#booktok disaster fiction

[sedentatus]

When grad student Jason discovers that a deadly hybrid virus was stolen, the CIA enlists him to prevent jihadists from using the virus as a biological weapon. Marines cringe, CIA agents shudder, and congressmen fume as Jason goes to work.

[words-after-midnight]

looking for more writeblrs to follow! 👀✨

hi all, it's been a little dead around my dash recently, so I'm looking for more active writeblrs to follow! I'd especially love to connect with folks who are:

30+

querying or preparing to query (or planning to query in the near future)

queer/LGBTQ+

and/or folks that write any of the following:

dark and gritty fiction

crime fiction (thrillers/horror/dramas/mysteries)

contemporary horror (ie. not fantasy/supernatural)

literary fiction (my beloved)

dark/twisted relationship dynamics

stories/characters that would get cancelled on booktok

unreliable narrators

messy queer characters/queer disasters

unsympathetic characters

stories about trauma/trauma recovery

"bad survivor" characters

stories about or involving characters with mental illnesses

interact with this post in any way (like, reblog, reply) and I'll check out your blog! also, feel free to boost so this reaches more people. ^^

[upwords1990]

Island Lies: A Joe Langley Novel by Ronnie Ashmore https://a.co/d/4OJfrDm

Joe Langley is an ex-cop turned private investigator who has seen better days. Business is slow for Langley. He knows he has become an alcoholic which means he has no clients, no money, and his agency is on the brink of disaster.

Sarah Collier has been searching for answers to her sister’s disappearance for the past two decades. She comes to Langley as a last resort. He wants to find the truth, she has no money. The local police do not want to work with Langley because they don’t trust him. Things get complicated when he starts to fall for Sarah. The questions and the crimes keep piling up. All truths will be exposed if Langley can survive to untangle twenty-two years of island lies.

#suspense#action#fiction

#mensadventurefiction

#mystery#lies#privateinvestigator

#crime#alcoholic

#islandlies#authorronnieashmore

#authorlife#bluesky#threads#tiktok#booktok#instagram#Tumblr#X

#bookreview#BookBoost#bookmarketing#bookpromotion#writer

[cjpromotionsmarketing]

Island Lies: A Joe Langley Novel https://a.co/d/4OJfrDm

Joe Langley is an ex-cop turned private investigator who has seen better days. Business is slow for Langley. He knows he has become an alcoholic which means he has no clients, no money, and his agency is on the brink of disaster.

Sarah Collier has been searching for answers to her sister’s disappearance for the past two decades. She comes to Langley as a last resort. He wants to find the truth, she has no money. The local police do not want to work with Langley because they don’t trust him. Things get complicated when he starts to fall for Sarah. The questions and the crimes keep piling up. All truths will be exposed if Langley can survive to untangle twenty-two years of island lies.

#suspense #action #fiction 

#mensadventurefiction 

#mystery #lies #privateinvestigator 

#crime  #alcoholic 

#islandlies #authorronnieashmore 

#authorlife #bluesky #threads #tiktok #booktok #instagram #Tumblr #X 

#bookreview #BookBoost #bookmarketing #bookpromotion #writer

[twistedyapping]

booktok is a peculiar phenomenon.

so i just watched a video on the disaster that is booktok (the video in question) and it got my brain going ur honor.

a lot of booktok tropes and such revolve around the whole enemies to lovers thing and listen 🎶🎶Random Disclaiiaiamemmemrrr🎶🎶

if u fuck with enemies to lovers stuff that's fine yknow to each their own, this is just gonna be me yapping abt why i don't understand it that much

ive always seen stuff along those lines and especially always seen an immense amount of hype behind it like "omg enemies to lovers is the best trope" and stuff like that- and i have never been able to get behind it for some reason

i even tried it on cai at one point like there was a prompt where i was like Huh ya this definitely seems like enemies to lover stuff- fuck it ill try it why not-

and it just made me Angry- like it was awful- i love the character i did it with to this day but in that specific moment i Hated his fucking guts- like no room for reconciliation level hate And he was indeed going along with the usual enemies to lovers trope that im aware of at least- yknow big argument that ends in fucking or something- Dude my blood was BOILING u have no fucking idea.

and maybe it's my relationship with anger and like the fact that i have trust issues and such but after that i just like. genuinely don't get the concept.

