#chelseadolls

[readnburied]

Drunk Book Tag

So it’s time for another book tag. I found this book tag over on ZeeZeewithBooks’ blog who found it on MilliebotReads blog. The tag was originally created by booktubers Chelsea and Julie from ChelseaDolling Reads and Pages and Pens respectively. And without any further ado, here’s my take on the Drunk Book Tag. 

Wine Coolers: You’re 16 and you finally managed to sneak one of your Mom’s Smirnoff Ices. What is one of your most guilty pleasure reads? 

We all know the answer to this. And that is Escape by Nenia Campbell. I love the entire series but if I have to pick a single book I’ll pick Escape from the series. Also, a good dark romance is a guilty pleasure for me. 

Beer: You’ve made it to college and are hosting your first kegger! Pick your favorite new-adult or college-aged book. 

For this prompt I’ll go with All’s Well by Mona Awad. I love all her books which I’ve read so far but I especially loved the weirdness of this book. 

Tequila: You partied too hard last night and drank a little too much Jose Cuervo. What’s a book you never want to see again? (Or your least favorite book)

I had to think about this for quite a while because I don’t normally despise books, but I ended up going with The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith because I can’t stand those book (s) and have no desire to see them anywhere.

Beer Bong: What’s a book you read super fast? 

For this I’ll go with Oblivion by Kelly Creagh which is the last book in the Nevermore trilogy. I waited for the book to come out for a really long time and when it eventually did, I couldn’t help but devour it. 

Spring Break: You’ve thrown your inhibitions to the wind and end up having a sexy night you’ll never forget. What is your favorite smutty read? 

I will choose Even If It Hurts by Sam Mariano. I enjoyed the dark romance and the morally gray hero. I had a really good time reading this book and I wish I can read this book for the first time all over again. 

Screwdriver: What is the most twisted book you’ve ever read? 

This is an easy one and that is Insidious by Aleatha Romig. I still have a hard time thinking that the character actually did what she did and the ending still leaves me with goosebumps every time I think about it. 

Long Island Iced Tea: The melting pot of alcoholic beverages. What is one of your favorite diverse reads? 

For this prompt I will go with Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson. I loved the story and the cast and how diversity is such a core aspect of it. I really enjoyed reading it. 

Sex on the Beach: A drink that’s great in theory but wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. What is a book that just didn’t live up to the hype? 

This was a little tricky because I’m not much for hype books, and even if I read them I read them after the hype has died down. But I ended up choosing Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. And it’s mainly because I didn’t enjoy the genre as such. 

Wine: You’ve just gone through a rough breakup, so you can park yourself in bed with your favorite bottle of wine, some ice cream, and a bucket for your tears. Name a book that made you cry out all your feels. 

It took me a while to get an answer for this but I choose Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan. This entire series had me bawling like a baby because of everything the protagonist goes through. 

Strip Club: Your favorite naked hardback. 

For this I will go with the Fairy Loot edition of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I love the entire series and the hardbacks are just stunning. 

So this is it. This is my version of the Drunk Book Tag. I tag everyone who comes across this post and I hope you enjoy doing this tag as much as I did. 

[miniwonderadventures]

Here's another pic of the new floral dresses too. . . ~ My eBay store; https://www.ebay.com/str/kylelefort and Etsy shop; https://www.etsy.com/shop/KyleLefort . . #Barbie #chelsea #chelseadoll #chelseadolls #clubchelsea #cutebarbie #barbieadventures #instadoll #dollphotography #instabarbie #EmmatheChelseadoll #haleythechelseadoll #chelseadollclothes #dollclothes #barbieclothes #etsyshop #etsy #ebay #ebaystore #chelseadress https://www.instagram.com/p/CBPjG04JHrQ/?igshid=jrgy8exx0mkw

[gingerlolaminiaturecrafts]

Barbie Doll Chelsea Glitter Bedroom Makeover  New video ready to watch. Barbie Doll Chelsea gets a surprise bedroom makeover. Please watch, leave a comment, and a thumbs up or down :) Thanks so much for watching! Have an awesome day! #barbiedollhousemakeovers #glittercrafts #gingersdollworld

[shadowtearling]

If you’re looking for booktube channels maybe try booksandlala if you haven’t before

she’s one of my favorites lol the only one to not annoy me 😂 thank you for the suggestion, though!

