whole aftermath of the very attractive MMC running shirtless in the morning through the town was hilarious.

The tension between the characters was great, but even though there are allusions to the spice, this was another closed door romance from Adams LOL.

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360. Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker--⭐️⭐️

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't that. Even though the concept seemed really interesting, I felt like I needed more of SOMETHING to make me feel more invested.

There were some parts that had me guessing what the twist would be, so I wasn't entirely surprised, but it was interestingly done, nonetheless. This part of the story was probably the best part of the whole thing.

I think my low rating is because this novella had a lot of potential and kind of didn't do anything with it. Plus, it jumped around a lot and got kind of confusing at times. I got half of the information I needed and barely had time to get invested in the characters.

I think this could have been great if the plot was a bit more linear, rather than jumping around from place to place. Also, if we had a bit more to go off. I normally really like horror novellas, but this one felt like it was missing a lot.

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Happy reading!

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readingaway · 2 months ago

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@elfspectations @theomnilegent @cosmogyros and everyone else looking for a way to give feedback to goodreads, I might have found the form.

found here

So goodreads keeps any contact or feedback options hidden, I had to go through... 3? 4? other pages before finding the contact. They don't give an option for "feedback" in the dropdown list but there is an "other" and a "suggest a new feature" option.

Hiding my drafting/ ideas for how to phrase feedback below.

I'll need to sit on this for a bit while I try to wrap up work but the main points I plan to make are -

Regarding UI change in the "my reading challenge": The change is clearly meant to reflect the trends in website and social media UI. Everything is sleek, minimalist, bubbles, and one at a time. For a site like goodreads, however, this new UI of a dropdown one-at-a-time list is irritating at best.

I read over 100 books a year and will look at the reading challenge page for a few reasons, but the one that brought this change to my attention was that I was trying to jog my memory about some reads earlier this year. Having to scroll through hundreds of books one by one is a pain, it is unnecessary, and ruins the visual language of the goodreads site.

One of the reasons I'm still using goodreads frequently after more than 12 years is because of the (former) cover layout. If the UI on "my shelves" is forcibly changed in the way the reading challenge page has been, I don't think I'll keep my goodreads account. I want to be able to look at book covers side by side, not line long lists. If I want a list, with or without pictures of the covers, there are other reading log sites - some with better tracking features and recommendations - as well as spreadsheets, physical reading journals, and Pinterest.

Tl;dr, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The goodreads UI of being able to look at book covers side by side (in groups of six) works well and changing the reading challenge UI to match current trends is frustrating for prolific readers and visual thinkers, and turns goodreads into more white noise, indistinguishable from every other website.

Regarding the new Readers' Choice Bookmarks Challenges: I don't understand what this is, and I don't like it.

Why am I confused? This feature appears to only be on mobile, did not have any announcement or explanation that would've shown up on the home page, and is not customizable, applicable, or personalized.

I am already completely disenchanted by the Goodreads "Choice" Awards - because not only has it become more and more blatantly a contest of popularity/ high sales, but there wasn't even an option to write in a vote for 2024. Whose choice is it then, if actual readers can't have a say? Y'all could just as easily have put a "nominate" button as standard for every book on the site with a 2024 release date and let an algorithm eliminate those that didn't meet base criteria like ratings. But I digress.

These bookmark challenges are just more of the same. A popularity contest that I have no part in, and therefore have no interest in.

The formatting and idea has some promise if 1) bookmark challenges become another feature that people can create and personalize for themselves and their groups. Like the list feature that goodreads already has, with the improvement of gaining achievement badges for reading the books on the list. Which leads to 2) if the bookmarks were added into the home page and profile UIs, and perhaps given their own tab or drop-down section.

If those changes were made then bookmark challenges would likely become a fun, engaging feature. Goodreads members could set smaller reading challenges for themselves, for friends, and for the wider goodreads community. I would personally use those challenges to encourage reading widely.

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drchucktingle · 3 months ago

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truly honored to learn that BURY YOUR GAYS has made it to final round of GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS. even if you voted before you can now vote again LETS TROT BUCKAROOS WERE TAKIN THIS TO THE TOP (SOUND OF BUCKAROO BATTLE HORNS) LOVE IS REAL

#chuck tingle #love is real #tingleverse #bury your gays #buckaroo lifestyle #goodreads #goodreads choice award

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ofmdrecaps · 3 months ago

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11/13-14/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Nathan Foad; Kristian Nairn; Anapela Polata'ivao; Vico Ortiz; Jes Tom; Zayre Ferrer; Petition Status; Articles; Transgender Awareness Week; Love Notes;

Hey crew! So I am trying VERY HARD to be better about alt text across all the platforms, and it's taking way longer for me to get things out because of it. If anyone has a good idea on how to do those more easily will you please let me know? I do want to try to be more accessible (and I know the Repo is absolutely not terribly accessible at the moment). Anyway-- thanks Crew! Happy Friday!

= David Jenkins =

Chaos Dad out partying!

Source: King Malisz's Instagram

Apparently (and I didn't know this, so thank you to the folks who explained to me wtf was going on) apparently CIS is considered a slur on twitter and will literally make your posts un-retweetable, and so Dad decided to go full hog and cause Cissmegeddon the other day. Props to our crewmates who helped him irritate the shit out of Elon.

Source: David Jenkins Twitter

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys is going to Australia in April! Apr 30, 2025 at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane you can see the legend in person! Are you in town then? Get tickets here!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

He's also announced all his UK & Ireland Tour Dates for 2025! You can buy tickets here!

Source: Rhys' Instagram

Reminder about new Atlanta show at the Helium clubs Nov 29, 30, and Dec 1st! Get tickets here!