Ok so lemme get this straight right- two people hate each other, cannot stand each other!!! cant even be in the same room together- And then somehow they dont ?. And they fuck ?.

like do these ppl have such short emotional attention spans that the second one of them starts rizzing the other up they just totally forget abt "Oh ya i hated you actually"????? Like are u THAT horny??? Is that what it is?????????

is the enjoyment of the trope coming from the fact that the sexual aspect overpowers the hate aspect?

on one hand i dont care that much But on the other hand i genuinely wanna know bc there must be a psychological component to it that im missing-

is it the adrenaline rush?? the feeling that you're doing something wrong???

listen im AAAAAALLLLLLLL for the concept of like losing control over ur emotions via Fucking But enemies to lovers still isnt it for me-

it has to be like the wrong terminology or something maybe- bc there's no way if ur gonna be going from enemies to lovers that u were Actually enemies in the first place- like u must've been like. Just two people that were in love with each other but didnt wanna admit it.

in which case that's certainly not actual enemies, it's basically just miscommunication tbh

and at THAT point i can get it like that TOTALLY makes sense to me- but the ones where it's like.

"my name is inigo montoya. you killed my father. prepare to die." and the other person's just like "haha. wanna fuck 😎" LIKE BRO WHAT IS GOING ON HAHAHAHHAHAHA

and im sure there have been some books or even fanfics where the enemies to lovers trope has been genuinely well executed, well enough that anyone in their right mind could appreciate it as genuinely good fiction, but i have not seen that so im kinda left in the dark here.

the stuff i see on booktok is also very concerning ngl- it's a lot of these like. older, violent men manhandling these younger women (in fiction ofc, at least i hope none of them are based off of true stories 😧) and like degrading the shit out of them but somehow being painted as "attractive" and "alluring" Like. Bro what.

again i totally get sexual degradation and stuff but only when it's coming from the right place???? Like you're doing it because it's what the other person Wants and what makes them feel good- But this shit isn't that and if it's trying to be, it's horribly executed bc they're essentially just going off of the concept of "one person THINKS that's what the other person wants but we don't actually know if it's true or not bc surprise surprise, there was no communication beforehand of ANY kind."

im the kinda guy that u gotta kinda code shit in for me right- consent is non-negotiable But if u fuckin ask me "Do i have ur consent to fuck you" NOT ANYMORE U DONT!!!! DAMN!!!!! WHERE'S THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE'S THE PIZZAZZ BITCH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

so im not sayin these books or fanfics or whatever absolutely HAVE to have like a terms and agreement kinda fuckin scene where they go over what they fuck with and what they dont But what im sayin is damn you couldn't've like... Kinda talked about it at least...? Like idk maybe a scene in passing where one of em calls the other a bitch and then they're like "wow wow wee wow say that again mister!!!" U KNOW LIEK HAHHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHA

ur writers!!! get creative!!!!!! And im sure the above thig i described has indeed happened multiple times BUT DO IT BETTER!!!!! DAMN!!!!!!!!

anyway i have no idea But ive just never been able to get behind the booktok stuff man it's literally just glorified corn- Haha korn- Yeunara oo ratapenetaa eentaa ooo- and it's a very weird side of tiktok to me like yessirrrrr sex positivity u love to see it But not. Not like that.

sex positivity absolutely!!!!!! sexualization............ no...