[oyuncusobi]

Shopkins Cicibici Şefler Kulübü Cici Kızlar Jessicake ve Barbie Chelsea Bebekleri https://youtu.be/SNsCDqp3_jQ #shopkins #shopkinscake #shopkinschefclub #jessicake #shopkinsshoppies #shopkinsshoppiesdolls #chelseadoll #barbieclubchelsea #cicibici #cicikızlar #oyuncusobi https://www.instagram.com/p/BpxOHEDHxC1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1k6sp9z4c2xi8

[theatricdoll]

Closeup on the Chelsea doll. Her Cat ear healmet is cute. #barbie #barbiedoll #barbiechelsea #chelseadoll https://www.instagram.com/p/BpfQrO0FBBi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=152rqhdej5wtt

[recupefashion]

Happy Thursday everyone, Just wanted to show you want I purchased yesterday. I got this beautiful black doll which I am naming Bruce and the sweet little girl is known as Barbie ‘s nièce but in my house she’s Bruce’s niece. He’s pictured here with Gwendolyn. #barbie #barbiedolls #kendolls #kendollfashion #kendollphotography #barbieniece #chelseadoll #chelseabarbiedoll (at Saint-Calixte, Quebec) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZhKVDdLBwF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fromjesstoyou]

Contemporary-A-Thon Round 3 - Day 2 / Vlog #3 | #ContemporaryAThon | From Jess to You Services

[lightestofheart]

Green bloomers. I think she's a Chelsea? #spellbindingbeautyestystore #spellbindingbeauty @spellbindingbeautyetsystore #lookingglasslolita #dollclothesforsale #doll #green #chelseadoll #80s #barbie #barbiedoll #barbiedolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs08kaXDm2b/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1clp7taiihraw

[miniwonderadventures]

FYI, anyone can wear a romper. 😀 . . ~ My eBay store; https://www.ebay.com/str/kylelefort and Etsy shop; https://www.etsy.com/shop/KyleLefort . . #Barbie #chelsea #chelseadoll #chelseadolls #clubchelsea #cutebarbie #barbieadventures #instadoll #dollphotography #instabarbie #TobytheChelseadoll #sydneythechelseadoll #chelseadollclothes #dollclothes #barbieclothes #etsyshop #etsy #ebay #ebaystore #dollromper https://www.instagram.com/p/CBPGjqHJvQ1/?igshid=10lt5ot7yg5mz

[clemenlemonsims]

21 Questions

21 Questions

I was tagged by @queer-as-sims Don’t worry. I totally don’t regret following lol

Anywho ~

Rules: answer 21 questions, then tag 21 people you want to get to know better.

Nickname: I don’t have one actually 

Zodiac: Cancer. And yes, I’m as sensative as you think I am lol I’m not obvious about it. A quiet sensitive. 

Height: 5′6

Last thing searched: Live Love Polish. I’m not big on polishing my nails, but I like art and polish is included. Someone I follow on instagram got a Jane Austen collection and I thought it was pretty.

Favorite musicians: That so hard because I listen to random stuff all the time, but I guess I’ll say people who I’ve actually bought albums for and have gone out of my way to listen to all their music. 

(Top 10 current and I can listen to any song of theirs and love it)

Ed. Sheeran. Kendrick Lamar. BTS (Yes I listen to kpop. Mostly the old stuff). Logic. Hoody. Jay Park. Bruno Mars. Jooyoung. Normani.

If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or visit the future? I’d go to the future even though I love history. If I could though, I’d be a spectator and not actually be able to interact with anything. Like a projection because I don’t know how things will end up in the future and it might be bad and I don’t want to get hurt physically.

Do I get asks? No. I just started so I completely understand lol

Following: 107. I follow a lot of writing blogs 

Would you rather be rich or famous? I’d rather be rich. When I was younger I probably would have said famous, but fame comes with a lot of social scrutiny and I like my privacy.

Amount of sleep: It’s really random, but I’d say at the most 6 hours. I sleep really late and wake up really early like clockwork.

What I’m wearing: A tribal pattern tank top and knee length gray sweat pants

Dream job: Freelance writer.

Dream trip: Korea and Japan.

If you were an animal. What would you be? Probably a cat. I’m pretty much a cat already, but I’m really bad at jumping haha

What are some of your favourite books/films/shows/games/etc.? Books: There’s so many, but I’ll go for ones that I always think about when writing.

Harry Potter (Read this series at the age of 24. I’m 25. It’s so good). The Bear and the Nightingale (Beautiful story). All the Crooked Saints (Beyond my expectations). Bakuman & Deathnote (Manga both written and drawn by the same people. I love mental battles). Smoke&Bone. Saint Everything. And everything by Rainbow Rowell.