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Source: Rhys Instagram Stories

= Taika Waititi =

Interior Chinatown is almost here! Remember to check it out on November 19th on HULU! Taika was out doing lots of promos with the crew!

Source: Sthanlee's Instagram

Source: Variety Instagram

Source: Jerabraham

= Con O'Neill =

Con is going to be in a new sitcom SAS Rogue Heroes! Thank you to Irene Adler for finding this! Sun.co.uk Article.

Source: Irene Adler's Instagram

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan sent us a bathroom selfie-- and ALSO shared this awesome review of Voyage of the Damned (the book he narrated) by _brainbowie_ on instagram! OH AND JUST BY THE WAY-- IT WAS NOMINATED for Audible's "Best Audiobooks of the Year 2024 in both the SFF list AND the Top 20 overall!!"

ANNND if you have read it and would like to help Voyage of the Damned out -- please put a review up on Audible! Let the world know how much Nathan's voice should be cherished! In addition - if you haven't already, please help Nathan and the author out by voting for it on Goodreads for 2024's Goodreads Choice Awards!

Source: Goodreads

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian was kind enough to share a playlist featuring his love of synthwave!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

= Anapela Polataivao =

Source: The Guerilla Connection Instagram

BTS of The Guerilla Connection!

Source: TheGuerillaConnection

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico had a great time at their first stand up comedy show! More random IG stories of it!

Source: Vico's Instagram Stories

= Jes Tom =

Jes Tom is out at Little Secrets Comedy tonight at the New York Comedy Festival if you're in town! November 15 @ 10:30 pm - 11:30 pm!

Source: Jes Tom's Instagram

= Zayre Ferrer =

Thank you so much to @adoptourcrew and Zadry Ferrer for highlighting this awesome Fellowship award awarded to our dear writer Zayre Ferrer! They were named one of the #inevitablefoundation's 2024 Visionary Fellows!

Source: Zadryg.bsky via @adoptourcrew

== Petition Status ==

Great news! Up to 90,150 signatures! To all our new OFMD fans out there, have you signed the petition yet? Thank you luci5459.bsky.social for sharing! (and @adoptourcrew for promoting!) https://www.change.org/p/save-our-flag-means-death

Source: Luci5429.bsky.social

== Articles ==

More articles featuring OFMD and Zayre Ferrer! Thanks @adoptourcrew!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Transgender Awareness Week ==

Happy Transgender Awareness week crew! Sending all my love out to our trans siblings out there <3 Especially know, please know how much we see and love you, and we have your backs no matter what comes, okay? Wanna learn more about Transgender Awareness Week and how you can help be a better ally? Visit GLAAD's website.

Source: Glaad Website

== Love Notes ==

Wow, now as you can tell, a lots gone on the last couple days! Especially with Rhys! Jeez! Everything seems to be ramping up, which is pretty great -- I don't know if you all are feeling the energy too, but it's nice to see some good things going on in these uncertain times. I know things are still rough right now, and some of you are itching to get out and make a difference. Please know that if you are feeling up for it now, it's totally okay to do that. Find things to do in your local community, find out how ot help online-- whatever you feel comfortable with. --and if you're not quite ready yet, that's okay too. I took two days off work this week despite having a huge project to finish, because I got sick, and my brain told me it needed a break, that there had been too much. I know not everyone has the luxery of doing that-- but if you do, please take some time if you need it. I've probably mentioned this before, but something that always bothers me about the phrase "You can't help anyone else if you don't help yourself!" is that that's not entirely true. YOU CAN. You can do all sorts of stuff without helping yourself, and by tiring yourself, and burning yourself out. But it's not sustainable, and you can't do it forever. You are so very strong, and I bet you could help so many people, and family and burn brightly until there was nothing left of you-- but that's not what any of us want. We want you to be okay on the other side of all this-- and sometimes that means taking a break even when things feel like they just can't wait. We care so much for you lovelies. Please care for yourselves too if you need it <3

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Source: You are another me Instagram

#daily ofmd recap #ofmd daily recap #ofmd #our flag means death #taika waititi #rhys darby #vico ortiz #kristian nairn #zayre ferrer #jes tom #david jenkins #chaos dad #save ofmd #adopt our crew #ofmd daily recaps #con O'neill #anapela polata'ivao #nathan foad #transgender awareness week

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whimsicaldragonette · 3 months ago

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Blog Tour and Arc Review: The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

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Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Welcome to The Muse of Maiden Lane book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love.

Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her. Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience. After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com.

Author Photo Credit: Vicki Hahn

My Rating: ★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was less about Stella and Teddy falling in love with each other and more about giving each of them the courage and opportunity to step out of their suffocating lives and live freely, not caring what other people thought. Falling in love came as a bit of an afterthought.

That said, I really enjoyed this, maybe more than the other Belles of London books. It has some pacing issues, especially when Matthews spends so much time showing us how happy each of the previous couples are, but not enough to sour my view of it.

I really like the way she treats Teddy's disability. I could feel his frustration at being hovered over constantly, and his desire to do things for himself. I also like that falling in love doesn't cure his disability and that he is also more capable than people tend to think he is.

I also really liked his passion for his painting and also for Stella as his muse.

I could also feel Stella's frustration at being constantly forced into the background when she has so much passion. Her family were infuriating - although perhaps a bit cartoon-y in their villainy.

The only real issue I had with this book was that I have never heard of Scarlet Fever causing either paralysis or a lung condition. I couldn't dig up any reference to it either. Maybe Matthews got her diseases mixed up?

Aside from that, though, this was an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

*Thanks to Berkley for providing an early copy for review & blog tour.

#mimi matthews #the muse of maiden lane #the Belles of London #historical romance #disability representation #berkley books #blog tour #arc review #shilo reads #netgalley #book review #romance

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