And good lord i could do a whole other rant abt sexualization itself and how watered down the term has become but that's for another day ur honor-

and sexualization probably isn't the right word Exactly but im not quite sure else what 2 call it-

ANYWAY idk consider me uneducated but i Am willing to learn- there's gotta be a psychological component to it that i just dont know abt yet BUT im gonna end this yapping session here i think so thank u stay tuned for next time n i apologize if i came off wrong at any point bc i always wanna treat stuff like this with the due amount of respect while still being silly so 😮‍💨

- 🌙 -

[curewimdy]

b and n's proposed plan for holiday merchandizing is such an unmitigated disaster my coworkers and i are scrambling to figure out how to make it make sense lmao. they're allocating all of the best space to types of books that do Not sell well especially for us (expensive nonfiction hardcovers) and heavily restricting where we can put the stuff that DOES do well (fiction, genres, local interest, fucking. trendy booktok stuff) and it's. baffling. i straight up cannot figure out what they're thinking

[the-forest-library]

2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge

A book published in 2022

A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship

A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society

A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title

A sapphic book

A book by a Latinx author

A book with an onomatopoeia in its title

A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid

A book about a "found family"

An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner

A #BookTok recommendation

A book about the afterlife

A book set in the 1980s

A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title

A book by a Pacific Islander author

A book about witches

A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022

A romance novel by a BIPOC author

A book that takes place during your favorite season

A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read

A book about a band or musical group

A book with a character on the ace spectrum

A book with a recipe in it

A book you can read in one sitting

A book about a secret

A book with a misleading title

A Hugo Award winner

A book set during a holiday

A different book by an author you read in 2021

A book with the name of a board game in the title

A book featuring a man-made disaster

A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page

A social-horror book

A book set in Victorian times

A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title

A book you know nothing about

A book about gender identity

A book featuring a party

An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book

A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

Advanced

A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title

A book that features two languages

A book with a palindromic title

A duology (1)

A duology (2)

A book about someone leading a double life

A book featuring a parallel reality

A book with two POVs

Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)

Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)

[bixbiboom]

A book published in 2022

A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship

A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society

A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title

A sapphic book

A book by a Latinx author

A book with an onomatopoeia in its title

A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid

A book about a "found family"

An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner

A #BookTok recommendation

A book about the afterlife

A book set in the 1980s

A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title

A book by a Pacific Islander author

A book about witches

A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022

A romance novel by a BIPOC author

A book that takes place during your favorite season

A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read

A book about a band or musical group

A book with a character on the ace spectrum

A book with a recipe in it

A book you can read in one sitting

A book about a secret

A book with a misleading title

A Hugo Award winner

A book set during a holiday

A different book by an author you read in 2021

A book with the name of a board game in the title

A book featuring a man-made disaster

A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page

A social-horror book

A book set in Victorian times

A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title

A book you know nothing about

A book about gender identity

A book featuring a party

An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book

A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

Advanced

A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title

A book that features two languages

A book with a palindromic title

A duology (1)

A duology (2)

A book about someone leading a double life

A book featuring a parallel reality

A book with two POVs

Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)

Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)

[kyndaris]

Let’s Talk About Books, Baby!

From the ashes of obscurity, books have seen a resurgence. My mother always wondered why I would ever want to be employed at a bookstore when the printed word seemed to be going the way of the dodo. But what was once considered a dying medium has seen new life bestowed upon it through the valiant efforts of BookTubers and even Booktok. 

Yes, you read that right. Booktok! Forget about all the dancing teenagers trying to create the next new floss dance move. There are people on TikTok that actually provide book recommendations. Or riff on certain tropes. Heck, there’s even relatable WriterToks!

Yet, this all comes with a caveat. Most of the books that are seeing a huge boost from influencers are Young Adult fiction. There’s also some very questionable romance stories that are also seeing an endless amount of attention being showered on them. Not once, in all the time that I’ve watched compilations of BookTok videos, have there been any videos on series that are lesser-known. 

Instead, Sarah J Maas dominates with her wing kink Fae universe. Leigh Bardugo has also reached peak prominence with many on the site, but some of that may be due to the Shadow and Bone adaption on Netflix (and after reading the books, I definitely prefer the Six of Crows duology). Then, of course, there are a litany of romance stories with half-naked men on the covers. 

Unfortunately, Fifty Shades of Grey was not an anomaly.