Films: I love Animations btw. Grease 2 (I know it’s a musical and kinda cheesy but I’m still obsessed with it). Howl’s Moving Castle&Spirited Away (Basically anything Studio Ghibli). Toy Story. All Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Friday. Thirteen Ghosts (A classic). Casper movies. Most movies from my childhood, but I can’t think of all of the good ones I’ve watched. My brain isn’t working lol

Shows: Carnival Row. Bob’s Burgers. X-Files. Case Closed (anime). Elementary. Supernatural. Peaky Blinders. The Simpsons. Hilda (Animation).  Queen In Hyun’s Man&Thirty but Seventeen&He is Psychometric&My Love from another Star (KDramas). The Originals. Stranger Things. There’s a lot more ~ 

Games: Bioshock Infinite (My ULIMATE favorite game ever). Detroit Become Human (My other ULTIMATE fav). Yakuza 0. Crash Bandicoot&Spyro (classic). Little Nightmares. Undertale. Red Dead Redemption. Beyond: Two Souls. The Last of Us. Catherine. Sleeping Dogs. And so much more.

Etc: Favorite Youtubers: Cryaotic (Streamer). Jacksepticeye (Gamer). Christ Stuckman (Movie Reviews). Thoughts on Tomes&Chelseadolling Reads (Book Reviews). JK News (Comedy/News). Asian Boss (Documentaries/Interviews). Neecxle (Simmer). Caleb Joseph (Booktuber/Comentary). Kennie J.D. (Hair/Makeup/Commentary). Binging with Babish (food).

Play any instruments? I used to play the clarinet in middle school lol

Language(s): English. I’m slowly learning Korean (I know how to read and write and I know simple sentences). I want to also learn Spanish..  

Describe yourself as aesthetic: Reserved? Not sure if that’s right or not :D

I TAG 3 people who follow me and anyone else who wants to join in! I feel a little shy tagging people right now since I’m so new and I don’t want to bother anyone ~

@marceltorak @simsulate @dreamstatesims

[gingerlolaminiaturecrafts]

Barbie Doll Makeovers Kelly and Chelsea Dolls

Please watch me give Barbie doll sisters a new makeover. Kelly dolls transformed into little Ken dolls :) Please watch, leave a comment, thumbs up or down and share. Thanks for watching. Have an awesome day! #barbiedollmakeovers #dollmakeovers #dolltransformations #chelseadolls #kellydolls #gingersdollworld

[anditjustmadeherkind]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/14596170-lola?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/16219087-chelsea-chelseadolling-reads?shelf=queer

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3030788-melanie?shelf=lgbtqiap

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47627265-kaylin-the-re-read-queen?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/22178203-aly-s-bookish-wonderland?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3399699-rose?shelf=glbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/19590155-vanessa-j?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4183707-ellen-goodlett?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31027440-lala-booksandlala?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/12741656-casey?shelf=lgbtq

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3165683-laura?shelf=lgbtqiap-adult

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3165683-laura?shelf=bi-bi-bi

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/24873490-moxxi-the-hyperanalyst?shelf=lgbt-protags

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/62555306-evelyn-hugo-s-1-fan?shelf=gay-shit

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/62555306-evelyn-hugo-s-1-fan?shelf=gay-2018

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/35950871-elena?shelf=lgbtq-rep

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4379747-sarah-literary-meanderings?shelf=genre-lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31979390-alice?shelf=gay-romance

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/19713035-bekka?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5978375-allison?shelf=queer-reads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13559982-em-bookjinni-ali?shelf=lgbtqiap-rep

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9648283-fleur?shelf=lgbtiq-mc

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13206527-jen-la-duca?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5819300-cynthia-bingeing-on-books?shelf=lgbtq

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5258511-marie?shelf=lgbtq

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1033303-brittany?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3374666-alexis-u?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5743245-m-nica?shelf=lgbt-plus-characters

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47355625-chiyo-gomes?shelf=queer-as-fuck

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7253127-katastrofekat?shelf=glbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9271866-kim?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15875272-candice-montgomery?shelf=queer-lit

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/39727559-ellis?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/44203614-stine-hopsdal?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/39790203-carol?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2340613-carmen?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/27973432-aleksi?shelf=queer

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5316154-heather-a?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/22604051-ritta?shelf=lgbtq-plus

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/55797034-aleclightnerd?shelf=gay

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7969244-laura?shelf=lgbtq

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6364822-karla?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7417265-miranda-lynn?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32631231-ekaterina?shelf=lgbt-characters

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/25629467-kara?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/25385153-nicole?shelf=lgbtq

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5441861-alysia?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9944778-salina?shelf=lgbtqia

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/38550366-mia?shelf=lgbt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4669232-baba?shelf=f-f-m

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1977643-p-u-r-p-l-e-masochist?shelf=f-m-f

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/14596170-lola?shelf=f-f-romance

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4669232-baba?shelf=f-f

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1977643-p-u-r-p-l-e-masochist?shelf=f-f

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3165683-laura?shelf=ff-or-sapphic-rep

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/24873490-moxxi-the-hyperanalyst?shelf=girl-girl-romance

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/56233708-wv?shelf=wlw

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13559982-em-bookjinni-ali?shelf=f-f-romance

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/26007771-angela-goodrich?shelf=ff

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5743245-m-nica?shelf=wlw

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8317958-bekah?shelf=wlw

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8764635-amanda?shelf=f-f

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5441861-alysia?shelf=wlw

[alexmaksworld]

#barbiebaby #skipperbaby #barbiebabyclothes #matteldoll #overallforminiaturedoll #clothesforkrissy #krissyclothes #barbie #kellydoll #kellymattel #chelseadoll

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Mak (@cute_doll_dress_)

#krissydoll

#barbiebaby

[argotmagazine-blog]

Hating On Audiobooks Is Pretty Ableist

I'm a very slow reader. At most, I read around two books per season, and half of these books come in audio form. I love reading paperbacks, but it takes a large amount of time. For busy people like me, or for disabled people who can't see the written page, or can't physically hold up a book, audio books are vital. Yet despite this simple concept, there is a nasty attitude about listening versus reading floating around the reading community. Rather than viewing audiobooks as a different way to enjoy books, listening to audiobooks is “cheating,” and they don't count as “real reading.”

It's such a prevalent issue in the reading community that makes audiobook readers constantly defend themselves. BookTubers such as AclockworkReader, Chelseadolling, and BooksWithEmilyFox have all uttered some variation of the words “I know people consider audiobooks cheating but...” and go on to defend their love of audiobooks. There's nothing wrong with defending yourself of course, but its such a shame BookTubers have to constantly mention the unjustified stigma.

Forums are also packed with judgmental commentary that shames audiobook listeners for merely existing: 

The problem with calling audiobooks “cheating,” is that you're passively accusing disabled people of relying on a “lesser” form of reading, therefore implying they're lazy.

Why Does Reading Come With A Superiority Complex?

Those who prefer physical reading may defend their anti-audiobook perspective by saying something like “But hey, when we're calling people cheaters, we're not referring to blind people, we're talking about perfectly abled people who just can't be bothered to pick up a real book!” Okay, but where do you draw the line? Who counts as “disabled enough” to deserve respect for listening to audio recordings?

Dyslexic folk, people who get migraines or joint pain; these are the people society tends to forget about when they throw around the word “lazy.” Tons of Dyslexic folk read from huge books every day, but there-in lies the issue of preference. Just because you technically can read physical text, doesn't mean you should be forced to if you want to enjoy a story.

With all of this in mind, I took to various community Facebook groups to talk to disabled and fellow neurodivergant folk about their thoughts on audiobooks. I asked them about the audiobook stigma, and how the haters make them feel. Lefa Singleton Norton, arts worker from Melbourne Australia, talked me through the importance of audiobooks. She writes

“Audiobooks are ideal for days I am stuck in bed, unable to handle the cognitive load of interacting with the world.” she said, “It’s easier for my system to take in a single input - sound - than to manage the multi-input of reading myself, where my brain has to work harder to interpret the visual language. I have definitely been subjected to people telling me it’s not really ‘reading’ which smacks of a total lack of understanding not just about disabilities, but language and communication.”

This is harmful for many reasons, not just because it puts people off using audiobooks, but because it shines a light on society's hated of learning disabilities. The more we stigmatize technology made to help disabled and neurodivergant folk, the less likely society is to create more of it. Go to any tech video or article on a cool new invention and you'll get a handful of comments bemoaning about how the inventors are promoting laziness or wasting money. When critique like this is loud enough, it overshadows the support for funding or creating new versions of the device.

Clearly, a lack of understanding is definitely partially at fault for the stigma, particularly when it comes to deciding what does and doesn't count as “real” effort.