Rather, smut is in. Scratch that. Smut has never left. Whether that be fanfiction on Wattpad (apparently people just love Mafia alternate universes or being kidnapped by boybands. Where have I seen this trope before? Ah yes, the manga Haou Airen by Mayu Shinjo. Actually, just any work from Mayu Shinjo in general. It’s as if the collective gutter mind has picked up on her works and started to remodel it somehow into what now populates sites such as Archive of Our Own and other places where fanfiction exists.

And when it comes to Sarah J Maas and the disaster that was A Court of Silver Flames (I really agree with many BookTubers that have negatively reviewed this work such as withcindy), it seems authors can also get away with having about nearly three fourths of an 800-page book just be about having angry sex in every corner of a fantasy realm.

But that is NOT why I decided to write this post.

While I believe I could pump out decent videos and become a regular of the Booktok community, I just want to shine some light on a burgeoning series in the fantasy section that deserves more love than it’s been getting. And that is the Rook and the Rose trilogy. From its gorgeous cover to the excellent world-building to the lovable characters! 

Somehow, it’s still so niche that my local Dymocks didn’t even stock it! I had to go online just to get it in hand. Honestly, that’s on me and I probably should have just gone to Kinokuniya or Abbey’s with its hefty science fiction and fantasy section.

Written by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms under the name M.A. Carrick, the Rook and the Rose series tells the story of Ren, a con artist, who has come to the city of Nadezra to trick her way into a noble house and secure a fortune for both herself and her fellow ex-street urchin: Tess. The way the authors craft the world and the lore behind it is immaculate, the focus on the characters and the slow plotting also make it a delicious read that had me become incredibly invested into its world.

Nadezra, though the setting for the story that is being meticulously plotted out, feels like a character in its own right. The history of the city is rich with promise and the Venetian-esque vibe that emanates from it (along with the masquerade masks that adorn the covers) makes the place feel alive even though it’s only something crafted from words and I’ve merely just pictured the actual buildings in my mind. 

But although Ren is front and centre, there’s also Vargo, everyone’s favourite criminal mastermind with a heart of gold, and Grey Serrado, a stiff Captain of the Guard that has a huge chip on his shoulder. While there are plenty of other characters to wrap one’s head around, these three are the heart, soul and mind of the series as it currently is and I cannot wait to see what happens in the third and final book of the series that should be releasing sometime in early 2023.

Honestly, it’s a shame that this series hasn’t received the attention it deserves. For anyone that has fallen in love with the Locke Lamora series or who likes tropes of found family and dashing rogues trying to fight against a corrupt aristocracy, the Rook and the Rose series has it all.

Heck, even if you want to have a creature mascot, there is one in Alsius! Someone, draw a spider with socks on each of its legs! Please! If Doomslug from the Cytonic series can have merch, then so can an aristocrat trapped in the body of a spider! 

And the way he bemoaned his lack of gloves had to be one of the funniest sentences I’d read in a long time.

Then of course there’s the things that BookTok could be capitalising on. Like the tarot card readings and the drawing of numinatria (which is basically geometric shapes)!

Oh, can’t forget the FASHION!

Alyc Helms might not be Tess in real life but she’s definitely an eye for describing clothing and I wish I had that talent when it comes to describing what my characters are wearing. Given my current ineptitude (I can’t even tell the difference between a cross stitch and other forms of embroidery), it’s a wonder how I manage to clothe my various fictional characters at all. One of these days I ought to sit down and just research the different types of doublets, jerkins, cuirass and other such attire. 

The world is also ripe for an adaption, as was requested in an interview with the authors with Kia Carrington-Russel, an Australian author.

It is a shame that many influencers have yet to read or signal boost this criminally underrated series. How is it that books such as House of Sky and Breath have become so popular that they now feature in the local Big W and not a fantastic fantasy series that tells such a bewitching tale in a fully realised world?

I can’t say for sure if I have any reach when it comes to my blog posts, but I hope that someone out there will draw a spider with gloves/ socks and it suddenly becomes viral. Because that is what the Rook and the Rose deserves! 