Science has busted the 'cheating' myth already

Scientifically, it's actually been proven that listening to audiobooks uses the same mental processes as physically reading does. That's not to say there aren't subtle differences here and there, but research has shown that people can be just as involved in the listening process as the reading process. It's actually been proven for decades that the brain comprehends auditory and written words with the same level of understanding. Researchers Kintsch and Kozminsky conducted a study in which 48 individuals were asked to summarize three 2000 word tape-recorded and written stories. Equal comprehension of each story was found regardless of whether or not the participant listened, or physically read the story.

And for those who are audio learners as opposed to visual, listening to audiobooks can be more beneficial for their learning preferences.

I understand people need science as proof, but ultimately it's exhausting and depressing to be required to prove something so innocent and simple. Preference should be enough, the stories of disabled people having a medium that suits them, should be enough. There should be no stigma attached to something as inoffensive as listening to a novel.

Simply having a preference isn't a problem. It's okay to dislike something, even hate engaging with it. The issue stems from going to the extreme of mocking people for liking it. Audiobooks simply aren't for everyone, and for some (particularly visual learners) they may find it difficult to concentrate on the story as much as they would if it were on paper. Deaf folks also have no use for the concept, or people who have sensory issues, like freelance writer and editor Shannon L. She writes:

“I get sensory overload and thus can't comfortably listen to audiobooks. One of my auditory difficulties is listening to one voice speak with no real break in dialogue. It's hard for people to understand, and I feel like I'm being dismissive of their suggestions to listen to audiobooks, when of course that's not the issue.

This stigma is so pernicious, that for people like Shannon who mean no disrespect to those who enjoy audiobooks, folks who do mean disrespect have given her a reason to add a disclaimer to her preference. It's so exhausting to have to defend your love of audiobooks, or your justified dislike of them, all because a group of people like to think they're superior for picking up a wad of paper.

Physical reading is viewed as some sort of achievement that only the most dedicated readers excel at. While physical readers can spend a month reading the whopping 1,138 pages of Stephen King's 'IT', their friend is finishing the audiobook of the same novel in under a week. All due to the fact they got to listen to the recording at one and a half speed, while they showered, cooked, and washed their car. This ease of access, to the those who prefer physical reading, perhaps comes across as “not listening hard enough.” They probably didn't concentrate on every word, the book snob may think, they probably got distracted for most of the recording. They'd appreciate it more if they just slowed down and held the text in their own hands.

Though challenging yourself with a very long and difficult paperback book interests (and impresses) a lot of people, the idea that everyone has to do this to be a “real bibliophile” is straight up elitist. Turning reading into a contest to see who “reads better” restricts reading access to people who otherwise would be intimidated by such attitudes.

It's actually not that different to the video game hard-mode conceitedness that exists in the gaming community. There are actually people out there that believe a game isn't worth playing on easy-mode, or that gamers aren't skillful if they play on anything less than hard-mode. Audiobooks, in the eyes of book snobs, are the so called easy-mode of reading, e-books are medium-mode, and reading off of real paper is hard-mode. With that logic, hardcore survival-mode must be reading from stone tablets, in Latin.

Single player gaming and reading are both solo activities. The idea someone else is shocked by your choice of “difficulty” is such a bizarre concept to me. It's no one's business but your own how you read your chosen book in your own home. This obsession with demanding other people challenge themselves is very reminiscent of society's fear of unintelligence. Society is terrified of producing more children with learning difficulties, low IQ's, or any kind of special needs that make the parents “look bad.” And since reading has always been associated with intelligence, we fear that if we stray away from the written word, we will get less and less intelligent over time

What Reading Snobbery is Rooted In

Books are one of the few learning apparatuses that are still used from the 20th century. So in a way it makes sense that people are afraid of losing them. But no one ever said that physical books were going to die out as a result of audiobook and e-book popularity. They're not a replacement, they're an addition.

Part of this reading affectation possibly comes from anti-technology sentiments. It's the fear that technology is moving too quickly, and that society's youth will become obsessed with the latest gadgets. Not being able to relate to modern technology because you grew up with analogue devices is understandable. I can imagine it's pretty frightening in certain contexts. But to use that fear to attack individuals who need that new technology makes no sense, and doesn't help anyone.

We fear these “unintelligent” folk will be burdens, so we turn our fear into manipulative mockery. 60 percent of disabled children will be bullied in their lifetime, versus 25 percent of non-disabled children. These statistics show society's pure hatred of developmentally challenged folk, and micro-aggressions such as mocking them for listening to audiobooks is only the beginning of a lifetime of stigma.

This is obvious elitism at play, but it also shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how our minds learn and develop. Just because the written word was all we had for centuries, doesn't mean it's the only way we can learn. In fact, if we were to go back millennia, we'd see that we were all auditory learners once. We told stories out loud, we sang songs, we were always listening to audiobooks; but back then the speakers were our mouths rather than apple headphones. And as technology progresses further, we'll find new ways to learn, to read, and to adapt. This fear of change is not only unfounded, but also very possessive. And it goes way back.

Printed books were once reserved for the elite aristocracy because of how expensive they were to produce and manufacture before the advent of the printing press in the 15th century. Access to education was limited as well, so many children went without learning how to read. However, once the industrial revolution hit, the cost and difficulty of printing decreased dramatically. This caused elites to fear that their once exclusive hobby would be tarnished by the lower classes. They feared what would happen when they got hold of the information only the rich could previously afford to digest. This caused a massive possessive culture around printed books, and it seems that it still hasn't faded since. This is something Norton also touched upon during our interview:

“Let’s not forget books are technology too!” she continued, “When the masses learned to read, wealthy and privileged people bemoaned that it would be the death of Literature. Then they said it about radio. And then about ebooks. To valorise reading a paper book as the only pure and real reading is to roll up ableism, snobbery and classism in one ugly package. Whatever method you use to input a book into your brain, you’re engaging with the text, taking it in as part of yourself. The mechanics don’t matter.”

The obsession that difficulty and effort are interchangable, and that intelligence equals superiority will hopefully decrease as technology advances. If we can build devices that everyone can use, rather than just able bodied neurotypical folk, then we can all experience the same joys, and the same activities.

Ultimately, we know audiobooks aren't cheating, science and common sense proves that. But until we stop thinking about reading as a stressful challenge that makes us better than others, we can never truly click with the book community, or even reading itself.

Stephanie Watson is a feminist writer, editor, and zinester, who specializes in pop culture, and psychology. She is the EIC of Fembot Magazine, and a contributor to YourTango, New Normative, HelloGiggles, and many more.

[inloveandwords]

Happy Almost-February everyone!

It’s time for another one of my TBRs which is really just a ‘suggested list of books I may or may not read,’ because I’m such a moody reader.

This month I’m planning on participating in Contemporaryathon, so I’m going to include that TBR here, too.

Contemporaryathon Round 6 Info

Dates: 2/10 – 2/16

Hosts:

Chelsea from Chelseadolling Reads

Julie from Pages and Pens

Natasha from MyReadingisOdd

Challenges:

read a contemporary book with green on the cover

read a contemporary from a new to you author

read a diverse contemporary (keeping in mind that it is Black History Month!)

read a backlist contemporary (something that has been on your TBR for over a year)

 read a dark/hard-hitting contemporary

 read a contemporary with an illustrated cover

read a contemporary that is beloved by a member of the book community (and shout out the creator!)

Books I’m Hoping to Read:

Credence by Penelope Douglas / book with green on the cover I keep seeing this book around and the hype has absolutely gotten to me. I’m dying to read it and it’s on Kindle Unlimited!

Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere.

And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?

Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.

And as a part of them.

She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.

One of them has her.

The other one wants her.

But he…

He’s going to keep her.

Thirty Day Boyfriend by Whitney G. / new-to-you author This is one I have on my Audible Escape wishlist. It’s only a couple hours long, so it’s perfect for a readathon. I’ve also never read anything by this author, so it works for the prompt.

I should’ve never agreed to this arrangement…

Thirty days ago, my boss—Mr. Wolf of Wall Street, came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse: Sign my name on the dotted line and pretend to be his fiancée for one month. If I agreed, he would let me out of my employment contract with a “very generous” severance package.

The rules were pretty simple: No intimate kissing, no actual sex. Just pretend to love each other for the press, even though I’ve secretly wanted to knock that sexy smirk off his face since the first day we met.

I definitely didn’t need to think twice about this. I signed my name and started counting down the seconds to when I would never have to deal with his special brand of ass-holery again.

I only made it to one minute…

We argued the entire four-hour flight to his hometown, failed to make a convincing impression with the welcoming press, and right when I was about to knock that arrogant look off his face in real life? He purposely dropped his bath towel in front of me, distracting me with his nine-inch cock to “show me who the bigger person was” in our relationship. Then he gave me his trademark smirk once again and asked if I wanted to consummate our marriage.