That or a streaming deal. Just think of how beautiful the world would look with just the right vision behind it? Certainly, we’ve seen Bridgerton bring back Regency and Shadow and Bone dabble with an actually intriguing young adult fantasy series. Now let’s see that Netflix budget (or Amazon/ Binge/ Stan/ whatever other big streaming services there are) try to put it on a burgeoning IP that has so much promise! And don’t cancel it until the second season! 

[mhasliyra]

Reading Challenge 2022

Last year I challenged myself to read books without looking at the description or hearing anything about the plot before diving in as a way to broaden my book range, but it failed and by the end of the year I fell into my usual genre or romances and ended the year with only 20 books read.

The error was that I didn't have a ton of money to spend on books so after a few months I had a hard time committing to buy a book I wasn't sure if I would like and found myself drifting towards familiar authors I knew would be a good read for me. So the year of 2022 I bring you my reading challenges!

1. Goodreads winner in 2021

2. Book becoming a movie in 2022

3. Speculative fiction

4. Book with a bird on the cover

5. Published in 2000

6. Book by a local author

7. 2021 best seller

8. Genre you don't usually read

9. Book with a Muslim protagonist

10. Recommended of Booktok

11. Pulitzer prize book

12. Author who shares your initials

13. Two books by the same author

14. Two books by the same author

15. Recommended at a bookstore

16. Spooky book

17. Book you own but haven't read

18. Nonfiction bestseller

19. A book based on real people 

20. A book with less than 2022 goodread rating

21. A character with superhuman abilities

22. A manga or comic book

23. Book you saw someone reading in public

24. A gifted book

25. A book under 250 pages

26. A book over 600 pages

27. From the villain's perspective

28. Book from an author from the same zodiac sign (Scorpio)

29. A book with moon or stars on the cover

30. A book with an insect on the cover

31. Has your favorite colour as the cover

32. A book on a sensitive subject

33. Random book on the great “To be read” list

34. Book by a person of colour author

35. Cover with every colour of the rainbow

36. Book beginning with the last letter of a previous read

HARD MODE

37. Book from the year you were born

38. A memoir

39. A banned book

40. Book with a difficult choice

41. Book originally in a foreign language

42. Book featuring a parallel reality

43. Book with a reflective image or mirror in the title

44. Protagonist who uses a mobility or other aid

45. Book featuring a man made disaster

46. Book with a misleading title

[sedentatus]

Stupidity, climate change, and an ancient virus set the stage for potential disaster, with humor

[soggywarmpockets]

List typed out:

-A book published in 2022

-A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship

-A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society

-A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title

-A sapphic book

-A book by a Latinx author

-A book with an onomatopoeia in its title

-A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid

-A book about a "found family"

-An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner

-A #BookTok recommendation

-A book about the afterlife

-A book set in the 1980s

-A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title

-A book by a Pacific Islander author

-A book about witches

-A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022

-A romance novel by a BIPOC author

-A book that takes place during your favorite season

-A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read

-A book about a band or musical group

-A book with a character on the ace spectrum

-A book with a recipe in it

-A book you can read in one sitting

-A book about a secret

-A book with a misleading title

-A Hugo Award winner

-A book set during a holiday

-A different book by an author you read in 2021

-A book with the name of a board game in the title

-A book featuring a man-made disaster

-A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page

-A social-horror book

-A book set in Victorian times

-A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title

-A book you know nothing about

-A book about gender identity

-A book featuring a party

-An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book

-A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Advanced - A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title

-A book that features two languages

-A book with a palindromic title

-A duology (1)

-A duology (2)

-A book about someone leading a double life

-A book featuring a parallel reality

-A book with two POVs

-Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)

-Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)

I'm really excited about some of these prompts. 2022 is going to be fun!

[sedentatus]

Climate change, foolishness, and an ancient virus combine to threaten a pandemic.

[sedentatus]

Climate change, stupidity, and an ancient virus set the stage for a possible pandemic in this medical thriller.

[sedentatus]

Fools rush in . . .