Tragically, this is only day one. We still have 29 more days to go…

Behind the Bars (Music Street #1) by Brittainy C. Cherry / diverse contemporary I’ve been absolutely obsessed with Brittainy C. Cherry lately after discovering her last month. I’m determined to read her backlist and this one just happens to be on Audible Escape!

When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.

I was the awkward musician, and she was the high school queen. The only things we had in common were our music and our loneliness.

Something in her eyes told me her smile wasn’t always the truth. Something in her voice gave me a hope I always wished to find. And in a flash, she was gone.

Years later, she was standing in front of me on a street in New Orleans. She was different, but so was I. Life made us colder. Harder. Isolated.

Caged.

Even though we were different, the broken pieces of me recognized the sadness in her. Now she was back, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting her go again.

When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops. When we met again, I became her darkest storm.

The Infatuation (The Josh & Kat Trilogy #1) by Lauren Rowe / backlist book I actually can’t believe I haven’t read this trilogy yet because I’ve been dying to hear this couple’s story. Just in time for the Reed Rivers Trilogy coming out in Feb.

It’s a war of wills between stubborn and sexy Josh Faraday and Kat Morgan. A fight to the bed. Arrogant, wealthy playboy Josh is used to getting what he wants. And what he wants is Kat Morgan.

The minute Josh Faraday meets feisty, vivacious Kat Morgan, he wants her. Not for a relationship, of course. He doesn’t do those. He wants her in his bed. But, to his shock and extreme frustration, Kat won’t play by Josh’s rules like all the others. No, this stubborn woman declares she won’t so much as kiss Josh until he divulges some highly personal information . . . But it’s something Josh has never told anyone, and won’t be telling Kat. Not over his dead body, no matter how gorgeous and sexy she is.

But the chemistry between the pair is explosive, scorching hot electricity like nothing he’s felt before. Oh, God, he’s got to get a taste. He figures all he has to do is wear the sexy woman down with is patented “playboy razzle dazzle”—show her the hotness she’s missing out on and she’ll cave, like all the rest . . . The only problem with that strategy? It’s Kat’s strategy, too: she plans to wear Josh down and get what she wants by showing him the hotness he’s missing out on.

It’s a war of wills. A match to the bed. Who will crack first? And when they do, will either of their hearts be on the line?

Disgrace by Brittainy C. Cherry / hard-hitting contemporary Brittainy is known for writing hard-hitting books, and I’m sure this one will be no different.

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again.

After fifteen years together, he walked away from me, and into the arms of another.

I didn’t know how to cope. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know how to exist without him by my side.

All I wanted was for him to come back to me.

Then, Jackson Emery appeared.

He was supposed to be a distraction for my mind. A summer fling. A confidence boost to my bruised heart.

We were perfect for one another, because we both knew we wouldn’t last. Jackson didn’t believe in commitment, and I no longer believed in love. He was too closed-off for me, and I was too damaged for him.

Everything was fine, until one night my heart skipped a beat.

I didn’t expect him to make me laugh. To make me think. To make my sadness somewhat disappear.

When our time was up, my heart didn’t know how to walk away.

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again, yet slowly my prayers began to shift toward the man who wasn’t right for me.

I prayed for one more smile, one more kiss, one more laugh, one more touch…

I prayed for him to be mine.

Even though I knew his heart wasn’t destined to love.

Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert / illustrated cover This has been sitting on my Kindle, haunting me as I hear everyone rave about it and I’m excited to get to it ASAP! I’m really looking forward to the chronic illness rep as well.

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out. Ride a motorcycle. Go camping. Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex. Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage. And… do something bad. But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams / loved by a member of the book community It’s not just one member of the book community that has been raving about this book, I’ve heard SO many people gush about it and I’m so excited to pick it up!

The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

  Here are the non-readathon books I’m hoping to read this month:

Rage (Stormheart #2) by Cora Carmack I finished Roar, the first book in this series in January and this book happens to be on Audible Escape, so I’m planning on finishing it.

Princess or adventurer.

Duty or freedom.

Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.

If Aurora knows anything, it’s that choices have consequences. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan.

In disguise as the rebel Roar, she puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion. But the Rage season is at its peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. Yet these storms are different—they churn with darkness, and attack with a will that’s desperate and violent.

This feels like more than rage.

It feels like war.

  Call it What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer After reading and falling in love with the first two books in her Cursebreakers series, I decided I really want to give her contemporaries a try!

When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

  Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1) by Evie Dunmore I’ve heard so many good things about this book – particularly that it is great for people who don’t normally read historical romance. I also happened to get it as my Book of the Month book in Jan.

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….

  Hunted by Meagan Spooner I feel like I keep almost reading this book, but never quite do. It’s a beauty and the beast retelling and I am always here for those.

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

  The Beginning of Everything (The Rising #1)  by Kristen Ashley This is a full-cast narration that I am SO excited for. It’s available on Audible Escape.

From the unparalleled imagination of New York Times best-selling author Kristen Ashley comes an enchanting new audio-first fantasy romance series that will sweep you away!

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, there existed the continent of Triton. The land was filled with beauty, but it was also splintered by war. Out of the chaos grew a conspiracy to reawaken the Beast, a fearsome creature who wrought only tragedy and devastation. The only way to stop him was to fulfill an ancient prophecy: Triton’s four strongest warriors must wed its four most powerful witches, binding all nations together and finally bringing peace to the land.

This is the story of their unions: the quiet maiden Silence and the savage king Mars. The cold warrior Cassius and the fiery witch Elena. The steadfast soldier True and the banished beauty Farah. And the pirate king Aramus and the mysterious queen Ha-Lah. Their unions will not be easy, but each couple must succeed, for the fate of their world is at stake….

  One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid It’s been a while since I’ve sat down with a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel and this is one of her backlists that a friend of mine recommended.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.

  Heartbreak Warfare by Heather M. Oregeron, Kate Stewart I picked this book up at the recommendation of many people who attended Shameless Book Con, and I’ve heard others talk about it as well. It’s supposed to be super emotional, so if I’m feeling like that kind of romance, I’ll be reaching for this one.

Briggs,

Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn’t know was that I was breaking mine too.

I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . .

Before the war. Before the ambush. Before you.

But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.

The truth is I’m lost without you.

I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home. I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . .

All my love, Scottie

  The Right Swipe (Modern Love #1) by Alisha Rai I’ve heard a lot of good things about this and I found it on Scribd!

Alisha Rai returns with the first book in her sizzling new Modern Love series, in which two rival dating app creators find themselves at odds in the boardroom but in sync in the bedroom.

Rhiannon Hunter may have revolutionized romance in the digital world, but in real life she only swipes right on her career—and the occasional hookup. The cynical dating app creator controls her love life with a few key rules:

– Nude pics are by invitation only

– If someone stands you up, block them with extreme prejudice

– Protect your heart

Only there aren’t any rules to govern her attraction to her newest match, former pro-football player Samson Lima. The sexy and seemingly sweet hunk woos her one magical night… and disappears.

Rhi thought she’d buried her hurt over Samson ghosting her, until he suddenly surfaces months later, still big, still beautiful—and in league with a business rival. He says he won’t fumble their second chance, but she’s wary. A temporary physical partnership is one thing, but a merger of hearts? Surely that’s too high a risk…

  Passion of Park Ave by Lauren Layne Lauren wrote my all-time favorite Friends-to-Lovers romance: Blurred Lines and everyone has been raving about this series. It’s available on Scribd!

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Stiletto and Oxford series, the first in a sizzling new series following the unlikely friendship of three Upper East Side women as they struggle to achieve their dreams and find true love and happiness in the city that never sleeps.

For as long as she can remember, Bronx-born Naomi Powell has had one goal: to prove her worth among the Upper East Side elite—the same people for which her mom worked as a housekeeper. Now, as the strongminded, sassy CEO of one of the biggest jewelry empires in the country, Naomi finally has exactly what she wants—but it’s going to take more than just the right address to make Manhattan’s upper class stop treating her like an outsider.

The worst offender is her new neighbor, Oliver Cunningham—the grown son of the very family Naomi’s mother used to work for. Oliver used to torment Naomi when they were children, and as a ridiculously attractive adult, he’s tormenting her in entirely different ways. Now they find themselves engaged in a battle-of-wills that will either consume or destroy them…

Filled with charm and heart and plenty of sex and snark, this entertaining series will hook you from the very first page.

  Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali Not gonna lie, I’m a little scared to read this one because there is Multiple Sclerosis rep in it that is supposed to be pretty heartbreaking, and I’m not sure if I can’t quite handle it, but we’ll see.

A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

        February TBR/Reading List: including #contemporaryathon picks! Happy Almost-February everyone! It's time for another one of my TBRs which is really just a 'suggested list of books I may or may not read,' because I'm such a moody reader.